May  li),  1898. 
JOtlMAL  OP  HORTIGULTURP  AND  OOTTAGP  GARDENER, 
437 
not  be  brought  to  bear  hybrid  seed  I  had  no  great  difficulty  in  efifecting  a 
cross  from  its  pollen  on  B.  ciliatum  .  .  .  and  singularly  just  as  I  had 
obtained  it  and  I  sent  blooms  to  lay  before  the  Committee  of  the 
Boyal  Horticultural  Society,  Messrs.  Veitch  anticipated  me  in  having  a 
these  Bhododendrons  prior  to  the  date  mentioned  ;  indeed,  we  find  on 
page  160  of  his  work  above  mentioned,  that  he  was  using  pollen  from  his 
cross  on  B.  virgatum  in  1864.  If  he  had  many  pods  equally  fecund  with 
one  he  mentions,  as  containing  324  fine  seeds,  he  raised  many  seedlings. 
plant  of  this  cross  exhibited  before  that  Committee,  which  is  now  well 
known  and  generally  cultivated  under  the  name  of  Princess  Alice.” 
Mr.  Burbidge  does  not  say  when  he  first  effected  the  cross,  or  when 
his  seedling  bloomed,  but  it  is  recorded  that  Messrs.  Rollison  were 
awarded  a  first-class  certificate  for  Rhododendron  fragrantissimum  on 
April  21st,  1868.  The  flowers  are  described  as  large  and  beautiful,  white 
faintly  stained  with  rose.  Mr.  Burbidge  was  presumably  working  on 
Did  some  of  these  from  his  earlier  crosses  find  their  way  to  Tooting  ? 
Be  this  as  it  may,  K.  fragrantissimum  as  grown  by  Mr.  Filkins,  must  add 
greatly  to  the  beauty  and  sweetness  of  the  conservatory  at  this  period  of 
the  year. 
The  flowers  sent  were  if  anything  better  than  represented  in  the 
illustration  (fig.  80),  and  as  seen  pure  white,  though  they  are 
sometimes  faintly  tinged  with  rose.  When  the  shrubs  get  too  large  for 
