1880 . ] 
RHODODENDRON PRINCE OF WALES.—ON JUDGING SHOW PELARGONIUMS. 
17 
RHODODENDRON PRINCE OF WALES. 
[Plate 507.] 
)N the Rhododendron now figured we have 
<5] |t» another of the Messrs. Veitch and Son’s 
fine set of hybrids of the jasminiflorum 
type, to which, by a more recent cross, in¬ 
creased size has been added, along with variety 
of colour. Ji. Princess Royal, the first break, was 
a most charming plant, as indeed is the type, 
11. jasminiflorum , but the earlier varieties had 
smaller blossoms than those of the later batch, 
which, however, retain, with their increased 
size, the neat evergreen character and free- 
growing free-blooming habit which had already 
won the popular esteem. 
We can say of the variety now figured, and 
which is named Prince of Wales, that it is 
fully equal to the figure, in which, moreover, 
Mr. Fitch has well caught the peculiar features 
of this particular group. The colour is a rich 
crimson-scarlet, the plant continuing to bear 
its fine floral coronets in succession as new 
growth is made and matured. It, of course, 
requires a moderately warm house.—T. Moore, 
ON JUDGING SPIOW PELARGONIUMS. 
HE cultivation of several species of the 
beautiful genus Pelargonium has be¬ 
come so universally popular, and the 
varieties of each species have, in the last few 
years, so largely increased in number and 
improved in quality, that it appears to be 
necessary that some standard of excellence 
should be generally adopted, by which the 
merits of any new variety could be satisfactorily 
determined. This subject was discussed at 
some length at the late meetings of the Pelar¬ 
gonium Society, and although it was then 
asserted that standards of this kind had already 
been published in works on horticulture, yet 
no one present at those meetings could remem¬ 
ber the title of any work in which they might 
be found. Even then, if they do exist, such 
standards must be of a very remote date, and 
probably inapplicable to flowers of the present 
day. 
In this paper my remarks will be confined 
to the class of Pelargoniums known in floral 
language as Show Varieties, since it is in that 
class alone that I have had much experience. 
I trust, however, that what I shall endeavour 
to do for Show Pelargoniums, may also be done 
for the Zonals and other classes, by those whose 
knowledge of them is of a more practical nature 
than my own. 
The rules of excellence must vary according 
to the age of the variety itself, or the mode in 
which it is exhibited. They may be divided 
into three standards, viz.:— 
1. For Seedlings. 
2. For Collections of New Varieties. 
3. For Collections of Older Varieties. 
No. 2G. imperial series. 
In the first of these— Seedlings— nearly all 
the rules should refer to the flower alone, 
since the character of the plant cannot be 
brought out by cultivation, so long as the 
quality of the flower remains uncertain. I 
think, therefore, that in the case of varieties 
exhibited as seedlings, the following qualities 
should be regarded as the criterion of excel¬ 
lence, and that the comparative value of each 
should be estimated according to the order in 
which they are here arranged, those of chief 
importance being placed the first in the list:— 
1. Roundness or Evenness of outline. 
2. Substance and Smoothness of petals. 
3. Novelty or Brilliancy of colour. 
4. Size of flower. 
5. Habit of growth. 
In these qualities,*I ha ve omitted any special 
notice of “ a pure white centre,” as I think 
that is sufficiently provided for under the head 
of “ brilliancy of colour,” and although a pure 
white centre is much to be desired, yet a flower 
may be of surpassing excellence without possess¬ 
ing that character. 
When prizes are offered specially for New 
Varieties, regard should be had almost solely 
to the qualities of the varieties themselves. 
For this reason, every facility should be 
afforded for their appearance in competition ; 
no restriction should be placed on exhibitors, 
or on their productions. Provided that the 
varieties themselves are not yet in commerce, 
an exhibitor should be at liberty to show 
plants which may not have been raised, or 
even cultivated, by himself. So long as a new 
variety is brought into public notice, it cannot 
be of much importance where or how the plant 
has been obtained. 0 
