748 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 25, 1896. 
rewarded in the hundreds of splendid varie¬ 
ties he has been able to raise and place 
before an admiring public. Experiments 
in the cultivation and improvement of 
Carnations were commenced by him in a 
small way just eight years ago, and present 
results far exceed the most sanguine expect¬ 
ations he could have had when he inaugu¬ 
rated these trials. Neither could Mr. 
Barnard above mentioned, in his puny 
efforts, have anticipated a rival in his own 
county of Kent, who should so far outstrip 
him, in the person of Mr. Smith. In the 
short time at our disposal last Saturday, we 
were unable to ascertain the number of 
varieties raised by Mr. Smith, and suffi¬ 
ciently meritorious to be worthy of 
preservation and a name ; but our readers 
will be able to glean an idea of the magni¬ 
tude of operations, when we state that 200 
were selected and named from last year’s 
plantation of seedlings. All were bloomed in 
the open ground, and this year something 
like 15,000 seedlings have been planted out, 
and occupy an acre and a half of ground in 
a field apart from the garden, and close to 
Hayes Railway Station. The labour 
attaching to this extensive plantation of 
seedlings, quite apart from the magnificent 
collection of named varieties, is very great. 
In order to give Mr. Blick, the gardener, an 
opportunity of attending properly to the 
wants of this extensive plantation, and to 
attend to the plants, in the matter of 
pricking off and transplanting them to their 
permanent quarters in the open ground, two 
sowings were made—the first on January 
4th last, and the second about the middle of 
March. The first batch was transplanted 
to the open ground about six weeks before 
the rest, and are now bushy plants, 4 in. to 
6 in.high, and even at some distance already 
making a respectable appearance. By far 
the greater proportion of the whole of the 
seed was sown, however, about the middle 
of March, and the plants are about 3 in. to 
4 in. high, and beginning to throw out 
numerous side shoots. The seeds are sown 
in pans and the seedlings pricked off into 
boxes when fit to handle. 
Those sown last year have been a mass of 
bloom for sometime, and the mass of bloom 
on each individual plant is something 
marvellous. Though they are planted in 
lines about 18 in. apart each way, they have 
completely covered the ground. The 
affinities of the plants from each separate 
cross can readily be detected in the lines ; 
and amongst the darker and self kinds we 
noted scarlet, orange-scarlet, crimson, 
purple, and other hues all from the self¬ 
same pod. It is not surprising that the 
colours should be very unstable after so 
much crossing and inter-crossing; and 
moreover, the same variety may change its 
colour at the second time of flowering. This 
will happen, notwithstanding the utmost 
care in the operation, and through no fault 
or inadvertence of the operator. Already a 
large number had been singled out and 
numbered or named for propagation by 
layering, and for preservation. Amongst 
those now in bloom we noticed 
a large number of dwarfs or pigmies, 
in habit, recalling Cupid Sweet Pea, 
and only 3 in. to 6 in. high, with the 
flowers resting on the top of the foliage. 
They are of several colours ; but probably 
none of them come up to Mr. Smith’s 
standard of merit. Many of the marked 
ones are of of great excellence, and promise 
under more favourable conditions to excel 
when they come into bloom again next year. 
A very large percentage of the flowers 
comes perfectly double ; so that those who 
require large quantities for cut bloom, or 
ordinary garden decoration, could not do 
better than raise a batch annually from such 
excellent strains as these. 
Even now, operations are rapidly in pro¬ 
gress, preparing for the display that will 
take place exactly two years hence. A new 
house protects the plants that are being 
crossed for the production of seed. Here 
Mr. Smith spends all his spare time in 
effecting the crosses ; for to him this is a 
pleasure, and a labour of love and lively 
expectation, such as only those can feel who 
keenly watch the results of the labours of 
their own hands, fully prepared for fresh 
triumphs, surprises, and all that those things 
imply. Bees and other insects are carefully 
excluded from the house in which these pot 
plants are grown. They are not disbudded 
at all when grown for seed production, 
which is most abundant from plants so left 
to Nature. The seed pods of disbudded 
plants, being too highly nourished, are 
liable to damp off, and thus frustrate the 
object intended,with a corresponding loss of 
time and labour. A record of all the crosses 
made and the results obtained are carefully 
committed to writing, so that this fine 
collection consists of pedigree plants, whose 
history can be traced to the very beginning 
of the experiments at The Warren. 
The natural soil in this part of Kent is 
very poor, consisting, as it does, of 3 in. of 
peat, and gravel below that, in the garden 
proper. In the field where the seedlings 
are planted out, there is about 12 in.of soil, 
and solid rock a little below that. It is 
necessary, therefore, in such poor ground, to 
introduce some fresh soil for every planta¬ 
tion that is made, particularly in the garden 
proper. Seedlings are by no means so 
fastidious as layers ; for they have been 
grown upon the same ground in the garden 
for the last five years, but are heavily 
manured. Layers, however, require fresh 
soil every year. To a bed of some seventeen 
square yards, four loads of fresh loam and 
and one and a half loads of well rotted cow 
manure would be applied. This is not at 
all surprising when we consider the hungry 
nature of the gravelly soil,with its enormous 
complement of smooth, water-worn pebbles. 
Space forbids us from entering into a 
description of the beautiful named varieties ; 
but we shall return to that point in an early 
issue. Suffice to say that the three leading 
types at present being developed here are 
seifs, yellow ground Picotees, and yellow 
ground fancies. The number and quality 
of these are remarkable, as they are varied 
and beautiful. All are border varieties and 
perfectly hardy, for they are left in the open 
ground during winter. Out of some 
thousands, only about a hundred perished 
during the severe winter in the early part of 
1895. In this respect Mr. Smith’s Carna¬ 
tions greatly excel those raised in Kent 
during the years’ preceding and succeeding 
1818. The vigour of the plants and the 
quantity and length of the shoots for layer¬ 
ing, produced by the named varieties in 
pots, are something remarkable. Mr. 
Blick is as enthusiastic as his master, and 
results show that he is an adept in Carna¬ 
tion culture, both under glass and in the 
open ground. 
- . 1 — - 
Midland Carnation and Picotee Society.—Owing to 
the very early season, the dates of this exhibition 
were altered to Friday and Saturday, July 24th and 
25th. 
Royal Horticultural Society —The next meeting of 
the R.H.S. fruit, floral, and Orchid committees will 
take place in the Drill Hall, James Street, Victoria 
Street, on Tuesday, July 28 th, at 12 noon. At 3 p.m. 
a lecture on “Cacti" will be given by Mr. C. H. 
Chapman, F.R.H.S. 
Cardiff Horticultural Society.—At a recent general 
meeting, judges for the forthcoming show on the 
12th and 13th of August were appointed. All 
arrangements for the same were reported to be pro¬ 
gressing satisfactorily, although the society had sus¬ 
tained a serious loss in the death of Mr. John D. 
Morgan, one of the oldest, and most influential 
members. 
The Violet is the national floral emblem of Greece. 
Fishponds Flower Show.—The West Gloucestershire 
and District Carnation, Picotee, and Pansy Society's 
show was opened at Fishponds on Wednesday, July 
15th, by the Duchess of Beaufort. The committee 
are to be congratulated upon the success attending 
their efforts, the number of exhibits having been 
much in excess of previous years. 
The Marlborough Workmen’s Flower Show, which 
was held on July 14th, has been ah unqualified 
success. The entries numbered about 300. The 
groups of plants were a special feature of the show, 
and the competition for the prizes offered was Keen. 
The first awards for the best kept gardens were 
carried off by Mrs. Knapp, and Mr. Ccok, the 
judges being specially pleased with the neatness and 
arrangement of the various gardens visited. 
Bristol Amateur Horticultural Society.—The weekly 
holiday during the summer months is utilised by 
this society in visiting famous gardens in the neigh¬ 
bourhood. A party of forty recently availed them¬ 
selves of an invitation from Captain Belfield, J.P., 
to visit his garden and grounds at Frenchay. While 
passing through the houses the visitors were highly 
interested with the magnificent collection of Todeas, 
species of Filmy Ferns, collected by Captain Belfield 
in New Zealand, during his travels. By close 
observation of their requirements, he has been able 
to bring their culture to great excellence, surpassed 
by few, if any, in this country. 
Dane Park, Margate.—A plan of this park as it is 
proposed to have it laid out appears in a recent 
issue of the Thanet Times. The plan and the esti¬ 
mates of cost have been prepared by Messrs. J. 
Cheal & Sons, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley, Sussex ; 
and the park itself should prove a useful and orna¬ 
mental ajunct to the numerous other resources of 
this popular resort. It is to be bounded by planta¬ 
tions and clumps of trees and shrubs, intersected by 
various winding paths which will form useful 
promenades when the grass is too wet to walk upon 
with comfort. All the centre will be occupied with 
an open grass area, in the centre of which is the 
cricket ground. The park is roughly oval in outline, 
and towards one corner of it is the plan of a lake. 
It is also proposed to have the old farm-house upon 
it pulled down, and a neat lodge erected for the park- 
keeper. 
The Shamrock.—In the spring of this year Mr. N, 
Colgan (vice-president of the Dublin Naturalist Field 
Club) exhibited at the Science and Art Museum, 
Dublin, a series of mounted specimens in flower, 
illustrating the widely different views that prevail in 
the different parts of Ireland as to the true Sham- 
roch. Opinion seems to be divided between two 
species of Clover—Trifolium minus and T. repens. 
The wood sorrel, Oxalir Acetosella is said to have 
been the Shamrock of the past which is now ignored 
Then again the Black Medick is the Shamrock 
according to some. Trifolium repens is the Sham¬ 
rock of the South. Judging by the large quantity 
that is gathered and sent to friends abroad to be 
worn on St. Patrick's Day, I think the reason why 
opinion differs so, must be that some of the species 
are more plentiful in some districts than in others 
There is no doubt but Irishmen are proud of the 
dear little plants, and some of them believe it will 
not grow in any other country but the Green Isle.— 
Castleboro', Ireland. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms.—Some fine things were 
again picked up at the Central Sale Rooms of Messrs. 
Protheroe and Morris, on Friday the 18th inst. 
There was most competition for a fine dark variety 
of Laelia elegans,which was finally knocked down to 
Henry Little, Esq., of St. MArgarets, Twickenham, 
for 14 gs. The flowers were still only in the bud 
state. The beautiful Dendrobium Falconeri 
giganteum fetched 6J gs. What appeared a natural 
hybrid between Laelia grandis and L. xanthina, and 
possibly imported with L. grandis tenebrosa, was 
knocked down to Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., for 
5^ gs. A small plant of Bulbophyllum tremulum 
consisting of four or five pseudobulbs passed into 
the possession of—Berkenshaw, Esq., at the fall of 
the hammer fcr 4 gs. It comes nearest to the re¬ 
markably curious and exceedingly interesting B. 
barbigerum. A good batch of Renantheraimschco- 
tiana, the gem of the genus, sold very freely at prices 
ranging from 26s. to £2 5s. 
