Sept. 20th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
FLORICULTURE. 
Dahlias. —The very interesting report on the 
Dahlias at the Crystal Palace at p. 28 is made the 
more interesting because it gives some information 
not commonly found in reports. But after having 
read that report and closely studied the definitions 
given of Fancy Dahlias, I have to admit that I am 
still absolutely incapable of telling of flaked and 
tipped flowers which are Fancies and which are not. 
The writer hopes his definition of what constitutes a 
Fancy Dahlia may prove intelligible to readers, but I 
fancy he feels that he is hoping against hope, and 
that those who have read will remain just as wise as 
before. That, as he says, the difficulty of setting up a 
clearly defined line increases year by year, shows that 
even to an expert definitions of such exceedingly 
minute kinds are becoming onerous. 
Wiry do Dahlia growers continue to show in this 
absurd form of classification such a conservative 
spirit ? What earthly value is this kind of indefinite 
distinction to any one ? All Dahlias are exhibition 
flowers, and to class large-flowered ones as Show and 
Fancy is, to put the matter plainly, ridiculous and 
without reasom 
We have English or Show, and Belgian or Fancy 
Pansies, but the distinctions of the two sections are 
pretty clearly defined and easily understood. We 
have also Show and Fancy Pelargoniums, the distinc¬ 
tion with these being found in robustness, habit, size 
of flower, and other clearly defined lines. With all 
large-flowered Double Dahlias we can show no such 
distinctions, and no one can see any reason for the 
existence of such arbitrary ones as having flaked and 
striped show blooms and similarly marked Fancy 
ones. Now I will suggest to Dahlia growers and 
fanciers that these definitions or distinctions of Show 
and Fancy shall be abolished, and that the flowers 
be divided into seifs and variegated sections—shaded 
flowers coming into the former section, and all 
striped, flaked, or tipped ones into the latter section. 
Then the public could clearly understand the 
divisions, and would doubtless feel interest in their 
respective characteristics, but under the present 
arrangement the public turn from what “no fellah 
can understand ” with disappointment. Trade 
growers could easily render the public good service 
by classing their seifs in colours rather than alpha¬ 
betically, an arrangement which is bewildering. 
Why not put the whites together, also yellows, 
scarlets, purples, crimsons, and so on, and the 
variegated kinds according to colour of ground ? 
Such a plan would prove most serviceable to intending 
purchasers. 
Now with reference to the complaint that Single 
Dahlias are getting too large I am disposed to agree. 
Still it is difficult on the lines that awards are presented 
to these flowers to ignore any new kind that has bold, 
large, well-shaped blooms of a novel and striking 
colour. But the objection to size in Single Dahlias, 
I take it, lies more in relation to them as cut flowers 
than as out-door decorative ones. No doubt for vases 
and bouquets the little stellate kinds are pleasing, 
though all these have too much eye for the small 
dimensions of the blooms. On the other hand, they 
produce literally no effect out-doors as border or 
bedding-plants, and in spite of all that has been 
■written in favour of Single Dahlias as cut flowers, 
there can be no doubt but that their primary value is 
found in garden decoration. For that purpose we 
want not only very clear striking colours, but kinds 
that make moderate compact growth and bloom very 
profusely. I note elsewhere a complaint that certain 
flowers are too much cupped. That is a fair objection, 
but any one who watches the progress being made 
amongst the flowers, can see that raisers are now 
producing them with broad, slightly reflexed petals, 
and that form is becoming nearly perfect. 
Coloration in Single Dahlias is now so varied and 
beautiful that in glow and brilliancy the best Doubles 
are quite put into the shade. Duchess of West¬ 
minster is a charming white, Yellow Queen and 
Yellow Gem are excellent of their colour. Dorothy 
and Ellen Terry are singularly refined hues of delicate 
tints. Queen of Singles, Lucy Ireland, and Nellie 
Ware are of lovely magenta hues. Formosa, Scarlet 
Defiance, and Firefly are brilliant scarlet and of deep 
coloured hues. Negress, Othello, and Acquisition are 
striking and effective. Some of the shaded or tipped 
flowers, such as Fashion, Mrs. Castle, and Mrs. K. T. 
Walker; and of flaked or striped flowers, such as 
Striata, Volunteer, and others are really charming. 
The chief object raisers now should have in view is 
improvement of habit of plants, and with that no 
doubt will come flowers displaying more endurance.— 
Ixion. 
g- - -_S 
IMPROVED FIRE AND FROST 
DETECTOR. 
The apparatus shown in the annexed engraving has 
been devised by Mr. F. M. Bogers, of 21, Finsbury 
Pavement, to obviate the disastrous effects arising 
from overheating, or from frost, in conservatories. It 
consists of a compound metallic bar, which under 
increase of Temperature bends in one direction, and 
under decrease in the other. The two adjustable 
contact-pins are in the circuit of an electric bell, 
which can be placed at any distance from the hot¬ 
house, and within hearing of the attendant. Should 
the temperature rise or fall beyond the desired point, 
the bell will ring. By means of the adjustable con¬ 
tact-pins, the detector can be set to give an alarm at 
any degree of heat or cold; the instrument cannot get 
out of order, and its efficiency can be tested at any 
time by simply pressing the metal tongue to one side 
or the other. This system is a much more simple 
one than that in use at Syon House, and should 
commend itself to the notice of everyone having the 
care of costly plants. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH BEANS. 
Our bean crop is dependent in a greater or less 
measure upon other agencies than the fertility of 
the soil or the character of the seed used. It may 
seem curious at first that our farm crops should 
depend upon such small agencies as insects, and 
yet without insects to carry the pollen from flow’er to 
flower, in some species of plants we would have no 
seed produced. A true list of insects beneficial to 
vegetation should include, in addition to those which 
are destructive to injurious insects, those also which 
are beneficial to the plant. The Scarlet Bunner bean 
is an excellent illustration of our remarks. This 
bean seems never to produce seed except when the 
flowers are cross-fertilized, and in Nicaragua, where 
insects of the proper kind do not exist, this plant is 
said to be sterile. If there were no insects to convey 
the pollen from flower to flower, this species might 
be as sterile in our northern localities. The bumble¬ 
bee, however, frequents these flowers, and in seeking 
45 
the nectar brings his head in contact with the pollen, 
which, adhering to it, is conveyed to the next 
flower visited, and is brought in contact with the 
pistil. 
Sometimes, however, the bumble-bees have the 
habit of boring a hole and extracting the nectar 
in that way without entering the flower. In this 
event their visits are of no use, and we have 
the curious fact that yield of the plant is dependent 
not only upon the presence and activity of the insects, 
but also upon the habits. The common garden bean 
may yield some seed through self-fertilization, but 
never in such large quantity as where cross-fertiliza¬ 
tion is effected, and as the bumble-bees here also are 
the principal agency in the conveying of pollen, we 
can imagine that a crop shall be deficient through 
the scarcity of the insects. "Whether the Italian bees 
can fertilize the bean-blossom or not, I do not know, 
but it certainly would seem worthy of trial by the 
bean-grower upon a large scale to maintain a hive of 
these bees in the vicinity of his fields for the purpose 
of effecting the cross-fertilization of the flowers and 
thus adding increase to his crop, upon the possibility 
that these larger bees might be effective for this 
purpose. 
This agency of bees and other insects in cross- 
fertilizing flowers, explains the appearance of variation 
in the beans of a crop which come from hybridiza¬ 
tions. 
This influence of hybridization was quite manifest 
among the varieties grown at the Station last year. 
The variation was usually confined to the colouring of 
the seed, but often it extended to the shape and size 
of the bean as well. We offer for illustration :—The 
Newington Wonder, a slender bush bean, sending out 
barren runners. It bears for a normal crop small, 
oblong, slightly kidney-form, not flattened on the side, 
usually compressed on the ends so that they appear 
quadrangular, light-brown or dun-coloured beans, with 
a veiny network and a yellow ring about the eye. This 
bean, though showing no variation in 1882 with us, 
yet in 1883 produced the following distinct forms : 
First, one entirely like the true form, but with small 
black spots scattered over the surface of the bean. 
The same plant upon which this form was found pro¬ 
duced also beans of the true type. Second, of the size 
and shape of the true type, but hr colour varying in 
dark purple to light slaty-drab, finely dotted with 
light brown. Third, somewhat larger and more kidney- 
form than the preceding, not compressed at the ends. 
In colour slaty-purple, indistinctly dotted with light- 
brown. 
The Golden Cranberry, a bush bean of medium size, 
often with a distinct twining habit, normally bears 
beans nearly globular, very slightly oblong, eye plane 
or slightly protuberant, pale sulphur-coloured, with 
veiny markings and a faint pale-bluish ring about the 
eye. From this variety there was selected in 1882 a 
form of about the same size as the true type, but 
oblong, slightly flattened sidewise, and mottled in two 
rows of brown. From this form there were produced 
in 1883 no less than eleven distinct forms. 
The Concord, a pole variety, the normal beans of 
which are medium or rather large in size, irregular, 
globose, scarcely oblong, slightly compressed at the 
ends, eye plane or slightly protuberant, the half of 
the bean about the eye light-brown or dun-splashed 
with dull red, the remainder with a veiny net-work 
and an occasional small spot of dun or red. From a 
variation in this bean a single bean was taken of the 
same colour as the true type, but larger, oblong and 
slightly kidney-shaped. This seed produced beans 
entirely different from either the seed planted or the 
original variety from which it was selected. The crop 
may be described as oblong, strongly flattened side- 
wise, slightly kidney-form, rarely slightly compressed 
at the ends, yellowish-brown with darker markings 
which are inclined to form broken rings concentric 
with the eye. 
These descriptive remarks are offered in order to 
show the importance of growing beans for seed pur¬ 
poses apart from other varieties than their own, for if 
many varieties are grown together it is more than 
probable that the seed furnished will produce a variety 
of crop, and it seems quite possible that the habit of 
the plant varies to as great an extent as does the 
seed, although the variations are not as easily de¬ 
scribed.— E. Lewis Stwrtevant, Director of the New 
York Agricultural Experiment Station. 
