232 
THE FLORIST. 
a tendency in raisers to look for green-edged seedlings as the higher 
form, and to thrust up into that class productions that as greys would 
not be worth notice. I know of no doubtful edge except Lancashire 
in which this is not conspicuous. Lancashire might have been called a 
green edge; it is more so than Sir John Moore. But it is too intrin¬ 
sically excellent to hide its only imperfection by a device. 
Nevertheless it is by no means easy to find a score—is it to find a 
dozen ? first-class flowers, even in this section. Lancashire, if you can 
get the edge grey, would rank first in properties, first, indeed, of all 
Auriculas. Maria, in every case, will be first in beauty. This year 
with me it was second to none in any respect. The colour I find, by 
careful comparison, is pure violet; but either from its substance, or 
transparency, from reflexion, or from some other cause, its tint seems to 
differ from every other in the floral world, and to be superior to them 
all. I hardly know how imagination could paint anything more 
exquisite than my plant was this year, and I only regret it was not in 
bloom early enough to exhibit in London. What is to come next? 
Mr. Lightbody will have it his namesake ought to be placed before 
these two. Perhaps I might accede to its standing next to them. 
What then ? None to be named singly. But there are many that 
come behind in a ruck, and very respectably up too; Dickson’s Duke of 
Cambridge, when it has an edge not swallowed up into the body 
colour; Sophia, the same ; Dixon’s Lady Jane Grey; Fletcher’s Mary 
Ann and Ne plus ultra; Lightbody’s R. Deadly and Sir C. Napier ; 
Dickson’s Unique, when large enough ; Maclean’s Unique, always. 
After these come Smith’s Bolivar and Capt. Barclay, Headly’s Superb, 
Sykes’ Complete, Waterhouse’s Conqueror of Europe. Then, at a 
respectful distance, but still not distanced, Barlow’s Morning Star, 
Grimes’ Privateer, Headly’s Stapleford Hero, Hedges’ Britannia, 
Kent’s Victoria, Pearson’s Badajoz, Warris’ Union, Willmer’s Squire 
Chilman, Beeston’s Fair Flora, Buckley’s Surprise, Holland’s Village 
Bride. Bone’s Perfection I know not where to place, as I have never 
reen it in character. There are a few others equal to these last, but 
not many, and I do not grow them. It is in this class you see the 
largest proportion of varieties with broad and flattened lobes or petals, 
making a bold and circular pip, and with pure edges, and therefore it 
must be deemed to have made the nearest approach towards its perfec¬ 
tion, although its three best specimens are all of very recent date. 
The Selfs are the last class, and till very lately were least in esteem. 
At present they are attracting as much notice from connoisseurs as they 
always have from the uninitiated; and that from their intrinsic merit 
rather than from an advance in the goodness of modern varieties, for 
the advance has been less rapid than the great increase of late in the 
number of named Selfs would lead us to suppose. Martin’s flowers are 
numerous, and were little thought of at first; nor are any of them, 
except Mrs. Sturrock, an improvement upon their predecessors. 
Spalding’s flowers had the luck to come in somewhat later, when more 
inquiries were made for Selfs, and, in consequence, they obtained a 
place beyond their real merits. They are all good, but none of them 
are a real improvement in properties upon what were grown twenty 
