370 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 28, 1870. 



most important Polyanthus Narcissi ; and that in defiance of the 

 characteristic Rush-like leaves of the former, which long since 

 acquired for them the names of Jonquilla, Jonquils, aud Juncus, or 

 Rush-like-leaved Daffodils. 



Till. Narcissus. Which the author restricted to 5 species, in- 

 cluding the well-known fragrant white N. poeticus, the curious ray- 

 like flowered N. radiiflorus, and the two-flowered N, biflorus, or 

 " Primrose Peerless," a name applied to it in England from very 

 early times. 



Besides sixty-seven species thus arranged and described by 

 Haworth, he had twenty-six varieties, or ninety-three in all; 

 to which number was added fully a third by the year 1831, 

 when his monograph of the Narcissi was published as a supple- 

 ment to Sweet's "Flower Garden." But Mr. J. G.Baker, F.L.S., 

 whose review of the genus Narcissus appeared in the first two 

 numbers of the "Journal of Botany" for the present year, 

 reduced the whole to twenty-one specie3 and thirty-five varie- 

 ties, rejecting from the latter all the double-flowered sorts 

 and such others as were deemed devoid of what is arbitrarily 

 termed botanical distinctic n. Mr. Biker very properly includes 

 the whole under the generic name of Narcissus ; and it is 

 somewhat remarkable that Parkiflson and he should come so 

 near to one another in grouping or classifying the whole ; Mr. 

 Baker's arrangement being — 



Group 1. Magniroronatv — in which the crown or enp is as long 

 as, or rather longer than the divisions of the perianth. 



Group 2. Medioconmatce. — Crown half as long as the divisions of 

 the perianth ; in one or two exceptional cases three-qnarters as long. 



Group 3. Parvicoronatce. — Crown less than half as loDg as the 

 divisions of the perianth. 



Haworth, no doubt, treated many as species that had no 

 claim to rank above mere varieties; and moat cultivators will 

 be inclined to look upon Mr. Baker's treatment of the genus 

 as almost equally objectionable in the opposite direction. And 

 even if he should be nearer the truth, botanically speaking, 

 yet his rejection of minor or subvarieties must render his 

 review of comparatively little service as a guide to the naming 

 and arranging of florists' collections. Parkinson, as was cus- 

 tomary in liis day, discarded all distinctions between species 

 and varieties, Rnd of the eighty-three kinds described by him, 

 he figured in the aforementioned work no fewer than forty-eight. 

 He farther appears to have been not only an extensive importer 

 and grower of the tribe himself, but was also a raiser of new 

 sorts, and nnder the name of " Parkinson's Pseudo-Narcissus 

 or Bastard Daffodil," he described a double seedling, which 

 first flowered with him in 1618, " the outer leaves (perianth) 

 whereof being a greenish colour at the firBt, and afterwards 

 more yellow, on a little turn themselves back again to the 

 stalk." This greenish Daffodil seems to have been accounted 

 a great acquisition by its raiser as well as by the florists of his 

 time, and his description of it is very applicable to a variety 

 which was found thirty or forty years since growing along with 

 the N. biflorus on the site of the old garden upon the famous 

 Bass Rock in the Frith of Forth, and then erroneously named 

 N. Pseudo-Narcissus by northern botanists. This, the last 

 stronghold which was held for King James in Scotland, was 

 surrendered in 1694, when an order was given to demolieri all 

 its fortifications and buildings." Can Charles Maitland, its 

 doughty defeuder, and custoider of " The Bass Martyrs," have 

 relieved his more irksome and stern duties by tending the 

 popular florists' flowers of that period in his highland garden, 

 where, according to Fraser of Brea, one of his prisoners, " herbs 

 grew, with some Cherry trees ? " 



The Narcissi are not only the mo3t important tribe of spring 

 flowers for garden decoration, but they surpass all others in 

 their adapta'ion for beautifying woodlands and other " un- 

 kept " pleasure grounds, before deciduous trees and shrubs 

 become clothed with their young foliage ; and when onee intro- 

 duced they will there endure for ages without farther eare. 

 Modern flower lovers would, therefore, do well to imitate their 

 ancestors by cultivating them far more extensively, as well as 

 in the rearing of improved new varieties, in which they have the 

 advantage of the comparatively modern knowledge of hybrida- 

 tion by which crosses may be effected between widely different 

 species ; and as three at least of these flower in autumn, might 

 not an amalgamation with them and some of the spring kinds 

 result in a race of summer-flowering sorts by which the bloom- 

 ing of Narcissi would be continued from early spring to ending 

 autumn ? 



In forming collections of sneh a widely-diversified race of 

 flowers as the Narcissi, growers find that some mode of classifi- 

 cation is essentially necessary. Either of the three preceding 



systems may be adopted or altered as taste may direct ; while 

 some may prefer the less scientific modes of arranging their 

 plants according to height, colour, time of flowering, &c. And 

 parties who intend setting about Narcissus cultivation should 

 lose no time in securing catalogues from the best growers 

 both at home and abroad, so that they may be ready to furnish 

 themselves with the kinds wanted as soon as the autumn 

 supplies can be procured ; for not only do the first selectors 

 secure the best roots, but most of the kinds suffer more than 

 Hyacinths, Tulips, Gladioli, &c, when kept long out of the 

 earth. — William Goekie. 



VARIEGATED BEDDING PELARGONIUMS. 



Some of your readers may not think my notes on bedding 

 Pelargoniums complete without some mention of the variegated 

 section, although I have not much to add. 



First of all, I think Mrs. Pollock still holds her own among 

 the Tricolors, the great secret of success being, in my opinion, 

 to establish the plants well before bedding out, and to give 

 them liberal treatment with manure. This holds good for all 

 the Tricolors. I quite agree with your correspondent " Stiff 

 Soil " in thinking Lady f'nllnm one of the very best, but still, 

 owing to its very dark zone, it produces a different effect to 

 Mrs. Pollock;- it is a strong and vigorous grower, and especially 

 valuable in beds that are seen near the eye, or for a border near 

 a house, where it can be seen from the windows. 



Sophia Dumaresqoe is quite as good in its way as either of. 

 the above, and of a more spreading habit for bedding pnrposes. 

 Sunset has proved utterly useless with me out of doors, and is 

 only good for pot culture. 



Amongst the Tricolor section, which I have only in pots, but 

 which I have seen tried e'sewhfre, are Lucy Grieve, Sophia 

 Cusack, Louisa Smith, and Spanish Beauty. 01 these I think 

 Louisa Smith likely to prove the lest bedder, and in this view 

 I am confirmed by " D., Deal." 



Of the Silver Tricolors I have not yet found one that is to.be 

 depended on for bedding purposes, though they are all very 

 pretty for pot culture; and of these the best 1 have tried hitherto 

 are Italia Unita, Beauty of Guestwick, Caroline Longfield, and 

 Picturata. The last was beautiful in pots with me all through 

 the winter. They do not, as a eiass, seem to stand hot summer 

 eun, and wherever they are bedded out of doors they will do 

 better if they can be shaded from midday sun. All the Silver 

 Tricolors, as a rule, do better in autumn, when the days are 

 shorter and the nights more moist and cool. 



Among the variegated Pelargoniums with white edges, Flower 

 of Spring haB done better than any other with me. Bijou is 

 too upright in habit, and does not branch enough. Alma is 

 still a very good variety. Jane is a strong grower with a 

 very spreading habit, but is too loose in the foliage. Mrs. 

 Lennox has a good pure white edge, but is not of sufficiently 

 strong growth ; it is, however, exceedingly good for pot culture. 



Of the Gold-edged section I still like the old Golden Chain 

 as much as any, especially for the edges of beds, though for 

 centres Cloth of Gold and Crystal Palace Gem are better, and 

 a sport from Crystal Palace Gem with a pure yellow leaf without 

 any variegation is very effective, but not so good as Pillar of 

 Gold (Turner's), which is by far the most effective gold-leaved 

 Pelargonium I have yet tried. One valuable property is the 

 leaves turn of a lighter colour as they grow older or die, and 

 not green as with most of the Gold-coloured section. 



I now come to the Bicolor or Gold and Bronze section, which 

 cannot be called variegated any more than an ordinary Zonal 

 like Madame Yaucher or Indian Yellow, although I have seen 

 them exhibited at some provincial shows among the variegated 

 class. 



Every year sees a higher development of beauty in these. 

 The best which I have is Crown Prince (Downie, Laird, and 

 Laing) ; next, I think, come Kentish Hero, E. G. Henderson, 

 Duke of Edinburgh, Mrs. J. T'dd, and Egyptian Queen. Ebor, 

 a variety raised and sent ont by Messrs. Backhouse, of York, is 

 also very promising. Beauty of Calderdale has too great a 

 tendenoy to turn green, and the same remark applies to Beauty 

 of Oulton, though sometimes making a very effective bed ; but 

 I give the preference to those which have light gold leaves and 

 red zones instead of the darker zones, as Perilla, Imperatrice 

 Eugenie, Her Majesty, and others which are generally inclined 

 to turn greener than the more golden section. There are 

 several of the Bicolors, which I have only hitherto grown in 

 pots, from not having a sufficient number for bedding purposes ; 



