70 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July "0,13S3. 
them, sayiDg they would spoil our race of Show Pansies, and in fact, 
they thought, as Mr. Ross says he did, “ slightly of their qualities.” I 
began raising seedlings, and sent out the first English-raised seedling, 
Princess Alice, at that time a wonderfully fine white with an immense 
blotch. 
In the “Florist and Pomologist ” for February, 18G2, in a paper on 
the Fancy Pansy written by me, I stated that “ the old familiar stereo¬ 
typed forms of Pansies, consisting of white ground, yellow ground, and 
self varieties, with which we have been familiar, were running a great 
risk of finding a powerful rival in public opinion in the new and 
pleasing forms of Fancy or Belgian Pansies. These are now fast 
approaching the circular form, combined with texture and substance, 
which the stern law of the florists demand before they can be admitted 
into their circle. Whether florists will ever recognise the Fancy Pansy 
remains to be seen, so completely do they set at defiance all recognised 
rules with regard to colouring; but as all do not view flowers with a 
florist’s eye, and look more to a diversity of pleasing colours combined 
with form, I venture to predict for Fancy Pansies a large amount of 
popularity, and their recognition as a florist’s flower on the exhibition 
table.” I wrote these words at a time when the feeling of my brother 
florists generally were dead against the Fancy Pansy. In the same 
article from the “Florist” I gave the following information—“To the 
French florists belong the merit of effecting a marked improvement in 
this class of Pansies. For four years since their best kinds were Eva, 
Bobo, Floribunda, Cerberus, Ccerulea alba, Eckard, and others, which 
are now (j>., in 18G2) worthless. These were followed by Prince 
Imperial, Ali Bey, Parpaillot, Miracle, Agnes Sorrel, Napoleon III., 
and Masaniello. These kinds showed plainly that considerable head¬ 
way was being made, and these were followed in 18G0 by Belle Esauer- 
moise, Louise Miellez, Distinction, and others, all raised in France. 
Here, however, the mantle of the French growers seemed to fall, for 
with the exception of Octavie Demay and Noemi Demay, none others 
were introduced from France or Belgium in 1SG1, and these two varieties 
were more remarkable for novel colours than an advance in form. This 
probably arose from the death of M. Miellez of Lille, who died about 
two years since.” 
It will be as well to state here that the varieties I have enumerated, 
with the exception of Princess Alice, were obtained from M. Miellez, at 
that time a celebrated French florist, by Mr. Andrew Henderson, and were 
sent on to me. My first batch of English-raised seedlings sent out by 
me were Princess Alice, Donald Beaton, Etoile du Nord, Tiger, and other 
fine kinds. In the “ Florist ” for December, 1S62, is a coloured illus¬ 
tration of three of my seedlings—Princess Alice, Leotard, and Mrs. 
Moore, and in an accompanying notice of the Fancy Pansy the following 
extract will be found :—“We quite recollect two or three varieties being 
brought into notice some twelve or fourteen 3 r ears since, but being 
regarded as unwelcome intruders they were speedily discarded. We 
believe Mr. Downie of Edinburgh was one of the first raisers, and about 
twelve years since introduced Dandie Dinmont and one or two others. 
Mr. Salter also took them in hand, but the kinds being generally small 
and unattractive the flower did not make headway in popular opinion. 
The French florists, especially M. Miellez of Lille, afterwards followed 
in the same track, and succeeded in producing Mirael, Belle Esquimoise, 
Princess Mathilde, and other kinds, which were first introduced into 
England by Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son, and were placed in the 
hands of Mr. W. Dean, Shipley, for cultivation, the colder climate of the 
north being more suitable than that cf London. In the hands of Mr. 
Dean the flower soon made rapid progress, and Princess Alice, Etoile du 
Nord, and other advanced kinds were introduced by him in the autumn 
of 1861.” In the “Florist” for July, 1SG3, my brother, Mr. Richard 
Dean, under the signature of “ Quo,” gives a lengthened description of 
the new Fancy Pansies of that period, the greater portion of which were 
seedlings of mine. These included Her Majesty, Harlequin, Attraction, 
King of Italy, Irnpdratrice Eugenie, Prince of Wales, Princess of Wales, 
and several other fine kinds. These were figured in the “ Florist ” and 
the “ Floral Magazine,” and the Belgian Pansy, as it was at first called, 
was fast rising into popularity. I believe I may claim the credit of first 
using as a distinctive name for the new class of Pansies the term Fancy 
Pansy in contradistinction to the Show class ; and although that veteran 
amongst our florists, Mr. John Downie, introduced the Fancy Pansy years 
before—sorts which were almost discarded, I think also that I may be 
awarded the place of honour as the father of the modern Fancy Pansy. 
I believe I am correct in stating tbat the first Scottish florist 
who took the modern Fancy Pansy in hand was Mr. John Laing, 
formerly of Dysart Gardens, and of the firm of Messrs. Downie, Laird 
and Laing, and now of the Forest Hill Nurseries, London, who cul¬ 
tivated them for at least two years before the other Scotch florists 
would grow them. In fact, I have Mr. Laing’s authority for stating 
that even then Mr. Downie was very reluctant to take the Fancy 
Pansy in hand. Mr. Laing’s first seedling of note was a bright-coloured 
variety named Professor Berkeley, a Marigold-coloured flower, which 
was lost. Then soon after Mr. Laing introduced a batch of new kinds, 
his own seedlings, amongst which was Earl of Rosslyn, a very fine flower. 
Then Mr. Downie took the flower in hand, and during the long number 
of years since then no man living or amongst those who have passed 
away has done more to improve this lovely race of Pansies and to make 
it popular. It is very far from my wish to rob him of any of his hardly 
earned honours, for I esteem him too much for that; but had I not 
taken the flowers in hand in 1858 it is just possible that the Fancy Pansy 
would not be what it now is. Our Scottish florists have made the 
flower their own ; it has now reached a very high standard of per¬ 
fection, and it is much to be deplored that so much seed of foreign origin 
is sold and grown as Fancy Pansies ; for although many of them possess 
lovely shades of colour, they are invariably very faulty in form, and fall 
so very short of the fine qualities our home-raised varieties possess. . Mr. 
Miller is quite right in stating that the demand for our Show Pansies is 
very limited compared with the demand for Fancy Pansies. But we 
must never let our Show Pansies with their stern points of quality so 
dear to old florists pass into oblivion, and young growers will learn more 
about the properties of the Pansy by the culture and study of the Show 
varieties than from the Fancy section. I am in no way wishful to under¬ 
rate the Fancies, but rather to encourage more attention to our glorious 
Show varieties. It would greatly interest the younger Tansy growers of 
the present day if they could see what varieties we had to work with 
fifty years since. I have now before me coloured plates of. some of the 
leading Pansies known at that period, and were figured in.Harrisons 
“ Floricultural Cabinet” of November and December, 1833. These 
kinds are Skyblue and Yellow, Allen’s Queen Adelaide, Appleby s Wil¬ 
liam the Fourth (which was regarded as a great improvement, but has a 
very butterfly appearance now), Maid of Athens, Prince George, and 
Thompson’s Favourite. I remember all these varieties, and it would be 
very interesting to trace back through the pages of the “ Floricultural 
Cabinet ” the early history of the Show Pansies. 
Since writing the above I have received from Mr. Alfred Salter through 
Mr. Richard Dean further valuable information respecting the first varie¬ 
ties of Fancy Pansies known in England. Mr. Alfred Salter is the son 
of a very old and h’ghly esteemed horticulturist and florist, the late Mr. 
John Salter, who died several years since. In his letter he writes—“I 
am sorry for the delay in replying about Fancy Pansies, but I have had 
to refresh my memory and look through old catalogues and note-books 
to find the information you require. My father was through all his life 
fond of Pansies and used to grow them at Shepherd’s Bush, as an ama¬ 
teur, many years before he went to Versailles, when he left England. 
He then took all the best varieties with him to France, but the hot 
summers and cold winters did not suit them ; but he continued to grow 
many seedlings, and amongst these he noticed (I think it was in 1847, 
the year before he left Versailles) some curious striped and blotched 
colours, and seed was saved from these, and when he returned to England 
in 1848 the seed was sowed by my father at the Versailles Nursery, Ham¬ 
mersmith, where they attracted the attention of the late Mr. Donald 
Beaton and others. The flowers were exhibited at the Horticultural 
Society, and many florists laughed at them and called them French 
rubbish. 
In 1851 three varieties were offered for sale, and the stock of these 
soon sold out, and each succeeding year novelties were raised, and I 
think one of the first orders for these came from Messrs. Downie and 
Laird of Edinburgh, but they had nothing to do in originating them. 
Dandie Dinmont was introduced by them, and I find it in our 
catalogue for 1854. We continued to cultivate these Pansies exten¬ 
sively at Hammersmith until 1859 or 18G0, when we gave them up, or 
rather they gave us up, as we found they would not grow so near 
London. They were called Belgian Pansies in my father's time. I keep 
all our old catalogues, and enclose a few extracts and dates, as follows. 
In 1851 my father offered three new varieties for sale—viz., Cmrulea 
striata, white and blue ; Mars, bronze and yellow ; and Novelty, yellow 
striped with maroon. In 1852 sixteen new varieties were sent out, all 
raised by my late father. In 1853 twelve more were sent .out, and in 
1854 other new varieties were introduced, and the following is an extract 
from our catalogue of that year. “ Fancy Pansies .—-This class was first 
brought into notice in 1850 by John Salter, and were not then offered as 
Show flowers, but for their fantastic colours. Since that time they have 
been greatly improved in form, and the new varieties of this season 
will be found larger, more regularly striped, and a great addition to 
this distinct and attractive class, which promises to become as popular 
as the ‘Fancies’ of any other flower. In 1855 and 1856 new varieties 
were raised by English and French growers, and M. Miellez of Lille 
sent out one or two very fine varieties. In our catalogues of 1857 
and 1858 a long list is given, and includes Magpie, giving as synonyms 
of this variety Mazeppa, Paul Pry, Wonderful, and La Pie, but who 
raised it is, I believe, unknown.” 
All Pansy growers will thank Mr. Salter for this information, and I 
think we shall now have set at rest the question of who first took this 
flower in hand.— William Dean, Florist , Walsall, Staffordshire. 
[Mr. Dean’s varieties, Her Majesty, King of Italy, Impdratrice 
Eugenie, and Harlequin, as figured in the Plorist, December, 1862, 
far surpass the majority of varieties that are raised now from foreign, 
seed.] 
NEW BRIGHTON ROSE SHOW. 
While London was mourning over a thunderstorm which by its 
violence stopped the Eton and Harrow match, a beautiful though some¬ 
what cold day gladdened those w T ho had been instrumental in getting up 
this pretty little Show on the banks of the Mersey, especially Dr. Bell, 
who had organised it for the purpose of assisting the Wallasey Cottage 
Hospital, and who kindly gave the use of his grounds for the purpose. 
These grounds are very picturesque, and the more pleasing as they are 
quite unlooked for in the midst of a somewhat populous suburb of 
Birkenhead. As it was held in a tent, and was associated with a lawn 
tennis tournament, it may readily be conceived that unfavourable weather 
would have very seriously damaged its prospects. The grounds are very 
pretty, and when they have been improved, which Dr. Bell proposes, will 
be still more so. This being the object of the Show, of course large 
tempting prizes were not to be looked for, yet they were sufficient to 
