OCTOBER. 289 



PICOTEES. 



(Plate 156.) 



One consequence of the utter absurdity of having the National 

 Carnation and Picotee Show at the time it has been held the 

 last two years, is, that there is no good opportunity afforded 

 of testing the comparative value of the new flowers which 

 North and South are respectively bringing before the public. 

 I was at Mr. Turner's about a week before the said show took 

 place, and there was not a single bloom left on all his plants, 

 nor had there been one for a week previous. If anybody 

 could by management keep back plants for the show, he could; 

 his immense stock giving him an advantage over most other 

 growers, and this was fully borne out by the fact that not one 

 southern grower entered the lists. Might I not ask whether it 

 would not be possible for the southerns to band together and 

 have an exhibition to themselves, at a time suitable to them, 

 for the present state of things is most unsatisfactory ? But, 

 whatever may be the opinion of the public in this matter, there 

 can be no doubt of the value of the two flowers of which we 

 give a portrait in our present number. The purple-edged 

 Picotee was raised by that veteran grower and hybridiser, 

 Mr. Headly, of Stapleford, the originator of King James, 

 which has been the parent of very many of the heavy flowers. 

 When I was with him the other day, we had a talk over these 

 flowers, and, notwithstanding the multifarious objects of his 

 attention (for I really do not know what he does not grow), 

 Carnations and Picotees claim still a little of his affection. 

 Besides the one figured he has another purple, and I saw the 

 old stool layered of a red-edged heavy flower, which will not 

 be let out this season, but which he believes to be the best 

 flower ever yet raised. The one now figured — a child of John 

 Linton crossed with King James — is large in size, the colour 

 bright and confined to the edge, and the habit and constitution 

 of the plant excellent ; this I can vouch for, having seen the 

 entire stock at Slough. The heavy-edged rose is a seedling of 

 Mr. Kirtland, already well known for many excellent flowers, 

 and is said to have been raised from Marris's Unexpected. 

 Here, too, we have quality ; the habit of the plant is good, 

 though not so strong as the purple ; indeed, growers of 

 Picotees know that this is generally the habit of the rose- 

 edged varieties, and yet there is no class more attractive, 

 whether we take the heavy or light-edged varieties. I am 

 glad to find these new ones coming out, for the retirement and 



VOL. XIII., no. cxli. u 



