YOL. LV.— No. 3,051 



NOTE OF THE WEEK. Notwithstanding the fact tliat a larj^t 



4- 



Progress with Daffodils. 



The exhibition of daffodils which the 

 Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 and other visitors had the opportunity of 

 enjoying on Tuesday and Wednesday , if 



the auspices of the Royal Horticultural 



proportion of the flowers grown l>y some Society at Kensingt<m twenty-eight years 



of the exhibitors were past their best be- ago, and also aftor<le<l an excellent oppor- 



fore the dates of the show, there ^vere tunity for forming an e^stimate of the 



more than sufficient to interest the visi- ])rogress tliat has been made during 



tors, and large numl>ers were reprosente<l the intervc^niiiu jxM-iod. On that occasion 

 in a manner that indicated cultural skill 

 of a high order. To us the interest of 



the 



vhibition largely consisted in it^ 



the intervc^niiig |)(M*iod. 



there was a large and attractive exhibition, 

 possessing etlucfitional value of a high 

 order, and at the conference of cultivators 



not quite so extensive or of so high a degree forming, metaphorically speaking, a new and others, work of far-reaching importance 

 of excellence as could have been desired, landmark in the history of a flower tliat was accomplished. The procee^lings were 



commenced bv a comprehen- 

 sive paper on daffodils, and 

 the discussion which followed 

 wa.s almost wholly devoted to 

 questions of nomenclature. A 

 largo number of tho beauti- 

 ful vari(^ties that during the 

 first half of the last century 

 had been raivscnl bv the late 



■J 



Mr. Leeds and M r. AV. 

 Backhouse were being dis- 



was highly interesting^ and, 

 as a whole, remarkably goodj 

 considering the somewdiat 

 unfavourable character of 

 the season. This year the 

 period of flow^ering w^as fully 

 a fortnight in advance of the 

 average dates, and, owing to 

 the brilliant sunlight and the 

 dry easterly winds to which 

 the flowers were exposed 

 within a short time of their 

 full development, they re- 

 tained their freshness for so 

 short a time that cultivators 

 might w^ell have been 

 cused had they cried, 

 Herrick : 



*'Fair daffodils, we weep to see 

 You haste away so soon." 



The great heat and drought 

 that were experienced during 

 the summer and early in the 

 autumn of 



wdth 



tributed 



aM<l 



following 



more 



last year^ had, 



doubt. 



r 



of daffodils this 



there can be no aouDt, a 

 material influence upon the 

 flowering 



season. The bulbs matured 

 quickly and thoroughly, and 

 owing to the dryness of the 

 soil until moistened by the 

 October rains, the roots were 

 late in resuming activity. 

 A\ hen new growth 

 menced it was, favoured by 

 the mild winter, very rapid^ 

 and the development of the 

 flowers completed in a shorter 

 time than in an average season. As evi 

 denced by bulbs that are planted late ii 

 the autumn 



com- 



ed ^ 



wanting in substance, and, therefore, un- 

 able to resist to an appreciable extent the 

 effect of brilliant sunshine and drying 

 wmds. This was, generally speaking, the 

 case m the present season, and, having re- 

 gard to the conditions that have obtained, 

 »^ IS somewhat surprising the daffodils 

 should have attained to so high a state 

 development, and contributed such 

 g orious floral pictures to gardens in which 

 ^J^'^?' merits are fully appreciated, and 



cultural requirement-s understood. 



the usual custom were given 

 Latin names. Some of the 

 leading cultivators of daffo- 

 dils had evidentlv become im- 

 ])ressed w^ith the fact, as John 

 P a rTi i n s o n 1 1 a d bee n 

 than two centuries pre- 

 viouslv, that There hath 

 been great confusion among 

 many of our modern winters 

 of plants in not distinguish- 

 ing, the manifold varieties of 

 d a ff od i Is . " Hence i t wa s 

 that much attention was de- 

 votee! to the question of the 

 naming of varieties. At the 

 close of the discussion a re- 

 solution was passed luiani- 

 mouslv to the effect th;it 



uniformitv of nonienilature 

 was desirable, an<l that gar- 

 den varieties of narcissi, 

 whether known hvbriils or 

 natural seedlings, should be 

 given English names in 

 accordance with the practice 



is now doing so much to render our gar- that obtained among florists. A committee 

 dens bright and attractive at a season of was appointed to give practical effect to 



the resolution, and as the result of their 

 labours the number of species was reduced 

 to thirteen. 



MR. FRANK W. WRIGHT. 



a short season of growth is the year, wdien in the distant past it was dull 



and uninteresting, because of the absence 

 of flowers in any considerable numbers. 

 "We have had exhibitions of daffodils in 



and popular names 

 adopted for the varieties, 

 did work that 



were 



For the splen- 



the 



London, and some of them memorable ones, 

 and there have been competitive gather- 

 ings in the provinces, but not until now 

 has there been an exhibition in the Metro- 

 polis at which growers could meet and 

 enter into competition for the cups ami 

 other prizes offered for their favourite 

 flower. We were specially interested in 

 the exhibition because it reminded us of 

 the Daffodil Conference that was held under This change in the nanung ot daffodils has 



was accomplished as 

 result of the conference, all wlio are in anv 

 way concerned with daffodils lia\*' gootl 

 cause for being thankful, for not only are 

 popular names more easy to rememi)er and 

 prcmounce. but they <lo not. as in the case 

 of Latin on<\s, juescjit a liai iii'i' to those 

 who may be attra<n*Kl by the lu^uity of 

 daffmlils, engaging in tlic r culii \ ation. 



