April  9,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
33S 
The  Hybrids. 
And  now  we  near  the  era  of  rapid  expansion.  I  have  named  this 
section  the  Rose  of  Progress,  and  indeed  the  Rose  progress  made  in  the 
last  fifty  years  is  something  wholly  marvellous.  Many  flowers  during 
that  time  have  been  educated  up  into  excellence,  but  not  one  can  show 
anything  like  such  a  record  :  the  poet  Cowper’s  high  estimate  is  truer 
than  ever — 
“  Flowers,  by  that  name,  promiscuously  we  call ; 
But  one,  the  Rose,  the  regent  of  them  all.” — Retirement. 
With  some  of  our  high-class  Hybrid  Perpetuals  it  is  almost  impossible, 
however,  to  trace  the  descent.  They  are  not  like  that  famous  Welshman, 
said  to  have  swum  out  to  the  Ark  to  Noah,  saying  he  “  did  not  care  about 
himself  if  the  patriarch  would  only  preserve  for  him  his  pedigree.”  The 
parentage  of  many  of  our  best  H.P.’s  is  unknown.  It  is  different  with 
the  Teas.  The  Rosa  Indica  odorata  is  the  undoubted  originator  of 
most  of  these.  It  was  introduced  from  China — the  pink  in  1811,  and  the 
yellow,  that  most  valuable  of  all,  in  1824. 
Nomenclature. 
Perhaps  this  is  the  place  to  say  something  about  names.  Now  many 
of  us  have  groaned  for  years  under  those  dreadful  French  inflictions  1 
What  a  comfort  Lord  Penzance’s  simple 'series  of  Scott’s  heroines  is 
after  the  course  we  have  been  undergoing  of  four  and  five  name  Madames, 
and  Souvenirs,  and  Merveilles  1  There  is  one  excellent  Rose,  “  Susanne 
Marie  Rodocanacbi,”  which  I  have  always  been  afraid  to  buy,  because 
of  the  impossibility  of  getting  hold  of  her  name.  And  then  the  difficulty 
of  recognising  these  foreigners  when  they  are  naturalised  !  It  is  the 
puzzle  of  the  ships  and  our  sailors  over  again.  Then  the  Bellerophon 
became  the  Billy  Ruffian  ;  the  Henri  Quatre  the  Angry  Cat  ;  the 
Nautilus  the  Naughty  Lass  ;  and  the  Hirondelle  the  Iron  Devil  :  but 
even  worse  things  are  continually  occurring  to  our  Rose  labels  I 
It  is  possible  to  guess  who  i«  meant  by  the  Gent  of  Battles,  and 
General  Jack-me-not  can  also  be  conjectured  ;  but  Senna  Tea  Vaise  is 
trying,  as  also  Sulphur  Terry  ;  Glory  to  Thee  John  is  obvious,  and 
Reynard’s  Hole  is  not  difficult  to  dig  out ;  but  I  was  long  in  tracing  out 
how  Niphetos  had  become  transformed  into  St.  Peter.  The  key  to  it  all 
is  that  it  is  an  invariable  resolve  with  the  British  public  that  if  they 
must  accept  a  new  word  it  shall  have  an  old  meaning,  or  at  least  twist 
into  some  kind  of  meaning — hence  the  groom’s  translating  the  new  mare 
“  Desdemona  ”  into  Thursday  Morning  ;  and  also  the  fate  of  that  other 
famous  horse,  who,  in  the  language  of  the  ring,  was  transposed  from  the 
“Oneida  Chief”  into  the  “One-eyed  Thief!” — we  must  take  refuge 
with  Romeo  in  "  What’s  in  a  name  !  ” 
The  manual  is  published  by  Miss  Langley,  London  Street,  Reading, 
and  certainly  we  consider  that  these  historical,  poetical,  and  cultural 
records  are  cheap  at  the  price  of  Is,,  with,  of  course,  a  penny  for  postage. 
BIRMINGHAM  GARDENERS’  ASSOCIATION. 
At  the  usual  fortnightly  meeting  on  the  30th  ult.,  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham 
in  the  chair,  a  concise  but  pertinent  discussion  was  opened  by  Mr. 
Walter  Jones,  gardener  to  T.  Gladstone,  Esq  ,  Edgbaston,  on  the  culti¬ 
vation  of  the  Cineraria.  Mr.  Jones,  in  the  course  of  his  remarks,  drew 
attention  to  the  system  adopted  more  generally  thirty  or  forty  years  ago — 
that  of  propagation  of  the  Cineraria  by  division,  than  at  the  present  time, 
unless  to  perpetuate  some  super-excellent  variety.  Mention  was  made 
of  “  pinching  back  ”  to  induce  a  more  bushy  habit  in  the  plant,  and 
with  respect  to  the  quality  of  the  flowers  he  opined  that  though  size  of 
flowers  was  increased  at  the  present  day,  there  was  no  material  advance 
on  the  substance,  form,  and  colouring.  A  lively  and  instructive  discus¬ 
sion  was  taken  part  in  by  several  members. 
Mr.  Latham  brought  from  the  Botanical  Gardens,  Edgbaston,  cut 
sprays  of  the  pretty  little  Cineraria  cruenta,  a  native  of  Mexico,  and 
which  is  very  popular  there.  Its  delicate  mauve  petals,  bright  purple 
disc,  and  rich  green  perianth  commend  it  to  the  attention  of  the  ladies. 
From  the  same  source  were  shown  flowers  of  the  beautiful  Rhododendron 
Dalhousise,  the  large  and  deep  bell-shaped  cream  coloured  flowers  of 
which  afford  a  striking  contrast  to  its  straggling  habit  of  growth. 
Messrs.  Pope  &  Sons  exhibited  a  very  fine  umbel  of  Imantophyllum  Alice 
Creussen,  also  a  plant  in  flower  of  the  Mexican  Butterwort,  Pinguicula 
caudata.  There  is  a  charming  grace  about  its  deep  carmine  coloured 
blossoms  and  bright  green  succulent  foliage. 
Apropos  of  Mr.  John  Pope’s  progenitors  in  connection  with  the 
Tulip  mania  which  existed  upwards  of  sixty  years  ago,  Mr.  Wm. 
Gardiner  remarked,  as  a  matter  of  local  interest,  that  the  late  Mr. 
John  Claudius  Loudon,  who  designed  the  Botanical  Gardens  at 
Edgbaston  upwards  of  sixty  years  ago,  related  the  fact  that  Mr.  Luke 
Pope  of  the  then  Hands  worth  Nurseries  was  long  famous  for  his 
Tulips,  and  he  declared  on  his  death-bed  that  he  had  spent  upwards  of 
£3000  on  them.  Many  of  the  finest  sorts  were  beautifully  drawn  and 
painted  by  Mr.  P^pe  for  the  inspection  of  purchasers.  Mr,  Pope  had 
travelled  through  the  greater  part  of  tne  United  States  of  America,  and 
introduced  a  number  of  American  plants,  among  which  was  Rosa 
palustris,  the  flowers  of  which  are  double,  and  the  leaves  scented  like 
those  of  the  Sweet  Briar.  All  the  wild  Roses  in  America,  Mr.  Pope 
says,  have  scented  leaves. 
At  the  same  meeting  there  was”  a  competition  for  the  prizes 
offered  by  the  Committee  for  single  specimens  of  Cinerarias,  the  prizes 
falling  respectively  to  Messrs.  Musten,  Alfred  Brazier,  and  Oliver  Brasier, 
for  very  good  examples,  and  cut  flowers  of  the  same  were  well  shown 
by  Messrs.  C.  R.  Bick  and  Robert  Sydenham. 
Additions  were  also  made  to  the  Association’s  valuable  library  by 
two  copies  of  Burberry’s  second  edition  of  “  Orchids  for  Amateurs,” 
given  by  Mr.  John  Pope, and  a  well  preserved  copy  of  a  “Monograph 
of  Stapelias,”  given  by  Mr.  W.  Gardiner,  compiled  by  the  South 
African  botanical  collector  of  Kew  Gardens  in  1796,  Mr.  F.  Masson, 
and  dedicated  to  the  King.  It  is  printed  in  Latin,  and  beautifully 
illustrated  with  forty-one  species.  Mr.  Latham,  who  remarked  that  the 
work  was  very  rare,  said  there  was  a  copy  of  it  in  the  Library  at  the 
Botanical  Gardens,  Edgbaston. — G. 
HIPPEASTRUMS  AT  CHELSEA. 
Of  late  years  the  annual  exhibition  of  these  flowers  at  the  Royal 
Exotic  Nurseries  of  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons  has  come  to  be  regarded  by 
many  hundreds  of  people  as  a  treat.  Those  persons  who  have 
not  been  regular  frequenters  of  these  shows  might  think  that  there  would 
be  a  wearying  sameness  of  variety  and  colour  in  each  successive  year  ; 
such,  however,  is  by  no  means  the  case.  True,  the  same  form,  or 
practically  the  same,  is  retained,  and  probably  always  will  be,  but 
extreme  diversity  is  shown  in  the  other  two  desirable  attributes 
mentioned  above.  Not  that  a  blue  or  a  yellow  Hippeastrum  or 
Amaryllis  have  as  yet  been  secured,  any  more  than  has  a  blue 
Chrysanthemum,  but  in  the  many  shades  of  red  the  variations  are 
becoming  more  numerous  and  more  plainly  apparent  year  by  year. 
Are  blue  and  yellow  Amaryllis  an  impossibility  ?  Ask  Mr.  John 
Heal,  who  so  admirably  grows  the  Chelsea  collection.  In  all  probability 
he  knows  as  much  about  thv.se  plants  as  the  majority  of  people,  and  it  is 
just  feasible  that  he  may  have  dreamed  that  his  labours  of  years  had 
been  crowned  with  unprecedented  success,  and  the  longed  for  poal  had 
been  won.  Visitors  to  Chelsea  a  decade  ago  remember  well  the  brilliant 
show,  that  even  in  those  days  was  made  by  the  Amaryllis,  as  they  are 
usually  called,  and  with  them  there  was  the  same  grower  as  now.  As  the 
years  have  rolled  on  he  has  experimented  in  all  directions,  and  the 
results  cannot  be  other  than  gratifying.  Time  has  brought  changes  in 
hia  cherished  flowers,  but  has  passed  lightly  over  the  cultivator,  the 
hybridiser,  the  experimenter’s  head,  so  much  so  indeed  that  he  looks  fit 
and  well  for  a  long  time  yet,  and  all  who  know  him  personally  or  by 
repute  will  hope  that  he  may  long  continue  his  good  work  for  the  firm 
with  whom  he  has  been  for  such  a  large  number  of  years.  Precocious  as 
some  of  us  are  in  jumping  at  conclusions  it  ia  scarcely  likely  that  anyone 
would  care  to  prophesy  as  to  what  will  have  been  attained  to  amongst 
Amaryllis  in  another  ten  years.  Degeneration  may  have  set  in,  advance¬ 
ment  may  have  been  of  abnormal  rapidity.  Who  knows?  None,  but 
Bomeone  will  aee. 
Let  us,  however,  pass  on  to  the  flowers  of  the  present  day,  and  seo 
which  are  the  best,  if  such  a  selection  can  be  made  from  a  collection  in 
which  all  are  good.  Before  proceeding  to  these  details  just  a  word  as  to 
the  general  effect.  On  entering  the  house,  which  is,  as  almost  every¬ 
one  knows,  a  lengthy  span-roofed  structure,  with  a  broad  central  bed  and 
nari  over  side  ones,  the  intense  colouration  produces  rather  a  dazzling 
effect,  which  quickly  passes  and  leaves  one  at  liberty  to  see  and  to 
admire.  But  our  guide  was  not  contented  with  the  view  at  command 
from  the  normal  level,  so  we  had  perforce  to  mount  that  handiest  of  all 
platforms  to  the  gardener — a  large  inverted  flower  pot.  This  exalted 
position  revealed  many  previously  unsuspected  beauties,  extended  the 
view  from  one  end  of  the  house  to  the  other,  and  showed  the  plants  to 
the  utmost  advantage.  Nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  broad  sea  of  blooms, 
with  here  and  there  a  fine  healthy  leaf  rising  to  perform  its  share  in  the 
effect,  and  preclude  the  possibility  of  monotony.  Atone  point  a  massive 
crimson  flower  would  be  conspicuous,  while  within  the  vision  might  also 
be  seen  a  white  tinged  with  rose,  a  bright  red — but  we  are  anticipating 
somewhat,  so  we  will  return  to  the  varieties. 
Previous  to  commencing  a  selection  mention  may  be  made  of  the 
points  that  were  kept  in  view,  aa  being  particularly  desirable  in  the 
conformation  of  a  good  flower.  These  were  briefly  richness  or  distinctive¬ 
ness  of  colouration,  extending  well  into  the  centre  of  the  flower  ;  form 
and  size  standing  in  importance,  practically  in  the  order  in  which  they 
are  named.  As  Cavalier  is  of  a  fine  crimson  hue,  with  scarcely  any 
“  eye ;  ”  has  segments  of  great  substance  that  overlap  in  capital  stvle  ;  and 
is  of  imposing  size,  further  justification  will  not  be  needed  for  according 
to  it  the  premier  place  in  these  notes,  a  position  be  it  understood  that 
must  not  be  taken  as  inferring  that  it  is  absolutely  the  best  in  the 
whole  collection,  for  there  are  several  which  equal  it,  and  some  that 
other  tastes  would  doubtless  nominate  as  superior.  With  this  little 
explanation  we  will  turn  to  a  variety  of  chaste  beauty  called  Iluryades  ; 
on  an  almost  pure  white  ground  there  are  bright  scarlet  markings, 
extending  over  a  great  portion  of  the  bloom ;  the  contour  leaves  little  if 
anything  to  be  desired. 
Intensity  of  colour,  combined  with  pleasing  form,  is  the  chief 
characteristic  of  Clotaire,  a  Rcarlet  self  of  great  merit  that  finds  a  host 
of  admirers  amongst  the  visitors.  Quite  equal  from  the  point  of  view 
of  popularity  is  Decia.  So  far  as  shape  is  concerned,  these  two  may 
safely  be  placed  on  a  par,  but  the  colours  are  totally  distinct,  for  this 
one  is  white  faintly  tinged  with  green  and  delicately  flushed  with  rose. 
This  pair  may  safely  be  classed  amongst  the  best  of  the  collection,  while 
if  it  is  wished  to  form  a  trio  the  deep  crimson  scarlet  of  Beaulieu  might 
well  find  a  place.  The  substance  of  the  flowers  of  each  of  these  is 
remarkable,  though  this  is  one  of  the  features  of  the  whole  of  the  varieties 
in  flower. 
