882 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 14,1S9I. 
plants. It flowers freely, and is a good grower. There is also a 
variegated form of this typ"". G. flonda has medium sized flowers, 
which are sweetly scented. G. citriodora is very useful, and 
should be in every collection. It does not require so much root 
room, and has smaller flowers than others of the family. The 
flowers are very sweet. Others well worth growing are G. Fortune!, 
G. radicans, with the larger type, and G. Stanleyaca, the latter 
differing from all the rest of the Gardenias both in habit of growth 
and flowers. One or two others might be cited, but these are the 
more generally known.—R. P. R. 
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 bewildering variety and diverse beauty 
at Long Ditton in Surrey. Thither do specialists and lovers of this 
great family of spring flowers wend their way in the season, not 
only to admire the floral feast, but to gain information, and study 
the characters cf the different varieties under the guidance of the 
master. 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 of the several varieties under 
cultivation in his trial grounds. For some years these were at 
Tooting, but 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 three narrow fields extending a considerable distance along the 
south side of the line. Their measurement is 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 tor generations to come. 
They are grown in beds 3^ feet wide with narrow paths between 
them, and if any Daffodil student is as enthusiastic as the master 
he will have to traverse every one of these paths, stoop down and 
examine the “ points ” of the flowers, after their identity is 
determined by reference to the manuscript book, for all of them 
are numbered; then when all this is done he will most likely depart 
with tired limbs and Daffodil on the brain. He will be simply 
dazed with Daffodils, and when he sits down at night to write 
something about them will hardly know where to begin. A very 
eminent 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.” A wise resolve, for it is not 
conceivable that any person could satisfy himself in writing a 
description of this wonderful collection, and the “man behind the 
pen ” at the present moment most assuredly will not do so. He 
has made up his mind, however, where to begin—namely, where the 
inspection finished, and as that was conducted on the good old lines 
of leaving the best till the last, it comes to pass that one or two of 
the finest Daffodils in the world have appropriately premier mention. 
On a mat-shaded bed, for the day was the hottest of the season 
up to date, a few cherished gems were flowering. They were 
being subjected to very close scrutmy 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. Students, well, not worth 
naming in connection with Daffodils, though both of them think, 
as students will, that they know a little about them. “ 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 florist’s flower of all yellow Trumpet Daffodils. We raised 
it from seed, and its name is Monarch.” A solemn pause, eventually 
broken by Mr. Cammell, “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, firm, imbricated segments and,”—but 
before he could finish his sentence Mr. Dewar drew from behind 
him the best Emperor he could find (for, like a canny Scot, he was 
already provided) and placed it with the Monarch ; then all could 
see that fine as both were. Monarch beat the Emperor. It may be 
said to be a perfected Emperor, the trumpet without a fault, and 
the stout overlapping perianth segments without a twist or curl. 
Barr’s Monarch then heads the lists of Golden Trumpet Daffodils. 
“ But what’s this ? ” asked No. 1 of the experts, in surprise, 
“ that is something very extraordinary ! ” “ Wonderful ! ” observed 
No. 2. “Never saw anything like it!” remarked No. 3. “No,” 
the Master dryly chimed in, “ because there is nothing like it, and 
that is all there is of it ; it is Weardale Perfection.” Madame de 
Graaff was small by the side of it, but the two are similar in charac¬ 
ter. The trumpet was 2 inches long, symmetrical, and recurving 
with the utmost regularity at the mouth, which was equal in width 
to the length of the tube ; colour pale primrose, and the broad seg¬ 
ments nearly white. The flowers are not to be cut for showing, 
but left for seeding. Weardale Perfection was alone worth going t» 
see, and take it all in all, it is the finest Daffodil of its kind and 
colour that has ever been raised. 
Other handsome varieties admired in the Ajax section were 
Glory of Leyden, with its huge smooth golden blooms ; Captain 
Nelson,with its long clear yellow trumpet and bold spreading segments; 
Emperor also stood out boldly ; but Santa Maria, one of Mr, Barr’s 
Spanish finds, is the richest in colour of all, not excepting the noble 
maximus ; P. R. Barr, a “ small Emperor,” is very free and good. 
Several of the early varieties were over and others fading. In the 
white-winged bicolor section, Dorrien Smith, John Parkinson, 
James Walker, Harrison Weir, Michael Foster, and Grandis were 
all fine, while Murrell Dobell and Alfred Parsons, similar in colour, 
were conspicuous by their neatness. 
Small, in comparison with those mentioned, yet smooth, dis¬ 
tinct, beautiful, and not sufficiently grown are the Johnstoni 
varieties. Queen of Spain, Mrs. George Cammell, and Pelayo. The 
first is the most effective in a mass, but the flowers of the 
second are individually more refined, and in the third the sepals, 
are a little twisted, in the others flat. The clear soft yellow and 
clean finish of these varieties render them particularly appropriate 
for vase decoration. In commencing a trial with one only we 
should choose the first. 
J. B. M. Camm leads the way in the white and sulphur coloured 
trumpet varieties (after Madame de Graaff previously mentioned), 
with its well-shaped, good-sized delicate flowers. Dr. Hogg, C. W. 
Cowen, Mr. and Mrs. Burbidge, Mrs. Camm, Mrs. Vincent, Lady 
Grosvenor, Snowflake, and the pretty little Minnie Warren 
attracted attention in passing down the beds by their soft chaste 
beauty, but there are several more of these “white Daffodils ” well 
worth growing. 
Judging by the enormous number grown, it is evident that 
there is a great demand for the lighter and more elegant forms of 
Daffodils of the Incomparabilis, Leedsi, Barri, and other types. 
Mr. Wolley Dod and Mr. Cammell are great admirers of these, and 
know them well. When flowering in clumps or masses they have 
a pleasing effect, and when cut are admirably suited for vase 
decoration. It is difficult to choose from such a great assemblage 
of good sorts. Among many others, however, possessing strong 
claims to attention in the Incomparabilis were noticed Autocrat, 
Frank Miles, Gloria Mundi, Gwyther, Beauty, C. J. Backhouse, 
King of the Netherlands, Albert Victor, Lorenzo, Titan, Princess 
Marie, Mabel Cowen, Fair Helen, and Splendens ; and as a giant 
among them is the bold Sir Watkin, a striking flower, popular with 
the million but “ wanting in refinement,” say connoisseurs, in 
comparison with others in the section. The cups of the flowers 
vary from pale yellow to deep orange, and the segments from white 
to buff and yellow, and the general effect is bright and cheerful 
without any suspicion of gaudiness. 
The Leedsi varieties are paler, some approaching pure white, 
and as a group may be fairly described as chaste and charming. 
Mr. Cammell described the Duchess of Westminster, Gem, and 
Minnie Hume as a very delightful trio ; also very attractive were 
Beatrice, Duchess of Brabant, Elegans, Catherine Spurrell, Mrs. 
Langtry, Palmerston, Maria M. de Graaff, Grand Duchess, and 
Princess of Wales—all of them, and many others, being worth 
growing in gardens. 
With the short chalice shaped cups, varying from orange 
scarlet to pale yellow in colour, and yellow or white perianth 
segments, the Barri varieties are distinctly attractive. Conspicuus 
will long remain a favourite, and so probably will such as Maurice 
Vilmorin, John Stevenson, Orphee, Crown Prince, and Dorothy 
Wemyss, for all press their claims to attention. Passing the 
distinct Nelsoni, Backhousei, Macleai, Bernard!, tridymus, and 
triandrus varieties, not because they are inferior, but because 
mention cannot be made of even the cream of the sorts occupying 
7 or 8 acres of ground in a page of the Journal, we come to 
the “ Burbidgei’s,” which link some of the others with the Poets’’ 
Narcissus, and find distinct and good varieties in Bacchus, like a 
yellow “ Poet’s,” Agnes Barr, Ellen Barr, Model, Ossian, James. 
Bain, Little Dirk, and Crown Princess, jotted down in the pocket 
book as possessing attractive characteristics in either form or 
colour, or both ; and then there are “ Poets ” by the score, a whole 
army of them, early and late in all their pearly beauty. 
The entire collection at Long Ditton represents a great national 
or international museum of Daffodils that could only have been 
provided by years of perseverance, great expenditure, and unceasing 
work, prompted by a deep love for the flowers that conquered all 
difficulties, in acquiring so many, selecting them so well, “weeding’” 
