REMARKS ON THE PINK. 151 



and other northern florists, with southern flowers ; and I did not 

 conceive I was stepping out of the way when I made the inquiry as 

 to the whereabouts his customers resided, or if any floricultural 

 honours had been awarded to them for their southern flowers. How- 

 ever, he has admitted the name of one of his northern friends, (the 

 Mr. Harrison above alluded to,) and also favoured us with an extract 

 from his correspondence ; yet no mention is made of the prizes 

 obtained by those flowers at the Felton show. I am, however, free to 

 confess, that my questions, taken abstractedly, do appear impertinent; 

 but coupled with Mr. Ibbett's assertion, that there was no difference 

 of opinion between the northern and southern cultivators in the 

 criteria of the pink, and the fact of his having supplied plants to 

 northern growers, was certainly strong grounds for expecting a 

 straightforward and satisfactory explanation. However, as he still 

 insists there is not any variation of opinion existing, and favours us 

 with extracts from the correspondence with Mr. Harrison, to bear out 

 his remarks, I trust I may be pardoned if I adopt the same course. 



Shortly after the remarks by Mr. Ibbett appeared in the March 

 number of the Cabinet, I requested Mr. William Bradshaw, florist, 

 Sheffield, to favour me with his opinion upon my first paper in the 

 previous December number, when he wrote to me as follows : — " I 

 have read over your article on the pink in the Cabinet for December 

 last, more than once; for, if a subject is worth reading at all, it is 

 worth reading twice. My opinion upon it is this, it was written with 

 a view of bringing round a better understanding betwixt the northern 

 and southern pink growers of what the standard of the pink should 

 be, to obtain perfection ; there being a greater disparity in the ideas 

 of each other on this flower than on any other in cultivation, 



i: Now Mr. Ibbett denies this, and says florists are of one opinion; 

 you may therefore inquire whether he knew a south-raised pink to 

 win a prize at any of the following places in Yorkshire, namely, 

 Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Wakefield, and Huddersfield ; 

 a locality where the very essence of pink growing is carried on. I 

 have had many south country pinks, but they have always turned out 

 exactly as you describe them — a mass of confused petals, void of 

 either shape or regularity in any respect." I omit the conclusion of 

 my friend's epistle, because he is rather severe on Mr. Ibbett for his 

 attack on the Lancashire florists. 



