March 11, lb99. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
441 
next year. Lifting when the bulbs are dormant causes 
no check, but harm is done, as in your case, when the 
bulbs are kept too long out of the ground. 
CYCLAMEN AT READING. 
Few flowers that bloom in winter are more refined, 
sprightly, or handsome than the Cyclamen. The 
length of time during which the same plants continue 
in bloom is also a great recommendation in their 
favour; and no garden of any size is well-furnished 
that omits growing a fairly representative collection 
of them. During the early days of the year we paid 
a visit of inspection to the Portland Road Nurseries 
of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, and found three 
mencing at the lowest rung of the ladder and work¬ 
ing upwards. For some years past Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons, have grown the wild original from Palestine, 
the small flowered, deliciously scented Cyclamen 
latifolium, generally known as C. persicum in 
gardens. The accompanying illustration, showing at 
a glance the improvements that have been effected in 
gardens, was prepared from flowers sent us last 
week. The larger ones are really much smaller than 
they were two months ago, owing to the plants being 
now carrying a crop of seed pods. No. i is the wild 
original C. latifolium from Palestine, with its minia¬ 
ture flowers and tiny leaf. No. 2 represeuts a form 
raised from Vulcan, crossed with the pollen of C. 
latifolium, the progeny having rosy-purple flowers 
most of the flowers shown in the picture. The five 
varieties having been photographed together, their 
relative size to one another can be seen at a glance. 
From No. 1 to No. 4 represents the improvement 
that has been effected by the art of man in the period 
that has elapsed between 1731 and 1899, though we 
must say that the giant strain is the product of quite 
recent years. The marvellous transformation would 
have appeared even greater if the flowers had been 
photographed in the early days of the year, for the 
variety named White with Crimson Base measured 
5 i in. across the outspread segments in the first week 
of January last. 
Cherry Red has also been crossed with the pollen 
of the wild C. latifolium, and the progeny has 
1 2 3 4 5 
x, Cyclamen latifolium ; 2, Flowers raised from Vulcan crossed with the pollen of C. latifolium ; 3, Vulcan ; 4 and 5, Flowers of Sutton’s Giant 
strain of Cyclamen. 
houses entirely devoted to Cyclamen. The sight 
presented, even at that time, was worth going a long 
way to see. From the outside of the houses little 
could be seen but blossom almost completely hiding 
the foliage. A closer inspection revealed the leaves 
in the finest possible condition, with their wonderful 
markings and silvery-gray bands, above which the 
long, stout scapes carried the flowers quite clear of 
the foliage without any support whatever. The 
profusion of blossom furnished ample evidence that 
the plants must have commenced to bloom a month 
or two previously, and as they are still flowering, 
notwithstanding their being fertilised for the produc¬ 
tion of seed, they have already endured for a period 
of three or four months. 
We cannot fairly describe them without com- 
with a crimson base, and the delightful fragrance of 
the pollen parent. No. 3 shows Vulcan, the seed 
parent, which is the darkest crimson we have, and a 
flower of great substance, though moderate in size. 
Our readers cannot fail to notice the great poten¬ 
tiality of the pollen parent (C. latifolium) in assimi¬ 
lating the progeny to its own form and colour, and in 
greatly reducing the size. Nevertheless, the cross is 
distinctly intermediate between the parents. The 
flowers of the progeny (No. 2) are really darker 
in colour than the photograph represents them to be. 
No. 4 represents Sutton’s Giant Strain, the lower 
being a bloom of Giant White and the upper a rich 
purple flower. Unfortunately we were unable to 
display a leaf belonging to these flowers, because it 
had an area of 22^ sq. in. and would havecovered up 
purple flowers, with much broader and less twisted 
segments than those of the Palestine plant. The 
silvery markings on the foliage of this cross are 
really very handsome. A white-flowered seedling has 
appeared amongst a batch of C. latifolium and is 
appropriately named C. latifolium album, and has the 
fragrance of its parent. By reverting to the original 
for fresh blood, it is possible that Messrs. Sutton & 
Sons will be able to pick up the scent of the wild 
type that has almost been lost in the modern races. 
This will undoubtedly be a great gain if it can be 
effected. The batches of the tiny original and of 
the crosses in which it has been concerned perfume 
the atmosphere of the house, and make the visitor 
commence sniffing about in order to ascertain from 
whence the scent emanates. 
