76 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 26, 18f4. 
were introduced, are to be seen, and are accorded such prominence 
as tbeir merits entitle them to. As some evidence of the enterprise of 
the man, mention may be made of the fact of his having secured the 
st'ch of Mr. Martin R. Smith's new seedlings, which include several 
cf the all-popular “ Malmaisontype, but of these more anon. As a 
consequence of other duties the proprietor of Edenside is not able to 
devote the whole of his time to the enterprise, as a matter of fact only 
a very small portion of it, but in his son, Mr. Jas. Douglas, jun., he has 
an able lieutenant, as is evidenced by the perfect health of the Carna¬ 
tions. which are entirely under his charge. 
Vigorous growth, with numbers of stout layers, and an abundance 
of perfectly developed flowers are the chief characteristics of the plants. 
The size of the blooms has in no way developed into coarseness, the 
exquisite beauty and chaste delicacy of colouration having been main¬ 
tained, and in some varieties, especially tho^e raised by Mr. Smith, 
improved on. It is a matter of regret with many lovers of 
Carnations that though the flowers improve in some respects, there is 
amongst numbers of them a total absence of scent. Some people may 
maintain that this is no desideratum in a Carnation, but this, if the 
old Clove may be taken as a criterion, is a mistake, for despite 
numerous formidable rivals, it is still the most popular with the vast 
majority, though these are not all florists. From the point of view of 
the latter perfume does not count very high ; but if, as is no doubt the 
case, it is desired to engender a love of Carnations in those who do 
not come under the mystic category of florists, another sense than that 
of eyesight, as provided by elegance of form and beauty of colours, must 
be appealed to and conquered, and this is sense of smell. Look at the 
rapidity with which Uriah Pike has leapt into popularity, think to what 
this is due, and one conclusion only can be arrived at—namely, that, 
good as it undoubtedly is as a flower, it is largely to its fragrance that 
it owes its high place in the admiration of so many people at the present 
time. 
As will be surmised from the number of plants under cultivation, 
the varieties and colours are extremely diversified, and amongst them 
Mr. Smith’s seedlings must be accorded a prominent position. So 
numerous are they that only a few in each section could be noted, and 
such will be mentioned. To thoroughly grasp the merits of the collec¬ 
tion, however, it is necessary that a close personal inspection be made. To 
any and all readers of the Journal of Horticulture a courteous welcome 
will be extended, so all who can, should make it their business to go and 
see how the opinions on the varieties expressed below coincide with their 
own, and a^so see what a number there are worthy of a place in the 
choicest collection. 
Let us commence with the self-coloured forms in the border section, 
and as The Burn is the first one sees on entering the house it shall be 
taken first. The plants are flowering profusely, and as a consequence 
are only of medium size, but where a glimpse is caught of a first flower 
some idea of its superb form and finish may be gleaned. The colour is 
a soft pleasing shade of pink, the fragrance emitted is delicious, and 
moreover, the calyx rarely, if ever, splits, which is a great consideration, 
though indiarubber bands may be bought so cheaply to put on the flowers 
that splitting is not taken into account by some large growers. Hayes 
Scarlet is well worthy of its name, carrying as it does fine blooms of the 
brightest colour. In the rich, dark crimson blooms of Mepbisto is 
found a sort which is certain to be accorded popularity, and deservedly 
so, for it is excellent in every way. A pair of whites stand opposite 
each other, one on the central and the other on the side stage. They 
are named Miss Ellen Terry and Mrs. Martin Smith respectively. Both 
are grand in form, size, and substance ; but the former appeared to 
be preferable from the chaste purity of the colour. For freedom of 
flowering there was little to choose, both, too, being very good growers. 
The reddish buff blooms of The Pasha cannot fail, by their perfect 
symmetry and delicate colouration, to elicit general admiration, nor 
can the blush-white flowers of The Waterwitch. The size of this variety 
is large, and the substance of the petals leaves little to be desired. 
King Arthur commands attention by the excellence of its growth 
and the richness of the large scarlet flowers, as also does Lady 
Audrey Buller, of which the colour is almost the same, but the flowers 
are fringed and very sweetly scented. Louis Phillippe, Miss Audrey 
Campbell and Duke of Orleans, form such a trio of yellows as does one 
good to see. The colour of the first named is dark, of Miss A. Campbell 
light, and of the last named a pure yellow. All are floriferous and of 
fine shape ; but if only one were required the choice might well fall on 
Duke of Orleans as being the best of three excellent varieties. The large 
soft rose-hued blooms of May Queen are very striking, as also are the 
deep rose tints of Gladys. Niphetos is a somewhat older variety, but 
stilt holds a foremost place with its perfectly formed pure white, freely 
produced blooms. The last of the self-coloured forms that can be 
mentioned is Oriflamme, of which Mr. Douglas was the raiser. The 
colour 18 very bright scarlet, large, and of fine form, with the additional 
recommendation of seldom bursting its calyx. Three fancy varieties of 
great merit are Miss Kruse, crimson and cream ; Fanny Trommsday, 
white and lilac ; and Sir Garnet Wolseley, yellow and brick red. Each 
of these is fine in form, distinct in colour, free in flowering, and of 
large size. Others might well be mentioned in this section, but these 
must suffice. 
The plants comprising the bizarre and flake section are admirable in 
every way, and reflect the highe.st credit on their grower. As Mr. 
Douglas has paid more than ordinary attention to these forms, we are 
indebted to him for a great number of varieties, and amongst them may 
be mentioned Agricola, purple flake; Autocrat, pink-and-purple bizarre; 
and Gregorius, scarlet flake, all of which are exceedingly handsome. 
Lady Mary Currie and Rosa Mundi are grand, and stand well to the 
fore in the rose flake division, and the same may well be said of Alise- 
monde and Sportsman among the scarlets. Charles Henwood is the best 
of the purple flakes, with Squire Whitbourn following very closely. 
There are great numbers of bizarre varieties, and as all cannot possibly 
be mentioned two of each section must be sufficient. Take the scarlets 
first, Robert Houlgrave and Jos. Crossland were particularly conspicuous, 
as also were Homer and Edward Rowan among the crimsons, and 
Harmony and Niobe as pink and purple bizarres will require some grand 
forms to supersede them. 
The “ Malmaisons,” of which many are Mr. Martin R. Smith’s new 
seedlings, are perfect as regards form and colour, but size appeared to 
be lacking, though this, of course, may be accounted for by the small¬ 
ness of the specimenst. A charming variety with very deep rosy cerise 
flowers is Princess May; while The Churchwarden, large in size and 
bright scarlet in colour, is grand. Another one somewhat similar in 
colour but of smaller size is Madame Arthur WarocquA The silvery 
rose flowers of Sir Evelyn Wood are very chaste and pleasing, as also 
are those of Mrs. E. Hambro, which is pale rose in shade, the petals 
being curiously spotted. Mrs. Stuart Macrae, with large rose pink 
flowers, is one of the best; but none makes such a striking display as 
the old pink “ Malmaison,” with its large flowers and strong growth. 
A tention may now be briefly turned to the Picotees, of which the 
collet tion is a finished one. Here as amongst the Carnations the health 
of the p’ants is al that could be wished, and almost without exception 
they are picducing numbers of perfectly developed, chastely coloured 
flowers. The yellow giound section (omprifes some exceedingly hand¬ 
some forms, of which the best are Acteur, Lord Rosebery, Ladas, Mrs. 
Tate, Stradrath Bail, and two superb unnamed varieties, numbered 
301 and 308 respectively. There are some magnificent forms among 
therid-edged Picotees, two of the best being Brunette and one raised 
by Mr. Douglas and named Euripides, Those with purple edges are 
well represented by Diana and Jessie, both of which are superb. 
Rose-edged flowers are also in strong force, but two superior to Lidding- 
ton’s Favourite and Mrs. Sharpe it will be difficult to find. 
It must not be thought that because mention is made of Carnations 
only that nothing else is grown ; on the contrary, there are at Edenside 
large stocks of Auriculas, Primroses, Hollyhocks, all looking in the best 
of condition, while Calceolarias and Cinerarias receive the best attention. 
Mr. Douglas, jun., deserves a word of praise for the excellent health in 
which the Carnations are found, as also does Mr. C. Henwood for the 
good condition of the other plants, all of which are under his sole 
charge.—H. 
BOX EDGING. 
In spite of the durability of stone or tile edging, its appearance is a 
long way behind Box in my opinion. When managed in a reasonable 
manner Box is the most pleasing edging we have. When allow^ed to 
grow 1 foot high and half that distance in width, no wonder that it 
should be condemned as not being suitable as an edging. In this state 
Box must be a harbour for slugs. Surely this is not the fault of the 
material, but rather the carelessness of the management in allowing it 
to grow in such an unsatisfactory state. In the early part of the year 
1879 I planted over 1000 yards of Box edging in the kitchen garden 
here, arid as jet it has not required replanting. In no case is it more 
than 4 inches high at the present time and about 3 inches wide. In 
some parts it is an inch less in both height and width. Clipping is done 
once a year, in the spring. Where objection cm be taken to th s edging 
is when the Box is planted in “higgledy-piggledy” fashion, and cut 
afterwards in an equally unsystematic manner—perhaps wi h a scythe, 
as I have seen done. If persons would only take some trouble in 
planting Box properly and keeping it in order afterwards there would 
be less room for complaint, and there is no reason why it should not last 
fifteen years in good condition. I doubt very much whether any kind 
of dead edging would last longer than that without re?etting, and be of 
such a pleasing appearance into the bargain as Box.—E. Molyneux. 
FIGHTING OUR INSECT PESTS. 
Mr. Denkin (page 1) does well to draw attention to this subject at 
such an opportune time. I am p'sitive that a losa of fruit crops is in 
many instances due to a want of quick action during the infantile 
stages of insect pests. Nothing illustrates the advisabi ir.y of dealing 
promptly in this matter better than Peach tnes that have become 
infested but slightly with green or black fly. Too often the use of an 
efficient insecticide is postponed for a few days, until the young leaves 
are curled around the shoots and are commencing to change in colour. 
It is wise to adopt some curative measure directly the first aphis can 
be detected, because more will quickly follow if neglect is practised. 
Too often we see Cterry tiees in a sad plight through no other reason 
than neglect c uring tl e early stag's of growth. Not only is the swelling 
of the fruit crop much hampered during the current season, but that of 
the following jearis prejudiced also. 
V\ 1 at I call a simple remedy, and one that never fails, is the 
following ; Well soak 2 lbs. of good tolacco piper in hot water, after¬ 
wards straining it through fine canvas to prevent the syringe being 
choked. I then dissolve 2 lbs. softscap. These two ingredients are 
