BARR'S HARDY DAFFODILS, & WHAT “GARDENERS’ CHRONICLE’’ SAYS OF THEM. 3 
correct, wo ought to find the originals still wild, or, at least, in cultivation in Spain or southern Europe, but it is not 
«o. This, of course, opens up the question whether they may not, indeed, liavo had the origin supposed, but have 
become modified in course of timo in their new location. At least, this is a plausible supposition, one that some people 
would pass by as insoluble, and others treat as a matter of indifference. Mr. Barr, however, would, we are quite sure, 
not consider any Daffodil problem as absolutely insoluble ; still less would he treat it with indifferouce. 
“ The Daffodils, with their trumpet-shaped flowers and largo coronas or crowns, and the Narcissi with their flat, 
flowers and shallow cups, vary in stature, colour, and form of the parts of the flower. There is the green ovary or 
.young seed pod, which in some flowers is cylindric, in others obovoid with the broad end of the egg uppermost, in others 
singular. Surmounting this is the perianth tube, long, slender, cylindrical, or slightly dilated upwards, greenish or 
yollowish in all the Narcissi proper, broadly funnel-shaped, and relatively short in tho true Daffodils. Then comes 
the limb of tho perianth with its six lobe3 broad or narrow, blunt or pointed, white or of various shades of yellow, 
apreading or directed forwards. In the centre is tho cup or corona, short and shallow, like a saucer in the true 
Narcissi, yellow or orange-especially at the edge, often more or less folded, while in the Daffodils or Trumpet 
Narcissi the corona is as long as the sogments, or nearly so, broadly tubular, of various shades of yellow or orange, 
but generally darker in shade than the segments themselves. The free margin of the trumpet is regularly or 
irregularly lobod, and more or less reflexed. Notice should also be taken of the relative length and position of the 
stamens and styles, and of the periods at which they respectively become maturo. All these peculiarities, and many 
others that might be mentioned, are familiar to tho botanist, and are detailed in the works of Baker and Burbidge, 
but it may bo of service to tho amateur to indicate where ho should look for differences between his favourites. 
Mr. Barr s study is situated at Long Ditton, a few miles from Richmond and 2 miles from Kiugston, being easily 
reached from those towns, and is close to Surbiton Station on the Main Line of the South Westorn Rail. It consists 
of some fifteen acros of flat sandy loam, such as is found throughout tho Thames Valley, and this area is largely 
<levotod to Daffodils. Other plants there are— Anemones, Muscaris, Primroses, Becomes, Lilies, and so forth ; but 
.just now (April) the main attraction centres in the Daffodils, which occupy the greater portion of the ground. While 
other cultivators grow some dozen or twenty varieties at most, Mr. Barr is not satisfied with anything less than a 
complete representation of tho genus. Hence, we find the Hoop Petticoat Narcissi, the Triandrus group, tin* 
■Cyclamineus series, the big Daffodils, the little Daffodils, the least Daffodils, the bicolor Daffodils, the Comuus con- 
tingent, the Incomparabilis tribe, the Odorus section, tho Rugulosus set, the Tridymus clau, the Poeticus breed, the 
Polyanthus an* 1 . Tazetta hordes, all as fully represented as possiblo ; and then who shall number, much more doscribe, 
t he infinite variety of hybrids and crosses, the Leedsii mixtures, tho Barri blendings, the Burbidgei combinations, 
and the Bornardi amalgamations. 
“ Mx*. Barr, by long practice, pronounces judgment upon the supposed parentage of these crosses. In some cases, 
tho correctness of the affiliation is obvious to an unpractised eye, but in others we require to bo shown, and even 
thou the unpractised oye fails to grasp the points which seem so obvious to tho King of the Daffodils. His majesty 
even goes so far as to trace in the hybrid something of the character of the raiser. This may sound far-fetched ; 
but if one thinks of tho scholarly, sensitive, refined oxperimenter, and of the uneducated, rough-and-ready cultivator, 
it is easy to seo that though both may be working for a common aim, their methods are likely to differ, and the 
results correspondingly to be diverse— alike in principle, modified in detail. 
"All this and much more wo pick up from Mr. Barr as he conducts us round his quarters ; we rapidly note the 
main differences iu the colour, form, and size of the perianth ; specially are we struck with tho variations in colour 
und breadth of the "grass," or foliage. Clearly the leaves would afford an excellent field for research, aud wo have 
aio doubt whatever, that a clue to the solution of some of the Daffodil problems we have alluded to, would be afforded 
by a careful microscopical scrutiny of tho leuf-structure. But who is to do it? wo ask ourselves in despair, as our 
#uido thrusts into our cab, as we aro leaviug, a big sheaf of varieties, with their fluttering labels attached, as 
numerous as the bits of paper in the praying wheels of tho Tibetan priests. 
" Ah ! thero it is — the old story ; there is so much to bo learnt, so few to learn — so littlo timo or opportunity, so 
much other work that must be done. Even tho King admits that ho is occasionally beaten by circumstances, and if 
that be so with him, a fortiori, it must be so with humbler individuals. At any rate, wo are obliged to hold our 
bands, and to defer any special notice of particular varieties till another occasion ; but lot all who wish to know 
something moro about Daffodils than they cau learn from tho exhibition table follow our example, and betake them- 
selves to Long Ditton, and jmy homage to the Daffodil King.” 
CULTURE, ADAPTATION, Etc., OF THE DAFFODIL, 
Daffodils are at once the most beautiful and graceful of all hardy Spring flowers ; for centuries they 
have adorned our gardens, and withstood uninjured our severest winters, their blossoms suffering less from 
frost, snow, and rain, than any other spring flower, and truly does Shakspearc speak of them as 
“ Daffodils, 
That come before the swallow dares, and take 
The winds of March with beauty.” 
For filling beds or growing in groups in mixed borders and shrubberies, no flower of spring can com- 
pare with the Daffodil, and when naturalized in woodland walks, or forming large groups in grass, or on 
sloping banks, the effect is splendid. All the strong growing Daffodils are adapted for naturalization, and 
these include such fine sorts as Emperor, Empress, ITorsfieldii, as well as many of the white trumpet 
varieties, also Sir Watkin and all the varieties from Incomparabilis to Poeticus, etc., their noble or chastely 
coloured flowers, in such situations, being seen to great advantage. The slender and dwarf-growing sorts, 
such as Minor, Nanus, Minimus, Juncifolius, Triandrus albus, Corbularias, Cyclamineus, etc., naturalize 
well on rockwork, and in mountainous districts, on slopes facing the south. For culture under glass, in 
pots, the Daffodil ranks with the Hyacinth, and when 3 to 6 bulbs oi the strong growing sorts are culti 
vated in a pot, the effect is splendid ; of the dwarf growing kinds above enumerated 6 to 18 bulbs in a pot 
give a fine effect. The small growing Daffodils, especially N. minimus, Cyclamineus, and Corbularia citrina 
make charming edgings. As a cut flower the Daffodil is unsurpassed, and greatly prized. 
Daffodil flowers can be had in abundance from January to June by, FIRSTLY, planting a set in pots 
or boxes, and treating as recommended on page 4; SECONDLY, planting a set out-of-doors, in September ; 
and, thirdly, planting sets out-doors, in succession, from September to Christmas. The late plantings 
give beautiful flowers in May. Those for decoration in pots during January or February, should be potted 
up as early as possible, and receive the same cultural treatment as recommended for the Hyacinth, 
12 & 13, Ki. n« St., Covent Garden , 1890.] 
