July 24, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
745 
now being lifted. The best time to do this is when the 
foliage is half decayed ; if deferred until the foliage has 
quite died away, it is held that much harm is done to 
the roots. 
Mr. Thurston grows a choice collection of Pinks, and 
these are now in full bloom ; the varieties he cultivates 
are almost entirely seedlings raised by himself. He 
began to raise as far back as 1868, or thereabouts, and 
every year almost sees additions made to his stock. 
One of his earliest flowers was Mr. Thurston, raised in 
1870, followed two years later by George Hodgkinson. 
In addition he has Dr. Hardy, Mrs. Morton, Mars, 
Mrs. Houlgrave, William Bolton, James Thurston, 
Samuel Barlow, Lord Beaconsfield, John Dorrington, 
Helen Maud, Amy, Clara, Mrs. Haynes, Rose Elizabeth, 
F. D. Horner, Florence Isabel, and Nellie. The fore¬ 
going can now be seen in flower in his bed, and blooms 
of some of them were sent up to the meeting of the 
Pink. He attributes his fondness for florists’ flowers 
to a Mr. Allum, who was a great grower of Carnations 
and Picotees, and who inspired him with a desire to 
take up the cultivation of florists’ flowers. So well did 
he progress that in 1853 he was awarded a first prize 
for twelve Pinks at a show held in the Botanical 
Gardens, Birmingham, he residing at that time at 
Balsall Heath, and he took honours with Pinks at the 
same place in successive years. His next venture was 
with the Ranunculus, and these he grew very success¬ 
fully indeed, and in 1864 he exhibited at Prescott, near 
Liverpool, and was awarded an extra prize for them and 
also for Pinks. He first appeared as an exhibitor of 
Tulips at the National Tulip Society’s exhibition at 
Stockport, in 1867, although he had grown them many 
years previously. Meanwhile, he had also removed 
from Birmingham to Warrington, which circumstance 
has somewhat interrupted the continuity of his ex- 
awarded an extra prize in the latter year ; and he ha3 
continued to raise seedlings off and on ever since. But , 
there appears to be a good deal of chance attending the 
process, for the raiser may cross with great care, and 
yet meet with keen disappointment. In July, 1863, the 
West Riding Society of Florists held its annual show 
at Leeds, and on that occasion Mr. Thurston was 
awarded three First Class Certificates of Merit for the 
following Pinks :—Annie Lenton, Charlotte Lenton, 
and Miss Lenton, and they were described at the time 
in Gossip of the Garden as three first class flowers. A 
contemporary flower named Helen Rainball was also 
thought highly of. A few years later appeared James 
Thurston and George Hodgkinson, both very fine 
flowers, and it is not too much to say that they have 
never been surpassed for purity of ground and refinement 
of marking. Then followed those already named. 
Mr. Thurston’s desire to raise Tulips originated in 
Royal Horticultural Society, on the 13th inst. ; but 
the blooms were not seen to the best advantage, the 
recent hot weather had told against them. The thrip 
had damaged the flowers also, and they were not 
seen in the best condition, being only poorly laced. 
But we saw these in Mr. Thurston’s garden on the 16th 
inst., and were struck with the size and fullness of bloom, 
their rich markings, smoothness of petal, and refine¬ 
ment of marking. Later on we will give full descrip¬ 
tions of these flowers, it must suffice now to simply 
mention their names. We may add that at no season 
of the year can a visit be paid to Mr. Thurston’s 
garden without seeing something of interest, and no 
one can have a pleasant chat with this worthy florist 
without being made aware how well he is informed in 
regard to all matters relating to florists’ flowers. 
Mr. Thurston is much better known among florists 
in the midland and northern districts than in the 
south, and therefore we feel justified in giving a sketch 
of his floricultural career. It was about 1850 that he 
commenced to grow florists’ flowers, starting with one 
that has remained a leading favourite to this day—the 
hibiting. While at AYarrington he made the acquaint¬ 
ance of the late Dr. Hardy, the late Michael Potter, 
and Mr. Samuel Barlow, and from the intercourse thus 
afforded he came to take an interest in and grow 
Tulips, and has done so ever since, and has proved, on 
the whole, a successful exhibitor at the National Tulip 
Society’s exhibitions. Twelve years ago Mr. Thurston 
left AYarrington and came to reside at AAmlverhampton, 
and this change of residence placed him at some dis¬ 
advantage in the matter of exhibiting Tulips in 
consequence of the climate causing the flowers to 
expand fully ten days earlier than in the neighbour¬ 
hoods of Manchester and Stockport. Notwithstanding, 
he has invariably carried off a number of prizes at the 
Manchester show. On the last occasion he was placed 
second in the class for twelve blooms, competing for 
the champion cup, which was awarded to the Rev. 
F. D. Horner. Mr. Thurston occupied a similar 
position in 1884. 
He began raising seedling Pinks as far back as 1854, 
he gathered some seed in 1853, and again in 1854, and 
his first seedlings produced flowers good enough to be 
this way. He and Mr. S. Barlow were once in the 
company of the late Dr. Hardy, who remarked that 
they were young men while he was advancing in years, 
and he advised them to cross Tulips with the view of 
obtaining improved varieties. Dr. Hardy had offered 
both seed of varieties he had crossed, and Mr. Thurston 
raised a number of seedlings, and from the most 
promising of these he obtained others, and at the 
present time he has some two hundred seedling bulbs 
yet to bloom. Out of those already bloomed he has 
obtained Mrs. Thurston, a beautiful feathered rose, 
which was awarded a First Class Certificate of Merit 
by the National Tulip Society in 1884. He has also a 
large number of very superior varieties in the breeder 
state, four of which were in his stand of six at the 
National Tulip Society’s Show in 1885, and for which 
he was awarded a first prize. The crosses from which 
the seedlings have been mainly obtained were between 
Sir Joseph Paxton and Dr. Hardy, flamed bizarres ; 
Masterpiece and Dr. Hardy, the former feathered 
bizarre ; Dr. Hardy and Sulphur, bizarres ; Talisman 
and Adonis, both ways, Byblcemens ; and though th« 
