Plate 216 . 
PELARGONIUMS, BRITISH SAILOR AND 
JOHN HOYLE. 
The past season has not been so prolific in the production of 
seedling Pelargoniums as some of its predecessors, but we think 
it may justly lay claim to having seen one of the very finest of 
all Pelargoniums brought forward, by that most successful of 
all our seedling raisers, G. W. Hoyle, Esq., of Reading,—the 
unanimous verdict of the horticultural press, and the public in 
general, having awarded that place to the very fine flower we 
figure, John Hoyle. 
It is not to be supposed that such flowers are merely the 
production of chance; Mr. Hoyle, and indeed all scientific hy¬ 
bridizers proceed on regular principles, for sometimes there is 
a difficulty arising from this excessive high breeding, that a 
delicacy is engendered which makes it very difficult to grow 
the plants successfully. This was the case with that strain of 
flowers represented by Beauty of Beading and Achilles , where 
the most splendid and brilliant colouring is found; but the 
habit of the plant is so delicate, that years elapse before a full- 
sized exhibition plant is produced,—this does not affect so 
much the ordinary grower, who is content with smaller plants 
and greater variety. In the case of both the flowers we now 
figure, there is combined with great beauty of colouring vigour 
of constitution and excellence of habit. 
British Sailor (Fig. 1) is a flower of the Diadem class, some¬ 
what similar to that fine variety, but having a more distinct 
spot, the colour being a lively purplish-crimson, with good 
white throat, John Hoyle (Fig. 2) is in every way a remarkable 
flower, of the class technically known as painted flowers. The 
form and substance of the petals are unimpeachable, exhibiting 
