July 2, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
693 
Prof. Anton Kerner Ritter von Marilaun, the eminent 
botanist at Vienna, has just died at the age of 67. 
Coming of Age Festivities at Stourbridge.—The 
coming of age of Mr. E. Stanley Webb—eldest son 
of Mr. Edward Webb—was celebrated on Saturday 
afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Webb having invited the 
staff of Messrs. Webb & Sons, the Queen's Seeds¬ 
men, to their beautiful residence at Studley Court, 
Stourbridge. There were about 400 present, includ¬ 
ing the staff from Wordsley and the hands employed 
at the Kinver Seed Farms, also the managers from 
the Chemical Works at Chester. Fine weather 
prevailed and the visitors were enabled to spend a 
very pleasant t'me. A variety of games was provided 
for their amusement, including bowls, tennis, cricket, 
quoits, &c., whilst many availed themselves of boat¬ 
ing on the lake, a fine sheet of water four acres in 
extent. The house and grounds were both open 
and in the early part of the proceedings afternoon tea 
was served, after which the whole party was photo¬ 
graphed on the terrace. The band of the 2nd 
Battallion Bedfordshire Regiment, comprising 37 
performers under Bandmaster Willis, gave great 
pleasure by their performances. Dinner was served 
in a large marquee, after which Mr. W. W. Wyld, 
on behalf of the staff, presented Mr. Stanley Webb 
with an illuminated address, together with several 
handsome articles, including a travelling bag, dress¬ 
ing case, hunting crop, sandwich case, &c. Mr. 
Wyld testified to Mr. Stanley Webb's popularity 
with the staff. Mr. Stanley Webb in responding 
said - he could not sufficiently thank them for the 
kindly feeling towards him as expressed in the 
address, and he also acknowledged his indebtedness 
to them for the assistance they had given him since 
his connection with the business. “ Success to the 
Firm " was proposed by Mr. J. W. Berrington, who 
referred to the great abilities and untiring energies 
of the firm—Col. Webb and Mr. Edward Webb. 
They always kept the business abreast with the 
times. Every year saw some new development, 
either the extension of the warehouses at Wordsley, 
the acquisition and enlargement of the works at 
Chester, or, as it had been during the past year, 
the purchase of an additional estate adjoining their 
Seed Farms at Kinver, and also the erection of more 
plant houses at Wordsley for the growth of certain 
flowers and other special experiments. Col. Webb 
in replying said, great as the business was, wonderful 
as the growth bad been, he confidently looked 
forward to even greater progress in the future. Mr. 
T. R. Marshall proposed the health of Mr. and Mrs. 
Edward Webb who were so highly esteemed in the 
district no less for their liberality to public institu¬ 
tions than for their unassuming benefactions in 
private life. Mr. Edward Webb responded. He 
said the event was one of the greatest in his life and 
he hoped his son would uphold the traditions of the 
firm and maintain the high position it occupied. 
——« t < - - 
IRISES AT LONG DITTON. 
As the months come and go, and the wheel of nature 
revolves through the seasons, bringing with it in its 
revolutions the bright faces of the flowers as they 
reach their climax of beauty and, passing away, 
leave the field to others, we are greeted with a series 
of ever-changing colour effects amongst our hardy 
plants, but amongst all the varied and brightly-hued 
children that nature calls up for our delectation 
there is none upon which the eye rests with a keener 
sense of pleasure than upon the rainbow flowers, the 
Irises, which rival the gayest Orchids of exotic 
climes in their quaint markings and brilliant colours. 
The montji of June seems to be essentially a month 
of Irises, for although the versatility of the genus 
has brought forth flowers that bloom both earlier 
and later, and practically extend the season well- 
nigh throughout the entire year, June has a greater 
share than the other months. 
It is at this season of the year that the tall Flag 
Irises in their several sections produce their flowers, 
following closely upon the heels of the showy 
German Irises and taking up the tale where they lay 
it down. 
Messrs. Barr & Sons' nurseries at Long Ditton 
have, ever since their formation, been a happy hunt¬ 
ing ground for lovers of hardy plants, and it is 
almost needless to say that their collection of Irises 
is one of the most comprehensive in existence. Not 
only are rare species looked after, and by careful 
cultivation coaxed to do their best, but choice 
varieties are watched for with equal keenness, and 
tended with the same care. 
This year the plants have done remarkably well, 
and we were agreeably surprised during a recent 
visit to see how successfully they had resisted the 
somewhat trying climatical conditions of our early 
summer. The growth all round has been most 
satisfactory, and the flowers large, fine and 
numerous. 
The descendants of Iris barbata, or the Bearded 
Flag Iris, have been divided into sections according 
to the colour of the standards and falls, and this 
colour division harmonises well with the several 
periods of flowering. After the "germanica” 
section with its self-blue standards and falls, and 
flowering in May, come in order of mention the 
varieties grouped under the sections ‘'aphylla,” 
“ amoena," “ neglecta,” “ pallida,” “ squalens,” and 
“ variegata.” 
In the " aphylla ” section the prevailing hues are 
some soft shades of blue and white, the segments 
being prettily frilled. The choicest of these is 
Madame Chereau, now of course out of bloom. 
" Amoena ” varieties have white standards, and 
falls of blue, purple, or varying shades of these, and 
white. Here Mrs. G. Darwin is one of the finest, 
with large white falls, netted witn gold and violet, 
and although when contrasted with the name it may 
seem somewhat anomalous a fine yellow beard. 
This is a very free flowering variety. Victorine has 
large purple-violet falls, curiously mottled with 
white. It is a noble flower and very showy. 
‘‘Neglecta” varieties have standards which range in 
colour from lavender to rich purple, the falls being 
usually dark or violet purple with occasionally 
mottlings of white. Willie Barr, Amabilis, Fairy 
Queen, and Hannibal are pretty well known varieties, 
and they represent the general excellence of the 
group. 
In the ‘ pallida' forms we find paler shades of 
blue and purple in both standards and falls that are 
at once delicate and pleasing. Occasionally, as in 
Garibaldi and Albert Victor, we find a suffusion of 
rose that is very striking. In I. rubella we have 
rosy-lilac standards and deep claret falls, whilst 
Queen of May exhibits a soft rosy-pink shade that 
is almost indescribable. 
The ' squalens ' group contains all varieties which 
exhibit dun shades of copper, bronze, and fawn. 
Here we get some of the most uncommon colours 
and combinations, which are to be found nowhere 
else. Numerically also the section is one of the 
strongest, and it contains many forms of rare beauty. 
Very striking is La Prestigieuse with bronze-yellow 
standards, and maroon-purple falls netted with 
yellow-white. Dr. Bernice has bronze-yellow 
standards and deep lavender falls, an exquisite com¬ 
bination that only needs to be seen to be appreciated. 
The 1 variegata ’ section is likewise strong in 
numbers. The standards are yellow, and the falls of 
various shades. In this group we have some of the 
most showy of all Irises, the colours beiug in all 
cases brighter and decided. Maori King is a com¬ 
paratively new form with rich crimson, gold- 
margined falls. In Gracchus the falls are crimson, 
netted with white, whilst in Darius they are lilac, 
and netted with both brown anH white. 
Passing from the innumerable forms grouped 
under the above-mentioned sections, we were much 
taken with a variety of I. spuria named Notha, 
which runs from 3 ft. to 4 ft. in height, and has rich 
violet standards with blue, yellow-spotted falls. 
The Xiphions, or bulbous Irises, are of equal 
importance to the rhizomatous division which we 
have been considering, for to them belong such 
early-flowering subjects as I. Histrio, I. perstca, and 
I. reticulata. The June flowering representatives 
are of taller and more imposing presence than these, 
and the flowers are larger and finer, although ve do 
not wish to make invidious comparisons. We mus - , 
confess, however, that a magnificent break of I. 
Xiphion Thunderbolt excited in us the liveliest 
feelings of admiration. This grand variety grows to 
a height of about 3 ft., and the flowers are large and 
massive in proportion. The standards are rich 
crimson-black, the /alls are chesnut-brown with a 
prominent central orange blotch, and both are of 
great width and substance. The exceedingly rich 
effect produced by the sun shiniDg on this mass of 
flowers entirely baffles description. Side by sice 
with Thunderbolt was another form of I. Xiphion, 
called Blue Beauty. This is much dwarfer, the 
height beiDg not more than 18 in. The flowers are 
only a little smaller, however, and the colours, deep 
blue standards, and azure falls with yellow blotch, 
are brilliant in the extreme. 
The above-mentioned varieties are only a few of 
those that are to be seen in all their glory at Long 
Ditton during the season. 
- mfm - 
RAISING NEW PANSIES. 
Few plants lend themselves so readily to artificial 
fertilisation as Pansies do ; and yet very few growers 
take the trouble to artificially cross them. In Scot¬ 
land, at any rate, nearly all the seedlings are chance 
ones, that is, the seed saved from varieties which 
have been only fertilised by insects. There are a 
few exceptions to this rule, however. One grower 
by systematic crossing turns out many fine varieties 
yearly. Generally, chance seedlings are no improve¬ 
ment on their parents. They are generally only 
variations, in colour, size or shape, a shade or two 
darker or lighter, a broader or narrower margin, 
a slight difference in the eye. On the other hand, 
in artificial fertilisation a variety, fine in colour, 
size and markings, but deficient in the lower petal 
can be crossed with another, which is good in that 
respect ; or a very fine variety, but with a weak 
constitution, could be crossed with a robust sort with 
splendid results. 
If raisers of new Pansies would look a little more 
to the constitution of the plants from which seed was 
saved, there would not be so much dying off in 
Pansies. For fertilisation a dry bright day should 
be chosen. The best plan to adopt is to gently 
remove the lower petal of the pollen parent. The 
pollen lies immediately below the pistil, but there is 
not generally much of it. When the petal is taken 
out of the pollen parent, take a camel-hair brush 
and brush some-of the pollen on to the pistil of the 
seed parent. Always choose the best grower for 
the seed parent. 
It makes it the more interesting to label all crosses, 
and it is also a guide for the following season. It 
does not always happen that pods swell up. They 
sometimes just seem to stand still, and when opened 
only contain one or two fuily developed seeds. The 
seed pods should be allowed to stand until they 
begin to turn slightly brown ; but care must be 
taken or they will open and the seed get lost. The 
seed may be sown when ripe or kept in a dry place 
until spring. 
If sown on a hotbed in March, and planted out in 
May they should flower in June .—Scotch Growey. 
-— » «■ 
WHY DO SO MANY STANDARD ROSES 
DIE? 
That there is a great disproportion between the 
number of deaths which occur among standard and 
dwarf Roses will, I think, be readily admitted by all 
conversant with Rose growing, the fatality among 
standards being generally attributed to a variety of 
causes. At the same time, what I take to be the 
most prevalent cause of failure seems to escape 
general attention, owing, I believe, to the hardiness 
of the stock employed, when under natural condi¬ 
tions among our hedge rows and plantations where 
its stems are to a considerable extent protected by 
the surrounding growths from frost, especially late 
spring frosts. When taken from their natural 
position, and treated in a somewhat barbarous 
fashion, what do we usually find ? Why their naked 
stems are exposed to the influences of all weathers, 
and being naturally excitable a few week's mild 
weather will set the sap in motion, and then early 
morning frosts setting in will freeze the sap in the 
stems, which being fully exposed to the rays of the 
rising sun thaws suddenly. The cells of the bark 
are ruptured, and the sap can no longer have its free 
course. The roots below ground may live and con¬ 
tinue to throw up strong suckers for a time, and the 
head of the plant may possibly drag out a feeble 
existence for a season or two, but must finally 
succumb. This phenomenon is very familiar to 
those in charge of fruit nurseries, where, sometimes, 
whole plantations of Cherry and other stocks are 
killed to the ground. I readily admit that there are 
other destructive agencies at work among standard 
Roses, but at the same time think the cause I indi¬ 
cate is the most general one to which standard 
Roses succumb. —W. B. G. 
