July 2, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
689 
marked. A host of seedlings of first class value have 
not yet received names, the very finest only having 
obtained that distinction. The bulk of them are, 
however, improvements upon most of the previously 
named kinds, and it is not evident what perfection 
will yet be attained. 
Single Varieties. 
The new varieties for this year naturally claim at¬ 
tention, but last year's ones are still in the front rank, 
and we could not do justice to the collection by 
omitting them. Amongst the new varieties for this 
year is H. M. Stanley, with maroon-crimson flowers, 
darker than those of Duke of Edinburgh, and stems 
only io in. to 12 in. high. Lady Scott is equally 
dwarf and pure white, with short, stiff, erect flower 
stalks. The orbicular bright scarlet flowers ol Lord 
Hillingdon are of large size and erect. The flowers 
of Gigantea are of great size, clear bright rose, of 
good shape, and freely produced. Sir Thos. Payne 
is also floriferous, and of a brilliant crimson. A very 
fine sort is Mrs. Blundell, with golden-bronze flowers 
curiously corrugated during expansion. Lady Pigott 
has salmon flowers tinted with pink, and is very 
dwarf. Fringed White is perhaps the greatest 
novelty of the season, with large, orbicular, pure 
white and deeply fringed flowers. 
Seedlings may also be looked upon as new varieties 
which have not yet received names, and it must 
suffice here merely to note their most prominent 
features. One object aimed at is to get dwarf 
branching habit and short, stout flower stalks so that 
they may hold their heads erect. Of this kind we 
noted some having crimson-scarlet, crimson, orange 
shaded with bronzy-red, rose with light centre, pale 
sulphur or bone coloured with a pink edge to 
the outer sepals, orange - red with a crimson 
shading in the centre, salmon - pink with a 
creamy-white centre, pink and blush, brilliant 
scarlet, maroon - crimson with a white centre, 
delicate rose with a dark centre, creamy with rose 
edges, clear bright yellow, magenta-rose, orange- 
scarlet, and bright carmine tinted with violet and 
having a light centre. Amongst the yellow varieties 
we noted one with dark green leaves of enormous 
length, and another had larger flowers possibly than 
any yet obtained, and certainly deserves a name. 
The great substance of the flowers of the newer 
varieties is very marked by contrast with many of 
the older kinds which, though beautiful, appear 
flimsy by comparison. Usually the colours are most 
concentrated towards the edges of the sepals, but 
a new race has the centre darkes*. 
One of the finest of the newer kinds is Duchess 
of Westminster, of an intense carmine with a 
white centre, and cerise margins to the inner sepals. 
The smaller flowers of Duchess of Leinster are 
orange-red tinted salmon. Delicatissima is of the 
Duchess of Westminster type, but has the colours 
confined to the very margins. Leviathan has huge 
rose flowers and stems 2 ft. to 3 ft. high. Queen 
Victoria, one of the royal set, has large rose flowers 
and is still a grand Begonia. Enchantress has 
broader margins than Delicatissima, and Charmer 
has more extensive colour of the same type. A good 
and floriferous white variety is Constance ; and the 
crimson-scarlet Flori- 
bundais well named, bear¬ 
ing five to six blooms in a 
truss. The outer petals of 
Lady Foley are creamy 
white,tinted with pink and 
the inner ones withsalmon. 
The flowers of Princess 
Victoria are of handsome 
proportions,rose andwhite 
in the centre. We noted a 
huge spreading plant of 
Lady Whitehead bearing 
six to eight flowers in a 
truss,and of arosycarmine 
with a light centre. The 
carmine flowers of Mrs. 
Milner have branching 
white veins on both sur¬ 
faces and show a near ap¬ 
proach to a striped variety. 
The orbicular sal mon-rose 
flowers of E. G. Hill hold 
themselves erect. The 
maroon-crimson flowers of 
Darkest Africa are pro¬ 
duced in great abundance, 
and are useful by way of 
contrast with the paler or 
more brilliant kinds. Mr. 
R. Ballantine was the 
largest and finest bright 
yellow last year. Begonias 
are not usually noted for 
their fragrance, but we 
detected one with the 
odour of Marechal Neil 
Rose and were informed 
that the variety was so 
named. 
Double Sorts. 
While it must be ad¬ 
mitted that the single 
Begonias make the finest 
display in a house 
when grown in quantity, 
yet there is a bold 
and imposing appear¬ 
ance about the doubles which fascinates the cultivator 
and the public at large. Some resemble Hollyhocks, 
Camellias, or Roses, and the latter change their 
character during development. Picotee, a new one, 
is well named, for the flesh-coloured sepals have a 
rose-coloured margin, and are all arranged around a 
common centre, a fact which gives them an addition¬ 
ally refined appearance. The blooms of Sir Trevor 
Lawrence resemble a bunch of Tea Roses in bud, 
and are crimson-scarlet. Those of Duchess of Teck 
on the contrary resemble a bunch of Primroses from 
their formation and colour ; and those of Lad/ 
Brook are of a uniform glowing salmon with one 
centre or a number of them, like tiny Rose-buds. 
Laing's Rose Bud is a gem, with the blush-pink 
sepals in the early stages compactly arranged in the 
form of a Rose-bud, and like a Camellia when fully 
expanded, owing to the broad, rounded sepals being 
closely and neatly imbricated. Purity is pure white, 
and quite double. The bright salmon flowers of 
Glory of Stanstead have the broad outer sepals un¬ 
dulated, and are highly attractive. Those of Baron 
Schroder are brilliant scarlet, very freely produced 
John Laing 
International Rose Show and Fete —A floral festival 
of a very unusual kind has been organised by the 
directors of the International Horticultural Exhibi¬ 
tion for Tuesday and Wednesday next, when there 
will be displayed at Earl’s Court such a collection of 
Roses, Orchids, Begonias, and herbaceous plants as 
has not previously been seen in London. Indeed, 
the promoters are sanguine enough to promise the 
greatest Rose show that has ever been known in 
Europe, and taking into account the fact that the 
management have hitherto more than fulfilled their 
promises, there is no reason to suppose they will 
show anv shortcoming on this occasion. All the 
celebrated English Rose growers will be represented 
by their most perfect specimens, and many 
Continental growers will also take part in the dis¬ 
play, sending their newest developments of Roses. 
It will be " Roses, Roses, all the way,” as Browning 
sang ; and if fine weather should favour the affair, 
a brilliant gathering both of flowers and people may 
be confidently looked for. But there will be much to 
attract besides Roses; Mr. 
Sander, of St. Albans, 
and other growers will 
exhibit a splendid collec¬ 
tion of Orchids, and a 
remarkable display of 
table decorations is 
arranged for in the main 
building. A number of 
tables, each laid as for 
twelve persons, will be 
decorated with flowers, 
Ferns, Palms, foliage, and 
fountains, constituting a 
distinctive feature which 
everyone will appreciate. 
There will be over a 
hundred classes of exhibits 
in all, and the successful 
contributors will receive 
valuable money prizes, 
medals, and certificates. 
Amongst the judges will be 
several eminent Conti¬ 
nental Rose growers. It is 
worth while mentioning 
that the executive of the 
International Horticul¬ 
tural Exhibition, by post¬ 
poning their great Rose 
fete until next week, so as 
not to interfere with other 
shows, are placed in the 
advantageous position of 
getting their Roses at the 
best period, the Rose 
season being rather late 
this year. 
BEGONIAS AT 
FOREST HILL 
The annual raising and 
planting of seedling Bego¬ 
nias in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, 
Forest Hill, is no small 
matter. At the time of our 
visit the other week the planting was not quite com¬ 
pleted, although it had been going on for three weeks 
previously. Of the enormous number raised, about 
half a million were pricked out in boxes ; the ground 
in the open allotted to Begonias has been extended 
and thick planting has been resorted to in order to 
dispose of the plants. The space devoted to the 
single kinds contains about 200,000, and a smaller 
piece is occupied with doubles to the number of 
50,000. A large number of this year’s seedlings have 
been potted up in 48-size pots, and we noted some 
very fine doubles amongst them already in bloom. 
Two new houses, each about 100 ft. long, have been 
built to accommodate them, and there are about 
5,000 in one of the houses. Things are not done by 
halves here, and strenuous efforts are made to meet 
a great popular demand. 
At present we are more concerned with the older 
plants, including last year’s seedlings, which are now 
in bloom. Within the last few years a great revolu¬ 
tion has been affected in the character of the plants, 
and flowers both single and double, the improvement 
in the form and refinement of the latter being well 
