August 2, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
755 
WEBBS’ 
EMPEROR CABBAGE. 
THE EARLIEST AND BEST. 
Cd. and Is. per packet; 
Is. 6d. per oz. 
“Webb’s Emperor Cabbage is a 
very good fast-growing sort, of large 
size and good quality.” — Mr. E. 
SIMPSON, Gardener to the Right 
Hon. -Lord Wrottesley,” 
—- Per oz. 
Early Nonpareil Cabbage . 8d. 
Enfield Market Cabbage . 6d. 
Early Rainham Cabbage . 9d. 
Red Duteli Cabbage . 9d. 
Per pkt. 
Webbs’ Red Globe Tripoli. 6d. Is. 6d. 
Large Flat Red Tripoli . 6d. lOd. 
Giant Roeca . 6d. Is. 6d. 
Wliite Lisbon . . 8d. 
Post Free. 
NARCISSUS, 
“SIR WATKIN.” 
DICKSONS, 
Now ready, thoroughly 
ripened, strong flowering 
Bulbs of this grandest Daffo¬ 
dil, Is. each; extra large, 
Is. 6d. each. Special prices 
per dozen and 100. New 
Catalogue will be ready shortly. 
LIMITED. 
NURSERIES, W A&id 1 
(h00 Acres J 
Mr, DODWELL'S GRAND CARNATIONS 
THE FINEST GROWN. 
5,000 Unbloomed Seedlings, warranted of the highest parentage, 
unrivalled whether for bedding or forcing for Spring flowering. 
White Grounds, 3s. 6d. per doz.; 31s. per 100. 
Yellow Grounds, 5s. per doz.; 31s. 6d. per 100. 
Strong plants of his NEW YELLOWS and KILMURRY 
YELLOW GROUNDS, for late Autumn or Winter 
blooming, 10s. Gd. per dozen. 
THE COTTAGE. STANLEY ROAD, OXFORD. 
PRIMULAS! PRIMULAS! PRIMULAS! 
21st YEAR OF DISTRIBUTION. 
Williams’ Superb Strain, Is. 6d. per dozen ; 10s. per 100. 
CINERARIAS same price, also DOUBLE WHITE PRIMULAS, 
6d. each. Carriage free for cash with order, 
JOHN STEVENS, The Nurseries, COVENTRY 
FLORAL ALBUM OF CONFERENCE DAFFODILS. 
This unique “Work of Art,” illustrated by Gertrude Hartland 
has now become a regular Drawing-room Book, containing as it 
does, over 50 faithful pictures of one of the most accommodating 
of all Spring Flowers. First Edition, limited to a thousand 
copies, Post Free, 2s. 6d. “Key” to same, descriptive and 
priced, -post free to all applicants. r 
WM. BAYLOR HARTLAND, Seedsman, CORK. 
STRAWBERRIES 
Strong hardy runners 
and plants in pots of 
the newest and best 
varieties. 
Descriptive Catalogue 
on application. 
DICKSONS, 
LIMITED. 
THE NURSERIES, 
(U00 Acres.) 
BUL B S 
IF YOU WANT 
Mu. ROBERT SYDENHAM, 
Of the firm of Sydenham Brothers, Wholesale Jewellers, 
THE LARGEST AMATEUR IMPORTER IN THE KINGDOM 
HIS 
UNIQUE BULB LIST, 
With Pamphlet, Now Kevisei and. Enlarged, 
“HOW I CAME TO GROW BULBS,” 
The Most Reliable Guide to the Best Varieties and 
How to Grow them. NOW Ready. Sent Post 
Pree on application. 
This List and Pamphlet will be sent post free early in August to 
all who ordered in previous years. If luanted before, please send 
post card. Please mention this Paper. 
BULBS FOR CHRISTMAS BLOOMING, 
The following, if ordered and potted at once, will bloom well 
for Christmas. 
EARLY WHITE ROMAN HYACINTHS, Is. 6 d. doz., 
11s. 100; or extra selected Bulbs, all averaging over five 
inches round, the finest that can possibly be imported, 2s. doz., 
15s. 100. 
FREESIA REFRACTA ALBA. the most lovely flower of 
the day. Planted from now.until end of August, will bloom at 
Christinas, Is. doz., 7s, 100; or extra selected Bulbs, Is. 6 d. 
doz., 11s. 100. 
DOUBLE ROMAN NARCISSUS, Is. doz., 7s. 100. 
PAPER-WHITE NARCISSUS, Is. doz., 7s. ICO; or the 
large-flowering variety, l.s. 6 d. doz., 11s. 100. 
My other Bulbs I hope to have ready for delivery the latter 
part of August, but orders should he booked as early as possible 
to secure best quality. Full list sent post free on application. 
Any wanting VEGETABLE or FLOWER SEEDS for autumn 
sowing would do well to send for my UNIQUE SEED LIST and 
GUIDE, free on application. 
MUSHROOM SPAWN.— id. each, 3s. dozen bricks; or sent, 
post free. 1 brick, 9<i ; 3 bricks. Is. S d. ; 0 bricks, 2s. 9J. 
RAFFIA GRASS.—Best White, for tying. Price, Is. per 
postal lb.; 2 lb., Is. dd.; 3 lbs., 2s. If sent with seeds or 
bulbs, 6 d. per lb. 
ROBERT SYDENHAM, 
New Tenby Street, Birmingham. 
Next Week’s Engagements. 
Monday, August fth.—Mansfield Horticultural Society’s Show. 
Tuesday, August 5th —Oxford Carnation and Picotee Union 
Annual Exhibition. 
Friday, August Sth.—Sale of Imported Orchids at Protheroe & 
Morris’s Rooms. 
For Index to Contents & Advertisements, see p. 766. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 , 1890. 
NEW HYBRID ROGHEAS. 
The Gardeners’ Chronicle (February 22nd, last), says;_“The 
easy culture of these plants, and the beauty of their flowers, 
render them ’ 
PLANTS FOR THE MILLION.” 
THEY FLOWER IN MID-WINTER. 
The set of five splendid varieties, 15s. ; 3s. 6d. each. 
For full description and illustration, see New Catalogue, 
sent post free on application. 
Usual Allowance to the Trade. 
A. J. A. BRUCE, 
THE NURSERIES, 
EDGE LANE, CHORLTON - CUM - HARDY, 
Manchester, 
CURRENT TOPICS. 
he Carnation and Fern Exhibition.— It 
probably dawned upon the minds of the 
promoters of the Conference and Exhibition of 
Carnations and Ferns at Chiswick last week, 
that whilst the flowers were present the Ferns 
got scant attention. The fact is, flowers ever 
are, and ever will be, much more attractive 
than foliage to the general public, even when 
the foliage is of such wondrously varied 
and singularly beautiful forms as are found 
among Ferns. If the attendance at tire Con¬ 
ference was not large, it ivas far better than 
the Westminster Drill Hall gives, though 
situated in the heart of the metropolis, whilst 
at Chiswick the surroundings were of the most 
delightful kind. 
The weak element of the Chiswick gather¬ 
ings, is the catering department, which seems 
to be specially designed to render Chiswick 
obnoxious to those who value decent refresh¬ 
ment for the inner man. Still, the gathering 
so far should encourage the Council of the 
Royal Horticultural Society to use Chiswick 
for its summer meetings much more largely, 
for were such the case the gardens would be 
to the Fellows and the general public soon 
more greatly popularised. 
The Ferns suffered somewhat in effect 
through wanting classification and style in 
setting up. Heat, round, centre groups with 
the sides set out in serpentine outline would 
have made a pretty and an attractive appear¬ 
ance, hut a huge tent, with rigid straight lines 
on either side, and a wide intervening space 
almost devoid of visitors, was not a pleasing 
object. We seem still to have so much to 
learn in the matter of making plant displays 
attractive 
As to the Carnations and Picotees generally, 
they were presented in the customary dead, 
flat aspect. Were cups of different heights 
used on the show boards, as they well may be 
with the paper collars attached to the flowers, 
the flattened monotony seen in the present 
method of staging cut flowers would disappear. 
What can be done so well with Chrysanthe¬ 
mums is surely not impossible with the 
Carnation. 
‘JaARDY Border Carnations.— It was, doubt- 
■V less, very bold of Mr. Martin Smith, the 
chairman of the Carnation Conference, to offer 
so large a sum as £20 yearly, for five years, 
for hardy border Carnations ; but. it should 
have been obvious, even to him, that it would 
he utterly impossible to ensure that the con¬ 
ditions under which the prizes were offered, 
were adhered to in the case of plants in pots, 
or cut flowers shown under the auspices of the 
Carnation and Picotee Society. Mr. Martin 
Smith wishes to see plants produced from seed 
sown in the open ground, and raised, from 
sowing to blooming, out of doors. That may 
be all very well, but it would be far more to 
the purpose were the prizes to be awarded to 
varieties which had been found to winter well 
outdoors, and to carry line heads of flowers and 
ample grass the follorving summer. 
Whether Carnation seedlings he raised out- 
of-doors or under glass is of no consequence so 
long as the plants entered are grown out in the 
open. It is strange that it did not occur to 
Mr. Smith that no better opportunity for the 
awarding of the prizes he offered was presented 
than just then, through the trial of border 
Carnations proceeding in the Chiswick Gardens. 
There were hundreds of plants which had more 
or less stood well through the previous winter, 
and were displaying their hardiness or other¬ 
wise in the fullest degree within a few r feet of 
the Conference gathering. What could be 
better to encourage the society to continue 
this Carnation trial for several years than that 
the sum of £20 thus offered should be divided 
into ten or a dozen prizes, and be awarded to 
those varieties which are found to come nearest 
to the donor’s ideas as to what constitutes 
hardy border Carnations ? 
It is so obvious that the hardiness of any 
variety can only be discovered by fully and 
fairly testing it in public, as at Chiswick 
in the open ground, that no form of competi¬ 
tion on the show table can ensure the object 
sought for. There are not a few really fine 
hardy border Carnations growing at Chiswick 
already, and £20 might easily he distributed 
among them as rewards now. If Mr. Martin 
Smith will devote the money he generously 
offers to a Chiswick trial, he will he the 
means of doing much good to floriculture, and 
add a source of interest to the Chiswick 
Gardens that will be of great benefit to the 
Royal Horticultural Society ; hut to use it in 
any other way will he a doubtful gain to any 
body, and will but little help to forward the 
object he has in view. 
