1884.] 
THE OLDENBURGH NECTARINE.-DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BEST CARNATIONS. 
105 
posal. Their stock would soon increase, for 
BO grown the plants are continually cut down, 
and the tops planted, the bottoms being left 
to make fresh flowering shoots. In the same 
house, but grown on teak blocks, and plunged 
in pots, Mr. Hill grows Vanda Hookerii like 
a weed, and flowers it freely.— James O’Brien, 
Harrow. 
THE OLDENBURGH NECTARINE. 
[Plate 614.] 
HAVE had this splendid Nectarine at 
Combe for many years. For a long 
time we had the tree in our early peach- 
house, where it fruited rather sparingly; 
but a vacancy occurring in the second peach- 
house four or five years ago, we moved it 
there, where I am pleased to say it has 
regularly born large crops of fine fruit—of 
which the one represented in your figure was a 
fair specimen, and the latter is certainly not an 
exaggerated picture. 
The fruit is altogether different in appearance 
from any other Nectarine. The side exposed 
to the sun or light is of a beautiful delicate 
light rosy colour, while the contrast of the 
shady side is very remarkable, being almost 
white. In my exhibits of collections of fruits 
years ago, I generally managed to introduce a 
dish of this variety, the bright clear complexion 
of which always contrasted favourably and 
effectively with dishes of Black Tartarian and 
Waterloo Cherries. 
In some catalogues this Nectarine is described 
as a synonym of the Elruge. If this is the 
case, I am wrong with my Elruge, which with 
me is a very different fruit, and which I have 
many times exhibited in London unchallenged 
as to name. But I am inclined to think the 
Oldenburgh is quite a distinct fruit. My trees 
were had partly from the late Mbssrs. Osborn 
& Sons, and partly from Messrs. James Veitch 
& Sons, whose nomenclature was generally 
acknowledged to be very correct. 
The tree is a strong grower, and might with 
advantage be introduced more freely into select 
collections. —William Miller, Combe Abbey 
Gardens, June 10th, 1884. 
*,j,* Mr. Thomas gives this as a distinct 
and first-class sort, well distinguished by its 
pallid colour. 
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BEST 
CARNATIONS.—VI. 
EXT we pass to that division of the 
Carnation family to which the desig¬ 
nation of Picotees is applied—choice 
and charming flowers created by the 
florists—flowers in which the colour is dis¬ 
played around the margin of the petals instead 
of in longitudinal stripes, those with a thin 
line of colour being known as Light-edyed, and 
those with more massive pencillings Heavy- 
edged, an intermediate set being often distin¬ 
guished as Medium-edged. We commence 
with the Red-edged varieties. 
Red-edged Picotees. 
Brunette [Kirtland). —Heavy-edged [dis¬ 
tinguished in lists by the letter H.]; petals 
broad, smooth, and of good substance ; white 
ground fair, densely edged with a broad band of 
deep mottled red. Habit of growth tetchy and 
capricious in autumn and spring, but a good 
summer doer. Showy and useful for the home 
stage, and for the exhibitor where long num¬ 
bers are required, but lacks the refinement 
needed from my point of view to give it a high 
place amongst the “upper ten thousand ” of 
Picotees, 
Clara [Bower). —Light-edged [L.R.]. A 
variety of beautiful form, and fair white ground 
as light-red Picotees go; it would take very 
high ground, but that the marking is slightly 
broken, being laid on like the links of a chain, 
rather than as a continuous wire. It is, how¬ 
ever, very pretty, and well deserves the wide 
cultivation it has attained. First bloomed in 
1872 ; presented by Mr. Bower to his friends ; 
a fine grower. 
Countess of Wilton [Holland). —Heavy- 
edged ; a seedling from Mrs. Norman. First 
bloomed in 1858, it is yet a desirable variety, 
distinguished, as was its parent, for its fine 
quality and rich colours. Has been a fine 
grower, though now it shows palpable signs of 
the effects of age. 
Dr. Abercrombie [Fellowes). —Heavy-edged. 
Raised at Shotesham Rectory, Norfolk, by the 
Rev. C. Fellowes. A neat, attractive, medium- 
sized flower, with a good white ground and 
plenty of well-formed petals, though more 
breadth would be a great advantage. 
Dr. Epps [Smith). —Raised at Darlington, 
and distributed some twenty-two or twenty- 
three years since, this is one of the finest, 
most effective heavy red-edges yet in existence. 
But that the petal is somewhat too small, 
relatively to the finest Picotees we have, it 
would be an unbeatable flower, the colour 
being so broad and bright, the white ground 
pure, the size large, of great substance, and 
