November 10, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
169 
Hill, is, as promised, of the same form as Viviand 
Morel; colour white with a tinge of mauve. Miss 
Ethel Addison is one of the largest flowers in the 
whole collection, and the petals are of great sub¬ 
stance : colour similar to Mrs. Harman Payne. 
Sarah Hill is something in the build of Lord 
Brooke, and the colour is light yellow flushed with 
bronze. Pitcher & Manda is expanding some fine 
blooms, the colour being a clear yellow with a lighter 
centre; florets quilled. This variety is very peculiar, 
but at present does not seem likely to be of much 
service to the exhibitor. 
Amongst those of Continental origin I noticed 
Mons. Georges Biron, having an appearance similar 
in form to Viviand Morel, quite as large in size, of 
even better substance ; colour rich chestnut, with 
buff reverse. Mons. C. Molin is a beautiful shaped 
flower recurving and drooping in a graceful manner, 
of a rich gold colour shaded with a warm tinge of 
red ; one of the best. Mdlle. M. A. de Galbert is a 
large white with drooping petals of great length ; 
already give promise of large and handsome 
flowers. 
Besides Chrysanthemums, Mr. Godfrey grows the 
cream of English and continental zonal Pelargoniums 
and at the present time fine banks of flower of these 
make the houses gay. Some 4,000 Carnations of 
Miss Mary Godfrey, pure white, large and full, and 
Reginald Godfrey, of a salmon-pink colour, will give 
some idea of the estimation in which these two are 
held, and the rapid manner in which they are being 
disposed of is evidence of their worth in the opinion 
of growers ; a thousand other seedlings are on trial, 
the best so far being Wilfred Godfrey, of a deep 
orange shaded with pink ; this has not been offered 
to the public yet. 
In the vineries a fine lot of Black Hamburgh's 
have been cut ; Black Alicantes are now being used, 
while Gros Guillaume hanging on the vines have 
some bunches that will doubtless turn the scale at 
8 lbs. 
Tomatos are grown in quantities and find a ready 
ing race. The plants are very dwarf, with slender 
stems, developing in succession a large number of 
moderate sized, rich, rosy-carmine flowers. The 
clear and open weather has been beneficial in deve¬ 
loping the rich colouring. The obliquely, heart- 
shaped leaves are of a light green and intermediate 
between the parents. 
Some cultivators prefer Adonis because a stronger 
grower, producing larger flowers of a deep rose, but 
almost scarlet while in bud. As the flower stems 
lengthen so flowers continue to be developed in 
succession in a one-sided cymose fashion from the 
primary forking of the stalk. The leaves are 
obliquely and roundly cordate, and of a rich dark 
green colour. It was obtained by crossing one of 
the summer-flowering race with the pollen of John 
Heal. Neither of them produce female flowers, and 
are very anomalous in that respect. 
A third hybrid is equally interesting, namely, 
Winter Gem, which is dwarfer, richer in colour, and 
flowers later than either. In fact, it will not come 
Begonia, Winter Gem. 
very chaste and elegant. The famous Madame 
Carnot is expanding some flowers, but the petals are 
much narrower than Mdlle. Therese Rey, and seem 
to be much more flimsy than those of that variety. 
President Armand is in the way of E. Molyneux, 
but the colouring is duller, florets much narrower, 
and the bloom of a looser build. 
Other varieties proving well are Soeur de 
Madame Bullier, this is certainly the richest crimson 
in the house, being of a deep blood red, and the 
petals of rare substance. Richard Dean (Owen) is a 
large bloom, light crimson with a lighter reverse. 
Wilfred Marshall from the same raiser is a yellow 
which will doubtless remain ; the blooms being large 
of good form and substance. Mons. Panckoucke is 
another very fine yellow. Among the hirsute 
section, Hairy Wonder is the most striking, but 
another that must not be overlooked, as in all pro¬ 
bability this is the most peculiar of all up to now, is 
Esau. As mentioned already a number of others 
are just opening, some of which may be shown ere 
this is in print. Of older sorts the best are Miss 
Dorothy Shea, Mdlle Therese Rey, Van den Heede, 
Beauty of Exmouth, Mutual Friend and Duke of 
York. One other American variety is Beau Ideal, a 
pure white, and small plants imported last spring 
sale; and of all the best herbaceous plants for 
border, display and cutting purposes, I noticed an 
immense stock. A large piece of ground has lately 
been purchased some short distance from the town, 
and here, a quantity of fruit trees, evergreen shrubs, 
Conifers, are already planted and will doubtless 
soon be in demand, as a quantity of fine villas have 
been and still are being built in the immediate 
neighbourhood.—S. 
-- 
WINTER-FLOWERING 
BEGONIAS. 
As the summer-flowering tuberous Begonias go out 
of bloom the winter-flowering species, varieties, and 
hybrids, become more appreciated. But though the 
kinds that flower in winter are very numerous, it is 
onr intention here to refer only to the tuberous 
kinds, mostly hybrids, and of comparatively recent 
acquisition. Begonia socotrana and those of which 
it is one of the parents had commenced flowering 
about a fortnight ago in the nursery of Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. Generally the first to 
expand its graceful blossoms is John Heal, a hybrid 
obtained from B. socotrana crossed with the pollen 
of Viscountess Doneraile, one of the summer-flower- 
into bloom till about Christmas, and is therefore 
useful to form a succession to others of this race. 
It was acquired by crossing B. socotrana with the 
pollen of a fine scarlet variety of the summer-flower¬ 
ing race. The leaves are orbicular, with a cordate 
base, and light green, resembling in that respect the 
seed parent. The flowers are of a fair average size, 
and of a glowing crimson-scarlet. The accompany¬ 
ing illustration, for which we are indebted to 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, will show the habit and 
general character of the plant. Its seed parent 
commenced flowering some time ago. 
Both John Heal and Adonis are readily propagated 
from cuttings, and experience has shown that this is 
the most expedient and best method of increasing 
them. B. socotrana, as is now well known, must be 
propagated from the bulb-like processes developed 
at the base of the stem and in the axils of the lower 
leaves. Winter Gem, being closely akin to it in 
habit and other respects, must be propagated in the 
same way. All of them constitute an interesting and 
showy class of plants for the adornment of the stove 
or rather intermediate house or warm conservatory 
during the winter months. They also give much 
more satisfaction in rural districts, where they are 
more beyond the reach of smoky fogs, than in town. 
