34 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 19, 1891. 
FLORICULTURE. 
The National Pink Society. 
Mr. Thurstan, in his paper at p. 18 of your last issue, 
offers various opinions, and expresses a desire that 
comment shall be made thereon. Thinking there is 
much room for such comment, I propose to accept 
the invitation. I must premise by saying I saw none 
of the flowers shown either in London, Wolverhamp¬ 
ton or Manchester, neither have I knowledge of the 
Pink Empress of India. But when Mr. Thurstan 
advances the opinion that no Pink of twelve petals 
only can be worthy of a prize, and no premier could 
fitly be chosen if with seventeen petals only, I take 
the liberty to traverse the assumption, and very 
distinctly to assert, excellence in the Pink is not to 
be estimated by the number or the fewness of its 
petals. 
I know not what may be expected from a novice, 
but I, an old florist, a student of the Dianthus for 
more than half a century, am simply astounded to 
be told that a flower (Pink) " approaching perfec¬ 
tion should contain from thirty to forty petals.” 
I am tempted almost into a jest, and ask upon the 
Rule of Three principle, if to approach perfection 
thirty to forty petals are required, what will be 
the number needed for its ultima thule ? But 
it appears to me this gauging merit by the number of 
the petals in any given specimen of the Pink, is quite 
beside the mark. The key is to be looked for, and 
will be found in a very different direction. The Rev. 
George Jeans, in his invaluable Essays, tells us 
“There is, then, always one leading idea suggested 
by any flower, controlled by the general outline of its 
form and the disposition of its principal parts. This 
is the characteristic of the flower, to which all its 
other properties must be subservient." What, then, 
is the special characteristic of the Pink ? I answer, 
unhesitatingly, the beauty of its concentric markings ; 
and I ask how can this be seen if thirty to forty petals 
are piled one upon the other ? 
It may seem presumptuous in me to say so, but my 
ideal of a Pink would be found not in the Boiard of 
the present day, though that has much excellence, 
but in flowers like the Criterion of Dr. Maclean, grown 
some thirty years ago, or yet better, in the Arabella 
and Excelsior of my friend and confrere Robert 
Marris, grown and fine some ten years only since. 
Personally I cannot hope to take part in the work of 
development of the Pink, happily now renewed, but 
I should be sorry to see young aspirants started upon 
a wrong track.— E. S. Dodwell, Stanley Road, Oxford. 
Antirrhinums. 
I suppose the Snapdragon may be considered as 
having dropped out of the list of florists’ flowers. 
Time was, and not very remotely, when fine varieties 
were raised and named, and the practice is still con¬ 
tinued in Scotland ; but such fine strains are now 
grown from seed that it is difficult to know what to 
select for naming. But it is a fine old-fashioned 
flower, very popular, and most deservedly so ; and I 
trust that when an extra fine variety is raised it will 
be named and offered for sale, so that it may become 
the progenitor of something finer still. Formerly it 
was at this season of the year cuttings were taken 
and struck, and there is no difficulty in getting them 
to root if they are placed in pots, using a light 
sandy soil, and keeping them for a time in cold 
frames under a handlight. 
The best way to maintain a fine strain is by taking 
seed only from the very best. One requires only a 
capsule or so from each, for it contains a great many 
small seeds. They can be sown in July so as to 
have plants to stand through the winter and bloom 
early in the following summer, or seeds can be sown 
in January or February in a gentle bottom heat, or 
a month or so later in a cold frame ; and if planted 
out in beds will flower the same season, and come in 
as excellent succession to plants raised from the 
previous midsummer sowing. I saw a few days ago 
a bed of such plants, many of them very beautiful, 
and especially the full striped "varieties. As the 
plants go out of flower, let a few seed pods be 
marked, and the remainder cut away, then the 
plants can devote their whole energy to blooming. 
I should like to see the fine old A. Skinneri intro¬ 
duced, with its bands of light carmine on a light 
ground. One finds seed of it quoted in seed lists, 
but all my efforts to obtain it from seeds only 
resulted in something greatly inferior — white, cream} * 
white, and pale colours—but not the exact form I 
very much wished to have. 
Though generally regarded as a native plant, I 
think it not unlikely our original form of A. majus 
came from the Mediterranean region, and, escaping 
from gardens, became a wild plant. It is frequently 
found on old walls, but ahvays in an inferior charac¬ 
ter. It has several common English names, such as 
the Snapdragon, Lion’s Snap, Toad’s Mouth, Dog's 
Mouth, Calf’s Snout, &c. One can easily understand 
Snapdragon from its corolla representing the snap 
or snout of some animal. The tube or throat is 
closed by a large, projecting, bearded palate, which 
gives to the flower a resemblance to the face of an 
animal or a mask, whence the name meaning 
“ Snoutlike.” Dr. Prior thinks it should read 
“ Snap, dragon.” Columella, an ancient writer who 
wrote twelve books on agriculture, of which the 
tenth, on gardening, is in verse, alludes to this 
fiow'er as “the stern and furious lion's gaping 
mouth." In many rural districts the Snapdragon is 
believed to possess supernatural powers, and to be 
able to destroy charms. It urns formerly supposed 
that, when suspended about the person, this plant 
was a protection from witchcraft, and that it caused 
a maiden so wearing it to appear “ gracious in the 
sight of people.”— R. D. 
♦ 
NEW § PItHPg. 
The undermentioned Ferns, Gladioli, and other 
plants were exhibited at the meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society at the Drill Hall, on the 8th 
inst., and received certificates according to their 
merits. The Orchids which were certificated are 
described under “ Orchid Notes and Gleanings.” 
New Ferns. 
Athyrium Filix-fcemina plumosum Drueryii.— 
The frond of this beautiful variety is 18 in. to 20 in. 
long, by 6 in. or 8 in. wide, ovate or elliptic, bright 
green and plumy in appearance. The pinnae are 
oblong-elliptic, and inclined to be crested at the 
apex ; and both "pinnae and pinnules are much imbri¬ 
cated. On the whole, the frond is three or four times 
pinnate, with the ultimate segments deeply cut or 
toothed, giving the vdiole a plumose or feathery 
appearance. First-class Certificate. 
Athyrium Filix-fcemina superbum densum.— 
The fronds in this instance are ovate, two or three times 
pinnate, and of a bright green. The pinnae are ovate, 
much imbricated or overlapping, with the pinnules 
oblong and deeply cut. Award of Merit, 
Athyrium Filix-fcemina revolvens. —This va¬ 
riety was discovered at Strathalbane in July last, andis 
consequently quite new to cultivation. The fronds are 
lanceolate, 2 ft. long, and bipinnate with the pinnae 
oblong lanceolate, and revolute or rolled backwards 
for the upper quarter of their length. The lower ones 
are much shorter than those above them. The pinnules 
are oblong and pinnatifid, or deeply toothed, but this 
character is disguised or greatly hidden by the edges 
being strongly revolute. Award of Merit. All the 
above three were exhibited by C. T. Druery, Esq., 
F.L.S , Fernholme, Forest Gate, Essex. 
Davallia assamica. —The rhizomes of this species 
are densely covered with pale grey scales, and about 
the thickness of those of D. elegans. The fronds are 
lanceolate, bipinnate, and deep green with a bronzy 
purple rachis, especially when young, and 8 in. to 
15 in. long. The pinnse are lanceolate-ovate, and the 
pinnules oblong and toothed. The species is dwarf 
and neat, suitable for basket culture. It received a 
Botanical Certificate when exhibited by Messrs. H. 
Low & Co., Clapton. 
Nephrodium paleaceum Willsii.— The fronds of 
this British Fern are 2 ft. to 3 ft. long, oblong-lanceo¬ 
late, and bipinnate, with a densely scaly rachis as 
implied by the name. The long, lanceolate pinnae 
are deeply crested at the apex, and the oblong, blunt 
pinnules are similar to those of the type. The variety 
differs from the old crested one by its longer fronds 
being of a different form with longer pinnae and 
deeper crests. First-class Certificate. 
Asplenium Filix-fcemina lunulatum Nelli.e.-- 
This variety of the Lady Fern is remarkable for the 
heavy tassel or branched crest at the apex of the 
frond. The latter is about 18 in. long, with a few 
irregular pinnae of moderate length at the base. All 
the other pinnae are reduced to small, rounded or 
crescent shaped, deeply toothed processes, and each 
branch of the apical tassel is furnished with similar 
organs. First-class Certificate. 
OsMUNDA REGALIS CAPITATA. — At first sight, this 
bears considerable resemblance to the old crested 
variety (O. r. cristata) both in habit and stature, but 
the cresting is much better defined and more decided. 
The fronds are 12 in. to i8in. long, while the pinnae 
and pinnules end in a roundish, lobed crest, which 
is much larger and more lobed in the fronds, which 
are produced late in the season, "First-class Cer¬ 
tificate. 
Aspidium aculeatum circumglobatum. -— The 
varietal name here seems to refer to' the heavily- 
crested apex of the frond, the primary or secondary 
divisions of which are often coiled up. like a helix. 
The stiffly erect fronds are about 2 ft. high and bi¬ 
pinnate ; but with exception of the curiously coiled 
and crested apex, they do not seem to differ other¬ 
wise from the type. Botanical Certificate. 
Scolopexdrium vulgare supralineatum Moon.e. 
— The fronds of this variety of the Harts-tongue are 
about 15 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, deeply cut at the 
edge with rounded lobes. The name supralineatum 
refers to a curiously elevated line running from near 
the base to the apex of the frond on the upper sur¬ 
face and somewhat nearer the margin than the 
midrib. The form is both curious and ornamental, 
which is more than can be said of a large proportion 
of the forms of the Harts-tongue now in cultivation. 
First-class Certificate. 
Aspidium aculeatum hybridum. —This peculiar 
Fern is said to be a hybrid between A. angulare and 
A. aculeatum. The plant is a vigorous grower, with 
fronds about 2jft. long, nearly erect, and lanceolate- 
linear. The pinnae are remarkably short, and of a 
deep shining green; they are pinnate at the base, 
while the upper portion is only pinnatifid or deeply 
lobed. The pinnules at the base are often very 
deeply cut, which is not the case in the ordinary 
typical form. First-class Certificate. 
Aspidium aculeatum adraster. —The apex of 
the frond of this dwarf-habited form is developed 
into a heavy crest, while the pinnae are very.irregular 
in shape and sometimes a little crested. The.fronds 
themselves are only about 12 in. to 15 in. long, bi¬ 
pinnate, and therefore very dwarf for A. aculeatum. 
Award of Merit. 
Scolopendrium vulgare ramo-in.equale lauda- 
bile. —The fronds in this instance are of remarkable 
length, especially for a pot-grown specimen, as those 
of the plant shown were 18 in. to 24 in. long, spread¬ 
ing upward, and often branched from near the base 
in a singular manner. The branches are also very 
irregular in length upon different sides of the same 
frond ; they are also narrow and irregularly scolloped 
or indented at the edges with the brown sori often 
exposed at the margin. The upper surface is of a 
deep green, and the greater number of branches 
arises above the middle. First-class Certificate. 
Asplenium marinum capitatum. —The peculiar 
characteristics of this variety consist in the branching 
the fronds, which are of moderate length for the 
species. The branching may take place near the 
base of the lamina, but more often it occurs towards 
the apex, and the different ramifications resemble 
short fronds of the ordinary type. .The variety was 
found at Scarborough by Mr. Clapham. Botanical 
Certificate. 
Aspidium angulare cruciatum Nympha— The 
fronds in this instance are linear-lanceolate, 
bipinnate, narrow relatively to the length which is 
2 ft. to 3 ft. The name cruciatum refers to the 
lower pinnule, which is often but not regularly 
developed to a considerable size, resembling pinnae, 
and being set on at right angles to the true pinnae 
give the latter the appearance of a cruciform 
arrangement, such as occurs in several remarkable 
forms in the Lady Fern. First-class Certificate. * 
Aspidium angulare setosum gracile. — The 
fronds in this instance are slender and gracefully 
constructed, lanceolate, bipinnate, and about 2 ft. 
long. The pinnules are lanceolate, deeply and 
acutely serrate. Both pinnse and pinnules stand 
quite clear of each other, and this is what gives the 
plant its graceful appearance. Award of Merit. 
Aspidium angulare grandiceps coronale.— The 
pinnules in this case are short, unequally rhomboid 
and toothed, with the teeth and apex of the pinnae 
all terminating in a bristle. The fronds are only 
about 18 in. long, erect, deep green, and heavily 
crested at- the apex. Award of Merit. 
Aspidium angulare plumose - divisilobum 
gracile.— One of the more stiikin ; features of this 
Fern is the uniform greenish-yellow hue of thq 
