532 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 24, 1886. 
notice to the Secretary of Inland Eevenue, Somerset 
House, setting forth the extent of the land to he 
planted, and the place, parish and county where 
situate. Bond under approved securities will be re¬ 
quired in a penalty of £100 if over an acre of ground is 
cultivated, and £50 if under an acre, in order to secure 
that all Tobacco grown and gathered shall be removed 
to drying rooms, and kept there until properly cured, 
when it shall be packed in hags, bales, or casks of an 
approved sized, and must then be weighed by a Eevenue 
officer. After weighing the packages the duty must be 
paid, or the Tobacco be deposited in an approved 
Customs or Excise warehouse. "VVe may mention, also, 
for the benefit of intending cultivators, that Messrs. 
James Carter & Co. have just issued a useful pamphlet 
on the Cultivation of Tobacco in Great Britain. 
Daffodils. — From Messrs. Collins Brothers, & 
Gabriel, we have received a scape of Narcissus bicolor 
minor bearing two flowers, an occurence we have not 
before observed in the Ajax section ; and a variety 
of N. ineomparabilis, in which the segments of the 
perianth are equally divided into two colours, the left 
side half being white, and the right yellow, the normal 
colour. 
What has become of the Sun ? —This is 
an universal enquiry. The proverbial month of April 
is one of warm showers, with frequent intermittent 
bursts of warm and invigorating sunshine, and the 
wind in the south-west. The present month of April 
appears to be made up of the dullness of November, 
the cold sleety showers of February, and the biting 
northerly winds of March. There is no lack of moisture; 
but it is all moisture, and no sun to warm and fructify. 
Only very recently a poet has sung in one of our even¬ 
ing papers :— 
11 Have patience ? Still 
Spring yet shall all her joyful tastes fulfil. 
She tarries long, 
But all is ready.” 
This is very pretty, and it may be profoundly true ; 
but gardeners are waiting, and so long too beyond the 
allotted time, that they are wondering if spring may 
not have departed, joyful tastes and all, to some other 
more fortunate planet. Where are the blossoms of the 
Pear and Plum ? That of the Apple may, perhaps, 
appear in June. The next horticultural conference 
should be on the weather ; perhaps, if Old Murphy 
could be prevailed upon to preside, it might result in 
gardeners obtaining a little more control over the 
orderly change of the seasons. 
Carnation Pride of Penshurst. —Yellow- 
flowered plants are in great demand this season, as they 
have been during the past year or two, and this, pro¬ 
bably, is one reason why the Daffodils have become 
such favourites. Carnation Pride of Penshurst, shown 
by Mr. H. Cannell recently, at South Kensington, 
is one of the best varieties of this colour that 
we have, and it was greatly admired by the ladies 
present. At the Edinburgh show, shortly before, it 
was also one of the best features, and was then honoured 
with a Certificate. It is a delicate soft shade of yellow, 
quite distinct from, and preferable to, the bold 
glaring tints of that colour we have in many other 
flowers. The blooms are of neat form, full, and pro¬ 
duced as abundantly as the most lavish floral decorator 
could desire. It will take a prominent place amongst 
the most useful of flower-producing plants. 
Aberdeen Horticultural Association.— 
The monthly meeting of this association was held on 
Friday evening, 16th inst., in the Upper Eoom, Chris¬ 
tian Institute, Aberdeen, Mr. D. M. Smith, in the 
absence of the President, occupied the chair. There 
was a good attendance of Members. The Secretary 
(Mr. Eeid) read a paper sent by Mr. P. W. Fairgrieve, 
The Gardens, Denhead, Dunkeld, on “ The formation of 
Fruit Borders for Hardy Fruit Trees. ” The communi¬ 
cation was certainly practical, but not so comprehensive 
as might have been expected. A long and interesting 
discussion followed the reading of the paper, at the 
close of which a cordial vote of thanks was passed to 
Mr. Fairgrieve for his communication. Six plumes of 
Chrysanthemums sent by Mr. McGregor, Sunnybank 
(near Aberdeen), w r ere exhibited, for which a cultural 
certificate was awarded. A vote of thanks to Mr. 
Smith for his conduct in the chair terminated the 
proceedings. 
Primula nivalis. —Of the earliest flowering hardy 
Primulas, this is one of the best, especially for culture 
in pots, its dense clusters of pure white flowers looking 
charming at this time of year. When grown in pots in 
cold frames the flowers come very pure, far superior to 
those from plants in the borders or rockery, as owing 
to their dwarf habit, the trusses scarcely rising above 
the foliage, they are very liable to be splashed and 
damaged by rain. 
Gardening Appointments.—Mr. Eowallan 
Fraser, lately foreman at Salisbury Green, Edinburgh, 
as gardener to E. H. Measures, Esq., Woodlands, 
Streathain, London, S.W. ; Mr. Alexander McLean, 
lately foreman at Park Hall, Polmont, N.B., as 
gardener to H. Andrews, Esq., Swarland, Felton, 
Northumberland ; Sir. Eobert Heggie, lately gardener 
to Lord President Inglis, Logan Bank, Milton Bridge, 
as gardener to Thomas Aitchison, Esq., Monkwood, 
Edinburgh ; Mr. Benjamin Sutherland, at present 
with Mr. John Downie, Nurseryman, Edinburgh, as 
gardener to Maconochie Wellwood, Esq., of Meadow 
Bank, Kirknewton. 
--- 
HARDY ANNUALS. 
I SAW the other day an advertisement to the effect 
that a packet of 150 varieties of hardy annuals could 
be bought for something like half-a-guinea. We will 
suppose some enthusiastic amateur gardener made a 
venture with one of these, and began to sow them ; 
before the task was half completed, he would begin to 
wish he had calculated the amount of labour required 
to decently bury the seeds. But when they came up 
and bloomed, I wonder what his feelings would be. 
Let us hope the purchasers of these packets will always 
be men of high moral sentiment and inexhaustible 
patience. 
I do not intend to decry hardy annuals, for there 
are some good things among them, but those who have 
a limited space of ground should cultivate only such as 
are likely to be most durable and lasting. Among 
these are the White Eocket and Common Candytufts, 
and the fine Giant White Spiral, with the new carmine. 
The climbing Convolvulus major is one of the showiest 
of annuals, and the colours are very pleasing, but they 
should have good soil to ensure their being continuous 
in bloom, and the seed pods should be picked ofl. The 
dwarf blue Convolvulus major must not be over-looked. 
Then Collinsia bicolor and C. violacea, Coreopsis Drum- 
mondii, Calendula officinalis Meteor, C. Pongsi fl. pi., 
a subject that is not nearly so much grown as it deserves 
to be ; the white and yellow forms of Chrysanthemum 
coronatum, and C. carinatmn tricolor. 
There are several charming Dianthuses that must be 
included, viz. : D. chinensis, and its variety Hedde- 
wigii, also atro-purpureus fl. pi. ; these are excellent 
subjects for cutting from. Of the Eschscholtzias, sow 
crocea, Mandarin, and Rose Cardinal. But autumn is 
the time to sow Eschscholtzias ; they root freely in 
autumn, and in spring make glorious masses of colour. 
I would add Eutoca viscida, because of its bright blue 
flowers ; and the deep rose Eucharidium grandiflorum. 
Of the Godetias, sow Lady Albemarle and Tenella, 
the former will sport into a great many striking forms, 
and they are very showy. The Helichrysums are in¬ 
cluded among the hardy annuals, and some mixed seed 
of H. monstrosum must be sown, for what can be better 
to cut from. If a good bunch or two be cut with 6-in. 
stems when the flowers are half expanded, tied together 
by the stems, and hung in a dry cool place with the 
heads downwards, they will become rigid, and be found 
very useful for winter decoration. 
Hibiscus africanus major must come into a select 
list; the flowers are creamy, with a brown centre. Of 
Larkspurs, sow the dwarf Hyacinth-flowered, and the 
blue branching ; the latter comes in so useful late. 
Liuum grandiflorum rubrum is indispensable, it is so 
good and distinct. Of the Lupins, sow nanus, subcar - 
nosus and luteus, the common dwarf yellow, they are 
the best ; and the brilliant Malope grandiflora must 
not be over-looked—a veritable peer among the hardy 
annuals. 
A garden without Mignonette is a garden incomplete ; 
a good white and a good red should be sown. Let the 
amateur select from twenty names what he thinks to 
be the best. Tall and dwarf Nasturtiums (good ones) 
must be included ; not too many, as they cover a good 
deal of ground. 
Of Nemophilas sow the blue insignis grandiflora, its 
white variety, and the fine spotted form of maculata, 
then the best of them are secured. Do not over¬ 
look Nigella damascena, it is such a pretty blue. Of 
CEnotheras sow bistorta, Yeitchii, or Drummondi nana 
for a yellow, and the white variety of the latter. Of 
Poppies have the dwarf French, and a great many 
charming varieties will be secured. 
The Sweet Peas are as indispensable as Mignonette ; 
a line of mixed varieties should be sown thinly in good 
holding soil, and do not be afraid to cut for room 
decoration. There are many pretty varieties, and not 
a bad one among them. Let the large-flowered Prince’s 
Feather be included also. Sow also some dwarf mixed 
Salpiglossis, the flowers are large, and brilliantly 
coloured. Sanvitalia procumbens fl. pi. is a good, 
dwarf and lasting yellow-flowered annual; and the 
pretty and free Saponaria calabrica is necessary also. 
Add the old useful Virginian Stock, and the fine blue 
Vhitlavia grandiflora, and my list is completed. It is 
long enough ; but what an immense number of varieties 
remain unnamed. 
Two mistakes are made with annuals—they are sown 
too thickly, and in too poor ground. I do not say this 
is the general practice, but it is a much too frequent 
one. But it is a mistake, and I have seen it illustrated 
many a time.— R. D. 
-- 
THE DAFFODIL.* 
I have been asked to open a discussion on the 
Daffodil. I therefore confine myself to the Daffodil 
proper. The subject of these notes is the Trumpet or 
Ajax Daffodil (Narcissus pseudo-Narcissus) and its 
varieties. First as to the name Daffodil. In old 
English, say Parkinson’s time, nearly 300 years ago, 
the word Daffodil was used as an equivalent of the 
Latin and Greek flower name Narcissus. The N. 
poeticus, the N. tazetta, the Jonquil, the N. triandrus, 
and the rest of that class were all called Daffodils, 
whilst to the Trumpet Daffodils the name pseudo-Nar¬ 
cissus or False Daffodil was given. Usage, however 
has transposed these names. We now call the Trumpet 
flowers Daffodils, and most of the other kinds, Nar¬ 
cissus, and it is not desirable to interfere with usage in 
these matters, or try to force changes of popular 
names. By the name Daffodil, therefore, we mean 
the Trumpet Daffodil, excepting, however, the Hoop 
Petticoats, which though anciently called pseudo- 
Narcissus by Clusius and others, are quite distinct in 
kind. Of these Trumpet Daffodils, Linnaeus, who 
wrote in the middle of last century, made five species ; 
and Haworth, who wrote half a century ago, and whose 
nomenclature has been in great measure adopted both 
by English and by foreign botanists, made twenty-nine 
species. 
Mr. Baker, however, in a review of the genus Nar¬ 
cissus, written seventeen years ago, includes all the 
Trumpet Daffodils in one species called N. Pseudo- 
Narcissus, retaining, however, the five Linntean species 
of it as sub-species or sections, under which he classes, 
with Haworth’s names, the principal known wild 
varieties. I shall follow this arrangement, giving 
reasons, however, for one or two exceptions. I shall 
use the name Pseudo-Narcissus in three ways, dis¬ 
tinguishing as follows :— 
1, Pseudo-Narcissus the species, including all the 
Trumpet Daffodils. 2, Pseudo-Narcissus the sub¬ 
species or section, as admitted by Mr. Baker ; and 3, 
Pseudo-Narcissus the type, the average form of the 
English wild Daffodil or Lent Lily—the Garland of old 
writers. Most of you are well acquainted with the 
technical terms for the different parts of the Daffodil, 
but as there may be a few here who are not, I will 
spend two or three minutes in defining them, that 
what I say afterwards may he more clearly understood. 
I need not define the bulb. 
The flower stalk as high as the first joint is called the 
scape. The scape in the species Pseudo-Narcissus is 
usually one-flowered, but in a variety, or sub-species, 
called muticus, it is sometimes two-flowered. In most 
varieties two-flowered scapes are rare. The normal, or 
regular scape, is straight and upright, but in the form 
of minor, being slender, apt to bend downwards, The 
scape iu pseudo is more or less compressed or ancipitous 
and more or less hollow. 
*A paper by the Rev. C. Wolley Dod, read at the Horticultural r 
Club, April 14th. 
