DAFFODIL DEVELOPMENTS. 
233 
It is alike true of seedlings that are putting forth their first flower 
and of old varieties : 
" The harp that once through Tara's halls 
The soul of music shed 
Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls 
As if that soul were fled. 
So sleeps the pridS of former days, 
So glory's thrill is o'er, 
And hearts that once beat high for praise 
Now feel that pulse no more." 
No words can more truly express the feelings of the raiser and the 
buyer whose end is the show-tier. ' Lucifer ' is out-classed by ' Marsh- 
light,' ' Madame de Graaff ' has given place to ' Vestal Virgin/ and 
' Homer ' to ' Matthew Arnold/ It is only once (as the expression is) 
in a blue moon that a ' Bernardino ' or a ' White Knight ' appears that 
can laugh at time. Broader perianths, deeper colouring, more refined 
and solid substance, more elegant trumpets or cups, flatter segments, 
greater size and more uncommon shapes are ever being bred for 
and are ever being obtained. 
For garden purposes it is much the same, but the requirements 
are a little different ; for example, strength and length of stem, lasting 
qualities and distinctness assume here a greater value ; and then there 
is the question of pots. But, and it is a very consoling " but " for the 
buyer, old favourites for these purposes are far less easily displaced, and 
a purchase of a really good variety may be more confidently made 
because its position is far less assailable. ' Emperor ' and ! Barrii con- 
spicuus ' have been with us for half a century, and they are still, to 
use the words of a popular advertisement, " going strong." 
We may now review some of the latest developments in the Daffodil 
family in the ordered sequence of the R.H.S. Classification, which is 
the one generally adopted for all purposes. 
Trumpets. — The corona is as long or longer than the perianth 
segments. Three typical all yellow forms are : ' Olympia, ' a fine garden 
plant ; maximus, noted for its deep colour ; and ' Cornelia/ a show type 
with smooth petals. Williams' 510 gives a good idea of a show 
bloom in this class, while Guy Wilson's ' Madame de Graaff ' hybrids 
show the immense variation that comes from one pod of seed. One 
of the most refined white trumpets is ' White Emperor.' This is in 
the front rank for showing ; ' Henri Vilmorin,' a fine garden white, 
is greatly admired at Wisley, while ' White Knight ' is ideal for show- 
ing. Two bicolor trumpets illustrate the dark (' Victoria ') and 
the pale (' Creusa ') types. 
' \xion ' is an example of an incomparabilis with a yellow 
perianth and a large red cup. ' Helios ' and * Fortune/ which 
created a sensation at Birmingham this year, are two more of 
the same type. In an incomparabilis the cup is larger in pro- 
portion to the length of the perianth segments than in a Barrii. 
' Mozart ' is another incomparabilis, but here the cup is much flatter 
than in ' Ixion.' ' Blackwell ' is an excellent early variety for 
