1880. ] 
NEW YELLOW PICOTEES. 
87 
eight that we have producing flower-stems this 
year, some of the strongest of which arc 
already (April' 30tli) upwards of two feet in 
height. The only assistance they have received 
is that of simply covering the roots over in win¬ 
ter with rank stable litter, 
It is principally on account of their free- 
flowering propensity, that I am induced to 
send this communication, because after such a 
cold and sunless summer I did not expect to 
see any of the plants producing flower stems. 
The result, as above set forth, is, I consider, 
the strongest argument that can be needed to 
induce any one who has not yet got Liliuvi 
(jigcinteum to become a possessor of it. There 
need be no hesitation in regard to its succeed¬ 
ing, seeing that we are as far north as 57° 38' 
in latitude, and that the plants are flowering 
so freely after such a wretched summer as the 
last, when neither Apricots nor Peaches ripened 
on a south wall. 
I may also remark that a large supply of 
moisture seems beneficial to this Lily during 
the growing season. The strongest and finest 
heads of blossoms were produced in 1873, the 
previous summer having been the wettest 
registered here for upwards of fifty years.— 
J. Webster, Gordon Castle Gardens. 
NEW YELLOW PICOTEES. 
(^NOTWITHSTANDING- the great im- 
I // pi’ovements that have been made in the 
quality of the white-ground Picotees, 
but very little progress has, until recently, been 
made in the use of yellow-ground varieties. 
Some years ago, Mr. Perkins, of Leamington, 
was successful in raising that fine variety 
Prince of Orange , which was a great acquisi- 
. tion in its class, and at last it has done much 
for us. Although it has been in cultivation 
for many years, no one appears to have been 
successful in saving seed from it until 187G, 
■when seed was obtained, and a most remark¬ 
ably fine lot of seedlings were raised by Mr. 
Charles Turner, of Slough. As most of your 
readers will be interested in the raising of 
seedlings, I propose to offer a few remarks on 
the means by which this success was achieved. 
The Prince of Orange is generally very 
large and full of small petals in the centre, 
a most unlikely flower, as one would think, to 
produce seed ; but having some plants in large 
60-sized pots, they were placed on a front 
platform in a south house, where they came 
into bloom early in June; these were not dis¬ 
budded, and consequently the flowers came 
much smaller than usual, and produced seed. 
They were only crossed with the same variety, 
no other being in bloom at the time. The 
seed was sown early the following February, 
and the plants, as soon as they were large 
enough, were planted out in a bed. The 
parent is of a very fine robust habit, and 
the seedlings all partook of it, and made fine 
large plants during the summer months. Early 
in October, they were all lifted with a ball of 
earth, and potted, the smallest plants into 32- 
sized pots, but most of them into 24s. (8-in.) 
They were then placed in the open air until 
November, when they were taken in and placed 
on a platform in a cold-house, and remained 
there during the winter months. In March, 
the plants were all stood out in the open air 
again, receiving every attention that was neces¬ 
sary. Early in July, they were put into the 
house to flower, and I venture to say that never 
was a finer lot of plants placed on a stage. 
There is, however, something more remark¬ 
able to relate than the having fine plants, for 
among them were some of the greatest acquisi¬ 
tions in this class ever raised. 233 plants were 
grown in pots, and 232 were staged, only one 
plant being worthless, and this was quite a 
single flower. 104 plants were selected to be 
named ; of these, about fifty were fac-similes of 
the Prince of Orange, the remaining number 
all consisted of good, large, full flowers, well 
worthy of cultivation. 
Although this collection has been raised 
from one variety, there is a great diversity of 
colour among.them,and they are all of finerobust 
habit, and possess such a superiority over the 
older varieties that they will eventually super¬ 
sede them, and take a high place in public 
favour. Several of the plants were exhibited 
at the National Carnation and Picctee Show in 
1878, and obtained the first prize for the best 
plants in pots, the varieties at the same time 
receiving several first-class certificates. The 
plants were, unfortunately, so late to bloom in 
1879, that they could not be exhibited at the 
National show. 
x\.s Mr. Turner intends sending out some of 
the varieties during the present spring, where 
