1371. ] 
ON PELARGONIUMS.—NO. IV. 
185 
may truly be called the father of this section, ever saw or heard of it, and most 
certainly he never used it in the production of Mrs. Pollock, or any of those very 
fine varieties which Messrs. E. G. Henderson and Son have sent out for him, for 
in his little work on Variegated Pelargoniums he gives us the history and 
pedigree of Mrs. Pollock, and of the almost as well-known silver tricolor Italia 
Unita. According to this history, the authenticity of which will not, I presume, 
be disputed, Mrs. Pollock is descended from Golden Chain, and Italia Unita from 
Flower of the Day. Mrs. Pollock was, it appears, produced in the third genera¬ 
tion, its parents being Golden Pheasant and Emperor -of the French, both seedlings- 
of Mr. Grieve’s raising. 
Since the introduction of Mrs. Pollock, the production of variegates has not 
been confined to the skilful manipulation of Mr. Grieve, but thousands of ama¬ 
teur and professional florists have tried their hands at assisting nature in the pro¬ 
duction of novelties, until we have arrived at a state of perfection and splendour 
which many think cannot be surpassed. Seeing, however, what has been done in 
so short a period, it would be hazardous and bold to predict that no further pro¬ 
gress can be made, and dogmatically to affirm that the acme of perfection in the 
golden tricolor has been attained. I would rather anticipate a still more glorious 
future for my idols, and gild them in my imagination with yet brighter gold, 
adding to the gorgeousness of their scarlet, and converting the black into brilliant 
purple. 
As variety is always pleasing, in making a collection, say, for conservatory 
decoration, I should select some with broad, others with narrow edges ; some 
with broad, others with narrow zones; some in which the red, others in which 
the black predominates in the zone ; some with well rounded, others with van- 
dyked leaves. Were I asked to give my idea of a perfect tricolor, I should 
say that as to the plant itself, it should be robust in constitution, free in growth, 
short-jointed, and branching in habit. The individual leaves should be circular 
in outline, stout in texture, and with a perfectly smooth, but somewhat convex 
surface, about the shape of an old-fashioned watch-glass ; the margin should be 
of a medium width, clear and distinct in colour ; the zone circular and clean-cut, 
not running or fading at the edge; and the centre circular, and of a dark bluish- 
green colour. The proportions of margin, zone, and green colour in a leaf of 
three and a half inches in diameter I should put as follows :—The margin 
two-fifths of an inch wide, the zone half an inch wide, and the centre 
rather more than one and half inches in diameter, a diameter not too great 
if we would secure a healthy and vigorous growth. The red in the zone 
should be bright, clear, and intense, and the dark part should be as near a 
jet-black as possible, and sharply defined ; it should on no account run through 
to the margin. 
At present I am unable to point out any variety that combines all these 
requisites, and that might be considered a model or perfect variet} r . I could 
