8 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 6, 1890. 
FLOfUdi/LTi/fiSo 
New Carnations and Picotees. 
A most fortunate man is Mr. C. H. Herbert, in raising 
in one year so grand a scarlet bizarre Carnation as tbe 
splendid flower which bears his name, and the other 
varieties named below. Mr. Herbert does Carnations 
and Picotees well, and as a proof of this his successes 
at Oxford and Manchester may be alluded to. He is 
the manager of Messrs. Thomsons’ Nurseries, Sparkhill, 
Birmingham, where many years since those fine Chinese 
Primulas, Princess Louise, Marquis of Lome, Emperor, 
The Queen, and others were raised, and Mr. Herbert 
may be safely written down as the champion shot of 
Picotee and Carnation growers this year, so far as new 
recognised valuable seedlings are concerned, while as a 
grower and successful exhibitor he takes a high position. 
The future of the new scarlet bizarre, C. H. Herbert, 
will be that of a popular favourite. I have watched it 
through the blooming season, about a dozen pots each 
allowed to carry almost every bud, certainly fifty to 
sixty per cent, more than would have been the case if 
close competition had been contemplated, and the 
flowers have an abundance of stuff in them, are of 
a good size, and can always be depended upon. It is 
bright in colour, of excellent quality, has a good pod, 
and gives plenty of strong grass. It was selected as the 
Premier Carnation at Oxford, and obtained First Class 
Certificates there and at Manchester, receiving high 
commendation from that able and well known grower, 
Mr. Lord of Todmorden, and many other foremost 
growers. It bids fair to displace Robert Houlgrave as 
the best S.B., inasmuch as it is a much fuller flower, 
and of such sturdy constitution. Robert Houlgrave 
is grown somewhat extensively at Sparkhill, but its 
fault is thinness, an insufficiency of petals, although 
fine flcwers are caught, one of the finest ever seen being 
in a stand of twelve Carnations sent to a local show 
on the 11 th ult. But Robert Houlgrave is a grand 
flower, and a long number of years have elapsed 
betwixt the advent of that fine old S.B., Admiral 
Curzon, and the introduction of Robert Houlgrave. 
"With unusual rapidity C. H. Herbert wins the 
blue riband in 1890 , and who shall say what is to 
come next ? 
Mr. Herbert’s other seedlings, which are acquisitions, 
the flowers of considerable quality, and to be heard of 
next year are :— 
Robert Thomson (rose flake), bright in colour, style 
of Thalia, but a larger flower, with broad well-formed 
petals, a good pod and good constitution. This fine 
flower took the second position in its class at Oxford. 
S. S. Thomson (pink and purple bizarre), very fine 
broad petal and well-formed flower, taking second 
position in its class in Manchester ; a grand flower of 
Sarah Payne, grown by Mr. Herbert, taking the first 
position with a large number of blooms staged in this 
class. 
Blushing Bride (self), a little lighter in colour than 
Governor, and a decided improvement upon it, of a 
blush tinted white colour, large size, fine form, and a 
perfect pod. Of good constitution, throwing plenty of 
grass. This will be a rare market-growers’ flower. 
William Spinks (self), rich crimson-maroon, with 
fine broad petal and large size, but requiring plenty of 
time for full development. A fine flower and a good 
grower. 
Picotees. 
Mrs. Herbert, (light rose edge), large size, superb 
petal, with plenty of stuff in the flower, and an ex¬ 
cellent grower ; a very refined and beautiful flower. 
Mrs. Thomson (fancy), bright lemon ground flushed 
with bright rosy lilac, a fine and quite distinct variety 
of fine form, good size, and excellent pod. 
A. W. Jones (fancy), orange ground, edged and 
flaked with bright orange-red, together with flakes of 
crimson, really a bizarre amongst fancies ; a novel and 
quite distinct variety, bright in colours, and a decided 
acquisition. 
Annie Sophia, a new departure in fancies, novel in 
colour and markings, and quite distinct. White 
ground with a thin wire margin of purple, and for half 
way down the petal barred with rosy lilac, the base 
quite white, flowers and petal large. This will prove to 
be a lady’s favourite, and a popular and novel exhi¬ 
bition flower. 
This is a very unique batch for one year, all 
selections from last year’s seedlings, and will not be 
sent out until the Autumn of 1891 . Another year will 
be a further test of the good qualities they show this 
season, and growers about the country will then be 
able to judge more accurately of their merits. I, 
however, venture to predict that what I have written 
about them will be found correct. — W. Dean, Sparkhill, 
Birmingham. 
Dahlias. 
By the time the next issue of The Gardening World 
is in the hands of your readers the great Dahlia show 
of the season will be taking place at the Crystal Palace. 
I have seen very good Dahlias at Trowbridge, Taunton, 
Reading, Oxford and other places, and, weather per¬ 
mitting, there should be, I think, some very fine 
blooms at Sydenham. I think some young and in¬ 
experienced growers are given to shading too heavily, 
and to permit a free circulation of air around the 
flowers, shading should be removed during morning and 
evening. Many a promising flower has been rendered 
useless by placing a shade over them while in too 
young a state of development. Experienced growers 
generally refrain from shading until the buds are one- 
third grown. As soon as the petals of a promising 
exhibition bloom begin to rise above the disc, the stem 
should be secured in such a manner that no harm can 
come to the flower by friction.— R. D., Sept. 1 st. 
New Carnations. 
Mr. Samuel Barlow recently sent me blooms of two 
new seedling Carnations he has proved this season, and 
of which he entertains a very high opinion. One is a 
scarlet flake, and he has given it the appropriate name 
of Flamingo, holding it will take the same high 
position among the scarlet flakes that Robert Houlgrave 
does among the scarlet bizarres. Flamingo has large 
and finely formed shell-like petals, and it is brilliantly 
flaked with scarlet on a pure white ground. I can say 
nothing as to its habits, but I should think, judging 
from the flowers sent, it must be of fine constitution. 
The other is a finely scented, intense and deep scarlet 
Clove named Dazzle, large, full, and with petals of the 
finest shape, and to all appearance a grand self. 
At the exhibition of the Royal Oxfordshire Horti¬ 
cultural Society’s Show in Queen’s College on August 
28 th. Mr. Geo. Chaundy, of Oxford, exhibited a few 
seedling self Carnations, and to one of them a Certifi¬ 
cate of Merit was awarded. It is a beautiful soft pink 
self named Edith, the flower is like Germania in build, 
with its fine shape and smooth petal ; a lovely variety 
that is a decided acquisition. A new pale Apricot- 
coloured self, paler in colour than Mrs. Reynolds Hole, 
was also shown by Mr. Chaundy, but I omitted to take 
its name. The flowers as shown were scarcely smooth 
and symmetrical enough to justify the bestowal of an 
award ; but it promises to be very good and useful. 
Mr. Chaundy was the only exhibitor of Carnations 
and Picotees, and exhibited some capital blooms, 
including yellow grounds, for the late period of the 
season. At Trowbridge on the 20 th of August, the 
brothers Hooper exhibited some capital Carnations for 
the third week in August. — R. D. 
New Dahlias. 
Duke of Clarence. —This is a Cactus or decorative 
variety of good average size, and of a deep velvety 
crimson. The florets are long, nearly flat, and minutely 
tridentate at the apex. Northern Star. —The flower 
heads of thi 3 single variety are of medium size, and the 
ray florets are crimson, with a yellow base and edge, 
giving them a striped appearance. Eclipse. —This is 
also single, but large, deep magenta-purple, merging 
into buff or bronze towards the base, which is of a 
dull crimson, giving the bloom a zoned appearance. 
The disc is yellow. All three were shown at the 
Drill Hall, Westminster, on the 26 th ult., by 
Messrs. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex, who received 
an Award of Merit for each. Mrs. J. Douglas.— 
This Cactus or decorative variety is somewhat 
particoloured, the outer florets being pink, the inner 
ones shaded buff-yellow, and the central unopened ones 
purple. It was shown by Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, 
Swanley, Kent, at the same time and place, and re¬ 
ceived an Award of Merit. Maude, —This single 
variety is white, and edged with crimson-purple. The 
disc florets are yellow. The blooms are of medium size 
and very attractive. It was shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, 
Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, and received an 
Award of Merit. Mrs. Stanley.— The heads of this 
Cactus Dahlia are of medium size, and of a lively rose- 
purple. The florets are pointed, rather loosely arranged, 
and incurved at the sides. It was shown by Mr. 
J. T. West, Cornwalls, Brentwood, who received an 
Award of Merit for it. 
FOREST BYE-PRODUCTS. 
That the production of timber, in common with trades 
in general, has of late years been rendered far less 
remunerative than was formerly the case, and owing 
principally to keen foreign competition, is a fact that is 
now well known even to the most casual observer. In 
face of this, it therefore behoves us to ask ourselves the 
question, Do we utilise to the fullest the bye-products 
of the forest and woodland, and so diminish waste, and 
at the same time add to the general revenue of the 
forest department ? By waste produce or bye-products 
may be meant anything other than wood, or of wood 
not in the condition in which it is generally used, and 
might include bark, charcoal, firewood, house and kiln 
faggots, tar, wood spirit and turpentine, sawdust, wood 
ashes, leaf-soil, &c. 
Fully ten years’ experience in the conversion of wood¬ 
land products in England, and nearly the same time 
similarly spent on a large estate in Scotland, has quite 
convinced me that in the matter of the utilisation of 
the bye-products of the forest and woodland, England— 
particularly the southern half—can teach Scotland a 
most salutary lesson, for whereas in the latter many 
hundred pounds’ worth of branches and firewood are 
annually either burned or allowed to rot on the ground, 
in England, as a rule, everything is carefully utilised 
and turned to the best account, and so a considerably 
increased revenue accrues to the proprietor of the 
woodlands. 
That much might yet be done, both in the economy 
of production and utilisation of waste produce, is, how¬ 
ever, well known to those in charge of woods and 
forests in every part of the country ; and where the 
bye-products cannot well be utilised in any of the 
above-named ways, better, perhaps, reduce them to 
ashes, for by so doing insect and fungus life are lessened, 
and a valuable manure, whether for grass land or 
certain farm and garden crops, obtained by the ashes, 
which are particularly rich in potash.— A. D. Webster. 
-^- 
HOLLYHOCKS. 
In his interesting address to the Fellows of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on the 26 th ult. on Hollyhocks, 
Mr. James Douglas was, as you remarked last week, 
unable to tell us anything new, although his observa¬ 
tions were eminently practical. Really we have 
nothing new left to be said as to the culture of the 
Hollyhock, and what has been in the past so well said, 
can only be reiterated. But our concern just now is 
less with culture of the ordinary form, whether for the 
production of fine spikes for exhibition, or for the 
provision of a fine display in the garden borders, as 
with the development of the fungus, the very worst 
enemy of the Hollyhock, and which the present wet 
season has shown, can be just as destructive in mois¬ 
ture as in heat and drought. 
Whilst there are exceptional cases in which it is 
proved that plants are very clean and healthy generally, 
the greater the number of plants grown, the worse the 
disease. It is very poor consolation to tell the troubled 
Hollyhock-grower that plants are found clean here and 
there in cottage gardens. These very plants may be as 
bad as anyone’s next year. Still further, does it seem 
to bring very little of comfort to learn that Condy’s 
Fluid, and Sulphate of Copper are certain remedies. 
We have found fungoid disease, and especially one of 
the nature of the Hollyhock fungus, to be difficult to 
counteract. Sulphur may check mildew, but the 
Puccinia is a fungus of a totally different kind and as 
deadly in its effect as any fungus well can be. Plants 
exposed fully to all weathers, and plants kept for the 
winter under glass are equally susceptible. We have 
the bane, but the antidote remains to be discovered.— 
A. Dean. 
- ■«< » 
BEGONIAS AS BEDDERS. 
Rain ! will it never cease 1 Such is the cry heard on 
all sides ; and no wonder, for few can remember such a 
miserably wet summer. The very air reeks with the 
smell of decaying Potato haulms ; though here in the 
King’s Co. we are well off as regards Potato disease 
when compared with other counties. It is not of the 
weather or the “ taters ” I wish to write, but of 
Tuberous Begonias as rain-proof subjects, so fir as 
blooming is concerned. Few—I am sorry to say, very 
few—seem to be aware that these are the best bedding 
plants it is possible to grow for summer and autumn 
decoration. Be the weather wet or fine, still Begonias 
hold their glorious blooms on high, and in seasons like 
