June 3, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
413 
them all aglow with colour. But look at some of the varieties* 
Ah ! the inexperienced amateur gets perplexed. Here again the 
“ magic of a name ” is brought into use. In Messrs. Laing & Sons’ 
superb group I noticed Duchess of Westminster saiUng under bright 
rosy crimson colours and with a white centre, whilst in Messrs. 
Canned & Sons’ fine collection “Her Grace” (Duchess of West¬ 
minster) was distinguished by bright orange and rose shaded 
blooms. Both varieties are singles, were adjudged awards of 
merit, and are welcome additions to the already extensive 
family. A beautiful rich scarlet crimson double variety named 
Leopold de Rothschild was also conspicuous in Messrs. Cannell’s 
group, whilst in Messrs. Laing’s collection Picotee (the Times 
charges this variety with “ masquerading as a Picotee ”) and 
Triumph were noticeable for their beauty. Both are doubles, 
the former having very pale pink or flesh coloured blooms, edged 
like a Picotee with rose, and the latter is of a bright rosy salmon 
<Jolour. Mr. T. S. Ware’s Begonias were also good, but so far as 
I am aware none were certificated. 
Carnations, although few in number, deserve a special para¬ 
graph. The group of the yellow ground Almira, apparently a 
useful decorative variety, shown by Mr. Jennings, Ascott, was 
much admired, and perhaps by some thought more beautiful 
than the new Carnation Mrs. B. Cannell, staged by Messrs. 
Cannell & Sons, Swanley. Be that as it may, the latter is a 
charming variety, and well deserved the award of merit adjudged. 
The blooms shown were of large size, good shape, a bright pink 
colour, and deliciously Clove-scented. Judging from the appear¬ 
ance of the flowers staged it would seem to be a useful variety 
for cutting, inasmuch as the pods were not split. Messrs. Cannell 
also exhibited blooms of another new Carnation named Engadine, 
which was of a salmon pink shade and fragrant, but the blooms 
were rather loose and the pods much split. Blooms of a grand 
variety named Mrs. Geo. Devas, shown by Martin R. Smith, Esq., 
were considered the acme of perfection by some connoisseurs, and 
in consequence received an award of merit. This is a yellow 
ground seedling with rosy crimson flakes, and appears to be an 
excellent border variety. 
The hybrid Streptocarpus exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch and 
Sons, Chelsea, made a grand display, as also did the Gloxinias 
shown by the same firm and Messrs. J. Peed and others. The 
Streptocarpus hybrids are real “ good things,” and should be 
extensively grown for decorative purposes. Three varieties of 
Gloxinias in Messrs. Veitch’s contribution were certificated— 
namely, Claribel, a large rose speckled flower ; Clio, white 
ground with rosy red spots ; and Cicely, a purplish red edged 
with white. 
Reverting to hardy or semi-hardy flowers, the Tree Pseonies 
shown by Messrs. T. S. Ware and Kelway & Sons were exceedingly 
bright on the first day, but soon lost their beauty in a close 
atmosphere. Mr. Ware had a grand single white variety named 
Snowflake in his group. This was adjudged an award of merit. A 
single chocolate coloured variety shown by Messrs. Kelway & Son 
was similarly honoured. Admirers of hardy Azaleas, and they 
are many, will be glad to know that a new variety named 
Mrs. Anthony Waterer, conspicuous in the superb collection 
shown by the firm of that name, was deemed worthy of a 
first-class certificate. The flowers of this kind are rather small, 
but white with just a tinge of lemon yellow on the upper 
petal. There are many more flowering plants that should be 
mentioned, but time presses, and I must conclude this section by 
remarking that Barnard’s Perpetual Lobelia was undoubtedly one 
of the “ good things ” of the Show. This is a dark variety with 
deep purplish blue flowers and a white centre, and was adjudged 
an award of merit. 
Fern enthusiasts will be on the look out for their favourites, 
and therefore mention must be made of the charming little Pteris 
serrulata gracilis, shown by Mr. H. B. May. This is a slender 
growing, grass-like variety, just the kind of Fern that is required 
for choice floral decoration. Mr. May also had a new Selaginella 
elegans, for which, like che Fern, a first-class certificate was 
awarded. Under the designation of Pteris tremula densa, Messrs. 
R. Smith & Co. showed a dense growing but beautiful Fern, 
bearing a strong resemblance to well-curled Parsley. Messrs. 
W. & J. Birkenhead, Sale, were also to the front with Ferns, 
showing some new and choice forms, amongst which Scolopen- 
drium digitatum majus and S. crispum fimbriatum Cropperi were 
the most beautiful. Then last but not least comes the collection of 
new foliage plants, sent from L’Horticulture Internationale, 
Brussels. These included two remarkably strong growing Trades- 
cantias, named reginse and superba, both of which should prove 
welcome additions to our stoves. Dichorisandra musaica var. 
gigantea, and Stenandrium Lindeni were also conspicuous for their 
fine foliage in this group, and deserving of a place among the 
other “good things.”— Nomad. 
Rose Show Fixtuees in 1892. 
(Tuesday).—Westminster (N.R.S.). 
(Thursday).—Ryde. 
(Tuesday).—Maidstone. 
(Wednesday).—Brighton*, Farningham, Ipswich, King’s Lynn*, 
and Richmond (Surrey). 
(Thursday).—Canterbury, Eltham, and Winchester. 
(Saturday).—Crystal Palace (N.R.S.) 
(Tuesday). — Bagshot, Diss, Bari’s Court*, Gloucester, and 
Sutton. 
(Wednesday).—Brockham, Croydon and Hitchin. 
(Thursday).—Bath, Lee*, Norwich, Windsor, and Woodbridge. 
(Saturday).—Reigate. 
(Tuesday).—Hereford and Wolverhampton.f 
(Thursday).—Chester (N.R.S.), and Helensburgh. 
(Tuesday).—Moseley * (Birmingham). 
(Thursday).—Trentham and Worksop. 
(Saturday).—Bedale and New Brighton. 
(Thursday).—Halifax and Southwell. 
(Saturday).—Ripley. 
* Rose Shows lasting two days, f Rose Show lasting three days.— 
Edwaed Mawley, Roseianli, Berliliamsted, Herts. 
June 21 
23 
)» 
28 
)) 
29 
30 
July 
2 
6 
J» 
6 
JJ 
7 
9 
12 
J) 
14 
» 
19 
JJ 
21 
JJ 
23 
JJ 
28 
JJ 
30 
Judging Roses. 
Mr. Geo. Paul’s opinion, as quoted by Mr. Biron, would have been 
of more value if he could have stated that he had read the previous 
correspondence, which I suspect he has not done, and so we are, as 
stated by Mr. Biron, brought back to the point at which we started. I 
must say again that I believe we are all agreed, and that our agreement 
would be plain if it were not for the use of the terms “ good flower ” 
and “ bad flower.” Mr. G. Paul does not say that he would give no 
points to a faded Rose, but that it is a “ bad flower,” and I quite think 
he would admit degrees of badness, and that a Rose might be bad enough 
by being faded to lose one or two points and yet not bad enough in form 
and size to lose them all. But I gather, though I may be wrong, from 
a sentence in Mr. Biron’s last letter that he would admit degrees of 
excellence or deficiency in other points, but not in colour, and here I 
should not agree with him. I am very sorry that I have failed to make 
my meaning clear, and instead of accepting an apology from Mr. Biron 
I would offer one to him and the readers of the Journal for not having 
succeeded in showing what I meant. But in one thing at least we are 
agreed ; If it can be shown that different “ leads ” have been offered to 
judges by Oheshunt and Sproughton (wherever that may be) by all 
means let the former, an ancestral home of the Rose, show the way, and 
the other place be unnoticed.—W. R. Raillem. 
Messrs. Alexander Dickson & Sons. 
Rose growers in general will hear with much pleasure that the well- 
known firm of nurserymen and rosarians at the Royal Nurseries, New- 
townards, Co. Down, Ireland, Messrs. Alexander Dickson & Sons, have 
been appointed by royal warrant nurserymen, seedsmen, and florists to 
Her Majesty the Queen. Those who are personally acquainted with the 
Messrs. Dicksons will be gratified with the compliment that has been 
paid to them, and all true lovers of the Queen of Flowers will still 
further appreciate the honour that has fallen upon the raisers of such 
grand Roses as Marchioness of Dufferin, Earl of Dufferin, the charming 
Lady Helen Steward, and the finest white Rose we have, Margaret 
Dickson. The Marchioness and Margaret Dickson both have most 
deservedly won the greatest honours Roses can win, the gold medals of 
the National Rose Society awarded for seedlings or sports ; and fine as 
the Roses named are, we believe that others of equal beauty and 
distinct form are promised from this home of Roses in the northern part 
of the Emerald Isle. 
Paris Green for Roses. 
It seems a pity that the application of Paris green for Roses should 
be generally recommended. It should be remembered that it is a poison 
to vegetable as well as to animal life, and to the roots as well as to the 
leaves. In the destruction of vermin of any sort it is well, as a rule, not 
to use poison till all other means fail. For large pillar, wall, or weeping 
Roses, the use of it may perhaps be desirable ; but I think it should be 
deprecated in ordinary cases.—W. R. Raillem. 
Change of Date. 
An intimation has been received that owing to the lateness of the 
season the Show of the Windsor and District Rose Society has been 
postponed to Thursday, July 7th. 
SOWING WALLFLOWERS. 
The time has now arrived when it is necessary to make a sowing of 
these beautiful and popular flowers to provide a display for next season. 
Before doing so, however, it is wise to make a note of the varieties 
