August 6, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
771 
National 
Telephone 
60, Sydenham. 
GRAND EXHIBITION -3F 
OF 
Tuberous Begonias, Caladiums, Gloxinias, & Streptocarpus, 
&c. 
JOHN LAING & SONS 
Respectfully invite your early inspection of their Superb Collections of these Superb Flower¬ 
ing and Foliage Plants, now at their best at their 
STANSTEAD PARK NURSERIES, FOREST HILL. 
Railway Stations : Catford L. C. & D. Rly., or Catford Bridge, S. E. Rly. 
J. L. & SONS have been appointed Garden Contractors and Floral Decorators 
to the International Universal Exhibition at Earl’s Court. Inspection 
should be made of our fine bedding there, also of our Floral Peacock. 
WEBBS’ 
EMPEROR CABBAGE. 
The Earliest and Best 
6d. and Is. per packet; Is. 6d. per oz. 
From Mr. J. TURNBULL, The School House. 
' July 9TH, 1898. 
“ I sowed some seed of Webbs’ ‘ Emperor Cabbage ’ and 
the Cabbages have been simply graDd; they get better each 
time we have them." 
WEBBS’, WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
ORCHIDS. 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue, 
JAMES CYPHER, 
Exotic nurseries, CHELTEHHAW. 
FINEST MEDAL COLLECTION 
& IN THE WORLD. & 
Send for CATALOGUE to 
JOHN PEED & SONS, West Norwood, London 
The Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent. 
GEORGE BUNYARD & GO., 
Are now booking orders for early delivery of the very best 
NEW AND OLD STRAWBERRIES. 
For crop 1899, or for forcing. 
They offer the largest stock and the best plants in the trade. 
Change oi stock pays. 
Catalogue of Strawberries and Summer Fruits now ready. 
FINEST COLLECTION 
in the World, We make 
a speciality of CALA¬ 
DIUMS. Gold Medals 
Manchester& Leicester. 
Silver Cup, R.H.S., &c. 
Satisfaction guaranteed. JOHN PEED AND SONS, 
- West Norwood, London, 
Caladiums 
A 
NEW 
SHADING. 
As Cool 
as a 
Cucumber. 
SHADING. 
Heat, but not light proof. Easily 
applied. No heating required; no 
mess, no trouble ; the latest scientific 
discovery; beautifies the greenhouse, 
inexpensive and won't wash off; 
entirely superseding old fashioned 
methods and preparations. Can be 
ordered through all seedsmen and 
florists, or direct from the makers, 
price is. FROSTEEN AZO must be 
used in addition to make it permanent, 
price is. 6d. Both sent carriage paid 
for P.O. 2s. 6d. 
FROSTEEN SYNDICATE, LTD, 
341, Argyle Street, Glasgow. 
O RCHIDS of the highest quality, every 
plant guaranteed true to name, from 2/6 each. Please 
send for free list,—P. McARTHUR, The London Nurseries, 
4, Malda Vale, London W. 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
llotiltl, 
Edited by J. FRASER. F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , AUGUST 6 th, 1898. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Tuesday, August gth.—Royal Horticultural Society ; Meeting 
of committees at 12 noon. 
Wednesday, August toth.—Bishop’s Storiford Show. 
Hastings and St. Leonards Show. 
Salisbury Show. 
Etwall and District Show. 
f ARNATIONS AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.— 
Now that the most important of our 
southern Carnation shows is a matter of 
history, and a brilliant success, we are able 
to determine more exactly the progress that 
has been made in the culture of the Carna¬ 
tion during the past year. The abnormal 
climatal conditions that characterised the 
first half of the year naturally excited the 
fears of Carnation lovers that we were to 
have a bad year, and that good 
flowers would be scarce. This idea was 
strengthened when it was announced that 
owing to the lateness of the season the ex¬ 
hibition of the National Carnation and 
Picotee Society (Southern Section) at the 
Crystal Palace was postponed from the 20th 
to the 27th of July. However, all the fears 
happily proved groundless, for the exhibi¬ 
tion turned out to be a brilliant success, 
both from the number of entries received, 
and the quality of the flowers themselves, 
which would have been considered first rate 
in a favourable season, but were nothing 
short of marvellously fine for such a year as 
1898 has been. Picotees, particularly the 
white ground varieties, appear to have been 
the only ones to suffer, although in Mr. C. 
Turner’s winning stand of twenty-four, in 
12 varieties, there were some capital flowers. 
On the other hand the first-prize stand of 
twelve yellow ground flowers in six varieties 
sent by Martin R. Smith Esq., was by far 
the finest lot of blooms we have ever seen. 
Self coloured and fancy Carnations were 
in really superb condition, and the merits 
of these sections were never more abund¬ 
antly manifest. Mr. Martin Smith’s suc¬ 
cesses in the most important classes in each 
of these sections were a remarkable feature, 
and he has certainly never shown finer, if such 
fine, flowers, at any show in any year. Flakes 
and bizarres were fairly well represented, 
but we opine that the interest they excite is 
gradually but surely waning. They are too 
eccentric in their behaviour, too difficult to 
keep true according to the strict canons of 
the florist, and they do not yield a sufficient 
return for labour. We do not, however, 
wish to see them banished from the show 
board, for they possess an attraction and an 
individuality of their own 
The general trend of modern taste is un¬ 
doubtedly in favour of the self coloured 
varieties, and the advance made in this 
section in size, colour, and refinement of 
form during the last few years is nothing 
short of wonderful. Mr. Martin Smith’s 
stand of twenty-four blooms comprising 
nineteen varieties showed conclusively that 
for general effect there is nothing to beat the 
‘ self.’ The grand yellow form Cecilia was 
adjudged to be the premier self in the show, 
and we may take it as typical of its class. 
The classes for undressed blooms shown 
with their own foliage displayed a slight in¬ 
crease in popularity. The efforts of Mr. 
Martin Smith to bring home to flower lovers 
the value of the Carnation as a decorative 
subject are untiring, and find practical ex¬ 
pression in the formation of classes for 
bunches of flowers from the open border set 
up with their own foliage, and not dressed 
or ‘ improved ’ in any way. These classes 
are due to his initiative and we may add, 
the prize money therein to his generosity. 
A full report of the show will be found on 
another page. 
f ARDY Water Lilies at Gunnersbury 
House. —For many years past the 
common White Water Lily as well as 
Nymphaea odorata have been grown in the 
pond at Gunnersbury House, Acton, one of 
the residences of Leopold de Rothschild, 
Esq., and the former particularly occupies 
a considerable amount of space, flowering 
freely every year. When the crowns get 
crowded, however, the leaves rise above the 
water to a height of 6 in. to 12 in. thus 
largely hiding the flowers. Theflowers of N. 
odorata attain an enormous size but otherwise 
closely resemble those of the common one. 
A small piece of the hybrid N. gloriosa was 
imported last year, and when we noted it 
recently, had 17 leaves and 7 flowers and 
buds. The blooms are massive when ex¬ 
panded and the rose and carmine colours 
are very effective. A First-class Certificate 
was recently awarded it by the R.H.S. At 
the same meeting a similar honour was 
accorded N. odorata rosacea, a most charm¬ 
ing rosy-pink flower, of much larger size and 
more telling appearance than the old N. alba 
rosea, beautifulasit is. The intense carmine- 
red flowers of N. elliottiana are very telling, 
as they lie fully expanded just on the top of 
the water. There is now a well established 
patch of it at Gunnersbury House. Equally 
robust isN. robinsoniana, the medium sized 
bronzy leaves rising out of the water, but 
hitherto it has not flowered so freely as it 
did last year. The flowers of Sanguinea 
are only of moderate size, but intense 
crimson-red, with pink sepals that are green 
on the outer face. This striking hybrid is 
not yet in commerce owing to its not having 
had time to increase sufficiently to supply 
the public, so that Mr. James Hudson, the 
gardener, has been favoured by the raiser 
in advance of the public. 
The lighter or intermediate shades of 
colour have not been neglected. The 
flowers of Seignourettii are rich light red, 
tinted with salmon and white on the back 
of the petals. The shade is such that some 
have described it as light yellow, tinted with 
carmine. The small, oval leaves are 
mottled with bronze on both surfaces. The 
silvery-pink flowers, and bronzy, ultimately 
splashed, leaves of N. lucida are also engag¬ 
ing. The Cape Cod Water Lily has also 
bronzy young leaves and silvery-rose flowers 
of considerable beauty. As seen here the 
