708 
THE GARDENING WORLD- 
July 7, 1894. 
pUORICOliTORE. 
Borden Pinks at Chiswick. 
The Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society inspected last week the collection of Pinks 
in the gardens of the Society at Chiswick. The 
Committee met a few days previous to make this 
inspection, but owing to the drenching rain they 
missed their opportunity. The intervening days, for 
the most part hot and dry, had brought on the 
Pinks, with great rapidity, the laced varieties of 
which there are a considerable number at Chiswick, 
being on the occasion of the second visit fully in 
flower, while some of the earlier blooming border 
varieties had passed their best. 
The Committee could judge of the value of Pinks 
only as border flowers, and of the laced varieties 
only such as were of compact growth and full bloom¬ 
ing could be recognised. Some of the laced varieties 
produce large and full flowers—so large, in fact, 
that the stems are not strong enough to bear the 
flowers in an erect position, and in order that they 
might be as effective as possible as border flowers, 
stakes as supports would be necessary. Thus, how¬ 
ever good a variety might be from the florists point 
of view, it might yet fail to secure recognition as an 
effective border variety, though it must be admitted 
many good border flowers other than Pinks need the 
support of stakes to keep them in an upright position. 
But comparatively few of our Carnations, for 
instance, are sufficiently rigid in the flower stems to 
maintain their heads of bloom in a perfectly erect 
position. 
Of the laced Pinks, the best for border purposes, 
because of their compact growth, erect habit and 
freedom of bloom, are Beauty, one of the very best, 
a remarkably good red-laced variety, very free and 
effective; Mrs. Dark, dwarf, very free; Modesty, 
one of the earliest to bloom, remarkably free ; Rosy 
Morn, large full flowers, extra fine ; and Empress 
of India, also remarkably good. Several others, 
such as Boiard, produced large and finely laced 
flowers, and this is, perhaps, one of the very best 
for exhibition purposes, but scarcely adapted for dis¬ 
play in a border. But it may be slated that the 
above list of laced varieties, all of which received 
three marks as effective border varieties, are also 
well adapted for exhibition purposes when specially 
grown for that purpose. The border varieties need 
to be divided into two sections—the smaller or early 
flowering types, and the larger and later flowering 
ones. In exhibitions, as we have seen lately in 
London, the small flowering varieties stand no chance 
when pitted in competition against the larger sorts, 
and yet a given space of plant, in the case of the 
former will produce ten times more flowers than a 
given space of one of the later varieties; and it may 
may further be stated in reference to the latter, that 
it is customary to disbud in order to induce size. 
Therefore, it follows that the awarding of the leading 
prizes to large flowered border Pinks by no means 
demonstrates that the varieties so distinguished are 
best adapted for the effective border purposes, though 
the public are, no doubt, induced to think differently 
At the recent inspection at Chiswick the following 
of Mr. R. Dean's small early flowering varieties 
were awarded three marks:—Charmer, pale pink, 
with slight rose centre ; Rosamond, pale pink, with 
bright crimson centre, very good ; Juno, white, a 
primrose centre, very good ; Beauty, white, with pale 
pinkish-rose centre ; Annie Bolton, white, with dark 
maroon centre, extra fine; and Rosy Circle, deep 
pink or pale rose, with deep rose centre, very good. 
All these are of remarkably dwarf and compact 
growth, forming dense masses of fine-leaved, silvery 
foliage, and the flowers, which are produced with 
marvellous freedom, are very large, one only to a 
stem ; so there is but little waste of buds. In height 
they average from g in. to 12 in. and they have a 
value in winter which is worthy of mention, as they 
appear to partake so much of the character of some 
of the Alpine Dianthuses that they form charming 
cushions on rockwork, and of edgings to beds, as 
well as on borders. For cutting for all purposes, 
and especially for market, they are invaluable. 
Other border varieties which secured three marks 
were Cowley White, one of Mr. Lakin’s seedlings, 
w’hite, with a slight tinge of rose in some of the 
flowers, dwarf, smooth-petalled and very free; 
Ernest Ladham, dwarf, compact, erect, very free 
and Souvenir de Sale, a pale self, a little tall, but a 
charming border variety. Her Majesty should be 
noted as the finest and freest of the white Pinks ; it 
has already been awarded three marks for its ex¬ 
cellent qualities. 
-- 
RAYLESS VIOLAS. 
I SEND you a few blooms of my latest seedling Violas. 
I have at last succeeded in getting a true cross 
between the Viola and the Violet. It is a very small 
plant with two stems, and I send you the best. I 
thought you would not be able to judge by the flower 
alone, so sent the cutting to let you form a true idea 
of its character. It is rather a strange foliage, but 
the flowers are very sweetly sgented, and the flower 
stalk being so long it will, I think, be most valuable 
for cutting, and then it will come in after the Violets 
are over. 
I have got a charming white in Mrs. Scott, which, 
I think, you will admit is the purest white yet intro¬ 
duced. Then George Lord takes the lead as the best 
yellow. Pride of Etal is not a very refined flower, 
having a little ray at times, but for bedding work it 
is certainly the very best, and so sweet, the habit is 
perfect. President is a splendid bedder, large, fine 
form, and better habit than Sylvia. Enchantress is 
rather a novelty, the habit is not quite so dwarf as I 
should like, but it is a mass of bloom. Dora Briggs 
is of the same character, fine dwarf habit, and only 
the upper petals flaked or striped. The others are 
of the miniature type, but some of the best are not 
in bloom to-day. Delicata is a charming flower with 
fine habit. Little Prince is what I have often longed 
for, the colour is so good, it is not really rayed only 
the veins show a little brighter at times. Princess 
May is quite a novelty, the habit is so very dwarf, 
and the tiny little flowers standing up so boldly on 
long footstalks. Niobe is a charming white. La 
Belle is very sweet and pretty. Gloriosum is a 
seedling from Meta crossed with Sylvia, the habit is 
very good and the flowers pretty, and show the true 
type. I have about 500 seedlings of this strain just 
coming into bloom, they are very interesting; of 
course, many of them are like Meta and some pure 
white. Hercules is a fine blue with the true habit, 
unfortunately I have very little of it. It is a large 
flower and good form, an improvement, I think, on 
Blue Gown or Sweet Lavender. I forgot Progeny, 
really a fine bedding variety, so hardy and always a 
mass of bloom. It is distinct from Enchantress or 
Dora Briggs, you will notice, although all of the 
same character, the colours are quite distinct, they 
are all from Sylvia crossed with Dean’s True Blue. 
Enchantress takes the habit of True Blue and shares 
the colour of its flowers with each, it is quite a 
novelty, and so striking .—George Steel, Etal, Cornhill- 
on-Tweed. 
Half of the flowers sent by Mr. Steel, consisted 
of the large type, while the rest belonged to the 
miniature section. The best yellow of the large type 
in cultivation is George Lord, a large, circular, clear 
yellow flower with a golden or almost orange blotch 
extending down from the eye. President is equally 
large, but pale primrose with a large golden eye. 
We very much admired a new variety named Mrs. 
Scott. The flowers are pure white with a golden 
blotch extending down from the eye, and larger than 
any other pure white, rayless Viola we have seen. 
Mr. Steel claims it to be whiter than any of the so- 
called whites in cultivation. To be definite on that 
point we would require a specimen of the others for 
actual comparison; but we are convinced that the 
flowers of Mrs. Scott are larger than those of any 
pure white we have yet noted. The best blue variety 
he sent was Hercules, with large, circular flowers of 
a shade of blue resembling that of Blue Gown, but 
shaded with quite another tint, (perhaps ultra-marine 
blue) in the centre, round the small orange eye. 
A number of splashed flowers, that might be 
utilised for bedding purposes, would doubtless find 
admirers amongst those who fancy variegated flowers. 
Enchantress has white flowers, much splashed with 
blue and an orange blotch below the eye. Progeny 
is larger with a creamy lip, but otherwise similar to 
Enchantress. A better shaped flower is Dora 
Briggs, lightly splashed with blue on the upper 
petals, and having a smaller orange eye. Pride of Etai 
we consider a more sprightly flower than either ; it is 
smaller than the last named, but of a lively shade of 
blue with a white centre. It produces a few rays at 
times, but for bedding purposes we should consider it 
an acquisition. Gloriosum reminds us of Wm. Neil, 
only it is much paler with a large, orange eye and 
almost rayless; it might be described as palest lilac 
faintly shaded with rose.. 
Amongst the miniature types, the most striking 
advance is Little Prince, a bright blue variety and 
sweetly scented. It has a few faint veins upon the 
lip, but the shade of colour is what has long been a 
requisition in the miniature type. Lady Waterford 
is closely allied to Violetta, but is purer white. It 
was raised by Mr. Trotter, gardener at Ford Castle, 
and a great Viola enthusiast. Picco is a white 
variety with a blue, wire edge. Another white 
variety, is Niobe, with a small eye. Ethel Horsfall 
is also a charming little flower of a pale lavender on 
the back, and this is reflected through on the white 
face. Delicata is somewhat in the way of Blush 
Queen and charming in its delicacy. Princess May 
is several shades darker, say lilac, fading to a very 
soft shade as it gets fully developed; the bloom is 
small and beauciful in shape. Equally pretty is La 
Belle, beautifully washed with faint blue on a white 
ground, and darker at the edges. Ethel Buckley is 
as small as Princess May, but of a peculiar shade of 
Heliotrope. Most of them are sweetly scented, some 
more than others. Viola Steeli is reputed to be a 
hybrid between a Viola and the Violet. It has deep 
blue flowers, a slightly crumpled lip and is sweetly 
scented. We should like to study it for some time to 
note its behaviour. It will be useful for cut flowers 
if it is of free flowering habit. 
- mi, - 
THE LARGE FLOWERED 
MOCK ORANGE. 
The species of Philadelphus or Mock Orange are 
often neglected in shrubberries or confined to the 
early and small flowered P. coronarius, a very good 
plant in its way, but which does not have the same 
effect as several of the later and larger flowering 
kinds. When seen in their best form they constitute 
an effective object in a landscape, more especially 
when planted in front of a background of green 
leafage so as to show off their snowy blossoms. 
Specimens are sometimes seen against walls or in 
other cramped positions, but under those conditions 
they fail to give an idea of their capabilities when 
sufficiently isolated so as to be accessible to light on 
all sides. The flowers of most of them are strongly 
and agreeably scented, as is the case with P. grandi- 
florus, well represented in the accompanying illus¬ 
tration, which was prepared from a photograph of a 
plant growing in the garden of Mr. William 
Marshall, Auchenraith, Bexley. The plant in 
question is grown upon a rockery at some distance 
from the house seen in the same view, so that it is 
well exposed to light and air. The floriferous 
nature of the plant speaks for itself as to its value 
for decorative purposes. The fragrant blossom 
may also be utilised for mixing with cut flowers in 
dwelling rooms. The species is a native of the 
South United States, from whence it was introduced 
in 1811, but although perfectly hardy it has not been 
so extensively planted as its merits would warrant. 
It is sometimes named P. speciosus, and is certainly 
showy. 
- — 
RIPENING TOMATOS. 
It does not seem to be generally known that 
Tomatos do not require sun, but ripen best in warm, 
dark places. One can hardly pass along by country 
homes without seeing in the kitchen windows rows and 
rows of this delicious fruit in all stages of ripening—and 
decaying too, perhaps. For sunstrokes are common 
among the " Love Apples," and exposure to too 
much light and sun heat ruins them altogether often¬ 
times. What is best for ripening them is a simple 
and suitable box or closet for storing Tomatos while 
they are in process of ripening. An ordinarj dry 
goods packing-case fitted with sliding shelves and a 
snug door, is just the thing. The time needed to fit 
it up is scarcely worth the mentioning when one 
reflects upon the rich, red fruit, thus saved from 
" spoiling." The closet may be large or small, with 
more or less shelves, according to the amount of the 
fruit raised. When filled it should be set in a warm, 
moist place, and inspected from time to time in order 
to remove any of the fruit that may have ripened, 
before there is possibility of decay and consequent 
harm to the rest. The convenience of the sliding 
shelves is apparent here, as a whole shelfful may be 
inspected at a glance by slipping out the shelf. 
Darkness is the important thing, and the closely 
fitting door at once secures that, leaving only the 
necessary moisture and warmth to be attended to.— 
A merican Gardenuig. 
