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account of its other characters, we must claim the plant as a mem- 

 ber of the reticulata group. The flower, though of a beautiful 

 rich colour, is small and low ; it appears, as in some other forms 

 of the group, while the leaves have as yet hardly speared. 



These are the several members of the reticulata group as yet 

 known to us ; but I cannot help thinking that careful search in 

 the country lying between the coast of Palestine on the west 

 and Mid-Persia on the east will reveal to us yet other forms. 

 And even with those which we now possess a promising future 

 lies before the cultivator and the hybridiser. From seeding, and 

 especially from crossing the newer forms with the old, many 

 brilliant results may be expected ; we may be glad that the ever- 

 active Mr. Max Leichtlia is carrying on the work which the late 

 Mr. Nelson began. Among the forms we at present possess, 

 the typical reticulata, especially Nelson's large seedling, holds 

 beyond doubt the first place. Next, to my mind, comes the 

 variety histrioides in its best forms, with Bakeriana and Dan- 

 fordia, the latter so especially welcome for its yellow hue. 

 II is trio is beautiful, but too tender for common use, and hence, 

 next to the above, I should put the variety cyanea, followed by 

 some of the better forms of Krelagei, sophenensis, and purpurea. 

 As I have said, the variety Krelagei, especially as shown in 

 seedlings, is variable, and while some forms are hardly worth 

 Bowing, some of them are exceedingly beautiful, and, in my 

 eyes, rank not much below the type. 



One word as to fragrance. For the development of this, in 

 any of the forms, warmth is necessary. The typical reticulata 

 is the most constantly fragrant of the group, but on a cold 

 February or March day even this, in the open, may fail to give 

 out an appreciable odour. With the other forms fragrance is 

 uncertain ; a pot of His trio in a warm greenhouse is deliciously 

 sweet, but in a cold border is almost inodorous ; Bakeriana is 

 generally fragrant, as are also many specimens of histrioides, 

 but sophenensis, purpurea, and cyanea are generally inodorous. 

 As a rule, Krelagei has no scent, but some specimens, especially 

 in warmth, are delicious ; and that, too, even though the 

 flowers may be extremely poor in colour. The occurrence of 

 fragrance is in fact extremely capricious, and no hard-and-fast 

 line can be laid down. The nature of the fragrance, the exact 

 kind of odour, differs in the different forms. 



