34 CARNATIONS AND PINKS 



Charlotte and the princesses had a superb collection 

 of yellow Picotees at Frogmore ; but we are not left 

 in doubt as to their quality, for Hogg gives a coloured 

 illustration of one. The colour is a good yellow, 

 but in no respects can it be classed as a true Picotee. 

 The petals are fringed, and the colours, red and 

 maroon, dash from the margin in flakes and 

 stripes. 



It was not until 1858 that real yellow ground Pico- 

 tees were introduced. Mr. Richard Smith, of Witney, 

 Oxfordshire, produced some varieties which well 

 complied with the florists' standard. Mr. B. Simonitc, 

 of Sheffield, who saw them, informed me that they 

 were of great excellence. About ten years later Mr. 

 Perkins introduced a variety named Prince of Orange ; 

 it had an excellent constitution, as I cultivated it 

 for twenty years after it was sent out. Mr. Standish, 

 of Ascot, also produced a very fine variety, named 

 Ascot Yellow. I did my best to get some vigour 

 into this variety, but it also failed like many more 

 yellow grounds. Prince of Orange is the parent from 

 which have sprung most of the fine varieties now 

 under cultivation. 



Most of the new ones are of vigorous growth, 

 and as the varieties are not numerous, only those of 

 robust constitution should be grown. It is only 

 within the last five or six years that we have pro- 

 duced yellow ground Picotees equal in beauty to 

 the white ground group. Mr. Martin R. Smith has 

 given special attention to the improvement of this 

 section, Childe Harold has all the qualities of the 



