194 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 26, 1892. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
At the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
on the 15th inst., the undermentioned subjects, 
chiefly Chrysanthemums, received awards according 
to merit. The Orchids certificated on the same 
occasions are recorded under “ Orchid Notes and 
Gleanings.” 
Begonia decora.— There is a Begonia from 
Brazil named B. decora—a shrubby species—but 
that under notice is a dwarf-growing form, a native 
of Malaysia, with the habit of B. Rex, but smaller 
in all its parts, and more nearly related to B. picta 
and B. imperialis—the former a native of the Hima¬ 
layas, the latter coming from Mexico. The stems, 
as far as we have seen, are only 2 in. to 4 in. high, 
moderately stout and fleshy, but completely hidden 
by the foliage. The leaves are obliquely heart- 
shaped, drawn out to a point, and of a bronzy olive 
or brown, with a greenish yellow band along the 
mid-rib and the primary lateral nerves. Both sur¬ 
faces are hairy, but the hairs on the upper surface 
are elevated on little outgrowths or papillae, making 
the surface rough. A pan of plants, with the leaves 
covering the surface of the soil, was exhibited by 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, when a First- 
class Certificate was awarded. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Aida.— The blooms of this reflexed Japanese 
variety are of good average size, measuring 5 in. to 
6 in. across. They may possibly be grown to larger 
size another year. The florets are numerous, com¬ 
pactly arranged, and slightly curled at the tips, but 
always concave there, as in the case of Criterion, 
Felix Cassagneau, and several others. The florets 
are comparatively broad, and of a pale buff-purple 
overlying creamy yellow, and of that colour towards 
the tips. The reverse is bright yellow, and best seen 
on the younger, unexpanded florets occupying the 
centre, and which at that stage are incurved. On 
the whole the variety is very pretty and distinct. 
Lord Brooke. —This is an incurved Japanese 
sort, and although only of moderate size is a great 
acquisition on account of its rich colours and neat 
form. The florets are broad, regularly incurved, 
and of a deep golden yellow, more or less heavily 
bronzed on the reverse, particularly towards the 
tips. The blooms measure about 4J in. or 5 in. 
across, and approach the true incurved type pretty 
closely. Both this and Aida were exhibited by 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, and received 
Awards of Merit. 
Charles Blick.— For description of this fine 
yellow incurved Japanese variety see p. 178. It was 
exhibited by Mr. Charles Blick, gardener to Martin 
R. Smith, Esq., The Warren, Hayes Common, Kent, 
and received an Award of Merit. 
Mrs. Needs.— The heads of this variety measure 
6 in. to 7 in across, and are therefore of good 
average size for the reflexed Japanese type. The 
florets are narrow, white with pale purple or pink 
tips, and this colour often extends down the edges, 
giving the whole a striped appearance reminding one 
of the old Belle Paule. The tips of the florets'are, 
however, often deeply bifurcate, and therefore quite 
distinct. 
Robert Flowerday.— This is an incurved Japa¬ 
nese variety, of large size and somewhat after the 
form of Mrs. C. Wheeler, but different in colour, 
and probably also in shape when the ultimate stage 
is reached. The upper surface of the broad, blunt, 
stiffish florets is crimson, shaded with purple, and 
silvery on the reverse, or slightly suffused with 
purple even there. The bloom measures 7 in. to 
8 in. across. Both this and Mrs. Needs were ex¬ 
hibited by Messrs. J. R. Pearson & Sons, Chilwell, 
Notts, when Awards of Merit were accorded them. 
Miss Dorothea Shea.— The blooms of this re¬ 
flexed Japanese variety measure about 7 in. across. 
It was exhibited by C. E. Shea, Esq., Foot's Cray, 
Kent, and received an Award of Merit. For descrip¬ 
tion see p. 178. 
Princess Victoria.— An Award of Merit was also 
accorded this variety when shown by William 
Seward, Esq. (gardener, Mr. J. Schrimpton), The 
F'irs, Hanwell. For description see p. 178. 
The Carnation : its History, Properties, and Management, 
with a descriptive list of the best varieties in cultivation. By 
E. S. Dodwell. Third edition, with supplementary chapter on 
the yellow ground. London: Gardening World Office, i, 
Clement’s Inn, Strand. W.C. is. 6d; post free, is. 7d.— £Advt, 
CROSSING AND CROSS¬ 
BREEDING. 
Prof. L. H. Bailey, of the Cornell University 
discussing the subject of cross-breeding in plants at 
a meeting of the Massachusets State Board of 
Agriculture, said:—" The improvement of existing 
varieties by crossing is a more important office than, 
the summary production of new varieties. This is 
the chief use which nature makes of crossing—to 
strengthen the type. Think, for instance, of the 
great rarity of hybrids or pronounced crosses in 
nature ! No doubt all the authentic cases on record 
could be entered in one or two volumes, but a list of 
all the individual plants of the world could not be 
compressed into ten thousand volumes. There are 
a few genera, in which the species are not well defined 
or in which some character of inflorescence favours 
promiscuous crossing, in which hybrids are conspicu¬ 
ous ; but even here the number of individual hybrids 
is very small in ccmparison to the whole number of 
individuals. That is, the hybrids are rare, while the 
parents may be common. 
"Darwin was the first to show that crossing within 
the limits of the species or variety results in a con¬ 
stant revitalizing of the offspring, and that this is 
the particular ultimate function of the operation. 
Darwin’s results are concisely these : self-fertilization 
tends to weaken the offspring; crossing between 
different plants of the same variety gives stronger 
and more productive offspring than arises from self- 
fertilization ; crossing between stocks of the same 
variety grown in different places, or under different 
conditions, gives better offspring than crossing 
between different plants grown in the same place or 
under similar conditions; and his researches have 
also shown that, as a rule, flowers are so constructed 
as to favour cross-fertilization. In short, he found, 
as he expressed it, that ‘ Nature abhors perpetual 
self-fertilization.’ Darwin's well-known experiments 
show that crosses between fresh stock of the same 
variety were nearly 30 per cent, more vigorous 
than crosses between plants grown side by 
side for some time, and over 44 per cent, more 
vigorous than plants from self-fertilized seeds. On 
the other hand, experiments showed that crosses 
between different flowers upon the same plant gave 
actually poorer results than offspring of self-fertilized 
flowers. It is evident, from all his experiments, that 
Nature desires crosses between plants, and, if pos¬ 
sible, between plants grown under somewhat different 
conditions.” 
On the subject of “producing new plants” 
Professor Bailey says : "the second result of crossing, 
the summary production of new varieties, is the 
subject which is almost universally associated with 
crossing in the popular mind, and even among horti¬ 
culturists themselves. It is the commonest notion 
that the desirable characters of given parents can be 
definitely combined in a pronounced cross or hybrid. 
There are two or three philosophical reasons which 
somewhat oppose this doctrine, and which we will 
do well to consider at the outside. In the first place, 
nature is opposed to hybrids, for species have been 
bred away from each other in the' ability to cross. 
If, therefore, there is no advantage for nature to 
hybridize, we may suppose that there would be none 
for man; and there would be no advantage for man 
did he not place the plant under conditions different 
from nature or desire a different set of characters. 
We can overcome the refusal to cross in many cases 
by bringing the plant under cultivation where new 
conditions overpower its former antipathies. Yet it 
is doubtful if such a plant will ever acquire a com¬ 
plete willingness to cross. In like manner we can 
overcome in a measure the comparative seedlessness 
of hybrids, but it is very doubtful if we can ever 
make such hybrids completely fruitful. It would 
appear, therefore, that with plants in which fruits 
or seeds are the parts sought, no good can be 
expected, as a rule, from hybridization, and this 
seems to be affirmed by facts. It is evident 
that species which have been bred away from 
each other in a given locality will have more 
opposed qualities than similar species which have 
arisen quite independently in places remote from each 
other. In the one case the species have struggled 
with each other until each one has attained to a 
degree of divergence which allows it to persist, while 
in the other case there has been no struggle between 
the species, but similar conditions have brought 
about similar results. These similar species which 
appear independently of each other in different 
places are called representative species. Islands 
remote from each other, but similarly situated with 
reference to climate, very often contain such species, 
and the same may be said of other regions much 
like each other. Now it follows that if representa¬ 
tive species are less opposed than others, they are 
more likely to hybridise with good results ; and this 
fact is well illustrated in the Kieffer and allied Pears, 
which are hybrids between representative species of 
Europe and Japan. We will also recall that the 
hybrid Grapes which have so far proved most 
valuable are those obtained by Rogers between the 
American Vitis labrusca and the European wine 
Grapes, and that the attempts of Haskell and others 
to hybridize associated species of native Grapes 
have given, at best, only indifferent results.” 
Touching on hydridization the essayist says: — 
“ Among the various characters of hybrid offspring, 
the most prejudicial one is their instability; it is 
difficult to fix any particular form which we may 
secure in the first generation of hybrids ; and there¬ 
fore we find that the great majority of the best 
hybrids in cultivation are increased by bud propaga¬ 
tion, as cuttings, layers, suckers, buds or grafts. In 
fact, there are few instances of undoubted hybrids 
which are propagated with practical certainty by 
means of seeds. 
This simply means that it is diffidult to fix hybrids 
so that they will come true to seed, and makes 
apparent the fact that if we desire hybrids we must 
expect to propagate them by means of buds.” 
Professor Bailey sums up his able paper in the 
following words :—■” Encourage in every way crosses 
within the limits of the variety and in connection 
with change of stock, expecting increase in vigour 
and productiveness. Hybridise, if you are curious to 
know what nature will eo about it, but do it carefully, 
honestly, thoroughly, and do not expect too much. 
Extend Darwin’s famous proposition to read like 
this : Nature abhors both perpetual self-fertilization 
and hybridization.” 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM 
SHOWS IN CORNWALL. 
Perhaps no county in England has greater advan¬ 
tages, climatically, for the proper cultivation of these 
chaste and brilliant blooms than Cornwall, and 
certainly it would be hard to find a county where 
they are more popular. This has recently 
been evidenced by the extent and importance 
of the exhibits at the shows held at Penzance, the 
Lizard, Plymouth, and other places. That at Pen¬ 
zance, for a local show, was decidedly the best ever 
held in the West of England. Not only were the 
exhibits numerous, but remarkable for richness of 
growth and colour and for specialities. Some re¬ 
markable specimens of the “Jap.” class were shown 
by Mr. John P. Milton and Mr. Chirgwin, the latter’s 
predominating, in our opinion, as to quality, and 
also in the opinion of the judge, Mr. Hensen, of 
Plymouth, for to him were awarded the largest 
number of prizes and certificates, although Mr. 
Milton ran him pretty close. This was also notice¬ 
able for the rich specimens of Pompon varieties, in 
which figured the names, besides those mentioned, 
of Mr. W. H. Murley and Mr. W. A. Gerry, whose 
productions were well worth mentioning. Other 
exhibitors in the open class were Mr. G. L. Bodilly 
and Mr. T. Branwell, jun. By far the best plant in the 
exhibition, and which won a certificate, was a ruby 
and gold Japanese, and the incurved specimens were 
remarkable. A prize group of five dozen varieties 
by Mr. Milton represented, in the opinion of the 
judge, the best stand ever exhibited in Cornwall. 
Mr. Gerry's plants would have done better but for 
the want of taste in their arrangement, and this 
should be a warning, especially to amateurs. There 
were exhibited on the platform some splendid 
Marantas, Palms, Banana, Aspidistra, etc. As re¬ 
gards the incurved blooms they were fairly good, 
but the judge threw out the hint that their appear¬ 
ance would have been improved if they could be 
grown without the sticks, in which case there would 
be less stiffness and the appearance more natural. 
Mr. T. B. Bolitho, M.P., exhibited (not for competi¬ 
tion) a collection of Grapes, measuring in some of 
the clusters iS in. by a foot, whilst his twenty dif¬ 
ferent samples of Apples attracted much attention. 
The arrangements throughout were all that could be 
