30 THE TUBEROUS BEGONIA. 



about 1876 : Madame Hunibelle, salmou-rose ; Velours, vermilion ; and Exposi- 

 tion de Sceaux. Massange de Louvrex, orange-red, a fine bedder, was 

 introduced about 1877 ; and in 1878 came Cecile Gente, the first white 

 worth anything, excepting, of course, the Messrs. Yeitch's " Queen of Whites. " 

 In 1878 came Chas. Baltet, soft vermilion, and Raphael de Smet, from M. 

 Lemoine, of Nancy ; and these again were succeeded by Trocadero, vermilion ; 

 Frangois de Craen, fine crimson-scarlet ; and Paul Quequignon, somewhat 

 similar in colour, all of which were raised by M. Crousse. Almost all of these 

 have now been discarded, being greatly surpassed in every respect by more 

 recent productions, though the three last, Trocadero, Franois de Craen, and 

 Paul Quequignon, are still to be met with, being certainly very vigorous in 

 habit and possessing large blooms, though wanting in shape. 



These were the best varieties extant up to about 1879, and about this time 

 the Continental raisers were somewhat ahead of English growers, the above 

 and many other kinds of less note having been sent out in quick succession 

 by the firms of Crousse, Lemoine, Van Houtte, and others. For some three 

 or four years previously, however, the Frenchmen had been turning their 

 attention to the double-flowering forms, which up to that time were on the 

 whole an insignificant lot, and but little admired or thought of. The first 

 double-flowering Begonia sent out was M. Lemoine's Lemoinei, in 1876, and 

 which was first bloomed in the British Isles, in Mr. W. E. Gumbleton's garden 

 at Belgrove, Queenstown. Shortly afterwards came the same raiser's Gloire de 

 Nancy, the first really fine double, and which is still to be found in the lists. 

 In Messrs. Laing's list for 1877, eleven double varieties are enumerated, and 

 most of them quoted at the high price of fifteen shillings each. 



Besides the varieties above named, we had Argus, of a bright orange-red 

 colour ; Balsaminseflora plena, orange ; Salmonea plena, salmon-rose ; Ane- 

 monseflora plena, Alba plena, L. Thibaut, Louis Van Houtte, President 

 Burelle, and W. E. Gumbleton. These are now so far surpassed as to be 

 seldom seen, and are hardly worth growing ; but by the year 1883, so many 

 fine varieties were being introduced as to be too numerous to mention. Since 

 1881 or 1882, M. Felix Crousse, of Nancy, has sent out a constant succession 

 of splendid varieties, single and double, every year up to date, and he is now 

 quite at the head of Continental raisers. Mistress Hall, his splendid large 

 double, cream-coloured variety of last year, was admitted to be the finest of 

 the kind ever seen, when it was exhibited by Mr. Gumbleton at the autumn 

 show of the Irish Royal Horticultural Society, held last September ; and 

 his fine large single Rubens and Eclaire, grown in the same gentleman's 

 garden, proved to be of greatly superior substance and perfection of cupped 

 form to many of the home-raised novelties. M. Crousse sends out this year 

 five more splendid doubles, of which Lucy Closon is said by a gentleman 

 who saw it last year at Nancy, to be the most magnificent double pure white 

 yet seen ; and fine large singles, reported also to be very fine. 



