34 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ February, 
flower of good size, shape, and substance. Monarch (Rawlings), shaded crimson, 
each floret distinctly edged with dark red; a fine, novel, and striking flower, 
quite maintaining Mr. Rawlings’ reputation as a raiser. Yellow Standard 
(Parker), deep yellow, fine florets and outline, but somewhat small. The fancy 
flowers are :— Flora Wyatt (Keynes), pale, dull orange ground, flaked with 
orange red ; good outline and florets, but somewhat dull in colour. Gem of the 
Season (Harris), a form of Stafford’s Gem, but deeper and brighter in colour ; 
very novel in character, but having somewhat ribbed florets, and deficient as to 
outline. Richard Dean (Keynes), pale yellow ground, with bright maroon flakes ; 
outline, florets, and substance all good. 
As many as ten flowers received Second-Class Certificates, including Flora 
Wyatt , which also received the higher honour of a first-class award. Of show varie¬ 
ties the following were deemed of second-rate merit:— Flower of Kent (Harris), a 
soft hue of yellow, good shape, and florets, but rather small. George Peabody 
(Rawlings), another shaded flower in the way of Monarch, the ground dark- 
shaded maroon, slightly edged with red. Incomparable (Keynes), yellow ground, 
heavfly tipped with bright purplish claret ; showy and promising. James 
Cocker (Keynes), a large, bright crimson self-flower, dashed with purple on the 
edges ; a bold flower. Mrs. Watts (Parker), pale ground, slightly tipped with 
dark purple, of medium size and good shape. Prince Imperial (Perry), orange, 
with a dark brown shading in the centre, good shape, and appearing to be a 
constant flower. Robert Lambert (Hobbs), shaded dark maroon, rather brighter 
on the edge ; florets large, and of good substance. Victory (Keynes), rich shaded 
crimson, very bright on the edge, good outline, and florets ; a fine hue of colour. 
Besides Flora Wyatt , already described, but one fancy flower received a Second- 
Class Certificate, namely, Flossy Williams (Keynes), blush ground, suffused on 
the edges with pale lilac, and flaked with purplish crimson ; a novel and charm¬ 
ing flower. 
So much for the new Dahlias of last season. I hope shortly to give some 
account of how the new flowers sent out last spring acquitted themselves, though 
it must be confessed the season was a very exceptional one.—Quo. 
THE CURRANT. 
LTHOUGH a common native fruit, the Currant and its cultivation is more 
neglected than it should be, more especially in small gardens, in which, 
indeed, a few starved trees may often be found, smothered up together, 
111* IT til • T P 11 1 • , • a •» -1 
or planted in narrow borders by the side of walks, and consisting of old 
bushes, and still older varieties; whereas half-a-dozen well-cultivated trees, of 
good varieties, would yield more fruit than a score of such as these. Most 
market-gardeners know well the value of high cultivation to ensure profitable 
returns. Therefore this paper is not intended to teach either them or pro¬ 
fessional gardeners a lesson, but merely to notice a few of the best varieties, such 
as may be of use to amateurs and small growers. 
