818 
August 22, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
spots being thickest towards the centre of the 
flower. Madame Beuvron, another single, is a rosy- 
pink, spotted with white. Jeanne D’Arc, the third 
of this section, bears large double flowers, exhibiting 
a beautiful shade of lavender-pink, mottled with 
deep pink. 
Double varieties are also well represented. The 
latest addition to their ranks is the double Henry 
Jacoby, in which we get the same rich deep shade of 
crimson as in the single form. The habit is all that 
could be desired. White Abbey is one of the best 
white sorts yet raised, very free, and of excellent 
habit. Lady Candahar isofan intense salmon shade, 
and a distinct improvement on Lord Hartington, 
which it much resembles. 
As may well be imagined, large number of seed¬ 
lings are raised each year, and the processes of 
selection and rejection are continually at work. The 
young plants are potted on until they reach a 6-in. 
pot, in which they are expected to flower. As soon 
as the first bloom truss shows, the points are pinched 
out, and the plants liberally treated so as to get a 
fair idea from the first flower as to whether the 
variety is worth keeping or no. If not, it is straight¬ 
way consigned to the rubbish heap. 
To properly carry out the immense amount of 
work entailed by propagating and growing on existing 
varieties, as well as the raising of seedlings, a vast 
amount of under-glass space is required, and several 
houses, each of them a ioo ft. in length, are exclu¬ 
sively devoted to this work. Bedding Pelargoniums 
receive a lot of attention, and as the plants are all in 
small pots, and are stood quite closely together it 
may be imagined what a host of plants even one of 
these large houses contains. 
Double-flowered Ivy-leaf varieties are great 
favourites the country over, and we were, therefore, 
not surprised to find that the Messrs. Cannell 
have a very warm side for them. Beauty 
of Castle Hill and Ryecroft Surprise are too well- 
known to need further description here. The 
magenta-purple blooms of Giroflee are charming, 
indeed, as are also the rich scarlet ones of Flambeau. 
Souvenir de Charles Turner produces giant trusses 
6 in. to 8 in. in diameter, and pips from i\ in. to 
3 in. over when in good condition. It exhibits a 
deep pink shade, slightly feathered with maroon in 
the upper petals, 
Our visit more than ever convinced us that after 
all the good old " Geranium,” as so many cottagers 
love to call it, is as yet unsurpassed for decorative 
value, and that in Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons we 
have some of its most skilled and successful cultiva¬ 
tors and improvers. 
-*+«■- 
THE BRITISH GERANIUMS. 
In reply to “ Sigma ” (p. 798) my reason for con¬ 
sidering Geranium molle as the commonest species 
was because it can maintain itself in pastures and 
even on lawns that are closely and regularly cut with 
the mowing machines. Both the type and the white 
variety sometimes occur in abundance under such 
conditions. G. dissectum, on the other hand, favours 
cultivated ground, waysides, and waste places where 
the soil is fairly loose. I was not a little surprised 
at his statements concerning the plentitude of G. 
pratense on the banks of the Thames. Whatever 
your correspondent may mean by the banks being 
lined with this Geranium, I cannot say ; for they must 
be very thinly lined with it between Oxford and 
Sutton Courtney; between Henley-on-Thames and 
Maidenhead; and between Runnymead and Erith, 
in Kent. However, I shall have another look when 
next I pass these and other places on the “ River of 
Pleasure ” as modern writers are pleased to dub the 
winding and meandering old Father Thames, which 
is seldom in a hurry, above tide, to reach the sea. 
If G. pratense be plentiful some of the Lily 
family are even more so in isolated localities. For 
instance, the meadow’s at Oxford and Ifley are purple 
with the common Fritillary in May; and at other 
places they are blue with the autumn Squill in 
August and September. 
Impatiens fulva I detected on the banks of some 
of the mouths of the River Colne between Hounslow 
and Sunbury, just ten years ago, and since then it 
has lined the banks of the Thames, at least as far 
down as Mortlake. Both this species and I. parvi- 
flora are included in the seventh edition of the London 
Catalogue, and the names are printed in italics to in¬ 
dicate that they are not indigenous to Britain. Both 
names occur in the eighth edition, but I. fulva is pre¬ 
ceded by an asterisk to indicate that it is thoroughly 
established. I. parviflora I should honour with the 
same distinction, for I have noted it in Middlesex for 
the last sixteen years. 1 1 also crops up in Surrey in 
widely-remote localities east and west. Both species 
are included in the ninth edition (1895) of the London 
Catalogue, only I. fulva gets the name of I. biflora. 
This publication can change its mind as well as its 
editor, at its own sweet will. Impatiens diflers only in 
minor particulars from Geranium in having coloured 
sepals, a free spur, numerous seeds in the capsule, 
and in the absence of a beak to the fruit. All good, 
modern authorities make the Balsamineae a section 
of Geraniaceae. The London Catalogue includes Im¬ 
patiens in the latter order.— Collector. 
-•*«- 
UP IN A BALLOON. 
“ Now be here a few minutes before the time, as the 
ascent will be made precisely at 5.15." So said Mr. 
Percival Spencer as I concluded arrangements for 
what was to be, even to a commercial traveller, a 
novel journey. 
Accordingly just before the appointed time I was 
ready to take my place in the car. I was accom- 
Begonia' Miss Emily Atkinson. 
(Showing habit: see p. 817.) 
panied by several friends who were anxious to see 
me off. At almost the last moment one of them 
said, “ Oh, before you leave us 30U might just book 
me this order.” I booked it, but it seemed to me as 
though he had an idea it was about the last I should 
book. 
In addition to the aeronaut (Mr. Shipley) my 
companion passenger was Dr. Hardy, of Newcastle, 
who proved to be a jolly fellow. By the way, Mr. 
Editor, when you go a ballooning always take a 
doctor or an undertaker or something. They might 
prove useful. Having taken our places in the car 
our friends shook hands, one of them requesting that 
if we came across anything new in the way of horti¬ 
culture up there we would take note of the same and 
duly report it to the society. We said we would. 
One gentleman from Ipswich whispered, ‘‘Well, 
good bye S-, you’ll be a sight nearer heaven 
this afternoon than you're ever likely to be again.” 
I thanked him. But we parted more in sorrow than 
in anger, for he was a horticulturist. All was now 
ready for the signal to “ let go,” but we delayed a 
little while to witness a very interesting ceremony 
which was being performed close by. This was the 
christening of a magnificent new balloon, which 
after captive ascents was to make its maiden voyage 
next day. The ceremony, which was performed by 
the Mayoress of Newcastle, consisted in the breaking 
of a large bottle of champagne over the car and 
naming the balloon “ The City of Newcastle.” The 
Doctor thought the breaking of this bottle ridiculous 
and was wasting good stuff, and suggested that 
another bottle should be put in our car as ballast. 
The signal was now given to let go—both balloons 
rose together, a fine sight. We soon, however, 
overtook the captive, which had run the length of 
its cable, and we quickly left far below both the Cities 
of Newcastle. After throwing out a quantity of 
tracts, reminding people below that a certain useful 
commodity almost indispensable (thank goodness) to 
horticulture still existed, we began to take observa¬ 
tions. 
There is no sensation whatever in ascending. 
The earth seems to be gradually sinking and the 
balloon appears to be perfectly motionless. The 
evening was beautiful when we started and the 
panorama truly grand. To the east, beyond the 
smoky city, could be seen the North Sea; to the 
west the Tyne appeared like a huge snake stretching 
away towards Hexham. The wind being in this 
direction we were travelling towards that picturesque 
old town. I cannot correctly describe the beauty of 
the natural picture as it appeared from our altitude, 
but shall never forget it. 
Having travelled some nine or ten miles a lookout 
was kept for a suitable place to descend. Our 
captain, as we called Mr. Shipley, was not well 
acquainted with the local rural districts, so it was 
left to the Doctor to point out a likely place where 
a horse and trap could be obtained to convey the 
empty balloon and ourselves to the nearest railway 
station. The Doctor soon pointed out a farmhouse 
where he was sure we could be accommodated. 
Preparations were now made to descend. The 
valve was opened, slowly the earth seemed to be 
rising towards us. In a field we observed a number 
of men building a hay stack, and it was evident it 
was here that we should land. I have seen men 
show remarkable activity in leaving work on the first 
stroke of the dinner hour, but nothing to the alacrity 
displa)ed by these fellows in deserting their hay 
stack to give chase to us. We came to the earth 
with a little bit of a bump calculated to make the 
teeth of a circular saw rattle. I know it made the 
remains of my once fine set meet together in a 
manner not altogether pleasant. 
‘‘Whatever you do,” said our captain, ‘‘do no 
leave the car.” We did’nt. We had’nt time. We 
were dancing along the ground at a rate about 
equivalent to that of a Chatham & Dover express (?) 
train, and were in danger of coming into violent 
collision with a tall hedge. To avoid this, ballast 
was thrown out, and before the men could secure 
our rope, we were flying heavenward at a good speed. 
We bade the men “come on," but for some reason 
or other they gave up the chase and stood gazing at 
the fast disappearing balloon. 
In a very few minutes the earth was entirely lost 
to view and we were now above the clouds. Nothing 
was visible below but a thick cloud. Apparently 
we were quite stationary, yet we were travelling fast 
for we had found another current and were being 
driven, as we afterwards found, northwards. When 
we started we were sailing due west. Our captain 
was unwilling to descend during this state of the 
atmosphere as there was danger of falling into water 
or on trees. 
For over an hour we remained above the clouds. 
The deathly stillness made a peculiar impression. 
Not a sound could be heard other than our own 
voices. It was cold, and the instrument indicated 
that we had reached a height of two miles. Very 
cautiously the valve was opened again and the 
instrument showed we were descending rapidly. The 
valve was again closed, and for a time we remained 
some 3,000 ft. high. So heavy and low were the 
clouds that it was impossible to discern anything 
whatever below, therefore there was nothing for it 
but to wait in the hope of the lower clouds speedily 
clearing. 
The Doctor began to worry. He had left his wife 
and his bicycle in the show ground awaiting his 
return, for it seems we were expected back there 
about 7.30 p.m. It was now 7 o'clock, but where 
were we? •' Patience,” said our captain. “Yes" 
replied the Doctor, “ its my patients I'm thinking of 
What about them ? ” I suggested that he should 
give them a chance. Mr. Shipley concurred, and it 
