490 
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Melbourne have flowered a month or six weeks earlier during the 
first season, but have reverted to their ordinary blooming periods 
after that. The annual Daffodil Show in Sydney is held at a 
later date than that of Melbourne, although the former place 
has a much warmer, moister climate in spring and winter, which 
one would naturally suppose would give an earlier flowering 
season. 
This would seem to indicate that a certain degree of cold 
is necessary for the production of early blooms. I say certain 
degree of cold because while on a visit to New Zealand during 
the winter and early spring months I was curious to ascertain 
how many varieties would be in flower in the South Island during 
July. I reasoned that if Melbourne, which is colder than 
Sydney, produced earlier flowers, Dunedin, which is colder than 
Melbourne, should give them still earlier ; but the result showed 
me to be in error. I think none of the trumpets were above 
ground in Dunedin, and, a fortnight later, the “ grass ” of some 
of the earlier ones was just peeping through the ground in 
Christchurch, farther north, where, before I left, I noticed the 
Joss in flower. In Wellington (North Island) the Daffodils during 
August were at their best, and in a district called the Tai-ta, a 
few miles from the city, in the gardens of a gentleman named 
Mason, were to be found all varieties growing luxuriantly. 
Blessed with an ideal climate—frosts are rare, and the tempera¬ 
ture in summer seldom above 80°—a copious rainfall, and a 
good depth of alluvial soil, Mr. Mason produces the finest blooms 
to be found in the Antipodes. It is a wonderful garden—every¬ 
thing seems to flourish, Rhododendrons and Camellias especially— 
and is sheltered on all sides by huge Eucalyptus trees, as the 
Wellington district has the reputation of being very windy. It 
is said one can always tell a Wellington man, because when he 
comes to a street corner he instinctively holds his hat on. 
While on the subject of blooming periods, it may be noted 
that Narcissi at the Antipodes do not follow the English order 
of succession. N. maximus is generally the first of the trumpets, 
then N. Countess of Annesley, Ard Righ and Obvallaris, followed 
by N. Henry Irving, Queen Margherita, Golden Spur, King 
Umberto, Blondin, Princeps, and Michael Foster, the earliest 
bicolor. N. Pallidus praecox and Nanus are comparatively late. 
N. Empress always comes before N. Horsfieldii, and, in my 
