Plate 257. 
PELARGONIUMS, WILLIAM HOYLE AND 
CHARLES TURNER. 
When great perfection has been attained in any particular 
flower, the steps in improvement must he very gradual, and are 
not generally attained by chance, but by a careful study of the 
laws of hybridization, of the improvements already made, and of 
the most likely method of attaining a desired object. Thus, that 
magnificent flower which we figured in our last volume, John 
IJoyle , was the result of fifteen years of careful hybridizing on 
the part of its raiser, Mr. Hoyle,—no amount of care and skill 
being spared to effect it; when therefore it is said that no flower 
of the present season equals it, it is perfectly true in one point, 
but in another point of view, we see as great a step gained in 
other styles of flowers. 
Two classes of Pelargoniums have been favourably considered, 
those with every dark lower petals,and those of the bright-scarlet 
tint found in the Zonale or bedding section. Indeed, for some 
years the Royal Botanic Society has offered a distinct prize for 
best seedlings in this latter class, and we have no hesitation in 
saying that the two now figured are the best flowers that have 
been exhibited in their respective sections ; and we do not won¬ 
der therefore that they have obtained the high awards that 
have been given to them, as they have both received first-class 
certificates wherever they have been exhibited. 
Charles Turner (Eig. 1) is a flower of a very brilliant scarlet 
colour,—so brilliant indeed that no pigment can possibly ade¬ 
quately represent it (a difficulty more connected with scarlet 
than with any other colour); the upper petals have a large 
blotch of dark maroon, shading off towards the eye, with a 
broad rim of scarlet, the throat is white, and the flower well 
