296 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
had, however, been in the country before this, because 
John Fraser, the celebrated traveler, who established a 
nursery in Chelsea, had flowered it in ISOS. 
•• On the occasion of this second introduction, seeds 
were forwarded to M. Buonairiti, who was at that time 
Librarian to Lord Holland at Hollaud House, Kensing¬ 
ton. This gentleman was successful in raising all three 
varieties, and as they flowered they were illustrated in 
the leading botanical periodicals of tho day. Great 
attention was paid to the cultivation of the Dahlia in 
this country, and with various degrees of success; but 
it is only within the last twenty years that it has.been 
brought to that degree of perfection which now consti¬ 
tutes it one of the most attractive of our florist flowers.’ 
A FEW CHOICE NOVELTIES. 
Last season, on account of the long drought, I did not 
have an opportunity of testing various novelties sent 
me in seeds, but this summer they have thrived, and 
proved very satisfactory. Among those as worthy of 
special note are, the two Godetias, Rubicuuda and Prin¬ 
cess of Wales. The former is the richest in hue. the 
blotch of rosy, ruby crimson being very much larger, 
indeed this is the predominant color. It is difficult to 
choose between these three Godetias—those named, and 
Lady Albemarle—each having a distinctive beauty of 
its own. This year a new Godetia has been imported; 
pure satiny-white, large flowers, and freely produced. 
I tra n splanted from the hot-bed what I supposed were 
purely seedlings of this novelty, Duchess of Albany, but 
To-day I find several plants bearing double jlowers of a pur¬ 
plish-pink hue—lavender is as near it as anything—with 
a distinct red centre. I have looked over several cata¬ 
logues to see if I can find mention of a double Godetia. 
I find none in our own, but in H. CannelTs Floral 
Guide, is this: “ Godetia Whitneyi; new double-flowered 
variety, forming a bush about two feet high, flowers 
varying from flesh-color to crimson.” This may be th 
same; it is dwarf and bushy. The blooms are more loose 
and spreading than those of the other Godetias. It has a 
dozen petals. I think there must have been a mixture of 
the seeds wit h those of the Duchess; otherwise it is a sport. 
There are others with it bearing single flowers of the 
same hue, and one bush has both single and double 
flowers. The double is truly a very pretty flower, and 
I shall be careful to mark them, so as to be sure and 
save seed from the double, i. e., if there are seed-pods. 
I find in Bliss’ catalogue, Whitneyii described as pearly- 
white: and in Dreer's Whitneyi Brilliant, a new dwarf; 
color, a rich carmine, shading off to a delicate rose. Thus 
we have three Godetias, very dissimilar,of the same name. 
Eschscholtzia, “ crocea flora plena,” is a fine novelty, 
the flowers being very double and of great substance. 
Color deep bright orange, beautifully shading off into 
stripes of light yellow. 
Mignonette (Golden Queen) is worthy of all the praise 
bestowed upon it. It is very distinct in color, and its- 
large, compact heads of bloom are deliciously fragrant. 
It grows more dwarf and bushy than the ordinary sorts. 
I shall sow some seeds of it for the window-garden. 
The new Lemon Balsam, while very attractive, with 
its large, solid, creamy-lmed blooms, with just a shade 
of light green in the centre, does not merit its name, 
which is misleading. 
The Polyantha Roses, just introduced, are gems of 
beauty, and every way desirable. And such bloomers ! 
Little wee plants mine were when bedded out the last 
of June, and they soon strove their ‘ ‘ level best ” to 
grow and bloom. On Mignonette I counted twenty- 
eight buds, besides the flowers! This is a miniature 
Rose, pink, changing to white, very full and very sweet. 
Mad. Cecile Brarer, a cross with the Tea, Souv. d’un 
Ami. is elegant in habit; its buds are exquisitely shaped; 
its blooms are very double and perfect, and though 
borne in clusters, as are also the other, the stems are 
much longer, and the plant is taller and more graceful 
than Anne Marie de Montraval, or Mignonette. Color, 
clear, rosy pink, changing to white. These are truly 
perpetual flowers, and being hardy they are destined to 
become very popular. 
Etoile de Lyon, the new Tea recently introduced 
from France, is magnificent in size, and lovely in hue; 
chrome yellow, deepening to pure golden-yellow. 
Yarmouth, Me. MRS. 3VI. E. WELLCOME. 
LILIUM AURATUM. 
Im the August number of the Cabinet we noticed an 
extraordinary plant of the Lilium Auratum growing in 
the grounds of one of our amateur friends in Garden 
City, N. Y We are under obligations to this friend for 
a photograph of the plant when in full bloom, which 
we have re-produced for the benefit of our readers. We 
also copy from Vick’s Magazine a portion of the lady’s 
letter, which we commend to our readers as a safe guide 
to the cultivation of this noble plant: 
“In the fall of 1881 we had from Mr. C. L. Allen, two 
unusually fine, large, healthy bulbs of Lilium Auratum, 
evidently not long out of the ground, and planted them 
at once, deep, fully fourteen inches. One of them sent 
up, last summer, a good stalk, bearing nine large flow¬ 
ers, and this year three stalks, each fully five feet high, 
bearing, respectively, nineteen, twenty-three and 
seventy-seven, or more blossoms. Fear of breaking the 
bulbs on tills last crowded, flattened stalk, has pre¬ 
vented our counting accurately. The other bulb, having 
a slightly double appearance, threw up, the first year, two 
stalks, bearing, respectively, seven and eight blossoms; 
this year two others bearing about twenty blossoms each. 
