414 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



[ May 25, 1876. 



camp, Eo I will be able at some fatnre time to give you my 

 opinion of the Pampas. I intend also in a future letter giving 

 yon a description of plants most useful for forming shrubberies, 

 &c., and a few practical notes in general. 



I see from the papers you are having a very severe winter, 

 and also stormy weather round the coasts. What a contrast 

 to what we are at the present time enjoying here ! On New- 

 year's day the thermometer registered 95° in the shade, and 

 since then and for a week or two previous to new year the 

 maximum has ranged from that point to 80°. The evenings 

 are very agreeable, but while writing this the mosquitoes are 

 laying siege to me from all directions. 



Some of the foreign gentlemen here were trying at one time 

 to form a horticultural society, but failed. There was a sort 

 of a flower show held last autumn in connection with an agri- 

 cultural exhibition got up by the Enral Society, the first that 

 has been held for twenty years. I see another is advertised 

 to take place in September. — Geoege Bko\vn. 



[Similar letters would be welcomed.- — Eds.] 



THE AURICULA IN YORKSHIRE.— No. 2. 



Being anxious to see other collections of Auriculas I had 

 arranged to go by Halifax and Rochdale, but found it neces- 

 sary to alter the arrangement, which led me to 



Sheffield, where there is also a large and well-grown col- 

 lection of Auriculas and other florist flowers. I was directed 

 to Eough Bank, and found Mr. Benjamin Simonite at home. 

 Mr. Simonite is a working cutler, and, like many of the opera- 

 tives in the midland and northern counties, he devotes his 

 spare hours to the culture of florist flowers, and what he has 

 undertaken to do he has done thoroughly and well. The 

 Auriculas at the time I saw them were arranged in a small 

 span-roofed greenhouse with a path in the centre and stages 

 on each side. It is thoroughly ventilated, and light canvas is 

 used to shade the bloom from the sun. It would not be safe 

 to say whether Mr. Horner's plants or Mr. Simonite's were 

 in the most healthy condition, both collections are admirable 

 examples of skilful culture. Mr. Simonite has had many diffi- 

 culties, but step by step he has pressed forward and overcome 

 all obstacles. In the first place the atmosphere of Sheffield 

 is loaded with sooty particles sufficiently thick to obscure the 

 sun at noonday, glass and leaves soon becoming covered with 

 them. Then good potting material is difficult to be obtained, 

 and altogether when we hear of the difficulties we admire the 

 man and wonder at the result. 



The same sorts are grown here that are grown at Kirkby. 

 Amongst other rare sorts Prince of Greens was pre-eminent, 

 a splendid truss, had fifteen pips ; seven had been cut out, 

 leaving eight perfect flowers. Talisman (Simonite) is a noble , 

 green edge ; the flowers are very large this year, but the paste 

 is Boollopy. The true variety of Lovely Ann (Oliver) is grown i 

 at Bough Bank, and when at its best holds a higher position j 

 than is usually accorded to it. George Levick CWalker) is a - 

 first-rate novelty ; it partakes of the character of George I 

 Lightbody and Charles E. Brown, and may be said to stand I 

 midway between the two. Peveril of the Peak is another of ; 

 Walker's flowers, but this partakes more of the character of 

 Hero ; it is also a very fine grey. A characteristic of Mr. I 

 Walker's flowers is, that the pips are apt to cup, and not ; 

 open-out kindly unless the weather is warm. Samuel Barlow 

 (Simonite), is a good new flower of the Hero type, but quite 

 distinct from that good old sort. Some good white-edged 

 flowers in this collection not already noticed are Mrs. Headly 

 (Lightbody), a fine and distinct flower ; Gairn's Model was also 

 in very fine order, and John Simonite here had a narrow 

 white edge very pure ; at Mr. Horner's the edge was much 

 broader and it did not look like the same flower. Campbell's 

 fine crimson self, Lord Lome, was also very fine here. It 

 is a flower of which any raiser may well be proud. 



Mr. Simonite has about the same number of seedlings as 

 Mr. Horner, and amongst them there is a grand offer, better, 

 indeed, than Mr. Homer's crimson. It is a deep violet-purple 

 self, the flowers of which are very large and perfectly circular, 

 they are also of good substance ; the foliage is also very 

 attractive, being very neat, yet large and of good substance. 



Although Auriculas are weU grown in the little garden on 

 the bare hillside at Sheffield, and although I would not have 

 grudged a journey aU the way from London to see them alone, 

 this is not the only plant cherished by Mr. Simonite. Here 

 may be seen some thousand or more plants of Carnations and 

 Picotees, grown in pots and cultivated in the open ground i 



and these fine flowers have a history of their own. They are 

 nearly all seedlings raised by Mr. Simonite. He has bought- 

 in nearly all the new sorts by other raisers, and one by one 

 they have had to give place to his own seedlings. He has 

 been working on them for very nearly thirty years, crossing 

 and recrossing ; but before beginning to work for colour he 

 first aimed at the formation of the flower — breadth and smooth- 

 ness of petal was his groundwork. Number of petals, which 

 constitutes fulness of flower, he does not desiderate ; about 

 twenty-four petals he considers sufficient. Saoh a number of 

 petals as is to be found in Guardsman Carnation and Admira- 

 tion Picotee, in his estimation tends to confusion or coarse- 

 ness. With Mr. Simonite the raising of these flowers has 

 been a labour of love. He has very little leisure time, and his 

 work is very laborious, requiring considerable muscular exer- 

 tion. It has been done by rising early and sitting up late ; by 

 working steadily for one end and aim — not by fits and starts 

 as many florists do, who begin to look to their flowers a month 

 or two before the flowers open, and who treat them with com- 

 parative neglect for the greater portion of the year. But Car- 

 nations and Picotees claim attention all the year round ; no 

 sooner is the flowering period over than it is time to layer the 

 grass. When well rooted the young plants must be taken 

 from the parent and repotted. Then comes the cold damp 

 days of autumn and winter, and the frames require daily 

 attention. Air must be admitted judiciously, and watering 

 carefally attended to. In spring the cultivator's vigilance 

 must be increased to prevent that dangerous enemy " spot " 

 from attacking the most cherished sorts. Then in March the 

 plants must be placed in their blooming pots or planted out. 

 Green fly will attack them, and until the flowers open again, 

 what with sticking, tying, and other attentions there is plenty 

 of work to do. But Mr. Simonite finds time not only for all 

 this, but to raise thousands of seedlings, and he has in this 

 branch alone written for himself a name in the history of this 

 flower that shaU not soon pass into oblivion, and is more 

 worthy of remembrance by the lovers of the gentle craft than 

 the names of heroes and statesmen. Teimyson's lines recurred 

 to my memory at this time — 



" Tmet me, Clara Vera de Vere, 



From yon blae heavens above 09 bent 



The grand old gardener and Ma wife 



Smile at the claitn of long descent. 



However it be, it seems to me 



'Tis only noble to be good. 



Kind hearts are more than coronets, 



And simple faith than Norman blood." 

 The best flowers are not yet before the public, but those 

 that are hold the highest position. I have not yet seen any 

 of his Carnations, but William Summers is a fine red-edged 

 Piootee ; Mary, Ught, and Mrs. Summers heavy-edged purples, 

 are the best in the class ; but Mr. Homer, who has either seen 

 or grown most of his flowers, considers that in all the classes 

 he has improved on previous fiowers, and not only so, but in 

 some instances he has revolutionised the class. In the Pico- 

 tees he has the pure white ground without spot or bar, and 

 the well-defined edge ; but enough has been said to show the 

 wonderful perseverance of the man. Then he has large beds 

 of the gorgeous Tulip, which likewise requires a rich soil and 

 the careful hand of the gardener. Its fragUe blossoms must 

 be sheltered from sun, wind, and rain by a proper tent to 

 admit the owner underneath its ample covering. I have now 

 only to thank both Mr. Horner and Mr. Simonite for the kind 

 and hearty way in which I was received and shown their fine 

 flowers. — J. Douglas. 



ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY'S SHOW. 

 May 2iTH. 

 This, the first summer show, was held in the large marquee, 

 from the hollow central ground of which the rising banks of 

 plants had an impcslng effect — an effect, however, somewhat 

 formal by the preponderance of symmetrically-trained stove and 

 greenhouse plants and pyramidal Azaleas. A more free inter- 

 mingling of Palms, Ferns, and fine-foliaged plants would have 

 added to the attractiveness of the Exhibition. The plants were 

 generally admirable specimens, and in their arrangement there 

 was a refreshing absence of overcrowding, and the collections 

 could be seen and enjoyed to the best advantage. Amidst the 

 mass of colour a fine rehef was afforded by a group of Acer poly- 

 morphum in several varieties from Messrs. Veitch & Sons. This 

 bank was fringed with Orchids and new plants. Opposite to 

 Messrs. Yeitch's plants an excellent collection was arranged by 

 Mr. Laing, Stanstead Park Nursery, the new Bicolor Pelargo- 

 niums and Caladiums being very conspicuous. The msjestio 



