1882 .] 
NEW BOTHWELL HEATHS. 
161 
NEW BOTHWELL HEATHS. 
[PL4.TE 573.] 
V E have the pleasure of introducing to 
our readers a second group of New 
Bothwell Heaths. The well-earned 
fame of Mr. Turnbull in this branch 
of Floriculture would lead us to expect some¬ 
thing good, and we think every one will agree 
that the forms now pictured are good and 
more than good—they are supremely beautiful. 
Surely there must be a revival of taste in favour 
of flowers so chaste and charming, so that our 
glass-houses may not for ever be filled with 
the coarse greenery, which is commendable 
enough in limited quantities, but is now greatly 
overdone, to the exclusion of many lovely 
races of flowering plants—of which the Heaths 
are just now one of the choicest and the most 
neglected. We are indebted to Mr. Turnbull 
for the specimens illustrated herewith and 
also in our last volume. 
Fig. 1. Mooreana.— A very fine Heath of 
the aristata set, the result of a cross between 
two of Mr. Turnbull’s unnamed seedlings. 
The leaves are in whorls of four, and very 
much recurved, fringed with twisted cilia?, and 
tipped with a long awn. The flowers come in 
large terminal umbels of a dozen or more, 
with gland-bordered bracts to the red pedicels, 
the corolla ventricosely tubular, over an inch 
long, bright glossy crimson red, with a ring 
of black at the mouth, and a limb of four 
roundish pink-tinted lobes. One of the best. 
Fig. 2. Douglasii. —A very distinct variety, 
with appressed denticulate awned leaves in 
whorls of four, and umbels of 6—8 tubular 
almost cylindrical flowers an inch and a half 
long, of a delicate blush pink, with a dark ring 
at the slightly swollen mouth, and a large 
spreading limb of four ovate white segments. 
Fig. 8. Lady Dunglas. —A very handsome 
Heath produced by crossing E. Turnbullii 
with E. Marnockiana. The leaves are spread¬ 
ing, four in a whorl, strongly ciliate and 
awned; the flowers rather short, barely an 
inch long, in umbels of 6—8 together, bright 
crimson red, with dark mouth, and large white 
spreading limb of four rounded lobes; alto¬ 
gether a very effective and pleasing variety. 
Fig. 4. Lady Mary Scott. —This is of a 
distinct type and comes from Aitoniana, which 
it much excels in size, and therefore in effec¬ 
tiveness. The leaves are appressed, denticu¬ 
late and awned ; and the flowers grow in 
umbels of about six together, having a long 
slender tube slightly inflated at the base and 
terminating in a broad-spreading limb of ovate 
segments. The colour is white, with a red 
throat, and having the faintest lines of red in¬ 
scribed on the tube. It is one of the best of 
white-flowered Heaths. 
Fig. 5. Countess of Home.— Another of 
the aristata set, and a very fine and handsome 
variety. The leaves are recurved, ciliated, and 
awned, and grow four in a whorl. The flowers 
are tubular, slightly inflated, over an inch long, 
of a rich glossy crimson, with a well-developed 
black ring at the mouth, and a limb of four 
ovate segments which are flushed with pink. 
It is a seedling from E. Turnbullii, crossed 
with Marnockiana. Mr. Turnbull describes 
this as a very free grower and free bloomer, 
his plant being about 4 feet in diameter and 31,- 
feet high. 
We append the following interesting letter 
on this subject from Mr. Turnbull:—- 
“ Regarding the raising of new varieties of Heaths 
I have never made any mystery about it, or concealed 
m v practice in the matter from any one who asked me. 
I have no hesita'ion in saj'ing that a good deal might 
still be done in that way were it taken up by young 
men; but they should be made aware that patience 
and perseverance are absolutely necessary for those 
who make the attempt. 
“ The impregnation is a very simple affair, but the 
anthers are generally clustered together, and do not 
burst of their own accord. The tubular-flowered 
Heaths, whose flowers it is intended to use, should 
have the flower taken off and the point of the 
corolla cut away with a sharp penknife a lit'le below 
the anthers, which must not be disturbed; when 
that is done it should be held above the pistil of the 
flower to be impregnated, and a gentle pressure 
between the finger and thumb will set the pollen in 
motion. In many cases one flower prepared as 
above will impregnate several flowers. Generally the 
seed-vessels are not long in beginning to swell, and 
shortly after that I cut- off the points of the tubes to 
near the top of the seed-vessel, and the lower part of 
the flower remains, unless it shows symptoms of 
damping, when it should be removed, but cautiously, 
otherwise the seM-vessel might be taken off with it. 
When the seeds ripen they should be carefully 
gathered. In the case of hard-wooded sorts I have 
generally had the greatest success when the seeds 
were sown about the latter end of September. I 
have usually sown them in 3-inch pots, and have 
had glass cut to cover the tops of the pots, which 
prevents the soil from drying, and keeps them in a 
more evenly moistened state. I keep them in a cool 
greenhouse through the winter, and they are put into 
L 
