186 THE FLORIST. 



At Stanton-by-Dale there has been some fine varieties produced 

 by Mr. Abbots, the raiser of Lord Denman, &c. 1 saw two flowers 

 of a beautiful feathered bybloemen that were identical with four on 

 my own bed which he suppHed me with some time ago. This variety 

 is undoubtedly what was originally called Gem, and noticed in this 

 work, vol. ii., p. 148. It is a second-row flower, cup first-rate, 

 ground-colour and filaments of snowy whiteness, feathered about an 

 eighth of an inch with plum colour or lightish purple ; the petals 

 are of great substance, and, like all thick-petalled varieties, it is some 

 time before it fully expands. The stock is small and in few hands ; 

 the raiser lost sight of the true variety, and has sent out for it an 

 inferior seedling resembling Lawrence's Friend. I also saw here two 

 feathered bizarres, broke from the breeders this season, one of which 

 appeared identical with a good Royal Sovereign, only much shorter 

 in the stem ; the other was certainly the best feathered bizarre I have 

 seen this season ; the cup was shorter than Royal Sovereign, the 

 ground-colour of a deeper yellowy and very correctly feathered with 

 dark purple. 



At Newton Solney, about three miles from Repton, long cele- 

 brated for its scholastic establishment, and about the same distance 

 from Burton, of world-wide celebrity for its ales, is the residence of 

 W. Worthington, Esq. It is rarely that one finds at the establish- 

 ments of the wealthy first-rate collections of Florists' flowers ; I 

 journeyed with a few friends some twelve or fourteen miles to see 

 the Tulips grown by this gentleman, and high as our expectations 

 were, they were far more than realised. After passing the shrub- 

 bery, lake, conservatory, greenhouses, one of which was filled en- 

 tirely with Calceolarias, beautiful varieties, seedlings raised at this 

 estabhshment, several forcing-houses, in which Grapes were grown 

 to great perfection, we arrived at a walled kitchen-garden, near the 

 entrance of which were two large beds of Tulips, covered with a 

 marquee, containing nearly all the best and most expensive varieties 

 now in cultivation. Although the proprietor very kindly went over 

 the names row by row, and allowed us to open the petals to see 

 the inside of the flowers, it would not be safe, from this cursory in- 

 spection, to off"er an opinion on the many beautiful varieties we in- 

 spected here, several of which we had not previously seen. What 

 struck us as particularly fine in bizarres were, Marcellus, William 

 IV., Ostade, and Shakspeare, the last an old variety, but in fine con- 

 dition; roses, Countess of Wilton (Groom's), feather and flame, a 

 first-rate variety. Cerise Blanche, and Lac ; byblcemens. Pandora, 

 Wallace, Lady Sale, Nora Creina, Rutley's Queen, Mary Ann, Gold- 

 ham's feather and flame, and Bijou des Amateurs with feather only ; 

 and a most beautiful flamed bybloemen, name unknown, received 

 originally from Messrs. Brown of Slough. Louis XVI. we did not 

 like ; it was flamed, and in this character much stained ; we under- 

 stood when it came with feather only it was much purer. In com- 

 mon varieties. Earl Douglas, feather and flame bizarre, was very 

 pretty, although the colour was rather dull ; Baquet, the finest 

 marked we had ever seen ; and Aglaia, of which there were several 



