Plate 29. 



FANCY PANSIES— JAMES NEILSON, LADY ROSS, JOHN 

 B. DOWNIE, AND DAVID MITCHELL. 



The progress which has taken place in this very beautiful class under the fostering care 

 of Messrs. Downie, Laird and Laing, is very remarkable. In looking back on former volumes, 

 where they were figured, and when indeed great strides were considered to have been already 

 made, and comparing them with those figured in our present plate, this progress is at once 

 manifest; in regularity of form, in brilliancy of colour, and especially in size, they have ad- 

 vanced immensely, and may in all these points take rank with those long known as florists' 

 pansies. During the present season large numbers of them have been exhibited by the firm 

 to whose kindness we are indebted for the opportunity of figuring the very beautiful varieties 

 in our plate. 



James Neilson (fig. 1) is a flower of large size ; the ground colour a rich bright yellow 

 with large intense black blotches in the lower petals, both they and the upper petals being 

 lightly edged with lilac. Lady Ross (fig. 2yhas intense deep purple top petals ; the lower 

 petals being of the same colour, and margined with white, and the eye deep orange. John 

 B. Downie (fig. 3) is a remarkably coloured flower, a light puce-, of regular outline, and the 

 edge of the petals margined with a lighter shade of the same colour. David Mitchell (fig. 4) 

 is a very curious flower, the upper petals claret, with a margin of straw colour ; the lower 

 petals with deep blotches of the-sam-e colour running off in slight rays towards the margin, 

 which is curiously blended with orange, straw colour, tind puce. This- flower is the quaintest 

 and most novel of those figured, although all are well worthy of cultivation. 



Plate 30. 

 AZALEA— BEAUTY OF SURREY. 



We are glad to recognise and record the fact that our English growers of this beautiful 

 spring flower have not abandoned the raising of seedlings, notwithstanding the number which 

 have been raised and brought forward on the Continent, and introduced into England by 

 the Belgian growers. We last year figured one of Mr. Ivery's, and now have the pleasure 

 of figuring one raised by the Messrs. Smith, of Dulwich, to whom we are indebted for some 

 of the finest Azaleas that we possess. 



It would seem that the Belgian growers have rather, in their raising of new seedlings, 

 considered size and brilliancy of colour, while our English raisers have aimed at per- 

 fection of form ; thus the Belgian flowers exhibited this season were much more open and 

 flat, while larger in size than we are accustomed to see here, and no doubt to the casual 

 observer they are more striking and brilliant. 



The flower we now "figure was exhibited by the Messrs. F. and A. Smith, of Dulwich, 

 at one of the spring shows of the Royal Horticultural Society, and was awarded a first-class 

 certificate by the Floral Committee. Large and small plants of it were exhibited together, 

 and we were particularly struck with its free flowering character, plants not eight inches high 

 being full of bloom. It will be seen to be very round and regular, the outline of the petals 

 being very perfect, while on all the plants exhibited we did not see a single blotched flower — 

 a remarkable point in a white Azalea, as they are apt, in florists' language, to sport. This 

 constancy gives the flower an additional value. 



