July 31.] 
“ 1 There he clivers sorts of Mallowes, whereof some he of 
the garden and some he wild, the which also he of divers 
kinds. The garden mallow (Hollyhock), called the winter 
or beyond-sea Rose, is of clivers sortes, not onely in leaves, 
stalkes, and growing, but in proposition, colour, and flowers; 
for some be single, some double, some white, some carnation, 
some of a cleere or light red, some of a clarke red, some 
gray and speckled.' Then follows a description, in which it 
is called * the Great Tame Mallow, with great round rough 
leaves, larger, whiter, and unevener than the leaves of the 
other hockes or mallowes. The stalk is rounde, and groweth 
sixe or seaven foote high or more.The root is great 
and long, and continueth a long time, putting forth yeerely 
newe leaves and stalks.’ It is there called Malva sativa and 
Rosa ultramanna. 
“ It is evident that at the close of the sixteenth century the 
Hollyhock was much prized and generally cultivated; for 
Gerard, writing at that time, states that it was then sown in 
gardens almost everywhere. In Gerard’s Herbal (edition 
1636) are three plates of Hollyhocks; ‘the Single Garden 
Hollihock,’ which we assume to be the type of the garden 
vaiieties of our day; ‘ the Jaggecl Strange Hollihock,’ 
whence, apparently, have descended Sulphurea palmata and 
others of that strain; and ‘ the Double Purple Hollihock.’ 
The writer also speaks of another, ‘ which bringetli forth a 
great stalke, of the height of ten or twelve feet, growing to 
the form of a small tree.’ ‘ The flowers are very great and 
double, as the greatest Rose or Double Pteony, of a deepe 
red color, tending to blacknesse.’ ” 
“ This state of gradual improvement probably went on 
extending over a space of 250 years, and might have con¬ 
tinued to this moment, had not one cultivator stepped out 
of the beaten track, and, working free from professional 
trammels, followed a course of culture dictated by his own 
observation and experience. This man was Mr. Charles 
Baron, a man unversed in garden literature, unused to move 
among the skilled in the hidden and mysterious art, and, 
probably, knowing little of the vegetable kingdom beyond 
what existed within the boundary of his own small garden- 
plat. The Hollyhock was his favourite flower; to attend to 
it was his recreation; his labour was a labour of love. And 
thus the humble shoemaker of Walden, by concentrating 
his attention on a single species of plant, soon distanced all 
competitors, and originated those flowers which form one of 
the most striking and gorgeous features of modern flower- 
gardens.” 
“ Choice of Varieties. —Let us suppose, then, that we are 
about to plant a seminary, and have decided that it shall 
contain twelve varieties: how shall we select them? The 
following have been chosen with the view to embrace every 
important feature of the flower in the greatest perfection. 
“ 1. Attraction ; chocolate and white, very prettily veined. 
Not a flower of first-rate properties, but distinct, and 
regarded as the type of a strain of veined flowers. 
“ 2. Black Prince; flowers nearly black, petals opaque and 
very glossy. The object to be gained here is larger 
and better-shaped flowers of the same colour. 
“3. Commander-in-Chief; flowers rose-colour, edged. A 
poor variety, but of an elegant branching habit. 
Varieties of this habit, with improved flowers, are a 
desideratum. 
“ 4. Comet; flowers bright crimson, very large, and of 
excellent form. The petals are of great substance, 
the habit noble, but rather tall. This is certainly 
one of the best, and we should like to see flowers of 
every colour equal to it, with the improvement of a 
dwarfer habit. 
“ 5. Delicata; flowers French-white. This variety, when 
not hybridized, comes true from seed; hence we 
should have great confidence in crossing for the 
attainment of a given end. 
“ 6. Magnum Bonum ; a fine rich dark-coloured variety, of 
the habit of Comet. 
“ 7. Napoleon; flowers red and buff, showy, but not good. 
Seeds freely. A good flower of this colour still 
wanted. 
“8. Obscura; flowers shaded puce This is a distinct and 
finely-formed flower, very soft and silvery in ap¬ 
pearance. 
“9. Queen; flowers blush. Seedlings from this variety 
265 
often come true : Delicata and Model of Perfection 
have also been raised from it. Habit fine. 
“ 10. Rosea grandiflora; flowers pink. One of the finest, 
both as to flowers and habit. It often comes true 
from seed, sometimes produces Surprise, and occa¬ 
sionally Delicata. 
“11. Sulphurea perfecta; flowers sulphur, the finest of this 
colour. Varieties of a deeper tint would be a great 
acquisition. 
“12. White Perfection; the best pure white known. 
More varieties of this colour are wanted. 
“With these materials, and a camel-hair pencil, we are pre¬ 
pared for crossing. The best time for cany in g on this work 
is the morning, and so soon as the dew passes from the flowers. 
There are, perhaps, no varieties, however double, which will 
not yield stamens and styles to a close inspection. It is only 
necessary to collect the pollen from the stamens by passing 
the brush lightly over them, and to convey it to the flower 
required to produce seed. Such lands as are not very double, 
and seed freely, may be grown in a rich soil, and the spikes 
may be shortened, leaving, after thinning, about twelve 
flowers on each. Never allow a bad or imperfect flower to 
remain for seed; invariably pull off such immediately that 
it appears. The very double kinds may be grown in a poor 
soil. The spikes should not be shortened, but the flowers 
of all will require a plentiful thinning. As the flowers at 
the lower end of the stem die off, the petals should be drawn 
from the calyx, to prevent moisture from gathering round 
the seed-vessels, which would injure, if not destroy, the seed. 
Hand-picking is, perhaps, the best way of accomplishing 
this ; and if the petals are ready to be separated, they will 
yield to a slight pull with the thumb and finger. Crossing 
may be repeated day by day, as the flowers expand, until 
we reach the top of the stem. The plants should be watered 
freely during the formation of the seeds ; and as the latter 
ripen (the shrivelling of the calyx is a tolerably correct test 
of fitness) they may be gathered, and tied in coarse muslin 
bags—separately or not, as the cultivator may please—and 
placed in a dry, airy, sunny situation. With such as flower 
late the spikes may be cut from the plants, and placed 
upright in a greenhouse, or under a south wall, where the 
seeds will ripen better than if detached from the stem. 
The seeds first gathered may be sown immediately, as there 
will be time for them to germinate and become strong before 
the commencement of winter. The bulk of the seed, how¬ 
ever, cannot be sown to advantage before the spring; and 
early in March is, perhaps, the best time.” 
GARDENING GOSSIP. 
Cabnation showing in pots has been now fairly tried, 
and the effect is splendid. At Chiswick there was an 
immense display, many of the pots having three or four 
perfect blooms on. If we were to suggest anything for 
another time, it would be an improvement to have the 
front row on the ground, and the others a little raised; 
the front row should not have been elevated on any 
account. The grass of most of the plants displayed 
good culture, and looked remarkably healthy. 
Messrs. Standish and Noble have introduced some 
very beautiful species of Ilex, chiefly from China, and 
they are as novel in their construction as they are beau¬ 
tiful. They exhibited a collection at Chiswick com¬ 
prising many rare subjects not in bloom. 
This year will make a wonderful addition to our good 
varieties of Pinks. Mr. Norman, who is declining the 
cultivation of pinks and carnations altogether, informs 
us that he has seen four which heat everything we have; 
they were raised by an amateur. Mr. Turner has some 
thousand seedlings, among which he has selected a few 
that he considers very superior. Mr. Trenfield, an old 
cultivator and raiser, has a little forest of pink seedlings, 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
