September 23, 1905 



horticulture: 



Echoes -From England 



Rothschild. The flower was immense and rose-colored 

 with yellow base. 



AN IMPORTANT PKOVINCIAL FLOWER SHOW 



The flower show annually held at Shrewsbury is 

 unique in many ways, and is the finest show of its kind 

 in the country. Thirty years ago, when it was founded 

 the value of the prizes oflJered was less than £100 ; today 

 no less than £1200 in cash is given away in prizes be- 

 sides large numbers of medals, cups, etc. Last year the 

 society's income was more than £4.500, over £8000 

 being taken at the gate, and the show only lasts two 

 days. The attendance on the second day is usually 

 70,000. The finest fruit in the country is to be seen at 

 Shrewsbury : a silver cup, value 50 guineas, is offered for 

 the best 12 bunches of grapes, besides valuable money 

 prizes. This cup must be won three times l)y the same 

 exhibitor before it becomes his property. Curiously 

 enough one gardener has won the cup three times, but 

 his employer. Lord Hastings, died when he had won it 

 twice. Under the present Lord Hastings (regarded as 

 the exhibitor) the gardener must again win the cup 

 three times before it passes to him. 



SENECIO CLIVORUM 



This is a strong growing, handsome plant newly 

 introduced from western China by Messrs. James 

 Veitch of Chelsea, London. It was shown finely in 

 flower by them recently. I am able to send you a sketch 

 of a flower, showing also the habit of the plant. The 

 leaves are large and orbicular in form, while the rich 

 orange-colored flowers are produced in abundance. It 

 is a noble plant for the wild garden, where its tall 

 stature, bold leafage and large, brilliant flowers render 

 it extremely efEective. For mass planting to produce a 

 flue effect from a distance this new Senecio will prove 

 invaluable in both park and garden. This was one of 

 the most remarkable plants shown at the last meeting 

 of the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 



There were several other new and valuable plants 

 shown, among them being Lilium leucanthum, a va- 

 riety of Lilium Brownii. It was collected in central 

 China by Mr. E. H. Wilson for Messrs. Veitch. The 

 flowers are long and tubular, white, shaded with rose- 

 brown. A beautiful new double lobelia called Kathleen 

 Mallard was shown by Mr. Mallard, Hainham, Kent. 

 The flowers are large and of brilliant purple coloring. 

 A very fine new water lily, a rose-colored form of Nym- 

 phaea zanzibarensis (called rosea) was shown by Lord 



Freaks 



Mr. Editor: — The disease so aptly diagnosed as 

 "Burbankitis" in a recent issue, which has attacked 

 magazine writers, and of which a few agricultural 

 periodicals show occasionally some incipient symptoms, 

 should be checked before it becomes epidemic. A plant- 

 breeder is entitled to no credit for producing a freak of 

 nature, or indeed a new variety which is not an improve- 

 ment upon those already in existence. Novelties which 

 are not superior are useless, and worse, for they are 

 confusing and in the way. This craze for monstrosities 

 is a hindrance to the advancement of useful research and 

 experiment. Actual improved varieties of agricultural, 

 pomological, or floral products are most important, not 

 only to the producers but to the whole community, and 

 if a person raises only one of these in his life time he is 

 a benefactor to his race. But if he merely tries to 

 change the natural laws by hybridizing one species with 

 another in the hopes of obtaining the marvelous his 

 efforts are not to be commended. 



It is unfortunate that there should be more said about 

 peculiar than about useful introductions, but the sen- 

 sational takes best with a good many, and the practical 

 is overlooked. 



It is said that one of the great "wizards" of plant life 

 is about to favor the ladies with a scentless onion. How 

 this is to be done without depriving the bulb of its flavor 

 is a conundrum. If both odor and flavor are eliminated 

 we might as well have no onion. 



The same argument applies to the ornamental. Mon- 

 sters, for instance, are not beautiful ; too large a flower 



