What the Gardening Papers say of Barr’s Hardy Daffodils. 
32 
An account of Mr. Barr’s travels in Spain in search of information on Daffodils will, perhaps, 
appear in our Daffodil Catalogue, 1693. 
BARR’S 
HARDY DAFFODILS, DAFFADIILIES, DAFFADOWNDILLIES. 
To these was Awarded the only Gold Medal of the Daffodil Conference, held in the Chiswick 
Gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, April 15th to 18th, 1890. 
Extract from “The Gardeners' Magazine,” 19th April, 1890. 
The Editor (the late Mr. Shirley Hibherd) remarks, “ Daffodils will never cease to give delight, will never cease 
to be collected, and cultivated, and exhibited, and talked about, for, with all our wealth of hardy spring flowers, this 
•group of beauties is unequalled for splendour of appearance, and all the qualities of a spring flower that engage the 
moral nature in a series of wholesome sympathies, to augment the delight that begins in the eye. 
“ An incident of recent occurrence, of which we have cognizance at first hand, may be brought to bear on this 
grave question of reducing the number of varieties by severe selections. A gentleman universally respected for his 
knowledge, judgment, and taste in matters horticultural, demanded of a cultivator of Narcissi, assistance in making 
a selection of the very, very best, and the response was in a proper spirit. The cultivator consigned to one of his 
side pockets one hundred blank labels, the other saying that a dozen would be enough. When a variety had been 
selected as one of the very, very best, the name was written on one of the labels, and attached to the cut specimen. 
The inspection and selection proceeded pleasantly ; the critical visitor in the free flow of his admiration forgot the 
limits he had proposed, and thus many very best flowers were cut and labelled. But now the business baited, for 
the trader said a fresh supply of blank labels would be required, and must be sent for, the visitor having already 
selected one hundred of the very, very best, while a considerable portion of the collection still remained for 
inspection. The anti-climax tells its own tale, and may serve as a warning, that to select a dozen, or even fifty, of 
the very best Daffodils, is a business more easily talked of than performed.” The editorial in extenso we commend to 
those amateurs who are calling for a reduction of the alphabet before they have mastered their letters. 
Extract from " The Gardeners’ Chronicle,” April 12th, 1890. 
“THE DAFFODIL KING.” 
“There will be few, if any, who will be disposed to question the right of Mr. Peter Barr to this designation. 
Previous to his accession, Daffodils were few in number. Gerard and Parkinson and Dr. Hill [Hale's Eden] knew a few 
varieties. Later on Haworth entered the arena. Dean Herbert, whose merits as a botanist are better appreciated by 
his successors than they were by his contemporaries, experimented with them. Leeds and Backhouse and Nelson 
won repute as hybridists. But in spite of these labourers, those who can look back twenty or twenty-five years will 
remember that the sorts generally known and cultivated could be counted by units, whereas scores or even hundreds 
would now be required. What originally Induced Mr. Barr to take up the subject we do not know ; certain it is that 
he has taken it up with the indomitable zeal of au enthusiast. Putting commercial considerations on one side, as of 
secondary importance, he, though a man of business, has allowed himself to be governed by bis love of Daffodils, and 
has spared neither labour nor money in their collection. He has made long and tedious journeys in rough countries 
in quest of his favourite plants. On these occasions his couch has not seldom been the rock, the sky his coverlet. 
Nor has collection been bis only aim. Study of their peculiarities has been, and is, a perfect passion with him. Obser- 
vation and research are continually increasing his store of knowledge, for truly nothing relating to Daffodils is 
foreign to Mr. Barr.” 
In our present issue we reprint only the first paragraph of the masterly article written on Daffodils, by the Editor of the 
“ Gardeners’ Chronicle,” after his visit to our Daffodil grounds — the article is full of so much valuable matter wo recommend 
all Daffodil amateurs to read it. It is printed in extenso in our Daffodil Catalogue of 1890. “ An incident of recent 
occurrence” in the above extract, which we have made from the “ Gardeners’ Magazine,” refers to the visit of the Editor 
of the “ Gardeners ’ Chronicle” to our Daffodil grounds, and shows the utter fallacy of the small selections, so often put 
forth in newspapers as selections of the very best hinds {instead of the writer modestly saying a selection of a few good 
sorts), and thereby misleading amateurs who thus suppose that the 6, 12, or 18 names given represent all that is of value. 
Extract Condensed from the "Journal of Horticulture," May I4tli, 1891. 
BARR’S DAFFODILS. 
“Daffodils from Barr’s are to be found in gardens all over the kingdom and far beyond its shores, but Barr’s 
own Daffodils are only to be seen in all their diverse beauty at Long Ditton, in Surrey. Thither do specialists and 
•lovers of this great family of spring flowers weud their way in the season, not only to admire the floral feast, but to 
gain information, and study the characters of the different varieties under the guidance of the Mastor. Mr. Barr is 
a Master of Daffodils in a double sense— first as the possessor of the finest collection in the world, and secondly by 
the great knowledge he has acquired through research, travel, and a long and critical observation. The Daffodil 
fields are now about ten minutes’ walk from Surbiton Station on the London and South Western Railway, reached in 
•about twenty minutes by express from Waterloo. There are fifteen acres, and at the least half the ground is closely 
planted with 500 species and varieties of the flowers, with several of which Mr. Barr’s name will be associated for 
generations to come. 
“Avery cmiueut man once went to take particulars about the flowers, and tell the world about them, but the 
task was too great, so he wrote an interesting essay on Mr. Barr and his work, and crowned him the Daffodil King, 
leaving his subjects to be dealt with on a ‘ future occasion.’ 
“ On a special bed a few cherished gems were flowering. They were being subjected to very close scrutiny by 
three or four ‘ experts,' while one or two raw students looked on and listened, for it was an open conclave. The 
experts were the Master, Rev. C. Wolley Dod, Mr. Cammell, and Mr. Dewar. ‘ Now then,’ said Mr. Barr, invitingly, 
‘what do you think of that?' pointing to a massive golden bloom, and continuing, ‘We call it the best— the best 
florists’ flower of all yellow Trumpet Daffodils. We raised it from seed, and its name is Monarch.’ A solemn pause, 
eventually broken by Mr. Cammoll, ‘ Yes, a grand flower, look at its substance and form ? ’ ‘ Ye’es,’ re-echoed the 
keen-eyed, cautious Mr. Wolley Dod, ‘ but isn’t it a good deal like Emperor? I should like to see Emperor with it.’ 
* It’s from Emperor,' explained the raiser, ‘but look at the flat, film, imbricated segments, and,’— but before be could 
\Barr and Son , 
