762 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July SO, 1898. 
edged, barred, and mottled with purple. Cardinal 
Wolsey has been placed at the top of the yellow 
ground fancy Carnations, the scarlet and orange 
stripes showing a remarkable combination. 
All the best of the show varieties, bizarre, flaked 
and self Carnations, as well as the white ground 
Carnations are grown and tended with great care at 
Edenside, but as few of them are really new we need 
not further mention them on this occasion, as they 
are well known to the specialists in this particular 
line. 
White Ground Picotees. 
As already mentioned, the exhibition types proper 
are grown along with the more modern races. We 
felt constrained to note some of the varieties of the 
white ground Picotees, on account of their refined 
and beautiful forms. In this latter respect, Harry 
Kenyon is one of the finest, and has a light purple 
edge. The lively rose edge of Mrs. Beswick is very 
heavy, being both conspicuous and attractive. 
Charlotte Bronte and Fortrose are really handsome, 
the one forming a fine contrast to the other. While 
both have broad and evenly rounded petals, the first 
named has a heavy red edge, and Fortrose a light 
rose edge on a clear white ground. All of the above 
are gems of the first water and new. 
Border Carnations. 
For general cultivation we now come to the most 
interesting class, which has given such an impetus to 
the cause within the past decade. The seifs are the 
most generally useful though many of the fancy 
varieties have an attraction to the unsophisticated 
and unbiassed or unprejudiced mind, that their 
beauty cannot be resisted. Whether for border 
decoration or cut flowers they are unrivalled. Owing 
to the vigour of their constitution there is no 
difficulty in getting grass (leafy shoots) for layering, 
and their hardiness in well drained, firm ground is 
now a well established fact. The bulk of all the sorts 
at Edenside are grown in pots for convenience, with 
the exception of the seedlings which are gfown and 
flowered in the open. 
The maroon-crimson flowers and broad entire 
petals of Sir Henry Irving place it in the first rank 
of importance. The same may be said of the rich 
terra cotta of Mrs. Colby Sharpin, which carries its 
flowers erect. It is a great improvement upon Mrs. 
Reynolds Hole. Equally good in habit is Hampden, 
a shade or two lighter than the previous one. The 
huge white flowers of Delightful are slightly flaked 
with rose and very aptly named. Miss Florence 
comes into the same category, but the large and 
showy white flowers have a cluster of rose flakes 
generally about the middle of each petal. Both are 
great favourites with the ladies. A gorgeous and 
beautiful flower is Francis Wellesley, the flowers 
being of a most attractive shade of rich carmine-rose. 
Equally distinct in their way are Druid, bluish- 
mauve ; Lady Hindlip, a fiery-scarlet of most refined 
form ; and Bendigo, a most remarkable shade of 
blue-purple, being in fact the nearest approach to 
blue we have yet seen amongst Carnations. The 
Cadi is a rich scarlet and beautifully formed flower, 
with refined petals. The salmon-pink Endymion is 
the finest yet raised of this colour, and the growth is 
splendid. Mrs. Grey Buchanan is a finely formed 
flower of a rich and dark apricot. Queen of Sheba 
(Smith) is a masterpiece in delicacy, for it is pale 
yellow with an apricot centre. 
White varieties are very numerous in the collec¬ 
tion, and many of them are really acquisitions. The 
Briton is one of them, being a huge white flower 
with entire edges, and carried erect on stout stalks. 
The grass is also vigorous. Elfin is snowy white, and 
at one time was the best of its class; it flowers pro¬ 
fusely. Saul is a clear, rich yellow; and Diana is 
paler, but much larger. The huge, rich rose flowers 
of Sapho never burst their calyx. Of dark varieties 
the richest are here, including the large maroon- 
crimson Mephisto, and Nox, a smaller, nearly black 
flower. A very pretty light colour is the rosy-pink 
Mrs. Gascoigne. Exile is of a rich rose, and was the 
premier self Carnation at the Southampton show. 
Mrs. James Douglas is a dwarf, free, early flowering 
variety of handsome form and rich scarlet. 
Fancy border varieties are not neglected. A bold 
flower is Perseus, which is irregularly striped with 
heliotrope aDd orange on a yellow ground. Beauti¬ 
ful of its kind is Artemis, which is barred and striped 
with heliotrope and scarlet; but the finest of this 
type we have seen is Pelegia. The dark heliotrope 
and scarlet are well defined and regularly distri¬ 
buted; the flower is also full and regularly formed. 
This as well as Sir Henry Irving, Miss Florence, 
Delightful, and Francis Wellesley belong to a set of 
nine, raised by Mr. Douglas for 1898-99. 
Many of the above have been honoured with 
Awards of Merit and First class Certificates at 
various London and provincial shows, and mark pro¬ 
gress in the race that will quite revolutionise Carna¬ 
tion culture in the near future. These fine varieties 
are just as easy to grow, yes, easier than the bulk of 
the old types which they are bound to supersede. 
More than 150 of the varieties raised by M. R Smith, 
Esq., are grown at Edenside, besides 100 raised by 
Mr. Douglas himself. He has 12,000 plants in pots 
under glass. 
-***- 
THE VIOLET AND THE TULIP. 
AN ALLEGORY. 
Down in a little silent dell 
A simple Violet loved to dwell— 
To plain and rustic manners bred, 
She still hung down her bashful head ; 
Unfond to meet the gazer's eye— 
For rural Nymphs are ever shy : 
Yet still among the homely crowd, 
'Twas universally allowed 
That she had charms which well may vie 
With many a flower of gaudier dye. 
The Daisy at a distance sighed, 
While Primrose dangled at her side, 
Constant as any modern beau 
That feigns a pang he ne’er can know. 
The Bluebell, from a noble race 
Descended, own’d the flower had pace, 
And might, if polished in the town, 
Put many a boasted flow’ret down. 
Poor Periwinkle praised her air, 
And “ DAFFODILS ” confessed her fair. 
It happened, as the story goes, 
That near the spot a TULIP rose, 
A haughty Dutchman of high birth, 
And used to grow in " sifted earth " ; 
But Time, that lays the proudest low, 
Had here condemned the flow’r to blow ; 
By some rude gard'ner cast away, 
And doomed to dwell in " humbler clay.” 
And like some vapoured city fair, 
Ordered into the country air, 
The Tulip plays off many a grace, 
And proudly shews her painted face. 
The neighbour plants, amazed, behold 
Her purple petals streaked with gold ; 
Her slender stalk of tenderest green ; 
Her graceful form and courtly mein ; 
And gape as folks are wont to do 
(Poor country folk) at objects new ; 
While she despises this and that, 
Calls some " disgusting,” others " flat.” 
But most the Violet she disdained, 
And of her insolence complained. 
” I wonder such a minx,” said she, 
” Could push thus into company ; 
Or wi h her little awkward ways, 
Can think (poor silly wretch) to please. 
Pray know your betters, miss,” she cries, 
" And keep your distance if you’re wise ; 
'Tis pretty time 0’ day indeed, 
When I must talk to such a weed, 
That thus so impudently grows 
Beneath, forsooth, my very nose,” 
” Madam,” replied the modest flower, 
” We all confess your sovereign power, 
And own that with so rich a dye 
'Twere vain for Violets to vie, 
And humbly make but this request — - 
Your ladyship may let us rest.” 
Just then a bee came buzzing by, 
And on the Violet cast his eye, 
Thrice humm'd around her azure breast, 
Then on her lip a kiss impressed, 
Whilst Tulip all neglected lay, 
Tho’ blazing in her proud array. 
Hence humbled vanity may see 
'Tis only sweets attract the bee: 
— Richard Alfred Milikin, Cork ', bom, 17G7; died, 
1815. 
-- 
Mountain Ashes are very plentiful on Vesuvius, yet 
strange to say, it is practically treeless 
BELGIAN NURSERIES. 
IX.— Messrs. F. Sander & Co , Bruges. 
In England the leading feature of this firm is the 
Orchids at St. Albans; but at Bruges, Belgium, the 
two leading specialities are Palms and Indian Azaleas. 
Several houses are also entirely devoted to Orchids ; 
and a good many others are occupied with fine foliage 
plants generally, including new plants. The estab¬ 
lishment at Bruges is only of two or three years 
standing, yet it has already developed to vast 
proportions, and a great block of houses was being 
added on the occasion of our visit in April last. The 
nursery or village of glass consisted of eighty houses 
besides the addition since made, and is easily reached 
from the station at Bruges, just outside one of the 
ports of the ancient city. 
Fine Foliage Plants. 
Under this heading Palms easily take the leading 
place as far as numbers or quantity are concerned, but 
other subjects probably take precedence in number 
of species. The head quarters of the Sweet Bay 
(Laurus nobilis) are at Bruges, and on the occasion 
of our visit they were in the open air. There are 
thirty to forty Palm houses, and the first two entered 
were occupied with Latanias and Coryphas, 12 in. to 
18 in. high, the former being plunged in tan. The 
Palms are taken out of this and hardened off before 
being sent away. For economy of heating and in 
construction the Palm houses are all built in great 
blocks, the area continuous, and the roofs supported 
by brick arches. One centrally situated boiler heats 
a great number of these houses. A houseful of 
Aspidistra lurida and A. 1 . variegata was in first-rate 
order. We next entered a house of Dracaenas, con¬ 
sisting chiefly of D. Bruanti with bronzy young 
foliage, and very useful for decorative work. Ficus 
elastica was grown in thumb pots, plunged in leaves 
to root them. Numerous varieties of Dracaenas were 
being raised from seeds. Other occupants of this 
house were tuberous Begonias, Phoenix canariensis 
and Cocos flexuosa in quantity. 
Kentias by the thousand engaged our attention in 
another house. The most popular are K. belmoreana 
and K. fosteriana. Less common are K. rupicolaand 
K. mooreana, red petioled forms. K canterburyana 
is not so popular. All these vary in height from 6 in. 
to 18 in., and seedlings were germinating under the 
benches. Kentias are grown cool, with plenty of 
air, and are never plunged, as are the Latanias which 
require more heat. 
A cool house contained a fine batch of dwarf and 
sturdy Coryphas. Slender and graceful was Phoenix 
rupicola. P. canariensis consisted of sturdy plants 
3 ft. high; and the Wax Palm (Ceroxylon niveum) 
stood 3 ft. to 4 ft. high. Next to this came Kentias, 
2 ft. high ; and the central beds were occupied with 
fine specimens of Latania, 3 ft. high, clean, healthy, 
and consisting of eight to ten leaves. The palmate 
or fan-shaped leaves of Brahea glauca were fringed 
with filaments on the edges, and the plants stood 
5 ft. high. Plants of Cocos Bonetti were to be seen 
of various sizes up to 6 ft. and 8 ft., the pinnate 
leaves being glaucous and handsome. Outside the 
vestibules of some of these houses Bambcos in tubs 
were represented by Phyllostachys aurea, 10 ft. high. 
Elsewhere we came upon Kentias 18 in. to 2 ft. 
high in 48-size pots; and others 5 ft. to 6 ft. high 
carried about seven fine leaves. Livistonas in fine 
form were being got ready for despatch for the pur¬ 
chasers. Some huge houses were filled with Phoenix 
canariensis, with twelve to fourteen leaves; Corypha 
australis, 25 ft. to 3J ft. high, and bearing ten to fif¬ 
teen leaves; Seaforthias, 18 in. high; Phoenix 
rupicola, in fine form ; and Cocos romanzoffiana, 
12 ft. to 14 ft. high, for furnishing. A magnificent 
specimen of Encephalartos Altensteinii, had a stem 
4 ft. in girth; and a head of sixty leaves, with a 
spread of 12 ft. to 14 ft. 
In another block we noted Cocos romanzoffiana 
already 5 ft. to 6 ft. high, although only yet in the 
juvenile state with undivided leaves. Latanias in 
tubs carried from twelve to fifteen leaves, and were 
6 ft. to 7 ft. high, and as far through. Three or 
more seedlings of Areca lutescens are put in each of 
48 and 32-size pots for decorative purposes. These 
Palm houses were shaded, some by means of paint 
and others by lath blinds. Areca sapida stood 3 ft. 
high. Tree Ferns were represented by Dicksonias 
12 ft. to 14 ft. high. Ophiopogon is also grown in 
quantity. A magnificent specimen of Kentia australis, 
standing 14 ft. high, carried fifteen leaves. Cocos 
plumosa, C. flexuosa and C. romanzoffiana (the 
