August 5, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
771 
BULBS FOR EARLY FORCING. 
WHITE ROMAN HYACINTHS. 
FREEZIA REFRACTA AUBA. 
PAPER WHITE NARCISSUS. 
DOUBLE ROMAN NARCISSUS. 
My consignments of the above are now to hand in excellent cond tion. Early orders solicited. Catalogues free. 
JOHN RUSSELL, Richmond Nurseries, SURREY. 
WEBBS’SEEDS 
WEBBS’ 
EMPEROR CABBAGE. 
The Earliest and Best. 
6d. and Is. per packet; Is 6d. per oz. 
From Mr. JOHN WRIGHT, Prestonpans, June 30th, 1899. 
“Your Emperor is the best early Cabbage I have seen, 
and I sold them at a much higher price in Edinburgh and 
Glasgow markets than anything I have yet grown.’’ 
WEBBS', WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
THE ROYAL NURSERIES, 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of m,n.”— Bacon. 
tfrif Ip# 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , AUGUST $th, 1899. 
MAIDSTONE, KENT. 
GEO. BUNYARD«Co., 
are now Booking Orders, for Early Delivery, 
of the very best 
STRAWBERRIES. 
NEW and OLD kinds in Pots for Forcing; 
Runners for Open Culture. 
THE LARGES T STOCK IN TH E TRADE. 
CULTURAL CATALOGUES FREE. 
ORCHIDS! ORCHIDS! I 
We always have a choice stock of semi-established 
plants to select from, and are now receiving orders 
for the coming season’s importations. 
J. W. Moore, Ltd , Orchid Importers, Rawdon, Nr, Leeds. 
Cutbushs Carnations, 
Cutbush’s Rulbs and 
EARLY FORCING PLANTS 
Catalogues now ready, and may be had, post free, 
upon application. 
WM. CUTBUSH & SON, 
Highgate Nurseries, LONDON, N. 
ORCHIDS! ORCHIDS!! 
Quantity Immense I 
INSPECTION of OUR NEW RANGE of 
HOUSES 
IS CORDIALLY INVITED BY 
HUGH LOW & CO., 
Bush Mill Park, Middlesex. 
CUTBUSH’S 
MILLTRACK MUSHROOM SPAWN. 
Everyone can readily grow Mush¬ 
rooms, and by using this Spawn will 
ensure success. All growers speak 
in the highest possible praise of the 
quality. Numerous testimonials. 
None genuine unless in sealed t ack- 
ages and printed cultural directions 
enclosed, with our Signature atta< hed. 
Price 6s. per bushel, or is. per cuke, 
free per parcels post, 
Wm. CUTBUSH & SON, 
Nurserymen and Seed Merchants. 
Highgate Nurseries, LONDON, N., and Barnet, HERTS. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, August 7th.—Northampton Horticultural Show (2 
days). 
Tuesday, August 8ih.—Abbey Park, Leirester, Show (2 days) ; 
Weston-super-Maie Show. 
Wednesday, August 9th.—.Bishop’s Stortford Horticultural 
Society’s Show ; York Florists'Exhibition of Carnations, 
&c.; Newport Pagnell Show. 
Thursday, August 10th.—R. B. S. Anniversary Meeting ; 
Taunton Dene Show. 
Saturday, August 12th.—Coniston Horticultural Society’s 
Show. 
f YBRIDISATION AND CROSS-BREEDING.— 
Garden Cinerarias : On many occa¬ 
sions it has been stated or suggested that 
the leading strains of garden Cinerarias owe 
their high development to the crossing of 
Senecio cruentus (Cineraria cruenta) with 
one or more subshrubby species. That 
species of Cinerarias, so called, may cross 
with one another, thus forming hybrids, has 
been proved beyond a doubt. The next 
point to be cleared up is whether there is 
any evidence of hybrid origin in the culti¬ 
vated strain. The best of modern authori¬ 
ties deny that there is any evidence of 
hybrid blood so to speak in the best garden 
races. The plants simply speak for them¬ 
selves, by the stems dying away after they 
have flowered, and by the development of 
suckers, that simply repeat the process of 
their parents. All parts of the plant resem¬ 
ble those of the wild S. cruentus, except in 
size, and the dwarf habit of the plant. 
These characters have been developed from 
the wilding by long-continued sowing and 
selection of those forms which best agreed 
with the florists’ ideal. The geometrically 
circular heads have been secured by the 
selection of those seedlings having the 
broadest rays, because, as soon as sufficient 
width is obtained, the rays overlap and 
make the head circular. To hybridise this 
strain would be going back and undoing the 
labour of years. There are flower lovers, 
however, who would affirm the contrary. 
For such the recently improved forms of S. 
cruentus, and races more or less hybridised 
with other species, should provide all that 
is necessary without entrenching on the 
lengthy labours of the florist, or those who 
see the best type of the race in a round 
flower. If Senecio cruentus had been hybri¬ 
dised by any other species in the early stages 
of its development it would have been very 
difficult to preserve the hybrids true, unless 
means had been adopted for keeping bees 
and other insects out of the house in which 
they were growing, or the plants had been 
isolated somewhere far distant from where 
S. cruentus was kept. Bees are very for.d 
of Cinerarias and by their transferring the 
pollen of the ordinary one to the hybrids, 
the next generation would have been largely 
like the species. 
CTtreptocarpus.— For a decade or so 
several of the species of this genus 
have been systematically hybridised with 
one another, and the progeny variously 
intercrossed with one another. Some of 
the first hybrids were produced between S. 
Rexii and S. luteus, otherwise known as S. 
parviflorus. The object of this was to get 
numerous flowers upon a stem, as the large- 
flowered S. Rexii bears only one or two 
blooms. Some sensation was caused by the 
flowering of S. Dunnii at Kew, and the 
subsequent hybrids that were produced 
between it and B. Rexii. The former pro¬ 
duces one enormous leaf, and from the base 
of the midrib a flower scape arises, or rather 
a plurality of them, one above the other in 
succession, though really all are portions of 
the same inflorescence. This as a parent 
introduced a great profusion of flowers, and 
an entirely different colour, giving rise in the 
progeny to various shades of rose, purple, 
brick red and other hues including blue,such 
as it exists in S. Rexii. All of the^e were 
more or less showy, and weie admired by 
the general pub'ic, and by gardeners in pro¬ 
portion as the one large leaf of S. Dunnii 
was reduced to convenient dimensions and 
several smaller ones introduced in its stead. 
Some noble hybrids have also been produced 
between S. Wendlandii and the garden 
strains of B. Rexii, and possibly others. S. 
Dunnii and S. Wendlandii having been in¬ 
troduced to and first flowered at Kew, the 
hybridising of them was commenced there 
by Mr. Watson. Many of them, as we 
have already indicated, were intrinsically 
beautiful, but gardeners did not take kindly 
to them till the large leaves and many other 
of the primary characteristics of S. Dunnii 
had practically been obliterated, and the 
whole reduced to the status of the original 
S. Rexii hybrids. That applies equally 
forcibly to the hybrids of S. Wendiandii 
with its tall flower scapes. We are sorry 
that so little encouragement was given to 
this race with its graceful and almost pyra¬ 
midal panicled cymes of blossom, endowed 
with bright and cheerful colours. What 
may be the outcome of these garden hybrids 
of Streptocarpus it would be hard to say; 
but it would be no surprise if gardeners were 
to go back to the old S. Rexii, and improve 
it simply by seed-sowing and selection, as in 
the case of so many other garden flowers. 
There should not be the slightest difficulty 
in developing several distinct races of 
Streptocarpus, seeing that they respond so 
readily to hybridisation and cross-breeding, 
and that they are scarcely if at all interfered 
with by insects, as in the case of Cinerarias. 
Wuberous Begonias.- —Since Begonia 
^ boliviensis was introduced in 1864, the 
most remarkable race of garden plants 
known has been evolved by hybridisation 
in that space of time. It was a happy in¬ 
spiration that induced Messrs. Veitch, of 
Chelsea, to commence hybridising their in¬ 
troductions of deciduous, tuberous-rooted 
Begonias. Of the seven species introduced, 
at least six were used by the hybridist in 
the early stages ; but the paramount race at 
the present day owes their existence to a few 
only. B. boliviensis was characterised by 
narrow leaves and narrow sepals, and for 
that reason there has been a tendency for 
several years past to eliminate that species. 
The finer strains show the influence of the 
round flowered and broad leaved B. \ eitchi, 
together with ihe broad and silvery \eining 
of the leaves of B. Pearcei. The latter no 
doubt gave rise to all the yellow varieties ; 
