338 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
connected with the culture of the Narcissus. Mr. Peter Barr, V.M.H., met 
several of the prominent growers when he visited New Zealand last year, 
and he is reported to have said in Melbourne (Vic.) that " the folks in New 
Zealand talked Daffodils morning, noon, and night." That may be true, 
for of course he met those who called him "the king of Daffodil growers," 
who were themselves growers, and who necessarily talked about them. 
Had he timed his visit for September, he might have seen that New 
Zealand could do more than talk Daffodils. Mr. T. Mason, of Tai Ta, a 
district a few miles distant from Wellington, has a collection comprising 
three hundred named varieties. Professor Thomas, of the Auckland 
University, has upwards of two hundred varieties, exclusive of Tazettas. 
Mr. J. G. Davies, a professional grower of Christchurch, who for two years 
in succession has won the E.H.S.'s bronze medal for eighteen varieties in 
the Dunedin Show, grows three hundred varieties. Mr. A. Millar, of, 
Mornington (Dunedin), has nearly all the varieties catalogued by Messrs, 
Barr & Sons, of London, and Mr. H. Hart, of Lawrence, has about one 
hundred and fifty varieties. Scores of other growers have less. At the 
last Dunedin Show (already referred to) there was a competition for one 
of Barr's Silver Cups — a table of forty varieties. There were four com- 
petitors, and there were some ninety-eight varieties staged on the various 
tables ; there were only four varieties common to the whole four tables, 
these were Emperor, Sir Watkin, Barrii conspicuus, and Leedsii amabilis 
there were fifty- eight varieties that were not in more than one exhibit. 
This will, I think, give a fair idea of the great number of varieties that 
are grown. 
Most of the varieties seem to retain their home reputation, and they 
do not appear to change their characteristics, though Professor Thomas 
has brought under my notice that Horsfieldii flowers afte7' Empress with 
him.* In my own garden it is quite a week earlier. I think that on the 
average throughout the colony Henry Irving is the first to flower, followed 
by Countess of Annesley and Ard Kigh. Many and bitter are the com- 
plaints about Maximus. " I have great difficulty in flowering Maximus 
under any treatment," is a general wail ; but I think that this is because 
there is a miserable form of Daffodil sold under this name by bulb 
dealers which is not Maximus at all. When one is fortunate enough to 
get the real thing he can get superb flowers. I had some sent me from 
Canterbury (N.Z.) last season, the flower stalks 15 inches long and the 
trumpets 3^ inches. Mr. Wilson has a M. longivirens from Hartland, 
of Ireland, that is in no way different from the ordinary Maximus, and 
Mr. Davies has a M. obvallaris that is simply a little earlier flowering and 
bears not the slightest resemblance to Obvallaris. 
I believe that many of the weaker varieties in England are likely ta 
do much better in New Zealand. Obvallaris grows like a weed, and 
under good conditions the bulbs are like fair-sized Potatos. Mary 
Anderson grows in Dunedin to such perfection and so prolificly that 
one man had a large sized bouquet of them for exhibition, as one would 
have a bunch of Buttercups. In Auckland this bulb increases rapidly, but 
requires frequent change of soil. 
Colleen Bawn is a gem of the first water, and does remarkably well; 
* Possibly the names have got accidentally shifted. — Ed. 
