May 24, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
601 
We are indebted to Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, 
for an opportunity of figuring this beautiful hybrid, 
which is one of Mr. Seden’s triumphs. 
-- 
THE GREAT AFRICAN FOREST. 
At the reception by the Royal Geographical Society of 
the great African explorer, held recently at the Royal 
Albert Hall, Mr. Stanley said his latest journey, for the 
relief and rescue of Emin, the governor of Equatorial 
Africa, was over 6,000 miles in length, and occupied 
987 days. Five hundred of these days were passed in 
the Central African forest, and for 487 days they 
journeyed through grass lands. The forest was 621 
English miles in length, and its average breadth 517 
miles, which made a com¬ 
pact area of 321,057 square 
miles. A serpentine line 
through the centre of this 
would represent their course. 
This enormous tract was 
covered with Palm trees 
varying from 20 ft. to 220 ft. 
in height, and so close 
that the branches interlaced, 
and formed an impervious 
canopy. It was absolutely 
impenetrable to sunshine, 
and at night they were 
convinced that the dark¬ 
ness was palpable and solid. 
The moon and the stars were 
of no value to them. He 
had spent hours and hours in 
this forest spellbound with 
wonder. He had caught 
himself often wondering at 
the strange resemblance to 
human life in that forest. 
Life was represented in its 
vigour and its decrepitude. 
Many trees were pallid and 
shrunk from want of air and 
sunshine. Many were sup¬ 
ported by their neighbours 
because of constitutional in¬ 
firmity. Some were already 
dead and buried. But the 
majority had the assurance 
and the insolence of youth, 
with all its grace of form ; 
the strength of the prime 
of life, or the endurance of 
old age. All characters of 
humanity were represented, 
except the murderer and the 
suicide. He had sat at his 
tent door, watching the 
twilight deepening into 
sepulchral gloom, knowing 
that the elements were 
gathering for war with the 
forest; and, as the forest 
swung its millions of giant 
heads to wrestle with the 
storm, he had heard the 
undergrowth dancing as if in 
approval of the doings of 
their sires. Then he had 
watched the rain falling, 
until, like a sponge, the forest 
seemed full, and the water 
rose inch by inch for hours, 
until they feared they would 
never see dry earth again. 
After a stormy night he had watched the vapour rising, 
and wondered whether the atmosphere would ever be 
clear again ; but in a few hours the sun would shine, 
and the dull, green, and damp leaves would give signs 
of returning vitality. But yesterday they sympathised 
with the trees battling with the storm, and as they now 
stood so still one fancied there should be some mode of 
speech between them and the trees. Some he saw 
centuries old. That splendid Palm by the riverside 
took root half a century before the great fire of London. 
Yonder stately Bombax was born probably about the 
time of the memorable scene of Calvary. That infant 
ironwood was an infant when the Tower of Babel was 
building. What office might one of these giants hold ? 
Was it that of a watchman looking out for typhoons as 
the sire of the tribe ? Did it watch the dawning of the 
morn, and bid the trees unfold their buds and shake 
their limbs for rejoicing 1 He found the area of this 
would have the effect of extending the season of any 
given kind. 
Early-flowering Varieties. 
N. poeticus radiiflorus comes into flower late in 
March after a mild winter, if not late planted the 
previous autumn. In the latter case flowers continue 
to appear and last in fair condition till the beginning 
of May. The flower stems vary from 15 ins. to 20 ins. 
in length ; and the obovate, spathulate segments have 
rather long claws, revolute at the edges, and not 
imbricate, thus giving the flowers a starry appearance. 
The small, saucer-shaped, yellow corona has an orange- 
red r ; m, beneath which there is a white line. The 
latter character is more or less evident in all the 
varieties, but particularly when they are fading. 
Some of the older authors 
considered this a distinct 
species, and some named it 
N. p. angustifolius. There 
is a form known in gardens 
as N. p. nanus, which has 
narrow segments, and flower 
scapes 10 ins. or 12 ins. 
high, and seems to belong 
here. 
The most popular of the 
early kinds is N. p. ornatus, 
which has large flat flowers, 
with broadly obovate, im¬ 
bricating segments. It 
naturally comes into flower 
early in April, and lasts 
till the end of the month. 
The London markets are 
supplied with it by forcing 
from January till those 
out of doors come into 
bloom. Equally, if not 
more beautiful, is 1ST. p. 
poetarum, which has long 
segments, slightly imbri¬ 
cated at the base. The 
great feature of this variety 
is the orange-red or tawny 
orange corona, fading to 
wards the base ; and by 
this it may be distinguished 
from all others. It com¬ 
mences flowering during 
the second or third week 
in April, and lasts till the 
first or second week in 
May. 
Late-flowering Kinds. 
The typical form of this 
species comes into this group, 
as its flowers do not become 
plentiful till the first or 
second week in May. The 
blooms are round and 
regular, with flat much- 
imbricated segments; but 
the latter are rather reflexed, 
and the whole flowermeasures 
only 1§ in. to If in. across. 
It has long stems, like 
N. p. radiiflorus, and is 
pretty but small. One of the 
most popular and most 
widely cultivated forms of 
the species is N. p. recurvus, 
generally called N. poeticus 
in gardens. It is a 
robust plant, especially when 
grown in well-tilled soil, has broad glaucous leaves 
varying from 12 ins. to 24 ins. in length, and in isolated 
tufts or clumps of bulbs the greater number of them 
recurve above the middle, suggesting the varietal name. 
The flowers are of good substance, and measure about 
2£ ins. in diameter. The segments are slightly reflexed 
then strongly incurved at the margins, which gives the 
flowers a very rich and artistic effect, notwithstanding 
the opinion of florists to the contrary, who cannot see 
beauty in a flower that is not round and flat. The fine 
appearance is greatly heightened by the large size of 
the saucer-shaped corona with its orange-red rim and 
green throat. The white line beneath the dark rim is 
hardly discernible till the flower is fading, when the 
yellow portion bleaches almost white and the green 
throat becomes yellow. The enormous quantities of 
flowers of this form that come into the market during 
the season, say from the first week to the end of May, 
forest approach 224,000,000 acres. If they allowed 
each tree thirty feet, and only forty-eight trees to the 
acre, they had the colossal number of 10,752 millions 
of trees. If they calculated the saplings and the under¬ 
growth they would be among the billions. 
-- 
THE POET’S NARCISSUS. 
There are several very distinct early and late-flowering 
varieties of Narcissus poeticus, so that by selecting 
some of each type a succession may be kept up from 
March to June, or by forcing the early kinds from 
January to June. The purity of their flowers, set off as 
they are with an orange-red rim to the corona, 
will always commend them to. the public at large, as 
Cypripedium Niobe. 
has been the case for hundreds of years past even in 
this country. The delicious odour of the flowers is 
another and one of the most important points in their 
favour. 
The exact date at which each kind would 
naturally come into flower in the open air depends upon 
circumstances, and to make a fair test of this feature, 
the bulbs of all would have to be planted at the same 
time, and under similar conditions as to soil. The time 
at which they, are planted has a distinct effect upon 
their flowering season, and some of them would 
doubtless flower earlier the second than the first year 
after planting, unless it be done in August. All the 
varieties of the N. poeticus group delight in a rich, 
well-drained soil, either in full sun or lightly shaded. 
Of course, if they are planted in a shady and rather 
moist position, they will come into flower later, and last 
longer in good condition. Planting in sun and in shade 
