THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 28, 1889. 
F I<Of{ IC if RT lfl( E<. 
Carnation Notes. 
Realising very fully how much the old live in the 
pist—how vividly memory reproduces the incidents 
which have given us such pleasure in that far-off time, 
and, blessed fact, gilds and refines as it renews—it was 
with no little interest I read the paper by “ Man of 
Kent” on p. 37 of your last issue. Need I say how much 
I sympathise with and reverence the spirit which, re¬ 
membering long past worth, affectionately lauds the 
1 mg lost worthies. Surely no ! I bare my head and do 
reverence with my friend. His spirit is my spirit, and 
I pray only that we may each of us in that time, when 
time with us shall have passed away, find equally 
loving remembrance and a similarly loving chronicler. 
But I must ask to be permitted to review and to 
revise his history. Beyond doubt there was wide 
and intelligent interest in florists’ flowers fifty years 
ago, and the amateur element then, as ever, was 
the inspiring soul of progress. But to assume it 
existed at that time in a larger degree than in the 
present is, in my experience, not only not true, but 
to quote Carlyle, “curiously the reverse of truth.” 
What test shall we go to to sustain this contention ? 
The records of exhibitions surely show that double the 
number of competitors are to be found around the ex- 
hifition table at the present day than was the case fifty 
years ago. Going back to the earlier years of the 
forties, I tax my memory in vain for more than six or 
eight amateurs at the farthest, supplemented with some 
four, five, or six trade growers at the utmost ; but now 
we muster from thirty to forty, with no fag-end in the 
lot, and if my experience is of any value, I am sure 
Cirnatious are now grown by hundreds instead of by 
the fifties of that older day. The stocks of trade 
gro.ve'-s also are commensurately increased. “Man of 
Kent” tells us Messrs. Youell staged 2,000 pots of 
blooming Carnations and Picotees, as they did ; but in 
these days such a stock is not unequalled even in the 
non-trader’s hands, and Mr. Charles Turner, of the 
Royal Nursery, Slough, invites his friends to inspect 
8,000 plants in bloom. 
Yery sorry should I be to be thought invidious, but 
I cannot think our friend happy in his assumption that 
when Mr. John Dickson passed away a void was created 
which has not been filled up. The brothers John and 
James Dickson were, in the early forties, large growers 
of the Carnation—probably the largest of the trade 
growers of that day—but whether as growers or raisers 
they had no pre-eminence. Turner, Keynes, Willmer, 
Norman, and some others were at least their equals ; 
before the end of the forties the Dicksons had indeed 
retired from competitions which brought them no 
victories, and as raisers it would he ridiculous to 
compare their productions with those of Sharp, Crask, 
Garrett, Matthews, Burroughes, Fellowes, Headly, May, 
Norman, and others of the south, and of Ely, and 
others in the north. Whether in Carnations .or in 
Picotees the varieties issued from the Acre Lane 
Nursery were secondary to their competitors. 
The great break of the early years of that decade was 
the Princess Alice Pieotee raised by Mr. Wood 
(Wood and Ingram), of Huntingdon. In that beau¬ 
tiful variety raisers found a quality and refinement 
never before-time equalled, and such as enabled them 
to develop the many lovely flowers existing in this day. 
And as guide, philosopher and friend, surely the “Man 
of Kent ” will not ask us to follow the man who, in 
the face of overwhelming history to the contrary, 
averred “no possible variation could be had good 
outside the class from which the seed was taken,” 
that is, no bizarre could produce a flake, no flake a 
bazarre, or any flake vary from its colour and be 
valuable. 
No, I sympathise sincerely with the feeling gov¬ 
erning the heart and mind of our friend the “Man of 
Kent ” iu his sense of the loss of his friend, but men of 
such an utterance do not create voids never to be filled, 
rather is it a mercy the utterance be forgot. 
But I entirely agree that the early forties marked a 
period of great floriculcural development, both of mind 
and matter, and if I can find strength, with the per¬ 
mission of the Editor, at some day in the p^-ly future 
I will try to show in what way and by wtem.— E. S. 
Didwell, Oxford. [Please do.—E d.] 
New Dahlias Certificated. 
Conquest. —This is an exhibition variety of moderate 
size, regular in outline, deep and semi-globular, with 
the florets small and compactly arranged, of a beautiful 
lilac, and darker in the centre of the head during their 
expansion. It was exhibited by Mr. Harris, of 
Orpington, at the last meeting of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society, and received an Award of Merit. 
Gulieljia. —The ray florets of this single Dahlia are 
white or slightly tinted with pink, with broad, very 
distinct, and well-defined buff-orange edges. The head 
is large and regular, with closely-overlapping ray 
florets and a yellow disc. The variety was raised as a 
seedling from another showing the same character, but 
less distinctly. 
Hester Dorothy. —The stems of this variety are 
dwarf, not exceeding 2| ins. in height, and the flower 
heads are large and orbicular, with broad overlapping 
florets, recurved at the tips, and of a lustrous rich 
crimson, with the disc yellow. The foliage is also dark. 
The two were exhibited by Messrs. Cheal k Sons, and 
received Awards of Merit. 
Marmion. —This is what is termed an exhibition 
Dahlia of the fancy class, and has large and well-formed 
heads somewhat flattened on the top. The ground¬ 
colour is yellow, slightly suffused with orange or 
crimson, and variously mottled and splashed with deep 
crimson. It was shown by Mr. C. Turner, Slough, and 
received an Award of Merit. 
Centenary. —A dozen blooms of this large and 
showy Cactus Dahlia were shown by Mr. J. T. West, 
Cornwalls, Brentwood, for which an Award of Merit 
was granted. The heads are of a uniform deep crimson- 
red or scarlet, with long-pointed florets, and truly of 
the Cactus type, as originally represented by Juarezi. 
The Parent of our Single Dahlias. 
I think your remark on p-. 20 to the effect that Paragon 
is the parent of the race of single Dahlias is scarcely a 
correct one ; I think D. coccinea is more deserving of 
this title. To the best of my recollection this was first 
brought to the notice of the horticultural public—I 
allude to its re-introduction—by Mr. Alfred Salter, in 
I think 1873, he having obtained it from Germany. 
D. lutea and D. alba came to the front soon after, and 
Paragon later. I can quite understand that Paragon, 
being so distinct in character, and so handsomely 
marked, was much employed as a seed parent, hence 
the tall-growing varieties which were so much grown a 
few years ago. But even while the tall types were 
being grown there were dwarf-growing ones also. 
From, I think, D. gracilis the late Mr. Thomas Moore 
obtained at the Chelsea Botanic Garden some very 
elegant, small-flowered, dwarf-growing varieties, not 
more than from 2 ft. to 2| ft. in height.— IV. L. E. 
Hollyhocks from Darlington. 
Mr. Geo. Findlay, The Gardens, East Layton Hall, 
Darlington, who has been a very successful exhibitor of 
Hollyhocks, has favoured us with a boxful of magnificent 
blooms, which would do credit to any exhibition stand, 
even when Hollyhocks are supposed to be at their best. 
Mr. Findlay informs us he has gained seventy-two first 
and second prizes for this class of plants, and we are 
not surprised at it, judging from the quality of those 
sent, and which have been cut from the upper portion 
of the flower-stem. 
The finest of the blooms sent, in our opinion, was 
Queen of the Yellows, pale primrose-yellow, about 
5 ins. in diameter and 3 ins. deep, with a broad con¬ 
spicuous guard, and the petals of the centre also broad 
and beautifully undulated or interlaced with one 
another in order to find accommodation, but for all that 
they are not densely crowded. Favourite is another 
excellent kind, especially in colour, which is of a 
charming soft rose. Some of the rosettes were open, 
but we were informed the bloom sent was a poor one. 
A very striking bloom is John Findlay, of a rich, daik 
crimson-red, with a silvery white, much reticulated 
venation on the underside of the petals. The Earl of 
Dalkeith is also a massive flower of a pale reddish pink 
hue, having the undulated petals faintly netted with 
white. The flower of Grace Darling is very massive 
and deep, but the petals are a little too crowded, and 
they are several shades darker than those of the last 
named. V r . E. Gladstone is a pale blush kind with a 
pink centre and a broad guard, but the same objection 
as to crowding is here as in the last. A charming 
flower is Venus, of a beautiful salmony pink, and of 
regular outline, with a broad guard and undulated 
petals. Of those above named, Queen of the Yellows, 
John Findlay, Favourite, and Venus are certainly the 
best, and ought always to be included in a collection. 
Of course, some allowance must be made for the skill 
of the cultivator, of which we had evidence also in the 
foliage accompanying the blooms. The leaves were of 
great size, of a rich dark green, and perfectly free from 
disease. 
Winter-blooming Carnations. 
Writing to Mr. Dodwell on the subject of winter- 
blooming Carnations, I have received the following 
Teply, which, believing it will interest many of your 
readers, I have sought and obtained his permission to 
send to you 
“We have the numbers you ask for, but they are 
layered.plants from the summer-blooming stock, and 
therefore, unless subjected to marked forcing treatment, 
which I should never recommend, would not bloom 
until we have another summer with us. As a rule, 
unless subjected to exceptional treatment, Carnations 
require to be upon their own roots for ten or eleven 
months before they give their bloom. An autumn, a 
winter, or a spring-blooming plant should therefore be 
grown on through the summer months, and this they 
do when made from cuttings taken in late autumn and 
early spring. Many a time and oft I have been asked 
what is the difference between the so-called tree Car¬ 
nations and those of summer-blooming habit. The 
question is a vain one. There is no difference ; no 
more difference, at least, than exists between bizarres, 
flakes, Picotees, seifs, fancies, or the yellow-grounds 
Every variety has its individuality, and its period *f 
bloom is a question of treatment. Of all the beautifiil 
flowers God has given to His creatures for the adorn¬ 
ment of the earth I know of none more docile to fhe 
hand of the intelligent cultivator, more full of gloruus 
results, than the Carnation.”—(?., Northampton. 
Chrysanthemum, Annie Stevens. 
Of two now seedling Chrysanthemums exhibited by 
Mr. George Stevens, Putney, at the meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, on the 17th iust, an 
Award of Merit was granted to that above named. It 
is a Japanese variety, and evidently early, measuring 
from 4 ins. to 6 ins. in diameter. The long, slender, 
twisted florets are spreading or recurved, and quite 
yellow on first expansion, but gradually change to 
white, the centre of the head being the last to lose its 
primal-}' hue. On the whole, it promises to become a 
useful variety. 
Dressing Carnations. 
No, no, friend “ W. K. G.,” do not say that the 
Carnations as dressed for the stage are hideous ; I can¬ 
not go so far with you. They must require some 
amount of artistic skill to produce such monstrous 
exaggerations of an exquisitely beautiful flower, but as 
tastes differ so widely, there might be some modification 
in the management, so as to suit the various grades. I 
must confess that the brilliant display on the show 
table became very monotonous after the first two or three 
boxes, and the task of the judges must have been a 
very difficult one under any circumstances, the system 
of dressing bringing the boxes to such a degree of 
equality. I certainly should not like to have under¬ 
taken the work of judging the merits of the boxes and 
their individual blooms. Then, again, the number of 
single blooms shown at Oxford was preposterous, and 
if it continues on these lines I fear that some will lose 
interest in the show proper. A little change might be 
made without a very radical alteration. If a division 
were devoted to the staging of blooms in natural form, 
and the single blooms so reduced as to allow of the 
display of new seedlings of merit, I am sure that 
amongst the number of enthusiastic amateurs who 
annually meet at our social gathering there must be 
some members of the Union who from time to time 
produce blooms worthy of recognition, and if these 
were brought to the annual gathering and exhibited 
undressed, iu natural form, there is every prospect, 
with our present rate of progress, that something far in 
advance of what we now have might become the 
common property of the Union. I, for one, annually 
raise and bloom from 1,000 to 2,000 seedlings, and 
amongst these I find flowers of exquisite beauty in size, 
form and colour, so diversified in character as to induce 
constant admiration and attention. 
As I sit writing I have blooms before me of exceed¬ 
ing great beauty thus late in the season, and there is 
every prospect of a long continuance if the weather 
keeps open, as not above half of my plants have 
bloomed yet. I intend to take up and pot many of 
the most promising, and place them in a cold house, 
giving them a little higher temperature as they show 
for flower. I may possibly obtain a considerable 
amount of winter and spring bloom. I shall most 
willingly place at the disposal of my brother unionists 
any of my productions which from time to time may 
be found worthy. If others would do the same our 
efforts might raise and organise such an institution as 
