862 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 19, 1893. 
the end of March in a temperature of from 60 to 65°. What would be 
the result ? I am afraid the plants would not long remain satisfactory. 
Who would be mad enough to supply winter Cucumbers with water 30° 
lower than the soil ? The subject is a wide one, and appears to me to 
need more thought and consideration than your correspondents are 
bestowing upon it. Cold water used in a reckless manner would be a 
barbarous system of treatment that would soon bring about a condition 
of growth that would be miserable in the extreme. 
Force Roses early in the season, and try this cold water business. 
Mildew will soon appear ; continue the practice, and it will spread like 
magic.—W. Bardney._ 
I HAVE no wish to pose as an authority upon this subject, yet I claim 
the right to question any evidence that is brought against my own 
opinion, and if after a thorough investigation that evidence is strong 
and convincing, I am ready to submit, withdraw, or retract. In this 
case the evidence is without any recognised authority, and “ J. B. R.” 
quietly surmises that the authorities I quote would not venture to 
support their own assertions. Does he call this argument ? 
Whilst in conversation with one of our leading nurserymen a few 
days ago the question of the past summer’s water supply naturally arose, 
and his experience of “hard cold water” was limited to one word— 
“ bad.” 
I fully appreciate the support which your correspondent “ T. A.” 
(page 340) accords me in this discussion, yet I cannot altogether agree 
with him as to “hard water” minus cold being only injurious; it is 
the chilling effects upon the young hair-like roots which in my opinion 
causes injury to the plants, and this combined with the salts of lime 
contained in “hard water” is the more disastrous. Upon the estate 
where I reside there are three separate supplies from wells situated 
about a quarter of a mile apart, and the water drawn from each one 
differs materially in hardness. This is not the only neighbourhood or 
county in which I have watched carefully the effect of “ hard cold 
water ” (drawn direct from springs) upon vegetation. Therefore I 
claim that it is not in one particular county more than another that 
“ hard cold water ” proves injurious, although I admit it may in some 
districts act more quickly than others ; but taking the country through¬ 
out vegetation in my opinion cannot flourish (in the true meaning of 
the word) when constantly watered with spring water in a cold raw 
state.—F. Duhn. 
NEW CARNATIONS AND PICOTEES. 
In the Birmingham districts there are several excellent cultivators 
of the Carnation, and in no other locality can more select collections be 
found. During the past summer I have had repeated opportunities of 
seeing some of these collections, notably those of Messrs. Thomson, 
Sydenham, and Brown, and as a large number of Carnation growers 
are readers of the Journal I send you notes of the opinion formed of 
these flowers. 
Carnations. 
Lovely Mary (Lakin).—Very bright rose flake, pure in the ground 
colour and well marked. A flower of fine form and first-class quality. 
Claudian, s.F. (Thomson).—This has great breadth of petal, clear 
ground, the colour very bright, and is of the finest form. 
John Payne (Chaundy).—Good in form, but the ground colour is not 
clear, and the marking is not good. 
Mrs. Douglas, P.F.—Has broad, regular, rosy purple flakes and pure 
ground colour, good petal and fine form. 
William Dean (Chaundy).—A very promising scarlet flake, and finer 
than Guardsman sent out at the same time by the raiser. It is rich in 
colour, has a fine petal, is perfect in form and is an excellent grower. It 
was first also in the scarlet flake class at Oxford. 
Agricola (Douglas), p.f. —Clear ground colour, ,with broad bright 
purple flakes, and a first-class flower. 
Plato (Thomson).—A bright p. and p. bizarre. A full-sized flower 
in the style of Rifleman, but of a different shade of pink colour. A very 
fine flower in breadth of petal, form, and substance. 
E. G. Wrigley, P. and p.b, —Beautifully marked, pure ground colour, 
broad petal, large size, and of fine form. 
Guardsman (Chaundy).—This was a fine scarlet flake as shown at 
Oxford as a seedling, when it received a certificate ; but in the midlands 
has been very disappointing this year, coming too much coloured and 
rough in form. Occasionally it has been seen good, as in Mr. Edwards’s 
stand at Oxford, It will, however, be grown again. 
Mrs. May (Dodwell).—Pale rose flake, pure ground colour, good 
petal and form ; a free grower, and a fine flower. 
Harmony (Douglas), p. and P.B. —A fine flower in the style of 
Sarah Payne, but paler in colour, also a good grower. 
Lord Salisitiry. —A seedling raised by Mr. J. P. Sharp, the veteran 
raiser of Picotees Mrs. Sharp, Campanini, Scarlet Queen, Rosie Syden¬ 
ham, and others. A very fine crimson bizarre of large size and excellent 
quality, very bright in colour. 
J. P. Sharp, S.F. (Thomson). — This was exhibited for the first time 
at the London Exhibition of Carnations and Picotees, and was awarded 
a first-class certificate. It is a fine flower, but cannot be sent out until 
1894. 
Mils Crossley (Geggie), P. and p.b, —Bright, clear, and well marked. 
With fine broad petal of good substance, and a grand all-round flower, 
Mrs. Smith (Geggie), p, and p.b. —A light coloured flower of good 
quality and size. 
Mr, Yeadon (Geggie), S.F. —A large flower with very broad petal, 
bright in colour, and a rnost promising new variety. 
Tom McCreath (Geggie), S.F. —A flower of good size with medium¬ 
sized petal, which is well marked with dark scarlet. 
Foxhunter (Geggie).—A very good flower, much like Sports¬ 
man, and a stronger grower. 
Flamingo (Barlow), s.F. —Of medium size and bright, with a good 
white ground. 
Billy Henderson (Geggie), P.F. —A large full flower, clear ground 
colour, and well marked with deep purple ; a decided acquisition. 
Mrs. George Cooling (Hooper), R.F. —A grand flower, large, smooth, 
well-formed petal, and a variety which will be in the foremost rank of 
rose flakes. 
Rosy Morn (Geggie), R.F. —A large flower, very bright in colour, but 
with an impure ground colour. 
Tom Wood (Geggie), R.F.— A superb flower, broad petal, clear white 
ground colour, and resembling Sybil. 
Lady Mary Currie (Douglas), R.F. —A very large and full bloom, not so 
bright in colour as some, but it is of a very pleasing soft rose shade of 
colour, and fine in petal and form. 
'lorn Pinley (Geggie), s.F. —This flower was dull in colour about 
Birmingham, but as shown at Manchester was very bright and fine, and 
excellent in form and petal. 
Charles Henioood (Douglas), P.F. —A grand well marked large 
flower, with smooth broad petal and pure white ground colour. 
Virgil (Douglas), C.B. —A richly marked flower, the white ground 
pure, of fine form and very promising. 
Mr. Tom Lord is sending out four new varieties—Duke of York, 
Bruce Findlay, Thaddeus, and Arline. The latter is a most promising 
flower, and I give the following opinion by a good judge who has seen 
them. He says, “I consider Arline (p. and P.B.) the best 1 have ever 
seen, broad smooth petals, very clear white and rich in the marking, 
very much like Sarah Payne at her best, but an improvement on it, 
which is saying a great deal. Bruce Findlay (C.B.), is one of the largest 
flowers in cultivation, and has not a small petal in it, very pure in the 
ground colour and richly coloured marking; a splendid flower. Duke 
of York (s.B.) is a large well-built flower of fine form and petal, but the 
colour struck me as too pale for a good scarlet bizarre. Thaddeus (C.B.) 
is another large flower, very much like Master Fred in colour and style, 
but as shown at Manchester was rather rough on the edge and some¬ 
what spotted ; but Mr. Lord explained that an accident had caused the 
roughness, and that it came quite smooth, in which case it will be a fine 
flower.” Mr. George Chaundy of Oxford, who is coming well to the 
front as a raiser, received a certificate at Oxford for Feron (p.f.), a very 
fine variety of good size, excellent form and well flaked, with dark 
purple on a white ground. 
The opinion I have expressed as to the flowers named is not given in 
a dictatorial spirit, but more to draw the attention of amateurs to the 
newer kinds of Carnations. The season of 1893 was, too, a very trying 
one for this flower, and every grower could give various opinions of 
older varieties. On turning to Mr. Dodwell’s new list just issued I note 
that he also introduces some new varieties for the first time ; but I have 
unfortunately not seen them all. Mrs. Rowan is an excellent rose 
flake, and Othello should be a very fine S.B. from the description. 
Mr. Chaundy has also five new Carnations. 
Those florists who are verging upon the threescore and ten years 
cannot but be struck with the large number of new varieties now annu¬ 
ally introduced, compared with what raisers did years ago. I recently 
turned to a volume of “ The Florists’ Guide ” for 1827 to 29, to have a 
look again at an admirable coloured illustration of Cartwright’s Rainbow 
(C.B.), a flower which had a great popularity for a long number of years, 
and in the same volume is a well preserved plate of Strong’s Princess 
of Denmark, which many will remember. Our florists of the present 
day are careful hybridisers, and such desirable crosses are effected that 
excellent results must follow.—W. D. 
(To be continued.) 
ONIONS AT READING. 
I WAS specially privileged the other day to see the very fine Onion 
bulbs which Messrs. Sutton & Sons have at Reading, as representing 
the qualities of their newer stocks. That of late years there has been 
a remarkable increase in the average size of Onions, due both to 
superior cultivation and to selection as well as of inter-crossing for 
the production of fine sorts there can be no doubt, and although 
there may be differences of opinion as to the value or usefulness of 
these huge bulbs when obtained, yet there they are and as such they 
command admiration. Whilst most of the sorts—and some have bulbs 
of more moderate size, simply because no form of cultivation can 
make them unduly large—are represented by fine samples, all very 
clean and handsome, there is about the collection a feature of 
unusual interest, and one too much kept out of sight by many Onion 
growers; good examples also of the produce of the varieties as found 
under what is so well known as ordinary cultivation. It seems to be 
proper and honest to show the public what sort of bulbs these newer 
varieties will produce under what may be termed extraordinary 
cultivation, and also what is the average product of ordinary culture, as 
then no one is misled. 
It is very doubtful whether we should ever have heard of the large 
show bulbs of to-day but for the offering of prizes for them. I could 
not but be struck with the exceeding beauty with moderate size found 
