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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



will be admirably covered by Mr. F. W. Burbidge in his essay on 

 that part of the business. 



For the historical part of my argument I am bound to direct 

 attention to the earliest flowers that were cultivated, and more 

 especially those that became established between 1790 and 1820. 

 It must be observed of these in a general way, to speak in the 

 language of the exhibition, they were a very rough lot. The 

 first that reached us was the veritable Kiku, which has become 

 a most famous flower as figured in the Botanical Magazine, t. 327. 

 It was a showy reflexed flower, so far attractive as to be likened 

 to Dr. Sharpe of the present day, a few of our friends believing 

 them to be identical. Not sharing in the belief, I am prepared 

 to believe that Dr. Sharpe is many degrees superior in make 

 and shape, but probably is of no better colour than its gay 

 prototype. 



If we may regard the Kiku as the first of the reflexed group, 

 the question will arise, when did the first of the incurved appear ? 

 I submit to you that the variety involutum, figured in Sweet's 

 " British Flower Garden," vol. i. plate 7, published 1823, is the 

 first of the series in the historical view, and of true incurved 

 character, although, in common with other early flowers, rough. 

 It may be proper to keep in mind that with a little dressing, 

 involutum, in a well-developed form, might be worthy of a place 

 on the show table even now. It is enough for my purpose, 

 however, to establish that at this early date we had the pattern 

 of the incurved to serve as a guide in selecting and raising. In 

 this department the English cultivators have had a great tide of 

 good fortune, for this glorious group is almost wholly of home 

 manufacture. We will call this the prototype of Prince 

 Alfred, and hurry on to avoid having to encounter close 

 comparisons. 



We will now look forJJie earliest of the Japs. I find it in the 

 series figured in Mr. Sabine's paper, published in the " Horti- 

 cultural Transactions," 1822, and it is called the Quilled Flamed 

 Yellow. If this came to us new this day we should class it as 

 Japanese, and we might say that in character it comes near to 

 Gold Thread or Gloriosum. 



Prophetic patterns of three great groups being before us, we 

 fail to find good examples of Anemone-flowered or of globular 

 pompons, such as Trevenna or Duruflet of early date, but 



