OCTOBER. 



141 



both assured me that Estella was one of the six. I can only say that the 

 reports of the Show that appeared in the Gardeners' Chronicle and the Journal 

 of Horticulture gave the same names as constituting the group as I did in the 

 Florist and Pomologist, Maria Theresa being one of them. Even if 

 Estella had been staged with the name of Maria Theresa appended to it, 

 surely the Judges could not fail to have detected that it was a double flower, 

 even supposing it escaped the notice of the writers of the reports alluded to. 

 Mr. Young had Lord Macaulay, Victoria Alexandrina, Reine des Jacinthes, 

 and Von Schiller, single reds ; Paix de l'Europe, single white, and Regulus, 

 single blue. The second and third awards were made in the order that I have 

 placed the names of the exhibitors. 



I confess that a consideration of stands, coupled with what I had witnessed 

 in the spring previously, tended much to deepen the impression already present 

 with me, that the exhibition of new Hyacinths rested on a very unsatisfactory 

 basis. I therefore set to work to ascertain as correctly as I could how long a 

 time these Hyacinths had been known to the trade in England through the 

 lists of the Dutch growers ; and, failing that, when they first became known 

 to some of our Hyacinth-growers and exhibitors. 



I applied to Mr. James Cutbush and got from him the following return : — 

 Maria Theresa, very old ; Regulus, old ; Florence Nightingale and Von Schiller, 

 in 1857, the last possibly earlier ; Koh-i-noor, in 1859 ; Victoria Alexandrina, 

 Reine des Jacinthes, Haydn, and Snowball, in 1860; Lord Macaulay, Due de 

 Malakoff, and Paix de l'Europe, in 1862; Prince of Orange, Feruk Khan, 

 Fair Maid of Denmark, San Francisco, Estella, and Rouge Eelatante, in 1863. 

 I should think this return must refer to the year in which Mr. Cutbush first 

 exhibited them, and that he thus judges of the age of the list of varieties I 

 sent to him : therefore their real age must date back yet earlier. I had Rouge 

 Eelatante in flower at the same time as Mr. Cutbush exhibited it as new of 

 1863. My variety was identical in every respect with his, and I must confess 

 I was surprised to find it staged as a novelty, having observed it in the Dutch 

 lists for two or three years previously. 



Mr. Paul's return led me to infer that it was only very recently that he 

 had turned his attention to the Hyacinth. He puts Lord Macaulay, Von 

 Schiller, and Regulus as connected by his knowledge with the year 1860 ; 

 Florence Nightingale and Koh-i-noor, with 1861 ; Due cle Malakoff, Victoria 

 Alexandrina, Reine des Jacinthes, Prince of Orange, Haydn, Snowball, and 

 Paix de l'Europe, with 1862; Rouge Eelatante, Maria Theresa, Feruk Khan, 

 Fair Maid of Denmark, and San Francisco, with 1863, It will be seen by 

 implication, that Mr. W. Paul bears- testimony to the fact that Maria Theresa 

 was one of the flowers staged in Mr. Cutbush's stand, as he quotes it as new of 

 1863. 



I also applied to Mr. A. Fraser, the manager of the bulb department of 

 Messrs. James Carter & Co., of Holborn. His dates have reference to the time 

 that he has known the flowers. It will be seen that his return applies only to a 

 portion of the varieties, as he had not seen those omitted He returns 

 Von Schiller and Rouge Eelatante at five years; Reine des Jacinthes and 

 Florence Nightingale at three years; Macaulay, Koh-i-noor, and Regulus at 

 two years ; Haydn and Snowball at one year. 



The want of harmony among these returns could not furnish me with any 

 reliable data by means of which to put the subject under discussion in a more 

 intelligible aspect, so I then applied to three of the largest growers at Haarlem, 

 and solicited their assistance. The information conveyed to me by the first to 

 whom I made application is hardly so clear as I could have wished : still I 

 give it. The writer states, " I hope to return an answer to your purpose by 



