July 30, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
83 
practice is advantageous. Sending a day or two ago a quantity of 
these Lilies to adorn the last resting place of our loved and learned 
Bishop Wordsworth, I was disappointed that the golden dust shook 
about all over the petals.—A. M. B. 
MUSHROOMS ON RIDGES. 
I felt flattered by your kind mention in the Journal of our Mush¬ 
room ridges. It is my first attempt at this method of culture. My 
employers were anxious to give the plan a fair trial, but I had great re¬ 
luctance about spending so much money at the first start. However, I 
studied Wright’s book and acted on it to the best of my limited intelli¬ 
gence, only departing from it by making one-half of our beds 3 feet wide 
and 3 feet high. The larger beds did the best. Three beds entirely 
failed with me, the cause of failure I have not yet found out. The beds 
made before and after all did well. I will now submit to you the financial 
statement. 
We made 164 yards of beds, of which 42 yards failed. 
£ b . d. 
164 yards cost in manure.18 IS 1 
Labour, including carting manure, gathering, and pack¬ 
ing the orop . 2266 
Spawn.10 18 0 
Rent of land.100 
£52 17 7 
Mushrooms gathered from 122 yards of beds. 
The quantities sold with prices annexed. 
£ s. d. 
ISJlbs. at Is. 6d.133 
45 „ at la. 3d.2 IS 3 
1924 „ at la. Od.9 12 6 
439 „ at Os. 10J.18 6 3 
676 „ at Os. 9d. 25 7 0 
1081 „ at Os. 8d. 34 7 4 
687 „ at 03. 6d.14 13 6 
28 „ at Os. 4d.0 9 4 
£106 15 5 
Deduct cost.52 17 7 
£53 17 10 
Value of manure in spent beds at Is. 3d. per yard .. .. 10 5 0 
Leaving ns a profit of. £612 10 
Had the whole of our beds succeeded we would have had a much 
larger profit. Col. and Mrs. Gascoigne have been testing the matter for 
the benefit of their tenantry, and to show that it can be made a profit¬ 
able undertaking.— James Dunn, The Gardens, Parlington. 
[As a first attempt at growing Mushrooms on ridges in the open 
air, and entirely from printed instructions, Mr. Dunn must be congratu¬ 
lated on the results notwithstanding the failure of the three beds, and he 
evidently under-estimates his intelligence. His experience in the work 
appears to have been “ limited,” but the intelligence he has displayed 
cannot be so described. As is stated on page 33 of “ Mushrooms for the 
Million,” larger beds than made by Mr. Barter are under certain circum¬ 
stances and in northerly districts advisable, and Mr. Dunn’s experience 
on this point should not be overlooked, but the cost is necessarily in¬ 
creased. The cost of 164 yards of ridges 2J feet wide and high, including 
all other expenses of culture and marketing, would be £49 4s., as against 
£32 17s. 7d. with larger beds in Yorkshire. The value of the produce 
from 122 yards of productive ridges is £3 2s. 10J. greater than that 
recorded as obtained by Mr. Barter, so that the difference between the 
expert cultivator and the “ beginner ” only amounts to 10 s. 9d. This is 
sufficient testimony that the profits arising from a well-conducted system 
of Mushroom culture have not been over-estimated. Colonel and Mrs. 
Gascoigne are thanked for having fairly tested the system, and Mr. Dunn 
for carrying out their instructions so well.—J. W.] 
BORDER CARNATIONS AND PICOTEES. 
The annual displays of special groups of plants in Messrs. J. Veitch and 
Sons’ Nursery, King’s Road, Chelsea, at different seasons of the year 
attract numerous visitors, but one of the best of the summer shows is that 
constituted by the extensive collection of Carnations and Picotees in beds, 
and which is now in admirable condition. It is indeed only from such 
exhibitions as this that an accurate idea can be formed of the charms these 
plants possess ; and though the conventional shows of blooms are beautiful 
and represent the finer properties of the flowers, much is lost in the un¬ 
avoidable formality of their arrangement in stands. In beds, if the plants 
are neatly but not too rigidly staked, their natural grace is seen to the 
best advantage, and what a wealth of blooms they yield, varied in tint, and 
delightfully fragrant! There is another point in favour of this mode 
—namely, that numbers of useful and handsome varieties can be so grown 
that would not be admissible for exhibition purposes owing perhaps to 
some slight roughness that a strict florist would regard as an imperfection, 
but which a lover of flowers with less technical knowledge would not 
notice. Some of the most refined of the exhibition varieties are of delicate 
habit and increase very slowly, being in consequence unfitted for beds, 
where healthy masses and flowers by scores are required. 
Carnations and Picotees are also distinguished by a quality which 
renders them of especial value to dwellers in towns or their suburbs, and 
this is their smoke-resisting power, which enables them to thrive 
Juxuinntly where comparatively few other plants of equal attractions can 
exist. This recommendation cannot be over-estimated, and in no respect 
has the popularity of the plants increased so rapidly of late years as for 
this purpose. There is, however, still abundant room for advance, and 
hundreds of persons with small gardens who are doubtful what to grow 
could not make a better investment than in a collection of Carnations and 
Picotees to form a bed that will yield them great pleasure during several 
weeks of midsummer. For small collections a dozen or twenty varieties 
will be sufficient, and if a bright effect is chiefly desired preference should 
be given to the seifs or flake varieties amongst the Carnations and the 
heavy edged or yellow ground Picotees. Where a larger and more gene¬ 
rally representative collection is required some of all sections should be 
included, and an astonishing range of coloration can be thus obtained. 
In the following list a selection is given of the best in each section, es¬ 
pecial attention being paid to the suitability of the varieties for borders, the 
strongest growers and the most profuse flowers having the preference. 
They are named as nearly as possible in the order of their merit, and 
those who only require a small collection can select one or two of each 
class. 
CARNATIONS. 
Scarlet Bizarres. 
Guardsman 
Charles Turner 
Titian 
George 
Gorgeous 
Ben Simonite 
Crimson Bizarres. 
Harrison Weir 
Alderman 
Thomas Moore 
John Harland 
H. D. Southgate 
Albion’s Pride 
Pink and Purple Bizarres. 
William Skirving 
Unexpected 
Squire Llewelyn 
Princess Beatrice 
James Taylor 
Sarah Payne 
Scarlet Flakes. 
Jupiter 
Scarlet Keet 
Dan Godfrey 
Flirt 
John Ball 
Friar Tuck 
Purple Flakes. 
Mayor of Nottingham 
James Douglas 
Florence Nightingale 
Purple Prince 
Ajax 
Mis. Mills 
Bose Flakes. 
Mr. Matthews 
James Merryweather 
Jessica 
Sybil 
Lord Chelmsford 
Rose of Stapleford. 
Scarlet Selfs. 
Magnum Bonum 
Scarlet Selfs {continued). 
Brigadier 
Field Marshal 
Vivid 
Eclipse 
Standard 
Bose Selfs. 
John Barnett 
Celia 
Mary Morris 
Fair Imogene 
Constance 
Gertrude Teiguer 
Purple Selfs. 
Royal Purple 
Lady Manners 
Auctioneer 
Improvement 
Walter Ware 
Evelyn 
Crimson Selfs. 
Crimson Clove 
Amethyst 
Ouida 
Yellow Selfs. 
Miss Mary Anderson 
Belle Halliday 
Florence 
Cupid 
Lord Tennyson 
Drap d’Or. 
White Selfs. 
W. P. Milner 
Duchess of Connaught 
Ossian 
Vigil 
The Bride 
Miss Marianne North 
Fancy Varieties. 
Sir Beauchamp Seymour 
Grandiflora 
Janira 
Charles I. 
PICOTEES. 
Heavy Crimson-edged. 
Jewess 
Lothair 
Picturata 
Dr. Epps 
J. B. Bryant 
John Smith 
Light Crimson-edged. 
J. D. Horner 
Mrs. Bower 
Thomas Williams 
Grosteen 
Emily 
Mrs. Keynes 
Heavy Bose-edged. 
Rev. H. Matthew 
Edith Dombrain 
Lucy 
Royal Visit 
Louisa 
Mrs. Payne 
Heavy Purple-edged. 
Admiration 
Mrs. A. Chancellor 
Rev. J. B. M. Catnm 
Beauty of Cheltenham 
Medina 
Novelty 
Light Purple-edged. 
Princess Dagmar 
Minnie 
Mary 
Her Majesty 
Clara Peuson 
Baroness Burdett Coutts 
Yellow Ground Picotees. 
Goldfinder 
Princess of Teck 
Solfaterre 
Stanstead Beauty 
Juliette 
Prince of Orarfge 
Rose Baron de Bonstetten or Mons. Boncenne.—I should like to ask. 
Is it an admitted fact that these lovely Roses are duplicates ? As supplied 
to me from Swanley they are different in foliage, and somewhatj is 
