DECEMBER. 
353 
NEW PICOTEES. 
(Plate 183.) 
The good old Clove Gillyflower of our forefathers, together 
with the races into which it has sported in the hands of the 
Florists, enjoys a position to which few other flowers, except¬ 
ing always the Pose, can lay claim, that of being an universal 
favourite; for while there are none to whom the old fashioned 
Clove Pink is not acceptable, there are none who do not prize 
the Carnation and the Picotee, which are the forms into which 
the fine old garden flower has diverged under cultivation. 
They are, indeed, appreciated in different degrees, and in a 
different manner, by different classes. Thus in the genuine 
Florist they excite a glowing enthusiasm, and a keen and 
searching criticism, which, while admiring every point of 
excellence, leaves none of the properties of the flower 
unchallenged ; while in the rest of the body floricultural they 
rather give rise to a feeling of calm but deep appreciation of 
their beauties and their sweets, both optic and olfactory nerves 
finding a sense of gratification. In all this public favour the 
Picotee shares at least as largely as the more freely painted 
Carnation, what is wanting to it in gaiety being made up by 
the peculiarly chaste character of its flowers. 
The Illustrations we now place before our readers repre¬ 
sent some novel varieties of the Picotee, which combine in 
themselves the peculiar features of merit which have progres¬ 
sively been stamped upon the flower, namely, size, fulness, 
smoothness, and perfection of colouring; they may there¬ 
fore be recommended without hesitation. Both varieties 
have been submitted to the censorship of the Floral Com¬ 
mittee of the Royal Horticultural Society, and both obtained 
First-class certificates. They were exhibited by Mr. Charles 
Turner, of Slough, in whose hands we believe they now are. 
Of the individual peculiarities of the two novelties now 
figured, a better general notion will perhaps be conveyed by 
our Illustrations than by any descriptive remarks. The 
flowers themselves have been greatly admired wherever they 
have been seen, and in regard to their position from a Florist’s 
point of view, there can be no question that they are both 
varieties of first-rate excellence; while the bright attractive 
colouring of the one, and the chaste subdued marking of the 
other, as displayed respectively on the pure solid-looking 
white ground of the petals, are qualities which will command 
general admiration. They are both stated to be of vigorous 
constitution, which in itself is no small recommendation. 
Fig. 1. Flower of the Day (Norman), is a splendid variety, 
of the heavy-edged scarlet class, in which it is the brightest 
VOL. XV., NO. CLXVIII. A A 
