October 13, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
103 
Spigelia Marylandica, are here in quantities. How 
much then is to be seen here in the autumn ! 1 saw 
in September a good supply of beautiful Tea Roses ; 
and the acres of Roses in their season must be a 
glorious display. The soil, as well as climate, seems 
to suit them so well; but there is a great difficulty in 
getting an adequate supply of stable or farmyard 
manure. There are ten greenhouses averaging 50 ft. 
by 15 ft., and stacks of 6 ft. by 4 ft. garden lights for 
the immense quantities of frames used during the 
spring. 
In taking leave of the young fellows, whbse honesty 
and outspokenness is not their least pleasing charac¬ 
teristic, I felt very much gratified that my old friends, 
Henry May and John Harrison, had such worthy 
successors in floriculture, and I am sure that any 
florist, amateur or professional, who may call at their 
famous rosery and nursery at Bedale, will be amply 
repaid for their trouble, and find genial hospitality 
into the bargain.— TV. D. S. 
-- 
NEW AND SELECT DAHLIAS. 
How remarkably well the Dahlias held out this season ! 
I was at Slough on the 27th of September looking over 
the collection at the Royal Nursery, and I saw blooms 
of astonishing good quality for the time of year ; and 
Mr. Turner could have cut a stand of twenty-four 
varieties fully up to the form of the first week in 
September. Queen of the Belgians, a lovely light 
flower in the way of Mr. Gladstone, but quite distinct 
from it; George Rawlings, a richly shaded dark 
maroon ; and Willie Garratt, bright cardinal, were in 
particular very fine ; they had lost the coarseness that 
had characterised them early in the season. Queen of 
the Belgians is rather a late grower—that is its only 
fault. 
Anyone might have supposed that, owing to the 
season having proved so wet, Dahlias, being grown in 
rich soil, would have made a great growth. The reverse 
is actually the rule. It may be said of Dahlias that 
they are singularly dwarf; the cold weather in July 
and the early part of August checked their growth, 
and kept the plants somewhat stunted, and then, when 
the warm weather came, they fortunately went off into 
bloom directly, and there has been a very much better 
quality of bloom than might have been supposed. It 
is quite true that all the Dahlias I saw exhibited in 
August were rough and ill-developed, but in the early 
days of September they made astonishing headway, and 
the stand of forty-eight blooms Mr. C. Turner staged 
at the Crystal Palace were wonderfully good ; and at 
the Royal Aquarium the following week some remark¬ 
able blooms were to be seen. 
Any criticism of the newer Dahlias shall be left over 
for the present, as my notes are not yet quite complete. 
I think I may state that the new varieties to be sent 
out in the spring of 1889 promise to be of a high order 
of merit, both in the show and fancy section. The 
decorative, Pompon, and single varieties will also be 
reinforced by new flowers of a very high character. 
Taking the general collection of show varieties, the 
summer of 1888 has produced the following in very 
fine character :—Burgundy, Clara, Crimson King, very 
bright; Ethel Britton, extra fine this year ; Elag of 
Truce, a most useful white when caught without any 
tip of lilac ; George Rawlings, Goldfinder, Georgiana, 
Harvey Keith, Henry Walton, Herbert Turner, Hon. 
Mrs. P. Wyndham, Imperial, James Cocker, James 
Stephen, a very distinct variety, with a model habit of 
growth ; James Vick, Joseph Green, J. T. West, yellow, 
heavily tipped with purple, a flower of fine quality ; 
Lady Gladys Herbert, G. Harris, Mrs. Gladstone, 
Mrs. G. R. Jeffard, a very useful yellow self; Mrs. 
Harris, Prince Bismarck, Primrose Dame, Queen of the 
Belgians, Richard Dean, probably the best purple self 
in cultivation; R. T. Rawlings, T. J. Saltmarsh, 
Yictor, Willie Garratt, and William Rawlings. 
The best fancy varieties are Duchess of Albany, 
Fanny Sturt, Gaiety, Grand Sultan, Henry Eckford, 
Henry Glasscock, Laura Haslam, Miss Browning, 
Mrs. Saunders, Peacock, Rebecca, Professor Fawcett, 
Rev. J. B. M. Camm, and W. G. Head. 
It is curious to note how small a proportion of the 
fancy varieties are tipped flowers. There are not more 
than half a dozen good tipped fancy Dahlias ; they are 
Fanny Sturt, Mrs. N. Halls, Peacock, Laura Haslam, 
Miss Browning, and Mrs. Saunders, the last three being 
yellow, tipped with white. Some additions to this 
class are greatly needed. All the new fancy varieties 
produced this year have the striped character. We 
want another or two in the way of Peacock, with its 
dark maroon ground tipped with white. I saw at 
Salisbury this season a sport from Gaiety, the ground 
being yellow, tipped with white. All the tipped 
fancy Dahlias are very distinct in character, and 
striking in a stand. 
Owing to the severe weather very little seed will 
be gathered this year, for the destruction of seed and 
flowers both has been almost complete. The single 
varieties are holding on wonderfully well. I do not 
know that it would very much matter if the seed 
crops were lost. At Slough, as also at Salisbury, I 
saw very fine lots of yearling Dahlias that promise 
well, most of which were too late to flower last season. 
In both nurseries many were being marked, and we 
may reasonably look for a very fine lot of new 
varieties.— R. D. 
-- 
FLORAL DESIGNS. 
Not far from Coventry station is situated the famous 
establishment of Messrs. Perkins & Sons, and I use the 
word famous advisedly, because of the reputation this 
enterprising firm has established for their artistic 
manipulation of floral designs. On a second visit there 
I found some dozen young men and maidens engaged 
in making up different designs. Some were wiring 
the flowers, whilst others were making them up, some 
into button-holes and sprays, others into bouquets, 
while two or three were engaged in making floral 
tributes to the departed in the shape of wreaths and 
crosses, and the nimble way in which their fingers 
placed the flowers together, and the artistic manner in 
which they performed their tasks, convinced me that 
they were no novices at the work. 
Hundreds of buttonholes and other designs are made 
up daily. Yisitors to the Birmingham market will 
notice in the central arcade there, several florists trading 
in these designs, and here is the market stall of Messrs. 
Perkins, where the most fastidious can be accommodated 
with anything in the shape of floral work. A grand 
trade is done here by this firm, and it is here and in 
the Coventry market that a ready sale is found for 
these articles. But beyond this they have a wide¬ 
spread reputation, having exhibited in most parts of 
the United Kingdom, and have already this season 
taken nearly 100 prizes at leading exhibitions. 
The beauty of floral designs of any kind is to be 
found in the soft blending of colours, combined with 
lightness and gracefulness, the individual beauty of 
each flower being seen to advantage and not over¬ 
crowded, as is so often the case. The handiwork of the 
Messrs. Perkins exhibits these characteristics, hence 
their success. At their nurseries several good houses 
are devoted to the growing of suitable flowers for this 
work. 
Here are houses full of well-grown Bouvardias, 
double Primulas, Azaleas, Camellias, Chrysanthemums, 
Cyclamens, zonal and regal Pelargoniums, Gardenias, 
Eucharis, Tabernaemontana, Roses, &c., of all the 
leading sorts suitable for this work. Odontoglossums, 
Oncidiums, Dendrobiums, Ccelogynes, &c., are also 
grown in quantity, and are found most useful for floral 
designs. Lapagerias are grown upon the various roofs, 
and are also excellent flowers for work of this description. 
There are house after house of Adiantums, and the 
consumption is something enormous. They also grow 
many acres of fruit trees and Roses, and have been 
very successful in gaining high awards for the latter 
many times this season.— Rusticus. 
■-- 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES. 
Leeks. 
While one may be perambulating gardens, taking note 
of the productions in them, there can be no conflicting 
opinion as to those esculents which are valued and 
looked upon as indispensable items of the culinary 
department. In northern gardens the Leek stands to 
the front, and the culture of that esculent is well 
understood by all classes of cultivators, but as to the 
most useful and finest kinds to grow opinions differ 
widely. Catalogues describe the excellence of the 
varieties carefully, but when soil, position, and other 
influences are brought to bear on the crops the Leek 
can be made to change its ordinary character, yet 
when a collection is put under identical cultural 
conditions it cannot readily deceive a careful observer. 
The season of 1887 will long be remembered for drought 
and bright sunshine, and the past summer will be 
recorded as one of the coldest and wettest seasons of the 
century. Notwithstanding the very favourable month 
of September we have enjoyed many crops tell of the 
coldness and lateness of the season. 
Apples and Pears which ought to be finely coloured 
and well developed are green and poor-looking, dessert 
kinds(except Apples on walls) will generally be utilised 
in the kitchen, and many are not fit even for culinary 
purposes. Vegetables we cannot find fault with 
generally, but some of the kinds which depend on sun 
to bring them to perfection are faulty and not of high 
value. Leeks, however, as far as we have seen, are of 
fair average, and in a small plot where 2,000 or more were 
planted in drills, and the plants well earthed up when 
large enough by drawing a deep drill between each 
row. The kinds are showing their distinctive featur es 
more than we ever noticed in any previous season. They 
are not an even lot, as each variety is showing its own 
size and form. The different shades of green are very 
distinct, but we are unable to describe the quality after 
passing through culinary manipulation. The London 
Flag, valued by some, never stood high in favour with 
us because of its lanky growth and long narrow leaves. 
Growing beside The Lyon it has a very dissimilar 
appearance. 
The last named is by far the most bulky of the lot, 
and those being dug for use are well blanched, with 
sturdy dark green foliage. Henry’s Prize comes next 
for size and general appearance, and may be said to be 
a first-rate Leek. Ayton Castle is more distinct from 
that kind than we ever remember seeing it before, but 
not equal in bulk; it is more in harmony with a good 
sample of Musselburgh Leek, this kind being a general 
favourite because of its hardy constitution. Renton’s 
Monarch has also distinctive features, but is not so large 
as The Lyon. Carentan is the smallest, but of very 
deep green colour, and may be valued by French cooks 
who require Leeks all the year round. Were we con¬ 
fined to grow two kinds only, we think The Lyon and 
Musselburgh would be our choice.— Caledonian. 
New Seedling Pea. 
A very meritorious late Pea has been raised by Mr. 
Taylor (gardener to Sir John Lubbock, Bart., M.P., 
High Elms, Hayes, Kent). This is the second year he 
has grown it, and he finds it to keep true to its 
character. It was obtained by crossing Yeitch’s 
Perfection with Criterion, and has stout stems, about 
3£ ft. in height, with dark foliage, of a similar character 
to that of the seed parent. The stems are also short- 
jointed, and heavily fruited from near the ground 
upward till the pods get smaller and give place to 
flowers, which were plentiful and fresh up till the 6 th 
of this month, when we saw them. If the weather had 
proved mild, a supply would have been obtained for a 
month to come. A row, about 50 ft. in length, of the 
seedling has been bearing for a month past. The pods 
are about 3J ins. in length, and the Peas are large, 
sweet, and it will no doubt prove a valuable acquisition 
as a late Pea. Alongside of Dr. Hogg it is infinitely 
more hardy, and Ne Plus Ultra, close by, runs up to a 
height of 6 ft. or 8 ft, with slender, long-jointed stems 
and short pods. 
The Goldfinder Pea. 
The paper concerning Peas by Mr. Lockwood, which is 
given in your last week’s issue, was both interesting and 
instructive, and recalled to my memory an excellent 
variety of Pea which I stumbled across in my travels 
this autumn. It is called Goldfinder, but I have failed 
to find it in the leading catalogues. It is, I believe, a 
variety peculiar to the district of Faversham, Kent, 
nevertheless it is an out-and-out good one, somewhat 
resembling Ne Plus Ultra, but of better flavour ; it is 
a mid-season and late Pea, growing about 7 ft. high in 
favourable positions. I saw a quantity about the 
middle of September, and thanks to the kindness of 
Mr. Hart, of Faversham, I had an opportunity while 
there of testing the flavour, with the result that I have 
resolved to try if it will do as well in Surrey as in 
Kent .—A Grower. 
Carter’s Jubilee Runner. 
We have been favoured with some specimens of this 
grand sort of Runner Bean from Mr. N. Kneller, 
gardener to Wyndham Portal, Esq., J.P., Malshangar, 
Basingstoke, where it proves to be a most wonderful 
kind, and from its enormous size and succulent 
character must supply a great quantity of a most 
useful vegetable. The pods were almost straight, and 
measured about 10 ins. in length and from 1 J in. to 
nearly 1J in. wide. They are generally widest above 
the middle, and taper gradually to the base ; but the 
most notable character, perhaps, is their rich dark 
green, not bronzy red colour, such as we see in the 
common sorts after they attain any size. Their thick 
and succulent character is also noteworthy, as well as 
