May  3,  1000 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTTCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
ar.f) 
sufficiently  decomposed  to  render  it  inviting  (forjthe  roots  of  bulbous 
plants,  which  always  avoid  crude  manure.  Soil  thus  prepared  only 
needs  a  fourth  of  leaf  soil  and  some  sharp  sand  added  to  make  it 
thoroughly  suitable  for  Daffodil  growing. 
Wheri  potting  the  bulbs  in  autumn,  drain  the  pots  well  and  use 
those  6  or  7  inches  in  diameter  for  the  majority,  but  if  a  few  large 
•potfuls  are  required  for  special  purposes,  8-inch  ones  may  be  safely 
used.  I  like  the  crown  of  the  bulb  to  stand  just  above  the  soil.  After 
potting  plunge  the  pots  in  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse,  weighted  with  ashes 
to  keep  the  bulbs  from  being  forced  upwards  by  the  roots.  When  the 
young  growth  is  2  inches  in  length  remove  the  pots  to  a  cool  pit, 
darken  for  a  time,  then  gradually  expose  to  full  light,  and  abundance 
of  air  when  the  weather  is  favourable.  If  it  is  desirable  to  make  a 
special  display  of  Daffodils  in  the  greenhouse  during  April,  leave  them 
in  pots  till  the  flower  buds  are  visible,  but  of  course  the  plants  should 
be  given  plenty  of  room  to  insure  sturdy  growth,  and  a  little 
weak  soot  water  given  occasionally  will  help  to  secure  deep  green 
foliage. 
When  the  plants  are  removed  to  a  greenhouse  they  ought  if  possible 
to  be  kept  within  a  foot  of  the  glass,  and.  the  floors  and  stages  should 
be  damped  during  bright  weather.  When  the  flowers  are  opening 
shade  for  a  few  hours  daily  during  bright  weather,  and  support  large 
leaves  and  flowers  by  placing  stakes  round  the  sides  of  the  pots, 
connecting  them  with  bands  of  raffia.  Treated  in  this 
way  they  look  more  natural  than  when  each  flower  is 
staked  separately. 
Now  for  a  few  words  in  regard  to  varieties,  which 
in  reality  need  seeing  to  be  fully  appreciated,  yet  we 
trust  a  few  descriptive  notes  will  help  intending  pur¬ 
chasers  in  their  efforts  at  selection.  During  the  last  few 
years  many  new  varieties — quite  distinct  in  colour  and 
■form  from  older  ones — have  been  exhibited,  and  ere 
long  the  best  among  them  will  find  their  way  into 
the  collections  of  all  connoisseurs.  Apricot  is  one 
which  I  think  has  come  to  stay,  as  it  is  a  striking 
flower,  having  a  white  perianth  and  long  straight 
trumpet,  yellow  deepening  to  buff-apricot,  and  in 
addition  is  delicately  perfumed.  Fred  Moore  has  a 
giant  deep  golden  trumpet  and  primrose  perianth, 
and  is  altogether  a  flower  of  great  substance.  Grace 
Darling,  with  its  white  perianth  and  soft  primrose 
trumpet,  has  a  charm  and  grace  of  its  own,  and 
being  a  strong  and  sturdy  grower  cannot  fail  to  . 
please.  Proserpine  is  a  flower  in  which  white  and 
yellow  shades  of  colour  are  combined  in  a  charming 
manner.  Shakespeare  seems  quite  worthy  of  so 
great  a  name,  as  it  stands  out  clearly  as  a  giant 
among  pigmies ;  the  perianth  is  sulphur-yellow,  and 
the  trumpet  broad,  large,  and  of  a  deep  golden  yellow 
colour. 
Bulbocodium  citrinum,  one  of  the  pretty  Hoop 
Petticoat  Daffodils,  is  quite  worthy  of  being  grown 
in  pots,  as  the  broad  bell-shaped  trumpets  and  , 
narrow  twisted  perianths,  of  sulphur  colour,  combine 
to  make  it  a  refined  and  striking  flower.  Mrs.  Walter 
T.  Ware  is  a  grand  grower,  having  broad  thick  leaves  _  _ 
and  bold  flower.  Sir  Watkin,  John  Nelson,  Henry 
Irving,  Backhousei,  Barri  conspicuus,  bicolor  Ada 
Brooke,  b.  Empress,  b.  grandis,  Burbidgei,  Golden 
Spur,  Emperor,  Beauty,  King  of  the  Netherlands, 
Mrs.  Langtry,  and  Shirley  Ilibberd  are  all  fine 
representations  of  the  various  sections  of  the  genus 
Daffodil.  Let  us  all  strive  to  grow  them  well,  so  that 
in  the  days  to  come  our  gardens  may  be  rendered 
gay  with  their  gorgeous  flowers  during  the  changing  yet  hopeful  days 
of  spring. — Narcissus. 
- - - 
Daffodils  at  Ditton. 
The  Londoner  who  misses  the  Daffodil  feast  at  Long  Ditton  loses 
one  of  the  greatest  treats  that  are  provided  for  metropolitan  horti¬ 
culturists.  There  one  may  find  in  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons’  unexcelled 
collection  all  the  moat  popular  varieties  by  the  thousand,  and  all  the 
newer  varieties  that  have  been  placed  in  commerce.  The  effect 
produced  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  flowers  is  literally  remark¬ 
able,  and  it  is  curious  to  note  how  some  varieties  eclipse  others  in  the 
mass  when  seen  from  a  distance.  Regular  visitors  go  to  Barr’s,  and 
probably  would  as  soon  think  of  losing  their  dinners  as  of  missing  that 
short  journey  to  Surbiton.  Not  that  all  those  who  make  the  pilgrimage 
are  Londoners ;  by  no  means.  There  are  experts  and  others  who  travel 
scores  and  even  hundreds  of  miles  yearly  for  the  sole  purpose  of  going 
through  the  newer  sorts  in  the  collection,  and  thereby  gleaning  valuable 
information  respecting  them  that  could  with  difficulty  be  obtained 
elsewhere. 
From  this  aspect  of  the  case  the  great  value  of  the  collection  lies  in 
the  facilities  it  affords  for  precise  comparison.  There  are  grown 
practically  side  by  side,  in  the  same  soil  and  aspect,  under  precisely 
similar  methods  of  culture,  old  and  new  sorts,  and  it  is  under  such 
circumstances  that  certain  results  can  be  insured.  A  new  variety 
that  has  been  judiciously  boomed  is  there  in  contiguity  to  an  older  one 
of  similar  type,  and  the  observer  is  not  slow  to  seize  upon  the  merits  and 
demerits  of  both  and  decide  which,  from  his  point  of  view,  is  the  better  of 
the  two.  Happily  for  the  producers  everyone  does  not  think  alike,  and 
thus  it  results  that  what  one  likes  another  dislikes,  and  of  course 
vice  versa.  If  this  was  not  the  case  one  may  naturally  suppose  that 
both  the  bulb  growers  and  the  bulb  merchants  would  have  just  cause 
for  lament.  True  there  are  a  certain  number  of  varieties  that  appeal 
\ 
Fia.  104. — Narcissus  Van  Waveren’s  Giant. 
forcibly  to  the  fancy  of  everyone,  but  these,  comparatively  speaking, 
are  few,  and  at  Ditton  everyone  will  find  abundance  of  material  from 
which  to  make  a  choice. 
This  season  cannot  be  described  as  a  favourable  one  for  Narcissus, 
and  were  I  judging  from  my  own  collection  I  should  write  it  down  as  a 
thoroughly  bad  one.  This  is  not  because  we  have  had  much  inferior 
flowers,  but  simply  from  the  fact  that  the  vast  majority  were  in  full 
bloom  at  the  same  time,  thus  curtailing  the  length  of  the  display  to  a 
serious  extent.  Of  course  this  is  not  so  noticeable  in  a  vast  collection 
such  as  that  at  Long  Ditton  as  it  is  in  the  smaller,  and  as  a  result  less 
varied  one,  but  no  doubt  even  large  growers  have  felt  the  effects 
