198 



D. barMtuS. — Sweet William. — Is an old inhabitant of 

 the flower-garden, and was much esteemed in Gerarde's 

 time, "for its beauty to deck up the bosoms of the beau- 

 tiful, and garlands and crowns for pleasure." It is an im- 

 perfect perennial, but fine vai-ieties are perpetuated by 

 dividing the roots, soon after flowering in June and July. 

 It is easily raised from seeds. A bed of fine sorts presents 

 a rich sight ; it sports into endless varieties, viz. : white, 

 pink, pui-ple, crimson, scarlet and variously edged, eyed, 

 and spotted. There are also double varieties, but in my 

 opinion, no improvement over the single. 



D. hybridus.— There is a large class of these beautiful 

 flowers, produced from crossing the difl*erent species of 

 China, Broad-leaved, Imperial, Sweet William, and other 

 species, which are worthy of cultivation ; the seed can be 

 obtained at some of the seed stores. The greatest novel- 

 ties that have appeared in the Pink line for many years 

 are the celebrated Heddewigii varieties raised from seeds 

 obtained from Japan. The following description is from 

 a seedsman, in Erfurt, Prussia : — 



D. Chin^nsis-Hcddewi^il, B. Chinensis giganteus^ — 



(Heddewig). These superb pinks are splendid beyond ex- 

 pectation. The raiser, Mr. Heddewig, ' received the golden 

 medal,' in Petersburgh, in 1858, and besides there was a 

 prize set on them by the Horticultural Society and by the 

 Botanical Society in Kegent's Park. The plant is very 

 proliferous (free flowering,) and of a dwarf compact size. 

 The flowers are very large, and have a diameter of nearly 

 three inches; they are of difl*eren't colors and shades; 

 rose-colored, crimson, brown, dark-brown and white, mar- 

 bled-flamed, etc. An excellent acquisition." 



D«€hm<^nsis-laciniatllS (Heddewig).— Described by the 

 raiser, Mr. Heddewig, as follows: — "I had the fortune to 

 raise from Japan seed, a new splendid Pink, which Dr. 



