216 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 7, 1889. 
The Classification of Yellow Ground 
Carnations. 
When' in August last I contributed to the Gardeners' 
Magazine, soon after the meeting of the Carnation 
Union at Oxford, some modest suggestions as to the 
time having arrived when a classification of the 
numerous varieties now comprehended under the head 
of yellow ground Carnations is desirable, I had no 
idea that itwould have called forth either such a strong 
remonstrance from my old friend, Mr. E. S. Dodwell, 
or milder protests from others. I have no reason to 
regret having taken this step. I simply committed to 
paper impressions left on my mind from what I had 
seen staged as yellow grounds at Carnation shows, and 
the thoughts of others likewise interested in Carnation 
culture. My contention was, and still is, that the 
yellow grounds are now so numerous as to admit of a 
classification ; but who is to be the competent author¬ 
ity to undertake this work I do not venture to 
suggest. It is a great and important task, whoever 
undertakes it ; it will have to be done some day, and I 
am of opinion that the sooner it is taken in hand the 
easier will be the task. It should not be the work of 
one man only ; it would be better performed by three 
individuals at least, and having the confidence of the 
Carnation-loving community. But how the classifiers 
shoul 1 be appointed it is not for me to say, as it will, 
no doubt, be some time before that stage of the matter 
is reached. 
I start with this initial proposition—a proposition 
advanced by the late Dr. Horner, forty years ago, when 
yellow Carnations comprised a small collection of 
weakly-constitutioned varieties:—That the yellow 
ground “affords scope for infinite diversity of shade, 
from a light primrose to that of an orange-yellow. Let 
the imagination of the florist depict the countless 
distinctions and differences between these two extremes.” 
Dr. Horner saw only what it might be possible to 
procure were attempts made to improve upon the 
weakly flowers grown in his day under the name of 
Yellow Picotees. He could picture to himself “the 
undefinable and unlimited contrasts that would be 
presented in the combination and the variety of the 
lacing or edging, which this flower even already possesses 
in its red, its pink, its chocolate, its crimson, and its 
purple, &c., of every hue,” were resolute attempts made 
in the direction of improvement. Dr. Horner has treated 
only of the edged Picotee, and he probably did not 
dream of the large number of yellow Carnations grown 
and exhibited forty years afterwards. 
Now, in the present day, there is classed under the 
general head of yellow grounds a heterogeneous group 
of varieties, ranging from the pure yellow self to flowers 
also called yellows, of reddish, brownish, slaty, and 
other shades—anything that can be classed as a yellow 
(and it requires a stretch of the imagination to find much 
yellow in some of them) comes under the head of yellow 
grounds. A large number of these should go into what 
is known as the fancy class, and they can be shown at 
the present time as fancies or yellows. I claim to be 
as broad in my views as Mr. Dodwell himself, and 
though I cannot see much of yellow in not a few of the 
flowers classed as yellow grounds, I can observe beauty 
in all of them, and admire them as much as anyone ; 
but my contention is they are not yellows, and therefore 
I reject them as such. I want to see the purity of the 
yellow ground recognised, as in the case of the white 
ground Carnations and Picotees, but still admitting as 
much diversity as possible between the shades men¬ 
tioned by Dr. Horner, “ light primrose to orange- 
yellow.” 
Mr. Rowan so far goes with me, that he favours a 
class for yellow seifs. I want to see a class for yellow 
seifs in our schedule of prizes ; I think they should be 
separated from the ordinary and all-embracing section 
of seifs, which includes any colour from white to black. 
We have a large number of self-flowers of great size and 
beauty, and they increase rapidly year by year. A 
considerable proportion of the seedlings obtained from 
the best strains are certain to be seifs. But yellow 
seifs are a restricted class, and with the probable 
exception of Germania, cannot successfully compete 
in point of size and fulness with the ordinary seifs ; I 
should therefore like to see a class for yellow self 
Carnations, purity of the ground colour to be considered 
by the judges as in the case of bizarre and flaked 
Carnations and edged Picotees. The yellow self 
Carnation is a popular flower, and an increase of 
fine varieties is a desideratum, and the provision of 
a class for them would give an impetus to their 
production. 
Then I would have a section of true yellow-ground 
Picotees ; applying the same rules of quality to them 
as to their charming white-ground congeners. If we 
separate what Mr. Dodwell terms the picoteed Carna¬ 
tions from the bizarre and flaked varieties, why should 
we not do so in the case of the rapidly increasing 
yellow grounds ? The welcome Kilmurry Seedling 
yellow grounds give us flaked, and, in a few instances, 
bizarre flowers, and the productions of other raisers 
show the same characteristics ; therefore we have the 
material out of which to form sections of flaked and 
bizarred yellow grounds, and these will constantly be 
added to, as raisers are as keen in the direction of new 
yellow as of white grounds. Then the brown, red, 
slaty, and other yellows can go into a class of yellow 
fancies, and I am sure that it would prove a favourite 
and attractive one, for among the varieties Mr. Ernest 
Benary is sending out from Germany, and the gains of 
other raisers, there is much that, under the general 
designation of yellow grounds, is highly attractive, 
desirable, and delightful to grow. 
I am writing mainly from the point of view 
of the exhibitor, though not being one, 1 cannot incur 
the charge of being actuated by considerations of self 
interest. I have been the means of originating a 
discussion that I hope will be participated in by 
growers. No harm can come of a dispassionate con¬ 
sideration of the matter. The result may be that I 
shall find myself forming a modest minority of 
one; but all reforming ideas are the products of 
individuals until they are imbibed by others, and 
in course of time find favour with the majority.— 
11. Dean. 
Pelargoniums. 
"When looking through a nursery the other day I 
noticed some bottoms of specimen Pelargoniums that 
had broken into a good growth, but the shoots were 
becoming sadly drawn through want of more air and 
being nearer the light. Such warm close weather for 
the period of the year as characterised a good portion 
of the month of November encouraged Pelargoniums to 
make a free growth, and they required extra attention, 
which, in the case of plants I have just mentioned, 
they did not appear to have got. Some people appear 
to be timid of giving plants plenty of air in the autumn 
months. No one would be injudicious enough to re¬ 
commend that when a cold frosty wind is blowing it 
should be allowed to play upon the plants, but the house 
can be aired from the side opposite to that whence the 
wind is blowing, when it is safe to do so. Pelargoniums, 
to do them full justice, should be grown by themselves, 
but this is a claim for glass accommodation many gar¬ 
deners cannot give them, and they have frequently to 
be grown among plants requiring more warmth and a 
closer atmosphere than is needed for the Pelargonium. 
The best thing to be done is to give the latter plants 
the most cool and airiest parts of the house, and 
endeavour to bring them on as stocky in growth as 
possible. 
Where they are the sole occupants of a house, it is 
not necessary to give them fire-heat, except in damp 
and frosty weather ; and of the two, damp is more to 
be guarded against in the autumn. Bright, clear, 
sunny days are a godsend to the cultivator of Pelargo¬ 
niums ; they give him solar warmth without fire-heat, 
and if there is an absence of keen frost, he can give 
air without fear of his plants getting injured. Crowd¬ 
ing should be avoided, as the plants do best where they 
have all the room that can be spared them. At this 
season of the year, and especially in cold and dull 
weather, watering should be done with great care, 
giving it only to those that require it, and avoiding 
any wetting of the foliage. A man accustomed to 
plant growing can soon ascertain if a plant needs water 
by tapping the pot with his knuckles. In the case of 
specimen plants that are required to bloom in May and 
June, the pots are now covered with foliage, and it is 
difficult to see the surface of the soil; if, then by, 
tapping a pot the sound is light and hollow, water is 
needed ; if heavy and dull the soil is moist enough. 
Cleanliness is of great importance, and a fumigation 
should be given as required. 
Specimens should have their leading shoots tied out 
as required. They should be gently drawn towards 
the circumference of the base of the plant, as it affords 
space for the circulation of air, and benefits them. If 
in tying out some shoots are snapped off they need not 
bo wasted, as at this season of the year cuttings will 
strike freely in bottom-heat.— R. D. 
THE POISONOUS PRIMULA 
OBOONICA. 
I think the cause of this plant affecting some of us so 
much more than others may be traced to the fact that 
those who have suffered the most are those who have a 
tender skin, either caused by not having hard or heavy 
work to do, or else caused by some of us having the 
skin made tender by the constant use of the hands 
in bottom-heat and water. For myself, I think that 
being a good portion of my time occupied in work 
that requires the hands to be often used in plunging 
plants in bottom-heat, and as often to be wet, 
has made them naturally more tender than would be 
those of anyone having only the ordinary course of 
garden or greenhouse work to do ; and then being called 
upon at any time of the day, as I am, to occupy myself 
in artistic floral work, the using of this Primula exten¬ 
sively amongst other flowers in the spring months of 
the year would be, perhaps, to some extent, the cause 
of the poison penetrating more readily than what it 
otherwise would do into a hard skin. Constant 
handling, no doubt, may have caused it to penetrate 
more deeply into a hand made already tender, and very 
likely this may be the reason why I am not able to 
effectually eradicate it. Consequently, any slight 
acquaintance with the plant in question may be the 
cause of its re-appearance. 
I have experienced the fearful burning sensation 
described by Mr. H. A. Bick (p. 171), not being able 
to obtain any rest at night through it, and have many 
times got up to plunge my hands into a basin of cold 
water, which has given me relief for a short time. I 
have derived great ease from the application of what 
is known in chemists’ shops as cold cream ; -but I have 
experienced the greatest relief by leaving the plant 
alone altogether.—X 
In connection with the investigation into the poisonous 
qualities of this Primula, it is of much importance to 
know whether the secretions or juices were introduced 
beneath the skin of those correspondents who have been 
affected. It is highly probable that in dividing the 
rhizomes (roots), a slight cut may have been made, thus 
admitting the irritant fluid into the system. A micro¬ 
scopic examination of the leaf shows it to possess very 
numerous glandular hairs, the terminal cell of which 
exudes a drop of brown liquid, understood to be a 
mixture of a resin and an ethereal oil. Other Primulas, 
however, exhibit the same feature. A chemical exam¬ 
ination is about to be made here, and it would facilitate 
matters if careful details of poisoning cases were given. 
— J. Wilson, D.Sc., University of St. Andrews, N.B. 
-- 
INFLUENCE OF VEGETATIVE 
REPRODUCTION ON THE FERTILITY 
OF PLANTS. 
In connection with the continued propagation of fruit 
trees by budding and grafting, the question of de¬ 
generacy has frequently been raised in this country. 
The Devonshire Quarrenden, Ribston Pippin and other 
Apples are often cited as cases in point, and followers 
of Darwin cannot but be considerably influenced in 
their opinion that the continued multiplication of the 
same individual by means of grafting must tend to 
weaken its constitution, and render it less fruitful. 
The life of an individual tree may be prolonged by re¬ 
grafting ; but this may be compared to the taking of a 
fresh lease of life, not renewing it. The fruit of the 
Devonshire Quarrenden Apple is stated to have greatly 
degenerated in size even within the memory of some 
who are yet alive, and there seems to be a considerable 
amount of truth in the assertion, judging from the 
specimens that annually appear in the market. 
Propagation by seeds not only gives rise to a new 
and independent existence, but to individuals often 
possessed of qualities superior to the parent. Of course, 
in the case of Apples such as those mentioned, per¬ 
petuation of the variety true to name by means of seeds 
would be impossible. Other cases coming under the 
immediate notice of cultivators in this country are the 
Banana and Pine Apple, which have been rendered 
perfectly seedless or nearly so by long-continued culti¬ 
vation and propagation from suckers. It may be said, 
however, that seedless varieties of Grapes have been 
raised from seeds, and that some of the Tomatos now 
in cultivation are tending that way, notwithstanding 
the fact that they are habitually propagated from seeds, 
less frequently by means of cuttings. This, however, 
is due to the selection of varieties possessing the sterile 
character, because such seedless fruit is considered a 
superior article as human food. If left to the care of 
