436 
March 10, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
FliOfJICUliTOlRE. 
The Florists' Laced Pink. 
Such articles as “ R. D.” and " A. D.” contributed 
in the last two issues of The Gardening World are 
more than encouraging to me for the small efforts I 
have made in the hope of bringing the Pink once 
again prominently before the notice of the Southern 
florists, amateurs, and others interested in the 
cultivation of florists’ flowers, and as our friend, 
Mr. Wm. Wardill, said, in a letter he wrote me 
recently: " If those who grow the Pink can be 
induced to exhibit their blooms at one or two of the 
Royal Horticultural Society’s meetings, without 
considering altogether actual money prizes, it would 
be likely to arouse an interest which would induce 
the trade growers, as well as the private and amateur 
cultivators, to form themselves into a permanent 
committee which would ensure the Southern Section 
of the National Pink Society a lasting progress.” 
The Pink certainly has had quite “rest ’’ enough, 
for as far back as 1851, John Edwards, of Holloway, 
who was a great supporter and large cultivator of 
the Pink, writes :—“P'ew will be disposed to question 
the lively interest which Pink growers took in this 
flower in the days of ‘ yore.’ Are we to allow the 
glories of the Pink to decline ? Will such patrons 
as Messrs. Smith, Maclean, Young, Looker, Hale, 
Creed, White, etc., quietly rest with matters as they 
are ? ’’ 
Confirming what Mr. Edwards says as to the in¬ 
terest which was formerly taken in Pinks by the 
Southern growers, I quote the following paragraph 
from Thomas Hogg’s treatise on the cultivation of 
florists’ flowers, which shows that the Pink in 
1821 had the support of the very highest tribunal of 
the south, viz., that of the Council of the London 
Horticultural Society, for he says : — 
“ To the above short account I beg leave to add a 
letter on the culture of Pinks, which, in the year 
1821, I had the honour of addressing to Joseph 
Sabine, Esq , Secretary to the London Horticultural 
Society. It was approved by the Council, and 
ordered to be printed in their transactions of that 
year.’’ 
Hogg shows that there were more than a hundred 
named varieties in cultivation at that time, for he 
enumerates ninety-two varieties, and says, “ In the 
following catalogue I have taken the liberty of 
discarding the names of many of the old Pinks, and 
which I mean in future to discard from the garden 
also, because their places can now be better supplied 
by new ones.” 
The best Pinks in Commerce. , 
A reader of The Gardening World wrote me a 
short time ago to give the names of a dozen of the 
best Pinks in commerce, but as I personally felt 
unable to supply the information from m) own 
knowledge, having cultivated very few of the Pinks 
in commerce for several years past, I wrote to the 
following noted Pink growers, viz., — Messrs. 
Charles Turner, Slough (through Mr. John Ball); 
Messrs. Thompson, Sparkhill, Birmingham (through 
Mr. C. H. Herbert) ; Mr. Arthur R. Brown, 
Crompton Road, Handsworth, Birmingham; Mr. 
Frederick Hooper, Widcombe Hill Nursery, Bath ; 
Mr. M. Campbell, florist, Blantyre, N.B ; and 
Messrs. Wra. Paul & Co. (late of Paisley), florists, 
Bridge-of-Weir, N.B , to kindly furnish me with a 
list of the twelve best Pinks in commerce, and to 
place them on the list in rotation according to their 
merits, commencing with No. i as the best. No. 2 
as the second best, and so on ; and as they have all 
been pleased to respond to my call, I subjoin their 
respective lists as received, so that any person wish¬ 
ing to increase their stock with any of the varieties 
they do not a’ready possess, they can do so by com¬ 
municating with the several growers direct. 
In submitting these lists I feel it my duty, with 
all respect to my friends, who have so readily 
enabled me to do so, to point out, for the guidance 
of those who may be induced to purchase, how 
widely the opinions of the above-named friends 
differ as to the real properties of the “ Florists' 
Laced Pink,” and what the several points of merit 
should be, so as to approach, as nearly as possible, 
a state of perfection ! Thus it will be seen how 
very essential it is that a clear and proper under¬ 
standing should be arrived at without delay in 
regard to this very important point, not only for the 
guidance of judges, when making their awards, but 
so that in raising seedlings every person should 
know, prior to fertilising his flowers, what points of 
excellence should be worked for ! 
I am afraid my friend Hooper has misunderstood 
me in regard to inserting the names on the list 
according to merit, and to place the best as No. i, 
because he places my James Thurstan, John 
Dorrington, and Mrs. Thurstan as the last three on 
his list of thirteen, although he remarks against 
John Dorrington that it is "one of the finest,” and 
against Mrs. Thurstan, that it is “ first-class,” but 
“ bad grower.’’ I must be allowed to explain that 
the latter is not a bad grower, but possesses a good 
constitution, and is vigorous in growth. He also 
places James Thurstan the last but three, although 
he says in a letter to me, dated August 8th, 1890, 
that “John Dorrington is one of the fineet Pinks in 
cultivation,” and that James Thurstan, which he 
dressed for Mr. Barlow at the Carnation show held 
at Chiswick, July 22nd, i8go, and where it was 
awarded a First-class Certificate, “is a. great improve¬ 
ment on Boiard.—James Thurstan, Finsbury House, 
Richmond Road, Cardiff. 
-- 
“ WEEDS ” AND TESTIMONIALS. 
There cannot be two opinions about the value of 
labour and its remuneration. Ability and experience 
should and does command the highest award ; the 
difficulty seems rather to be in the qualifications of 
the judges, and inexperience in this quarter has led 
many to suppose that “ show and chatter ’’ meant 
ability and experience, and the consequence has been 
detrimental to all trades. 
It was not my intention to advocate—and I fail to 
see that I did so—the placing of all-round men in 
positions beyond their capacity : my plea was that 
these men were worthy of our best'consideration, as 
being the means of assisting many to enjoy what 
otherwise would be unattainable and that the exist¬ 
ence of such places was of great assistance to both 
trade and the labour market. At the same time I 
should not object even to this class of man rising in 
his profession if his ambition led him upwards. A 
man who has the ability to grow Calceolarias will soon 
acquire the knowledge to grow Grapes or anything 
else. If he has the desire and the energy he only 
needs the chance and encouragement and the thing 
will be accomplished. This is the case with every 
art and profession, and accounts for the fact that 
many amateurs are often far ahead of professionals, 
love first and skill afterwards being their great 
motors. 
My main idea in writing was to put in a plea for 
our less fortunate brethren, who although dull must 
exist. These require to be carefully studied and 
handled—harsh words, hard blows and bad testi¬ 
monials will never make men of them, whereas on 
the other hand good patient instruction administered 
firmly but kindly may do so. They require leading 
onward to aspire to better results next time. " It 
shall be better next time ” are words to work 
wonders. 
Long apprenticeships which have a tendency 
rather to kill energy than to encourage it, and pro¬ 
tected trades and professions, may benefit certain 
individuals, but it is all moonshine to suppose that 
either will destroy the “ weeds ” or improve the 
labour market. The idea of apprenticeship was to 
enable the instructor to obtain during the latter part 
of such time value for the knowledge imparted at the 
outset. It is, however, patent to most people that 
the result has tended to the opposite direction. A 
lad of intelligence will acquire a perfect elementary 
knowledge of any trade in the course of three years, 
after which to get full value either to himself or his 
employer this knowledge requires feeding and 
encouraging, otherwise as he does not get clever 
men’s wages he feels inclined to earn only the 
paltry remuneration he has to enjoy for the next 
four years, and this I maintain has been the great 
curse of our seven years apprenticeships. Nothing 
succeeds like success, and nothing tends to make a 
man more competent than responsibility. You want 
to inspire a man with the thought that idleness is 
wearisome, and that good work is a pleasure, which 
at times make the hours fly all too quickly, yet for 
which every true heart may say 
“ Thanks for the occupation 
Which brings out all my powers.” 
— W. Mackay. 
--- 
THE REIGNING MOTH 
ORCHID. 
Those who have a collection of Moth Orchids 
(Phalaenopsis) may be not a little puzzled to know 
to which species the above heading would refer, as 
several are in bloom just now, including P. Aphrodite, 
P. amabilis, P. Stuartiana, P. Sanderiana, P. 
leucorhoda, P. Schilleriana and others. The last 
named both on account of its numbers, the freedom 
with which it may be grown, as well as the number 
and beauty of its flowers, seems entitled to the first 
rank during the month of March. Some plants 
flower earlier, some later than March, but that is the 
period when it is most abundant. A correspondent 
(W.P.) sends us a handsome panicle much of the 
appearance seen in the accompanying illustration. He 
considers it unwise to exhaust the plants by leaving a 
large quantity of flowers upon them as long as they 
are capable of hanging. When cut and placed in 
water after they are fully developed, the house may 
be kept gay by arranging the panicles in a natural 
position amongst the plants. Some idea of the size 
of the specimen represented may be gained when we 
state that the longest leaf was fully 18 in. long, and 
the longest panicle over 2 ft. 6 in. The Moth Orchids 
succeed best when grown in baskets of some kind, 
and the specimen represented was so grown, and 
merely placed temporarily in a flower pot. The 
rosy white flowers are indeed gorgeous when seen in 
such quantity upon their slender, branching flower 
scapes, and the foliage is also beautiful with its dark 
green hue and marbled markings. 
-- 
Roses in the open.—Old garden Roses as they 
are now understood are still the hardiest we possess, 
and may be pruned at any time during winter. The 
work should no longer be delayed. They include 
the French (R. gallica). Provence (R. centifolia), 
and Damask Roses (R. damascena), with their 
varieties and allied kinds. 
LIST OF THE BEST TWELVE FLORISTS’ LACED PINKS CONTRIBUTED BY; 
Mr. CHARLES TURNER. 
Messrs. THOMPSON. 
Mr. A. R. BROWN. 
Mr. F. HOOPER. 
Mr. M. CAMPBELL. 
Messrs. WM. PAUL & Co. 
NO. 
NAME. i KAISER. 
NO. 
NAME. 
RAISER. 
NO. 
NAME. 
RAISER. 
NO 
NAME. 
RAISER, 
NO. 
NAME. 
RAISER. 
NO. 
NAME. 
RAISER. 
I 
The Rector 1 Fellowes 
Amy 
Brown 
I 
Amy 
Brown 
I 
Boiard 
Turner 
Boiard 
Turner 
I 
Boiard 
2 
Amy 1 Brown 
2 
The Rector 
Fellowes 
2 
James Thurstan 
Thurstan 
2 
Amy 
Brown 
Paul 
3 
Boiaxd i Turner 
3 
Duke of York 
Thurstan 
3 
The Rector 
Fellowes 
3 
Bertha 
Paul 
4 
Favourite Fellowes 
4 
Ethel 
Brown 
4 
Bertha 
Paul 
4 
Mrs. F. Hooper 
Hooper 
Paul 
5 
Empress of India Douglas 
5 
Mrs. F. Hooper 
Hooper 
3 
Boiard 
Turner 
5 
Modesty 
Paul 
Mrs. Jollinty 
Paul 
Mrs. F. Hooper 
6 
James Thurstan Thurstan 
b 
Emeline 
Paul 
6 
George Hodgkin- 
Thurstan 
6 
Empress of India 
Douglas 
6 
Extra 
6 
Bertram 
Turner 
7 
Princess Louise 1 Fellowes 
7 
Bertha 
Paul 
7 
Emeline 
Paul 
7 
Harry Hooper 
Hooper 
7 
0 
Captain Kennedy! Fellowes 
8 
Minerva 
Fellowes 
8 
Wm. Paul 
Paul 
8 
Emerald 
Hooper 
8 
8 
9 
Minerva i Fellowes 
9 
Rosy Mom 
Fellowes 
9 
Minerva 
Fellowes 
9 
Bertram 
Turner 
Paul 
10 
Device [ Maclean 
to 
Harry Hooper 
Hooper 
lO 
Empress of India 
Douglas 
10 
James Douglas 
Hooper 
10 
Modesty 
Paul 
10 
John Ball 
11 
Harry Hooper Hooper 
II 
Modesty 
Paul 
II 
Device 
Maclean 
11 
James Thurstan 
Thurstan 
II 
Mrs. Campbell 
Campbell 
12 
Modesty | Paul 
12 
Empress of India 
Douglas 
12 
Modesty 
Paul 
12 
John Dorrington 
Thurstan 
12 
Mary Auburton 
12 
Private 
13 
Mrs. Thurstan 
Thurstan 
