1868 . ] 
NOVELTIES, &C., AT FLOWER SHOWS. 
237 
Messrs. Downie Laird & Laing’s new Pentstemon Mrs. Arthur Sterry, deep 
rosy pink, with white throat, and pale segments edged with pink, is un¬ 
questionably a good variety, but was shown out of condition. 
A pleasant feature of the meeting of the Floral Committee on the 18th 
of August consisted of the collections of Gladioli. They were remarkably fine, 
the season considered, and withal v T ell coloured. Nearly all the leading 
growers now-a-days, both amateurs and professionals, are raisers of seed¬ 
lings, and as there were prizes offered for collections of Gladioli, it was 
only natural that some seedlings should be produced among them. Messrs. 
Kelway & Son, of Langpo.rt, who not only grow but exhibit their spikes in 
an exceedingly creditable manner, received first-class certificates for the 
following four hue kinds:— Julia, pink, suffused towards the edges with 
carmine in the form of a feather, and flaked in the same way with rosy 
crimson, the throat pencilled with rosy purple ; Formosa, something in the 
way of Julia, but of a paler ground colour, the edges of the segments 
feathered with violet carmine, the throat pencilled with purple; and 
Lord Napier, vivid orange scarlet, marked with white on the lower segments, 
a showy and beautiful variety. These three were seedlings, raised by the 
exhibitors. The same award was made to Ulysse, a fine continental variety, 
also sliow T n by Messrs. Kelway & Son, a pale violet pink flower, feathered 
and edged with bright rosy carmine, a striking and beautiful variety. 
There was an interesting Hollyhock competition between Messrs. Downie 
Laird & Laing, and W. Cliater, with twelve spikes, but the former, helped 
by climate, gained the day. They sliow T ed one fine seedling, named Sovereign, 
to which a first-class certificate was awarded. It is of a bright claret crim¬ 
son, full and finely shaped, forming a good spike as well as a fine addition 
to the flowers of this colour. Mr. Cliater also had the following fine seed¬ 
lings : —Lord Napier, rich bright crimson, extra fine; Fascination, lilac, 
dashed with pink, a pleasing and taking flower; and Scarlet Gem, bright 
crimson scarlet, a flower of fine quality, and very showy. 
A fine addition to the class of Nosegay Pelargoniums has been made in 
Mr. G. Smith’s Masterpiece, a somewhat novel-coloured flow T er, inasmuch as 
the pips were salmon crimson round the centre, the edges of the young 
blooms orange crimson, the trusses large and globular, the habit extra fine, 
and the foliage faintly zonate. 
At the Meeting of the Floral Committee on the 1st of September, there 
was quite a display of new Dahlias and Verbenas. The hot weather had, no 
doubt, affected the quality of some of the former, nevertheless, some very 
good blooms were present. First-class certificates were awarded thus :—To 
Mr. Eckford, of Colesliill, for Memorial, a pale rose-coloured flower with 
finely-shaped petals, good outline, and high centre ; to Unique, from Mr. C. 
Turner, a tipped rosy purple flower, somewhat small in size, but of good 
