October 22, 1904 
THE GARDEN IN Q WORLD, 
843 
a rosy edge on a. white ground, and very pretty. Another 
strikingly distinct variety is Minnie Cleave, having large rosy- 
pink flowers spotted with white and very full. One has very 
aptly been named Water Lily, the petals being pure white 
with a lemon, band along the middle. When in full bloom it 
is a, huge spreading flower suggestive of a Water Lily. Missi 
Bean is a, soft salmon-pink with crimped petals and very hand¬ 
some. A very massive creamy-yellow flower is Mrs. W. G. 
Yallentine, but 'owing to the weight of the blooms they are 
rather drooping, though it is easily managed for indoor work. 
Numerous seedlings were standing about, the house', so' dis¬ 
tinguished. for the simple, reason that no. names had yet been 
given to them while under trial. A very promising one had 
wavy petals, white, very large: and full. A novelty ini its way 
was. a seedling with creamy-white and. very full flowers, each 
petal being furnished with a crest at the outer end, and 
thereby as conspicuous as a crest- can be in a doublet flower. 
As 1 far ast wet know, this is! the only crested double variety which 
has turned up. That named Margina.ta. has- the outer and 
original petals- of a. pink colour, but the rest are rose, with a 
broad white edge very strongly ■resembling the double varieties 
we sometimes: see amongst garden Balsams. Co-untess of Dart¬ 
moor is blush, with a. creamy-white centre. 
Another house we entered was devoted to doublet varieties 
carrying ©eed-pods about to be fertilised. All the best- forms 
and colours from two houses had been, selected for this purpose; 
some of them we noted happened to' he different from, those in 
the previous house. Thei King had flat, rosette-like flowers of 
a brilliant crimson and very handsome. The same might- be 
said of George Wells, a. brilliant crimson-scarlet flower, with the 
petals arranged round a single centre. The Queen: recalled 
Queen Alexandra, but the edge was paler though still very 
distinct. Here-also were-several seedlings 1 similar in style'to 
Margina.ta. Some fine forms had salmon-coloured flowers, and 
were selected as being the most- advanced of this colour. Mrs. 
W. N. Ainslie had very large golden-yellow flowers in shape 
like a, Camellia-. Somewhat -peculiar in. its way was a rich 
orange-scarlet seedling having a rosy band along the middle of 
the petals. A very distinct colour was Barbara- Ray, which we 
should describe as a deep terra-cotta. A pretty but. unnamed 
seedling had rich magenta, flowers with a firm conical white 
centre. Named varieties were being rooted by the thousand ini. 
thumb pots. 
Begonia Field. 
On the opposite side of the main road to Dart-ford is the 
Begonia field, thinly planted with fruit trees before it was 
turned into- a Begonia garden, and the plants: showing up' 
numerous, large, and handsome flowers, assorted according to 
colour. During the late summer and autumn months until 
cut down, by frost this, splendid plantation of Begonias attracts 
the attention of large numbers of people passing along the 
highway. Tire, fruit trees are ini no- way detrimental to the 
plants, as they were growing as vigorously and- flowering more 
freely than those more fully exposed. This was- due to- the 
beneficial effect of the slight shade- afforded by the trees during 
the droughty period of summer. The- seeds- were sown on 
January 21st, and planting commenced on June 6th or 7th. 
The soil here- being light and the sub-soil gravelly, it was fre¬ 
quently necessary to- water the plants', and this was accom¬ 
plished on the last day of September, as the month ha.d been 
ve-ry dry, and the vigorously-growing plant's required moisture. 
The whole of this field being -occupied with, seedlings, not 
one of them is named, but they are selected according to- 
quality, the very best being lifted and potted for thei produc¬ 
tion of seed, so as to continue the strain from the most 
advanced types. As above stated, two -house® werl filled with 
these selections. The remainder were sorted according to 
quality, e-a-c-h according to' it-s colour for the purpose of stock 
to supply the customers of the firm. After examining the 
1 extensive field, we were well convinced that each quality was 
well worth the price being asked for the tubers. 
We first went through the double varieties', which were 
assorted into- eleven colours for the purpose® of bedding. 
Thirteen beds were devoted to the white varieties, which in¬ 
cluded many seedlings quite as- good as named ones. A wealth 
of grand blooms was also noted in the crimson strain; a- very 
large proportion of them would come under what would be 
termed maroon-crimson. Amongst the pink varieties were 
many fin-e doublesi of high quality, with their petals arranged 
round a single centre like a Camellia. 
Seven b-edsi were devoted t-o- thei double yellow strain, and 
here we noted a- considerable range of colour within the defini¬ 
tion. of yellow and many choice forms. In the beds devoted 
to blush varieties we noted some very fine forms which had 
white centres, making a harmonious contrast. The scarlet 
strain wa-si very true to colour, indeed there was no strain 
HAEMANTHUS MULT1FLORUS. (Seep. 844.) 
amongst: all of tliean which had stuck so closely to' its colour. 
In labelling them according to quality, the cultivator had t-o 
be guided simply by thei form and fulness of the flower. The 
labour attached to this; work is immense, as each plant coming 
into the first or second quality is furnished with a label on 
which a: number is written indicating thei strain and the quality. 
Many fine flowers occurred in. thei crea,my-whitei section. 
In the magenta- strain wei noted many a beautiful variety of 
the best Camellia, shape. The colour is also- very distinct, 
being - as dark a- shadei of this colour a-s one would expect 
amongst tuberous Begonias. Half a, dozen beds were devoted 
t-O' blush-pink varieties, and in, this many of the Pieotee-edge 
varieties make their appearance. Thei bronze- strain owes its 
origin to a. combination of the' scarlet, orange and yellow hues, 
this having been, interblended through a long series of genera- 
