40 



THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



is fragrant, and gives out a pleasant odour, not unlike 

 hawthorn, or almond — a fact which seems to have been 

 previously overlooked. 



Messrs. Jackman's Clematis Exhibition. — This im- 

 portant exhibition opened for a month on the 1st May- 

 last, in the Royal Botanic Society's Glass Corridor 

 (leading to the large Conservatory), in the grounds at 

 Regent's Park. The exhibition has proved in every way 

 a great success, and it is said that there were no less 

 than twenty thousand blooms open at one and the same 

 time — an effect of colour that can hardly be imagined. 

 Certainly nothing could surpass the gorgeousness of the 

 display as we saw it when in its full beauty. Amongst 

 these line plants there is at present no true crimson or 

 blue, the nearest tints at present approaching these 

 colours being a full rose, with a dash of purple and a 

 mauve suffused with azure ; some of the tints of white 

 and flesh resemble the hues found on the inside of some 

 shells, in porcelain, &c, and are very fine; from these 

 lighter shades the colours range through various rich 

 purples to intense Turkey red. Some of the blooms are 

 unusually large, one we measured being seven and three 

 quarters inches in diameter, with perianth segments ex- 

 actly three inches across. Certain blooms are fragrant, 

 whilst others are scentless, or only possess a peculiar 

 aroma common to the Clematis. Here and there 

 Messrs. Jackman had introduced a number of variegated 

 Hollies and choice Conifers with good effect. As we 

 shall shortly figure one of the best of the Woking 

 novelties, kindly given to us for illustration by Messrs. 

 Jackman and Sons, we shall advert in detail to some of 

 the more important new varieties when we give the 

 plate. 



Mr. William Paul's Rose Show has recently been 

 held at Regent's Park, in the Great Rhododendron Tent 

 of the Royal Botanic Society. Here the prevailing 

 purple colours of Messrs. Jackman's Clematis plants were 

 quite absent, and gave way to the well-known crimson 

 and carmine and white tints of the rose : these tints 

 ranged from pure white, through pink, to the most in- 

 tense maroon-scarlet, and left nothing to be desired, 

 either in point of colour, form, foliage, or delicious fra- 

 grance. As is well known, every rose that is worth 

 growing is grown by Mr. Wm. Paul, and shown at his 

 annual displays either at Regent's Park, South Ken- 

 sington, or the Crystal Palace. Together with the roses, 

 Mr. Paul exhibited a selection of his choice trees, noted 

 for their variegated foliage and pictorial habit. 



REVIEW. 



The Narcissus : Its History and Culture, fyc, by E. W. 

 Burbidge; to which is added a Scientific Review of the 

 Entire Genus, by J. G. Baker, F.L.S. Lovell Reeve 

 and Co., 5, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. 



This useful and well illustrated new book, which we 

 understand to be the first of a proposed series of works 

 treating of kindred subjects, confines itself exclusively 

 to the genus Narcissus. It gives the History of Culti- 

 vated Daffodils, the poetry, propagation and culture of 

 the Narcissus, its diseases and parasitic insects, a full 

 description of all the known species and varieties, with 

 their time of flowering, together with a select 

 descriptive list of authors, works of reference 

 and illustrated periodicals containing information 

 and figures of the species. One portion of the 

 work is a Review of the Genus Narcissus, by Mr. J. G. 

 Baker, of Kew, reprinted by permission from the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle of 1869, where it originally ap- 

 peared, and revised and brought up to the present date 

 by Mr. Baker himself. To us the work appears 

 thoroughly trustworthy and well done, and one likely to 

 be of extreme value to all who are interested in the 

 members of this favourite genus of plants, for it must 

 be confessed that even at the present time considerable 

 confusion exists as to the right names of the species and 

 varieties now in cultivation. The forty-eight coloured 

 plates with which this volume is embellished will prove 

 very useful in the determination of any of these doubtful 

 varieties. That Mr. Burbidge was quite equal to the 

 task he set himself both as author and artist, the work 

 itself conclusively proves, and he has done quite right 

 in availing himself of reliable information and assistance 

 wherever he could get it. Before this book was pub- 

 lished it was most difficult to get correct knowledge of 

 the species, for to do so one had to search through no 

 end of diverse volumes, to say nothing of correcting a 

 large amount of synonymy. Now that Mr. Burbidge 

 has brought all the information together in one book, and 

 combined it with his own knowledge and large experience 

 of the plants in a state of cultivation, no real difficulties 

 ought to be experienced in future in the determination 

 of any species or variety of Narcissus. In his list of 

 illustrated periodicals where the Narcissus has been 

 illustrated, we observe that by an oversight he omits the 

 Floral Magazine, where several varieties have been 

 figured. The plates have in nearly every instance been 

 drawn from nature, and lithographed by Mr. Burbidge 

 himself, and it only remains for us to say that they are 

 evidently very truthful and appear to be uncommonly 

 well done. We wish some competent person would take 

 up and illustrate some of the difficult genera of Orchids 

 in the same excellent way as Mr. Burbidge has described 

 and illustrated the genus Narcissus. W. G. S. 



