66 Select Carnations, Picotees, and Pinks. 
The love for their favourite flower still animated 
the breasts of the old florists who remained true to 
the early love. Amongst these may be mentioned 
Charles Turner, Dr. Abercrombie, Hooper, E. S. 
Dodwell, and others. Many fine varieties were 
raised by these men, but time always served to thin 
their ranks. The late E. S. Dodwell commenced 
work among the yellow grounds in 1884, while stil] 
at Clapham. In that year he first obtained seed 
which furnished him with plants of vigorous con- 
stitution.. ‘Later he removed to Oxford. where he 
still carried on the work, but unfortunately he 
recorded his varieties under number only, and though 
many of them were of fine colours, their identity can- 
not now be traced as in the case of his work amongst 
the show Carnations and Picotees. 
At Oxford he organised the Carnation and 
Picotee Union, which held an annual show there. 
Previous to this in 1806, Mrs. Gyles, of Kiimurry 
House, Waterford. Ireland, sent a fine batch ef 
yellow, buff and apricot seedlings to Dodwell, which 
he considered the finest he had seen up till that time. 
Desiring to test the varieties he obtained stock, and 
by 1887 they more than realised his expectations. of 
them. Later.on Mrs. Gyles requested Dodwell to 
offer the stock for the benefit of the Carnation and 
Picotee Union. Yhis was accomplished and the Kil- 
murry special prize fund became an inducement for 
growers of this race to compete. The show in 1889 
was a great success as 206 exhibits turned up in com- 
petition for the 18 prizes offered. Enthusiasm ran 
high, and judges were appointed to give.the prizes 
to the most effective flowers. As standards of 
quality in this class had not then been solved two of 
the judges declared themselves incompetent to select 
the premier blooms. The question of classification 
was then raised, but though the subject was warmly 
discussed in the Gardening Press, and some import- 
ant points of existing methods revised it became 
evident that yellow-ground Carnations and Picotees 
had not then been. sufficiently evolved to make 
classification possible. 
S. Dodwell, nevertheless entertained a very 
high opinion of the future of this race and hesitated 
not to express it, though regarded by some of his 
fellow florists as being possessed of heretic opinions 
regardine the range of variation that should be per- 
mitted. In “A retrospect and a forecast” on the 
