June,  24,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
575 
soon  ran  rapidly  ahead.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  older  varieties  of 
French  Roses  are  the  result  of  artificial  hybridising,  but  the  produce  of 
seed  which  has  been  promiscuously  gathered  from  flowers  which  had 
probably  been  fertilised  by  insect  agency,  and  of  later  years  they  have 
given  ns  but  few  flowers,  except  in  the  Tea  class,  which  are  of  value. 
Mr.  Bennett,  however,  introduced  the  system  of  systematic  cross 
fertilisation,  which,  before  hie  time,  had  been  but  partially  exercised  by 
some  of  our  home  growers.  He  made  some  mistakes,  as  was  inevitable  ; 
but  he  has  given  us  some  grand  flowers,  of  which  Her  Majesty  and  Mrs. 
John  Laing  stand  out  pre-eminent.  Messrs.  Alexander  Dickson  &  Sons 
of  Newtownards  followed  his  example,  and  to  them  we  are  indebted  for 
some  beautiful  flowers.  In  this  connection,  too,  the  labours  of  William 
and  George  Paul  should  not  be  forgotten. 
Then,  again,  look  at  Begonias.  I  recollect  many  years  ago  an 
eminent  grower  saying  to  me,  “  What  flowers  shall  we  attempt  to 
improve  next  ?  ”  and  when  I  hesitated  as  to  a  reply  he  said,  “  I  shall  try 
the  Begonia,”  and  how  well  the  speaker,  Mr.  John  Laing,  has  succeeded 
we  very  well  know.  He  and  Mr.  Henry  Cannell  run  neck  and  neck, 
and  now  they  and  others  have  brought  the  flower  to  such  a  pitch  that 
amateurs  are  beginning  to  say,  “  Too  big.”  Thus  it  now  hardly  ever 
occurs  to  anyone  to  grow  the  named  varieties ;  but,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Cineraria,  Calceolaria,  Gloxin’a,  Primula,  and  other  flowers  they 
are  contented  to  sow  the  seed  each  year.  Not  less  noticeable  is  the  quick 
and  almost  wonderful  advance  that  has  been  made  in  the  brilliant 
Hippeastrums  and  the  chastely  pencilled  Streptocarpus,  as  was  recently 
exhibited  by  Messrs.  Yeitch  at  the  Temple  Show. 
Take,  again,  the  Gladiolus.  Many  years  ago  we  were  satisfied  with 
a  spike  of  four  or  five  flowers  expanded  at  the  same  time,  but  thanks  to 
the  energy  and  intelligence  of  Mons.  Souchet  in  France,  and  of  Messrs. 
Kelway  and  Burrell  at  home,  we  have  flowers  which  have  sometimes 
from  eighteen  to  twenty  expanded  blooms  open  at  the  same  time,  and 
these  blooms  three  times  the  size  of  those  we  used  to  grow.  I  have  only 
used  these  as  samples  of  the  progress  which  has  been  made,  but  the 
same  results  have  attended  the  exertions  of  hybridisers  in  other  direc¬ 
tions.  Thus  the  pretty  and  fragrant  Sweet  Pea  has  fallen  under  the 
magic  wand  of  Mr.  Eckford,  and  colours  hitherto  undreamt  of  have 
appeared  amoDgst  them.  Then,  again, 
the  Narcissus  ;  one  cannot  tell  how  many 
of  the  varieties  now  in  cultivation  are 
the  results  of  cross  fertilisation,  but  one 
does  know  that  both  abroad  and  at  home 
such  men  as  De  Graaf  and  Engleheart 
have  been  busily  at  work,  and  have 
obtained  some  remarkable  results.  Look 
also  at  what  has  been  accomplished 
with  Cyclamen  persicum,  contrasting  the 
species  as  figured  in  1837  with  one  of 
Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons’  giants  in  1897 
(fig.  128,  page  578).  This  may  be  taken 
as  typical  of  the  advance  in  other  plants, 
and  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  any 
flower  which  has  not  more  or  less  been 
improved  daring  the  last  sixty  years. 
prolific  character.  In  Nectarines  and  Peaches  and  Plums  especially, 
valuable  additions  have  been  obtained.  From  America  we  have  also 
I  received  excellent  varieties,  both  as  regards  quality  and  free  bearing. 
I  It  is  natural  to  expect  that  a  fruit  so  luscious  and  generally  valued  as 
the  Grape  should  have  tempted  the  hybridiser,  and  yet  we  cannot  say 
that  striking  progress  ha9  been  made.  Many  varieties  have  been 
brought  forward,  and  may  have  obtained  notoriety  for  a  time,  but  it 
has  been  only  temporary,  and  in  course  of  time  the  older  sorts  have 
re-asserted  themselves;  yet  such  as  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  Madresfield 
Court,  and  Mrs.  Pince  seem  to  have  become  established. 
WORTHIES  OF  THE  PAST. 
Having  rapidly  glanced  at  the  progress  of  horticulture  during  the 
last  sixty  years,  I  come  to  ask,  Who  are  the  men  to  whom  we  are  most 
indebted  for  this  remarkable  development  ?  I  think  it  will  be  better  in 
creating  of  this  portion  of  my  subject  to  avoid  all  reference  to  those 
living  amongst  us.  Either  from  want  of  memory  or  want  of  knowing  I 
might  perhaps  omit  some  who  might  consider  that  they  were  entitled  to 
be  included.  I  know  that  some  of  the  names  that  I  may  bring  forward 
convey  no  meaning  to  the  present  generation,  for  it  is  true  here,  as  in 
other  cases,  that  men  are  soon  forgotten.  As  the  wave  which  comes 
thundering  upon  the  beach  recedes  and  another  takes  its  place,  so  it  is 
with  us;  we  may  have  thought  we  fill  an  important  place,  but  those 
who  succeed  us  are  probably  ignorant  of  our  very  existence.  It  is  so  in 
all  stations  of  life.  Go  to  a  place  where  you  lived  forty  or  fifty  years 
ago,  and  where  you  were  tolerably  well  before  the  public,  and  you  will 
be  humiliated  to  find  how  you  are  entirely  forgotten  ;  and  this  must 
oe  my  excase  if  some  of  the  names  which  I  mention  may  lead  my 
readers  to  ask,  “  Who  is  he  ?  ” 
Robert  Marnock  and  John  Gibson. 
The  task  is  a  somewhat  difficult  one  because  of  the  many  branches 
connected  with  horticulture  in  which  men  have  been  conspicuous,  and 
have  helped  forward  its  development  in  one  or  other  of  its  branches. 
Take,  for  example,  the  matter  of  landscape  gardening.  How  much  we 
are  indebted  to  that  kindly  and  intelligent  man,  Robert  Marnock  !  and 
yet  how  few  there  are  who,  when  they  go  through  the  Botanic  Gardens 
in  Regent’s  Park,  ever  think  of  asking  who  laid  those  gardens  out  1 
Then  as  plants  of  more  stately  habit 
we  have  the  magnificent  Clematises — 
-veritable  triumphs  of  the  hybridiser’s 
art,  and  well  is  remembered  the  admira¬ 
tion  incited  by  the  now  familiar  C. 
Jackmanni  when  it  first  came  upon  the 
Beene  about  thirty-five  years  ago,  while 
other  beauties  have  been  constantly 
following  in  its  train.  Nor  is  it  easy  to 
forget  the  effect  produced  when  Mr.  C.  F. 
B&use  raised  the  first  seedling  Coleuses 
at  Chiswick — varieties  which  no  one  had  anticipated  ;  while  lateri 
he  may  be  said  to  have  revolutionised  the  Dracaenas,  and  brought 
forth  a  new  and  brilliant  contingent  of  beautiful  foliaged  plants  for  our 
stoves  and  homes. 
Fig.  12'.— Entrance  to  Osborne  House  (page  564). 
Then,  again,  when  what  is  called  the  subtropical  garden  came  into 
vogue,  how  much  did  John  Gibson  of  Battersea  Park  show  what  could 
•>e  done  in  this  direction  1  We  were  happily  delivered  from  the  system 
of  which  Mr.  Nesfield  was  the  originator,  and  Mr.  Marnock  has  left  those 
oehind  him  who  are  working  on  the  same  line  as  their  master. 
Fruits  have  also,  both  here  and  in  America,  been  brought  under  the 
power  of  the  hybridiser.  At  home  Mr.  Rivera  of  Sawbridgeworth  has 
been  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  some  of  our  most 
esteemed  fruits  ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  great  iesults  have  been 
achieved,  both  in  the  earlier  ripening  of  some  of  them  and  their  more 
James  Yeitch. 
I  had  more  than  once  the  pleasure  of  meeting  one  whose  open- 
handedness  and  enterprise  led  to  the  bailding  of  what  we  may,  I  think, 
consider  the  foremost  horticultural  establishment  in  the  kingdom— Mr. 
