422 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 21. 1904. 
last few years, since the raising of self-coloured border varieties 
was inaugurated, proves that the flower-loving public will 
not be coerced in the matter of taste, nor limited to one or a 
few ideals of beauty. The Carnation itself likes the reaction, if 
we are to judge by the greatly increased vigour and hardiness 
of these border varieties. 
Improvements are effected by cross-breeding, selection, and 
in the case of bizarre® and flakes by the securing of sports. 
Reversion, unmixing, and possibly evolution, are so frequent 
in these two sections that the grotver never know® what they 
will change to in the following season, so that their value is 
greatly discounted thereby. However double a Carnation may 
be, there is no difficulty in applying the pollen to the long 
and prominent stigmas, provided they are more or less perfectly 
fertile. The obtaining of pollen is a more difficult matter, 
especially in the case of large and fine flowers. It has to be 
sought for amongst the petals with care and assiduity. Some 
varieties produce anthers more freely than otherSj and such 
may be utilised, provided the flowers present any recomniend- 
able features that the cultivator may desire to blend with 
another selected as the seed parent. 'Good form, colour, and 
substance in the flowers, and vigour and habit in the plant, are 
features that, should not be overlooked in selecting the parents. 
In the case of seifs, even colours that are widely different in 
character often give good results when used as parents from 
which to derive new and beautiful varieties. By blending 1 two 
very different colours intermediate shades are obtained, and 
some of them are truly beautiful. Glaring mixtures of inhar¬ 
monious colours are to. be avoided. Nevertheless, some curious 
and bizarre arrangements of colours are allowed to pass muster 
in the section known as fancy Carnations, and no. doubt they 
find their admirers. Refinement, however, should be the .aim 
and endeavour of those who would improve the. race. In no 
section is this carried out to greater perfection than amongst 
tire seifs. Experience is the best teacher as to. the. particular 
varieties and colour to employ in the raising of new sorts. 
One important feature of the wide limits allowed in the 
raising of Carnations, as adopted within recent years,' is that 
it enables the raiser to use parents of widely different 'relation¬ 
ships. Greater vigour is thereby .secured .in the progeny than 
by long-continued inbreeding. It is only necessary to examine 
the many fine varieties raised by Martin It. Smith, Esq., to be 
assured of the truth of this. Hei has evidently made extensive 
use of the Malmaison type as parents 1 , and the result is varieties 
of great vigour, with numerous shoots and ample foliage, 
totally unlike the wild original, or even the florists’ older 
varieties—the outcome of several centuries. The wild Carna¬ 
tion is a puny thing like a Pink. 
Dahlias. 
For many years the Dahlia was under the rule of thumb, so 
to say, of the florist. Show and fancy Dahlias were the be-all 
and end-all of perfection in this class of flowers. Then pompon 
Dahlias sprang into popularity, because they possessed the 
geometrical regularity of the sho'w type in miniature. No 
doubt they were better adapted for cut- flower decoration, and, 
nevertheless, possess a distinct and quaint beauty of their own 
that cannot be despised. The garden would be distinctly the 
poorer if they were discarded. About twenty years ago. single 
Dahlias came greatly into vogue'. They -are distinctly beau¬ 
tiful, but they lack utility in the cut state, though not on the 
plants, by reason oPtheir perishable character. Nevertheless, 
for a day or two their beauty, even in the cut .state, is unim¬ 
peachable. Cactus Dahlias next, had their 1 origin in Juarezi 
and at present they are in the height, possibly, of their popu¬ 
larity. The decorative Dahlias, so called, have been evolved 
from the Cactus type. A race called the “stellate,” with 
starry flowers, devolved from the singles, but this type failed 
to get a footing. Single Cactus Dahlia® are now trjfng to 
excite the favour of the British public. 
With the exception of the show and fancy Dahlia®, I am 
convinced that all of the above were originally consigned to 
the rubbish heap as fast as they appeared as unmitigated rub¬ 
bish. Single, Cactus, decorative, and pompon Dahlias would, 
however, be a great loss to the garden were they to be dis¬ 
carded. There is always plenty of room for variety in taste 
and the breaking away from the hard-and-fast rules of th( 
florist in the matter of Dahlias has been a distinct »ain foi 
the gardener and gardening. 
Cross-breeding and selection of the finer forms have securec 
for us the vast array of beautiful Dahlias with which garden; 
abound at the present day. Dahlia variabilis has been mos 
profuse in variety since its introduction to cultivation; an< 
as it was prone to variation, in a. wild state, this end was al 
the more easily secured in gardens. By reason of this readi 
nesis to vary, there is little reason to doubt that many of evei 
the best varieties now grown were obtained as chance seed 
lings in plantations from .seed. Large quantities are raise; 
every year, and discarded by thousands', because inferior t 
named kinds already in existence. Owing to the particula 
structure of a composite flower like the Dahlia, there is 
large amount of uncertainty about the result of cross-breed in 
on account of the liability of interference from insects, unles 
the flowers are carefully guarded under glass or otherwise t 
prevent the introduction of pollen from undesirable varietie 
Both colour and form are very unstable amongst Dahlias cm 
liable to variation, even in the absence of foreign pollen. 
J. Effe. 
Labels. 
As to whether a gardener ought to be a botanist or not 
need not. here give an opinion, but I certainly think he ougli 
to be well acquainted with the names of the various garde 
plants, trees, etc. 
To give young lads a chance of being so, it is essential tlia 
these should be labelled, while labels are indispensable to di 
tinguish the different varieties', whether of florist flowers, fruit 
or vegetables. Many different labels have been tried, an 
several kinds are in the market very suitable for the purpos 
for which they are intended; but for general utility tl; 
common wooden tally, with a smear of white paint, and writte 
with a good pencil, is hard to beat. The' small sizes can b 
bought cheaply, or they can be made from scraps of yello' 
pine or other soft wood on wet days, with a sharp knife. Large 
ones are easiest, made by getting strips of wood planed, the 
cut. into lengths, and pointed. These, if fairly thick, can b 
cleaned with one stroke of a. plane for another term of usefu 
ness, and will last for years. 
I or kitchen garden crops I generally use one 1 large one i 
preference to several smaller. For' Potatos, for instance, 
good post. 2 in. or 3 in. square and 2 ft, or more long can b 
used. Have a rule to go by, such as always begin at the to 
or else ea.st side of your ground. Write .across your tally ho 
many rows are planted of each kind, and put date of pi antic 
at the bottom. Such a. label can hardly get. lost, or misplace; 
Tou can use another side of it. next year, this year’s recor 
being useful as a guide. 
I know places where the bothy lads, print labels after dai 
during the long winter nights 1 , and thus keep them renewed, t 
the benefit not only of their successors hut of themselves, f< 
there is no better way that I know of remembering names an 
learning how to spell them than to; write or print them sever 
1 * mes - Plumbago. 
A Noted Rose Garden. —One of the finest Rose gardens in tl 
kingdom is that which has been formed by Mr. Alfred Tate ; 
Downside, Leatherhead. It is about four acres in extent, and 
on the slope of a hill. Half the space is devoted to “show 
Roses and half to garden Roses. Last year most of the honou 
at the leading exhibitions were awarded to the Downside Rose 
T lbs is the more remarkable seeing that the soil is chalky ar 
that all the beds in the Rosery have been made with soil carte 
into the place. Mr. W. Mease, the head gardener, attribut; 
1 heir success in Rose cultivation to the practice of planting -oi 
their own stocks, and budding them on the ground where tin 
are intended to remain. 
