July 18, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
729 
A New Park for Bootle.— Lord Derby has 
signified his intention of presenting to the town of 
Bootle twenty-two acres of land, valued at about 
.£20,000, to be utilised as a public park. 
Strawberries for the Northern Markets.— 
It is reported that during three days last week no 
fewer than ten special trains laden with Strawberries 
passed through Crewe for Lancashire, Liverpool and 
Yorkshire markets. There were over 100 trucks, 
and such heavy consignments have not been known 
for years. 
The Vitality of Seeds.— Mr. W. Cramond, of 
Cullen, writing to the Scotsman, gives the following 
interesting account of experiments with seeds. “ Can 
any of your readers furnish so clear a proof of the 
prolonged vitality of seeds as the following :—About 
the year 1841 a box in appearance like a meal girnal 
was filled with the private papers of Mr. P. Rose, 
Sheriff-Clerk, Banff, and deposited by his represen¬ 
tatives in the Town House of that burgh, where it 
lay unopened until, about eighteen months ago, the 
Sheriff-Substitute of the county, on the application 
of Mr. W. Rose, Australia, granted an order to 
unlock the box. I was permitted to examine and 
report on the contents. Among these was found a 
paper addressed to Captain Rose, dated 1 Brighton 
Place, Portobello, April 10, 1826,’ with the following 
note :—‘ Directions for sowing locust seeds.—The seed 
should be first steeped in warm milk (about the tem¬ 
perature of 160 degrees) for four and twenty hours. 
The proper time for sowing them in this country is 
about the end of April, and the soil should be sandy 
loam.' Along with these directions were a number 
of seeds. Mr. Smith, the gardener at Cullen House, 
received some of the seeds, and carefully carried out 
the instructions, the result being that one of the 
seeds germinated, and grew to a height of about half- 
an-inch, when it withered away. These seeds were 
certainly fifty years of age, for the box was locked 
all that time, and there can be little doubt that their 
actual age was at least sixty-five years. The con¬ 
tents of the box were perfectly dry, and practically 
air-tight, for some 40,000 letters and papers were 
crushed into the box.” 
CLARKIAS. 
The Clarkias—or rather the improved varieties of 
English origin—represent a group of charming June- 
flowering hardy annuals, well adapted for massing. The 
genus is named after Captain Clarke, and two species 
were introduced some years ago—the pretty C. pul- 
chella, from North Western America in 1826; and the 
tall growing C. elegans—the elegant Clarkia—from 
California in 1832. The latter has almost gone out of 
cultivation; and in regard to C. pulchella, the typical 
form of its petals is three lobed, with a tooth on 
each side of the claws. But some years ago, Messrs. 
James Carter & Co. commenced to select from this, 
with the result that in course of time they produced 
the fine variety integripetala, in which the lobes are 
obliterated, and the flowers are now composed of 
four petals entire on the edges, thus forming blossoms 
with a rounded outline. We have obtained many 
choice annuals by means of selection, and by follow¬ 
ing up a break from some annual. Seeding from it, and 
selecting the very best types for seed purposes, the 
departure is eventually fixed and becomes a distinct 
variety. The old form of Clarkia pulchella is now 
but little grown, the fine variety C. integripetala 
having quite taken its place. 
I think it is not too much to say that a visit to 
Messrs. Sutton's Seed Grounds at Reading cannot 
be made at any time without the visitor being 
brought face to face with something of an interesting 
and instructive character. I was there a few days 
since when the Clarkias were in full bloom; all the 
varieties being seen to the best advantage. Clarkia 
elegans and rosy-purple, and its white and double 
varieties, grow to a height of two feet or more, and can¬ 
not be recommended. C. pulchella, with its narrow 
petallic, rosy-purple flowers, and its white and mar¬ 
gined varieties, reaches a height of about eighteen 
inches, but decidedly lacks the beauty and effective¬ 
ness of the improved variety—integripetala. This 
grows the same height, and the flowers are of a deep 
rosy-magenta colour, and make a very fine mass of 
colour. Then of its varieties there is the white, a 
counter part in all particulars save in the colour, which 
is quite pure ; and there are the double rose and 
white also, and of these the latter is remarkably 
good indeed; many of the flowers are fully double, 
and it is a charming thing to cut from. But there are 
dwarf double varieties, also of the double and single 
growing from nine to twelve inches in height and 
forming dense, compact masses of colour, having the 
blossoms as large and fully double as in the case of 
the taller growing types. Then there is integripetala 
marginata, the rosy petal being distinctly margined 
with white, and this is also both in a double and a 
marginate form ; the later is I think known under 
the name of Morning Glory. Then there is a dwarf 
marginata, which is single flowered only, and lastly, 
Integripetala Tom Thumb, dwarf also, as its name 
implies, but rather darker in colour than the dwarf 
rose-coloured variety. 
I feel quite sure that many more would grow the 
annual Clarkias if they could see them and so learn 
to appreciate their usefulness. They do well in a 
rather light soil, but it should have some goodness 
in it. It is no use thinking that good annuals can be 
produced in poor ground. It is not possible, but 
given good ground and Clarkias will be delightful; 
but in an impoverished soil they will be scarcely 
worth looking at; how can it be expected they can 
be anything else ? And we crowd annuals far too much. 
If only the plants were thinned out a little more, the 
remaining ones would be greatly improved. At 
Reading these annuals are sown in little rows, and 
the plants thinned out so as to form easy growing 
lines of pretty symmetrically grown plants, and then 
they are very effective indeed.—R. D. 
MIXED FLOWER 
GARDENING. 
At the last meeting of the Croydon Gardeners’ 
Mutual Improvement Society the Rev. W. Wilks, of 
Shirley, read a paper on this subject. As is pretty 
well known now, Mr. Wilks is an ardent lover of 
hardy perennials, but he does not advocate their 
exclusive cultivation to the exclusion of other flower¬ 
ing plants which may be only half hardy, and require 
the shelter of a greenhouse in winter. In his own 
practice—which affords an admirable illustration of 
mixed flower gardening—Mr. Wilks uses a fair pro¬ 
portion of ordinary bedding plants, including Zonal 
and Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, Tagetes signata 
pumila, Tropseolums and Dahlias. The latter 
indeed are employed freely, especially the Cactus 
and Pompon sections ; and they cover the ground 
occupied earlier in the season by some of the larger 
perennials, which would otherwise be an eyesore 
during the autumn months. 
In the late autumn the garden at Shirley is often a 
blaze of colour with the Dahlias and Sunflowers, 
principally of the perennial type. Mr. Wilks’ 
collection of hardy plants is an extensive one, con¬ 
taining many choice things, so that from the com¬ 
mencement of the season to its close there is always 
something in bloom to interest and admire, while 
during spring, summer, and autumn the borders 
present a variety of colour and form which may best 
'be described as kaleidoscopic. 
Mr. Wilks in his paper strongly urged upon gar¬ 
deners the desirability of making themselves 
acquainted with hardy flowering plants, believing, 
as he did, that they will become more and more 
wanted by employers, many of whom have become 
tired of the present flower garden arrangements. 
Some may possibly think that because the plants 
are hardy much of time and money may be saved by 
their cultivation. But we say No, if they are to be 
well done, and if this is not the case it were better 
almost to leave things as they are. For instance, 
herbaceous plants are mostly surface rooters, and in 
periods of drought require copious waterings, entail¬ 
ing an amount of labour which in some places could 
not be given if the water was not laid on and could 
be supplied by means of hose. 
We have also known those who, while liking hardy 
flowers well enough, demurred to the expense of the 
liberal dressings of bone meal and other manu¬ 
factured manures, which some who take a real 
delight in their gardens freely give their borders. 
Besides, the arrangement of such a collection as Mr. 
Wilks would be quite beyond the skill and knowledge 
possessed by many holding positions as gardeners. 
The number of men who have even a fair acquaint¬ 
ance with herbaceous plants and their requirements is 
unfortunately limited, and these should be able to 
command higher remuneration than is given to those 
whose capabilities will not carry them beyond 
ordinary bedc}ing-out arrangements.— W. B. G. 
A POPULAR CHAPTER 
ON THE PINK. 
I think that for making fragrant posies and for giving 
touches of beauty to a flower garden, the Pink is one 
of the most useful hardy flowers grown The Pink 
is the Dianthus plumarius of botanists, and the 
common name, Pink, is derived from a supposed 
Dutch word, pink meaning an eye. Formerly a 
single flower, it has in course of time been trans¬ 
formed into one remarkable for its size and double¬ 
ness. The wild single form can be found in the 
north of England, where it is known as the Pheasant¬ 
eyed Pink, from the dark centre of the blossom. 
The Pink a Thoroughly Hardy Flower. 
It is truly one of the hardiest of hardy flowers, 
and though a severe winter like the past may brown 
and disfigure the plants, there is a wonderful tenacity 
of life about them, and as soon as the moving 
influences of the returning spring are felt, they 
commence to put forth growth, form their flower 
buds, and develop their fragrant blossoms. 
Types of Pinks. 
I have already alluded to the single form, and of 
late years several fine varieties have been raised as 
seedlings, but they do not hit the popular favour 
like the double forms do. In many old cottage 
gardens one can see clumps of the common white 
Pink, and some others more or less dark in the 
centre. They are full of sweetness, and bloom with 
amazing freedom, and being left alone for years form 
very large clumps and cover a great space of ground. 
In May and June the tufts of green foliage are 
hidden from view in the plenteousness of their 
blossoms. Then there are some coloured varieties to be 
found in borders, among them the Paddington, Anne 
Boleyn, &c., having flowers of rosy purple shades, 
but always with the dark centre. I have during the 
past few years raised some very fine seedlings of 
various colours from these purple-tinted varieties, 
and in the large trial bed of Pinks in the gardens of 
the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick, I have 
as many as fifteen varieties, all very pretty and free 
of bloom. I state this much that it may be seen 
that there is no difficulty in raising seedlings from 
these border Pinks, and very pretty ones too. One 
of the most popular of our border Pinks is a white 
variety, known by the name of Mrs. Sinkins. This 
has a tint of greenish lemon in the centre, instead of 
dark. Clifton White, Mrs. Welsh, and Her Majesty 
are all seedlings from it, and it is claimed for the 
latter—a new variety of the last two or three years— 
that it is of a purer white than any of the others. 
All these have fringed petals ; and all of them (and it 
is a common fault with Pinks) split their calyx or 
pod, the petals fall down on one side, and the flower 
is robbed of half its natural beauty. The best white 
Pink I have yet seen is named Mrs. Lakin; it 
originated as a seedling from one of the florist's 
laced varieties ; it has a fine smooth-edged petal, 
and does not split its calyx so badly as some of the 
others. Then there is a very pretty delicate lilac 
pink coloured variety, named Souvenir de Sale, a 
good hardy variety, and a very charming subject for 
the flower border. 
Florists’ Laced Pinks. 
By dint of many years’ careful selection, the florist 
has for two generations past grown a race of Pinks 
denominated laced ; they are generally large, full- 
petalled flowers, and in addition to a rich dark centre, 
they have broad marginal lacings of some shade of 
pale pinkish rose or lilac rose, red-purple and black. 
It is said that a Pink named Lady Stoverdale, raised 
more than a hundred years ago, was the first flower 
possessing a lacing, and then only in a rudimentary 
form. Thirty years ago Pinks were much grown for 
exhibition purposes, and shows were numerous 
throughout the country. Then came a period 
of neglect; now the flower is receiving a much 
greater amount of attention, and Pink shows are 
again being held. 
Culture of Exhibition Pinks. 
Those who grow show flowers of Pinks aim to get 
the blooms large, full, and handsomely laced on the 
petal edges. In August and September they prepare 
their beds by richly manuring the ground, and then 
form them four feet or so in width, and raised about 
six inches above the level of the ground, in order to 
throw off \yet during winter, The bed is planted in 
October, when the young plant? are well-rooted; 
some fine sandy soil is placed about the roots tq 
