vfune i, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
443 
V. Scarlet Flakes. —The same remarks apply to this as to the 
purple flakes, and the colour should be a rich and decided scarlet 
colour ; the brighter the colour and the greater the purity of the 
white the better. 
VI. ^ Rose Flakes. —This is a very pleasing section of the 
Carnation, and is always much esteemed for the delicate rose tints 
on the white ground. 
VII. SoTA.—This is doubtless the earliest type of the Carna¬ 
tion, and by many tasteful persons is the most highly valued. 
The colours are rich and brilliant, rose scarlet, crimson maroon, 
purple, white, yellow, &c., of many shades. They are all extremely 
beautiful for planting in masses or as isolated clumps in the borders. 
The Picotee is for garden and exhibition purposes divided into 
six s3ctions, although there are but three well defined colours. 
Each colour is again sub-divided into broad and narrow edged. 
These definitions may be as under :— 
VIII. Red-edged. —In this as well as the other colours there are 
of course various shades, which in individual specimens are na^^row, 
as in Thomas William and Violet Douglas, wherein the colour is 
represented by a line, like fine wire round the margin of each petal. 
The medium edge has a broader and more irregular line, as in 
Emily, and the extreme width of the marginal colour is in an old 
and well known variety named Brunette. 
IX. Purple-edged —Here the colours are in the same degree of 
narrow, medium, and broad. 
X. Scarlet and Rose-edged. —Herein the colours are supposed to 
be sca’-let, and a very few of the varieties in cultivation may be 
described as of that colour. Most of them are rose or salmon, but 
the most beautiful varieties of Picotees are in this section, such as 
the beautiful narrow rose-edged Liddington’s Favourite and the 
broad-edged scarlet Mrs. Sharpe. 
XI. Yelloio Ground Picotees. —The varieties in this section have 
become very numerous during recent years, and we have now as 
good quality in the yellow Picotees as in the white ground varieties. 
One named Remembrance is of a rich yellow colour and unmarked, 
except a fine line of rosy red round the edge of each petal. 
XII. Fancy Carnations and Picotees. —All flowers that by reason 
of their peculiar shades of colour cannot be admitted into any of 
the above classes find a refuge here. Some of them are very beau¬ 
tiful, and are adapted for border culture. 
Xni. Into this last class I have placed the tree or perpetual 
flowering Carnations. This class is greatly valued because of the 
plants flowering during the autumn, winter, and spring months. The 
stems partake of a woody nature, and produce side growths, which 
in their turn prolong the time of flowering, and delight us with 
±heir beautiful sweetly scented flowers at midwinter. 
(To be continued.') 
BELVOIR AND ORTON IN MA.Y. 
“‘British Gardener,” in the Journal of 21st ult., challenges 
me to correct him if he has overdrawn anything in his description 
of the charming domain of Belvoir. I may at once say there is 
nothing to correct, for even he, skilful writer as he is, would find it 
well nigh impossible to give too high praise to what we saw on that 
perfect spring day. I went to Belvoir expecting to be pleased, I 
came away enraptured ; it is a scene which, to anyone with an eye 
for the truly beautiful, is worth going many miles to see, but let 
them not go in the expectation of being able to do the same in 
their own gardens next spring. Xo mere copyist could produce 
such results, it requires the mind and eye of an artist, and years of 
experience. Not beds on stiffly laid-out lawns, bu.t in delightful 
dells and openings in the wood. What can be more enchanting 
than a bed of red flowering Saxifrage, with yellow Tulips dotted 
among it, or yellow Oxlips, with crimson Tulips rising from them ? 
Then observe the Narcissi growing naturally out of the grass and 
between rocks, and far surpassing in beautiful effect those planted 
in the more usual formal border. “ British Gardener ” has omitted 
to mention the herbaceous border in the walled garden. Who, 
after seeing that, would not have an herbaceous border ? Its 
description I must leave to a more skilful pen, for I confess 
mine is unable to do it adequate justice. Not the least pleasing 
experience of the day was to have the opportunity of making the 
acquaintance of Mr. Ingram, whose kindness and courtesy to one 
who had been previously a stranger to him I gratefully acknowledge. 
To pass on to Orton, here again the inexperienced pen of the 
amateur is fain to confess its inability to adequately describe all he 
saw. Totally different in style to Belvoir, yet with a beauty all 
its own, where else are to be seen such Conifers, giant kings of their 
kind ? An avenue of Wellingtonias, nearly a mile long, well nigh 
half this being in a straight line, the largest rising in majestic 
grandeur to a height of some 70 feet. Unfortunately, or perhaps it 
should be said fortunately, the wood of the Wellingtonia is. 
Mr. Harding says, too spongy to be of much practical utility, while 
on the other hand the Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), 
a fine specimen of which stands on the lawn, is coming more into 
use year by year, large quantities of it being annually imported 
from Ameiica. He speaks highly of Thuia gigantea for ornament 
and use, and has good reason to do so. Further on we find the 
Abies excelsa, which produces the white wood imported in such 
immense quantities from Norway and Sweden. There were many 
other handsome Conifers, including a magnificent Cupressus 
lasiocarpa ; a grand pair of Libocedrus decurrens ; the Nutmeg 
tree (Torreya myristica), preparing for a good crop of its chestnut 
like fruits ; and scores of others the names of which I cannot 
remember ; but I recollect the two gardeners putting their heads 
rather close together when examining large clumps of the so-called 
tender Orchid, Bletia hyacinthina, established in the open ground, 
where they passed the winter without protection, and were pushing 
fresh growths freely. 
I must leave the task I have so poorly begun to my friend, 
“ British Gardener,” to finish. It is in gardens such as these that 
the amateur feels how little he really knows and realises what un¬ 
tiring skill and forethought are requidte to conduct them. Mr. 
Harding is one of those in whose company it is impossible to 
remain very long without learning something, and the pleasant 
time spent with him, during which we enjoyed the kind hospitality 
of himself and Mr«. Hardinj, will long remain in the memory of 
one who signs himself only— An Amateur. 
During my recent visit to Bilvoir Mr. Ingram referred with 
satisfaction to the creditable pofitions attained by men who had 
been trained under him in the gardens. From one of them in 
America he had received the foil-awing letter, which he thought 
might be interesting to some readers of the Journal of Horticidture. 
It will be saen that Philadelphia is ahead of London in the pos¬ 
session of a horticultural h ill, described as “ large and handsome,” 
and it appears to differ somewhat in character from the building 
that is projected at home. The lei.tter is evid“n*ly written by an 
intelligent, persevering gardener, and is well worthy of inseition here. 
Horticultural Hall, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, U.S.A. 
Mr. Ingratn,—Dear Sir,—You may, perhaps, I ke to hear how I am 
getting along in this country. In the first place, I must say I have no 
rerson to regret coming so far, although at first I was rather discouraged, 
being unable to get a suitable position ; but through the kindness of my 
first employer, and my own perseverance, I succeeded in getting to the 
Horticultural Hall in Fairmount Park, a position which is well suited 
to me. I have been at the Hall eleven months now, and judging from 
the confidence placed in me I have every reason to believe I am giving 
satisfaction. I have always endeavoured to prove myself reliable and 
trustworthy, and so far with success, thanks for the good instructions 
in gardening I received at Belvoir, for I assure you I am never at a lots 
to do anything, and I am trusted with the most particular work in 
the establishment. 
The Horticultural Hall is one of the buildings that were erected for 
the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, and is very large and handsome. 
There is a very fine collection of plants, particularly Palms. They are 
planted out in the borders in the main building, with Selaginella 
covering the whole surface. Joining the main hail are four more houses, 
two on°each side, where the smaller plants are exhibited. They are 
the temperate, Fern, forcing, and economic houses. 
Standing apart are the propagating houses and R S3 hous’. 
The summer bedling here is very fine, the climate being suitable to 
the development of fine colours in everything, and also to permit us 
using many plants that are unsuitable to the English climate. We have 
fine beds of Crotons of the best and latest varieties, and very handsome 
they look. The Cacti beds look well too. As regards the softer bedding 
plants, we have four varieties of Alternanthera, five of Coleus, Steria, 
Abutilons, Begonias, Ageratums, &c. The beds require constant dress¬ 
ing, as they grow so rapidly. 1 must not forget to mention the Cannas. 
We have this year those latest dwarf French varieties. They are 
remarkably pretty In mixed borders we plant out Hibiscus, Lantanas, 
and many other hothouse plants. 
This is quite a tropical climate for about three months, the thermo¬ 
meter rising into the nineties most days, and on several occasions past 
the 100° mark. I have found the heat very trying ; in fact, that is my 
worst trouble, for I dread July and August. A great many people Ics^ 
their lives last summer, it being the hottest for some time. 
We flowered the Victoria regia outside last summer, and tie 
Nymphaeas do well in the Lily ponds. We have N. alba, dentata, 
devoniensis, lotus, coerulea, and Sturtevanti; Nelumbium speciosum, 
Lymnocharis Humboldti, Aponogtton, Pontederia crassipes, &c., all of 
which require winter protection. 
As regards wild flowers, we have some very handsome onCs here. I 
am getting together a small c rllection of the most showy and rare I can 
find. But this climate is not suitable for long walks and study after a 
day’s work, for I have not half the energy I had in England ; in fact, a 
person who employs himself to constant study is liable to contract 
typhoid fever, as the system so soon gets run down. A certain amount 
of recreation is necessary to everyone. 
Amongst the wild flowers I have found a very pretty white Scilla, 
