178 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[December, 
seen, and lovely beyond words to express. I 
have seen too much of the goodness of the 
Almighty in giving His creatures so much 
beauty, ever to approach even in thought the 
assumption that this beauty may not be sur¬ 
passed, but I know what has been granted 
is so delightful that heart and mind never 
sate and contemplation never tires with the 
remembrance. It is a living memory, ever 
green and ever fresh. 
In Medium-edged Purples, Alice undoubtedly 
occupies the first place, and well she fills it; but 
Cynthia, Baroness Burdett Coutts, and Fanny 
are also good, and deserving of wide cultivation. 
In the Light-edges there is so close a race 
for the leading place, and the competitors com¬ 
prise respectively so much that is excellent, 
so much that is admirable, that I can only say 
I bracket six sorts as equal—viz., Ann Lord, 
Clara Penson, Mary, Minnie, Evelyn (Hewitt), 
and Her Majesty. There remain two others—the 
most delicate of light edges—Nymph (Lord), in 
the early season exquisite for its delicacy ; and 
Titania (Gorton), clearly a seedling from 
Nymph, with even an added delicacy of tint, 
and exceeding lovely. Another variety which 
fills a place amongst my Purple-edges, but 
which I note Mr. Turner classes as a “ fancy,” 
is Novelty (Matthews). It has a bizarred edge, 
rose on lilac, and draws admiration wherever 
seen. I regard it with very special favour 
as the possible pioneer of another class of 
Picotees, rich in its variety. 
Rose-edged Picotees are universal favourites. 
Though with me and with most of the visitors 
I have had the honour from time to time to 
see, all are favourites, yet the Rose-edges, 
whether heavily edged or delicately margined 
only, are specially admired. In Broad-edges, 
Edith Dombrain and Royal Visit are worthy 
rivals—the colour being so sweetly effective— 
though Elise and Payne’s Purity are very 
little behind. In the narrower section we 
have lovely varieties in Fanny Helen, Lady 
Louisa, Mrs. Lord, Mrs. Nichols, Miss Lee, 
and Miss Horner. Esther Minnie, a seedling 
from, and which I observe the critics regard 
as an improvement on, Fanny Helen, was 
undoubtedly very beautiful, having more 
colour on the edge than its parent, a larger 
size, and a ground which, like that of Lady 
Louisa, is purity itself. Yet another variety 
remains—the very queen of the class—Mrs. 
Payne (Fellowes), unrivalled for its lovely 
colour, form, and beautiful petal. In these 
respects it reminds me of Mrs. Barnard, the 
grand lightly-feathered rose of thirty years 
since, with this difference only, that Mrs. 
Payne has more colour on the edge, and there¬ 
fore more attracts observation. Her beauty 
does not, however, diminish upon inspection, 
but grows and develops the more and the 
more minutely she is looked upon. Light- 
edges are not many, but they are very beauti¬ 
ful. The best I have grown are Daisy, Ethel, 
Julia, Miss Gorton, Miss Wood, and L’Ele- 
gant. 
There yet remains one other class as to 
which I must say a few words—the Selfs or 
Fancies, which properly should have been 
noticed amongst the Carnations, to which 
they belong. Forty years since our floral 
fathers rejected these with rigid severity, if 
not with positive aversion. They had some 
reason for the action, though better informa¬ 
tion and improved practice has deprived it in 
these days of any force. Then the object 
desired was distinctness of variegation, and 
slight as was the general knowledge of the 
structure of flowers, enough was known to ex¬ 
cite the fear that these self or parti-coloured 
flowers, lacking white grounds, might in some 
way depreciate the flakes and bizarres sought. 
The danger undoubtedly exists, but the fertil¬ 
iser no longer leaves to chance the work on 
which, simple as it is, so much depends. 
Parents are carefully selected, and wider and 
larger experience develop in natural course a 
broader and more catholic taste. 
When prizes were first offered for these 
flowers by the Southern Section of the National 
Carnation and Picotee Society, a friend omin¬ 
ously asked, What will our northern brothers 
say ? The answer has been given in the 
prizes they also offer, and the admiration the 
subjects when seen evoke. 
One other word to bring this long epistle to 
a close. Twelve months since, from broken 
health, I was unable to attempt this annual task. 
I desire here humbly to acknowledge the good¬ 
ness of God for my partially-restored health, 
and my deep sense of the kindness of friends 
and brothers shown to me in my prostrate 
condition.—E. S. Dodwell, Stanley Road, 
Oxford. 
