806 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  24,  189S. 
SO  out  of  cultivation.  As  a  breeder  it  vras  much  liked,  being  pale  lilac 
in  colour,  and  very  pure. 
San  Josef  (Dutch  ?). — Bizirre.  Shape  fair;  base  sometimes  pure; 
bat  there  is  generally  a  small  dark  spot  at  the  base  of  each  filament  ; 
petals  rather  too  narrow,  and  short  of  substance.  It  is  generally  seen  in 
the  flamed  state,  and  is  often  well  and  correctly  marked,  the  ground 
colour  be'ng  deep  gold,  and  the  flaming  a  rich  red  brown  in  colour. 
When  pure  it  is  a  good  exhibition  flower,  despite  its  age,  which  is  con¬ 
siderably  over  100  years.  Its  origin  is  uncertain,  but  it  was  probably 
broken  from  a  Dutch  breeder,  and  named  after  Lord  Nelson’s  celebrated 
ship  the  “  San  Josef.”  It  has  plenty  of  other  names,  of  which  may  be 
mentioned,  San  Jos4,  San  Joe,  Sans  Joe,  Sanzio,  Captain  White,  Gabel’s 
King,  Admiral  Black. 
Sarah  (Leech)  — Byblcenmn.  Tall ;  shape  longish  ;  base  pure.  An 
early  blooming  feathered,  and  also  flamed  variety,  raised  by  Mr.  Tom 
Leech  of  Hooley  Hill,  Lane.,  about  thirty  years  ago.  It  is  occasionally 
useful  as  a  breeder,  which  is  rosy  lilac  in  colour.  It  is  now  rarely  good 
in  feathered  state,  but  sometimes  makes  a  fair  flamed  flower. 
Sarah  Ann  (Collier). — Rose.  Shape  fair;  base  pure.  A  well 
marked  scarlet  feathered  variety.  Broken  and  named  in  1895  by  Mr. 
John  Morris  of  Middleton,  and  still  very  scarce.  If  this  kind  proves  to 
be  constant  and  a  good  grower  it  will  be  a  valuable  addition  to  its  class.  ; 
Sarah  Ann  (Gibbons).  —  Bybloemen.  Shape  fair  ;  base  pure. 
A  very  dark  flamed  variety,  very  similar  to  if  not  identical  with  Lady 
Franklin. 
Sarah  H badly  (Headly). — Rose.  Shape  good  ;  base  pure  ;  petals  of 
good  substance.  Best  when  feathered,  the  marking  colour  being  crimson 
rose  on  a  gcod  white  ground.  It  is  more  often  seen  flamed,  when  it  is 
often  good  enough  for  exhibition,  although  too  dull  in  colour  to  be  in 
the  front  rank. 
Sarah  Lloyd  (Lloyd). — Bybloemen.  Shape  good  ;  base  slightly 
yellow  on  opening,  but  easily  bleaches.  A  flamed  variety  of  largs  size, 
the  flaming  being  bold  yet  refined,  and  a  pure  deep  purple  in  colour. 
A  most  promising  variety,  and  a  fairly  good  grower.  A  seedling  from 
Salvator  Rosa  (Brown)  x  Holmes’  King,  raised  by  the  late  Mr.  Lloyd, 
broken  and  named  by  myself  in  1894. 
Shan  0  Neal  (Norman). — Bybloemen.  Shape  good  ;  base  pure. 
A  very  promising  dark  flamed  variety,  recently  broken  from  one  of  the 
late  Mr.  N.  Norman’s  breeders  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke,  who  thinks  it 
will  proi'e  to  be  a  great  improvement  on  Talisman. 
Shakesperb  (Lawrence).  —  Bizarre.  Shape  long  ;  base  pure  ; 
yellow  ground  rich,  feathered,  and  flamed  with  black.  A  famous  flower 
fifty  years  ago,  but  now  quite  superseded.  Syns,,  Garrick,  Edmund 
Kean,  Leonidas. 
Sir  Evelyn  Wood  (H.  Goldham). — Bizarre.  Dwarf.  Shape  good  ; 
base  pure;  petals  rather  short  of  substance;  flower  rather  small.  A 
Very  handsome,  refined-looking  flamed  flower,  the  feathering  almost 
black,  beam  rich  dark  chestnut  brown,  ground  bright  orange  yellow  in 
colour.  Dnfortunately  a  very  poor  grower. 
Sir  Joseph  Paxton  (Willison). — Bizarre.  Shape  good,  bat  a  trifle 
longish  ;  base  pure  ;  petals  of  good  substance,  scarcely  broad  enough  at 
the  top.  As  a  breeder  It  is  darkish  brown  in  colour,  and  one  of  the  very 
best  for  exhibition  purposes.  In  the  feathered  state  it  is  also  a  valuable 
exhibition  flower,  having  a  moderately  heavy,  well  pencilled  feathering 
of  maroon  black  on  a  good  yellow  ground.  It  is  not  very  constant  in 
this  state.  In  the  flamed  state  it  has  been  pre-eminent  for  over  forty 
years,  being  richly  and  correctly  marked.  A  vigorous  grower,  increasing 
rapidly,  and  showing  no  sign  of  deterioration  through  age ;  it  is 
abundant  and  cheap.  A  good  strain  is,  of  course,  necessary,  but  is  easily 
procured.  A  good  flamed  strain  is  known  as  the  Wakefield  Paxton.  In 
my  opinion  the  best  feathered  strain  is  in  reality  a  distinct  but  closely 
related  variety,  the  cup  being  rather  shorter  and  the*  petals  wider  at  the  top. 
This  famous  sort,  raised  about  1850  by  Mr.  W.  Willison  from  a  chance 
pod  of  Trafalgar,  is  undoubtedly  the  best  Tulip  ever  produced,  and 
worthily  keeps  in  remembrance  the  distinguished  horticulturist  whose 
name  it  bears. 
Sir  Samuel  Eomilly  (Hepwortb). — Bizarre.  Tall ;  shape  good  ; 
base  often  rather  greasy.  A  strikingly  handsome  feathered  variety,  the 
feathering  teing  glossy  black,  heavily  pencilled  on  a  rich  orange  yellow 
ground.  It  is  fairly  constant,  and  a  moderately  good  grower.  As  a  flamed 
flower  it  is  valueless,  being  heavy  and  confused  in  its  markings. 
Sir  Wm.  Nott  (H.  Goldham). — Byblcemen.  Dwarf.  Shape  good  ; 
base  pure.  A  feathered  flower,  very  inconstant,  and  of  little  value  as 
an  exhibirion  variety,  A  seedling  from  Victoria  Regina  x  Rachael. 
Sphinx  (Headly).  —  B  zarre.  A  feathered  variety,  generally  con¬ 
sidered  to  be  merely  a  good  strain  of  Duke  of  Devonshire. 
Star  op  India  (H,  Goldham)  — Bizarre.  Shape  good  ;  base  pure. 
-A  poorly  marked,  rich  coloured,  red  bizarre  of  no  exhibition  value.  A 
seedling  from  King  of  Scarlets  x  George  Hayward, 
Sulphur  (Birtwistle). — Bizarre,  Shape  good;  base  pure;  petals 
very  wide.  A  good  exhibition  breeder,  the  colour  being  a  shade  of 
yellow  drab,  darker  inside  the  flower.  When  rectified  it  is  sometimejs 
fine  feathered,  the  feathering  being  bright  brown  on  a  good  yellow 
ground.  It  is  also  occasionally  good  in  the  flamed  state,  but  is  very 
inconstant.  Raised  about  1860  by  Mr,  R.  Birtwistle  of  Blackburn. 
Surpass  le  Grand  (Gibbons).— Byblcemen.  Shape  good  ;  base 
pure  ;  petals  rather  flimsy.  An  old  variety  which  is  best  as  a  breeder, 
the  colour  being  a  pleasing  shade  of  lilac  purple. 
Sylvester  (Hepworth). — Bybloemen.  Shape  good  ;  base  pure.  A 
feathered  and  also  flamed  variety,  so  much  like  the  same  raiser’s  Queen 
•of  the  May  that  I  am  unable  to  see  any  points  of  difference. 
(To  be  concluded.) 
PELARGONIUM  CULTURE. 
Those  who  grow  for  the  market  certainly  produce  Pelargoniums  of 
the  Show  and  Fancy  type  in  flue  condition  ;  but  this  is  not  the  case  in 
private  gardening  establishments.  Feeble  specimens  are  too  frequently 
seen,  yet  when  well  grown  their  decorative  value  is  unquestionable.  If 
we  judge  rightly  from  the  quantities  of  old  plants  cut  back  year  after 
year  that  make  growths  very  little  thicker  than  a  straw,  we  may 
conclude  there  is  some  reluctance  in  attempting  to  propagate  fresh 
stock.  Even  if  this  course  is  decided  on  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  cuttings 
from  those  that  make  weak  spindling  flowering  shoots  only.  Cuttings 
produced  by  such  plants  rarely  form  luxuriant  specimens.  No  doubt 
the  treatment  they  receive  after  they  are  pruned  and  started  into 
growth  may  largely  account  for  the  unsatisfactory  condition  in  which 
they  are  often  seen.  From  some  even  of  this  description  fresh  vigorous 
stock  might  be  raised  if  early  spring  propagation  were  adopted,  but  when 
the  plants  have  to  be  flowered  cuttings  cannot  be  spared  without  dis¬ 
figuring  them.  It  would  be  wise  in  many  cases  to  forego  flowers  for  a 
season  in  preference  to  retaining  worn-out  ‘t  ick. 
Cultivators  no  doubt  find  a  diflSculty  in  propagating  these  as  freely 
as  Zmals,  and  the  usual  practice  is  to  defer  doing  so  until  after  the 
plants  have  flowered,  and  then  insert  what  is  little  better  than  flower 
stems.  Robust  growers  produce  cuttings  plentifully  after  flowering, 
but  the  plan  is  to  secure  as  early  as  possible  any  non-flowering  shoots 
that  may  be  produced.  When  cut-back  plants  are  grown  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  selecting  shoots  for  cnttincs.  Those  grown  for  flowering 
during  August  and  September  yield  cuttings  plentifully,  because  they 
can  be  safely  topped  in  early  spring. 
When  Pelargoniums  have  to  flower  early  in  the  year  cuttings  must 
be  rooted  early,  and  for  this  purpose  it  is  useless  to  rely  upon  those  from 
plants  which  flower  during  June  and  July.  There  is  not  time  to  root 
cuttings  from  these  and  grow  them  into  creditable  specimens  by  the 
end  of  September.  Pelargoniums  to  flower  early  should  by  that  time 
be  strong  and  furnished  with  four  to  six  good  shoots.  Do  not  pinch 
the  shoots  after  the  end  of  August,  and  then  they  will  break  strongly 
into  growth  and  be  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  their  winter 
qnarters.  In  this  condition  they  are  certain  to  flower  early  if  properly 
treated.  We  fail  to  see  why  they  cannot  he  had  in  flower  much  earlier 
in  the  year  than  is  generally  the  case,  even  with  the  treatment  accorded 
to  Zonals  during  the  early  months  of  the  year.  At  the  present  time  the 
season  is  not  so  extended  as  it  might  be.  Care  and  forethought  only  are 
necessary  where  glass  accommodation  is  ample  to  flower  them  nine 
months  out  of  the  twelve. 
The  reason  why  cuttings  do  not  root  freely  is  because  those  too  soft 
or  too  hard  are  often  inserted.  The  former  if  kept  close  and  moist  are 
liable  to  damp,  while  if  kept  dry  they  shrivel  and  are  as  long  in  rooting 
as  those  that  have  become  too  firm  and  ripe  before  insertion.  This  is  the 
case  even  in  spring,  when  unsuitable  cuttings  are  selected.  Sturdy  cuttings 
that  are  kept  moist  after  insertion  can  be  rooted  and  often  grown  into 
plants  a  foot  or  more  through  by  the  time  hard  cuttings,  or  those  that 
are  rendered  so  by  being  kept  dry,  are  induced  to  form  roots.  Good 
cuttings  root  freely  enough  daring  March  in  a  temperature  of  65°  pro¬ 
vided  the  soil  is  kept  as  near  an  intermediate  state  for  moisture  as 
possible.  They  certainly  take  a  little  longer  to  root  than  Zonals,  but  if 
treated  the  same  as  regards  moisture  in  spring  there  woald  be  no  occasion 
to  complain  of  the  results.  Cuttings  inserted  after  the  plants  flower  are 
frequently  too  firm,  and  consequently  are  a  long  time  in  rooting;  in 
fact,  they  made  very  little  growth  in  the  dull  days  of  autumn.  To 
induce  them  to  grow  then  or  during  the  winter  results  in  weak  spindling 
shoots.  I  am  certain  that  if  more  moisture  were  given  to  the  cuttings 
and  less  drying  greater  success  would  follow.  Cuttings  inserted  after 
the  middle  of  June  root  better  when  dibbled  into  a  border  outside  than 
they  do  when  placed  in  pots  in  a  frame.  If  dry  weather  follows  insertion 
keep  the  cuttings  moderately  moist  by  syringing  them  once  or  twice 
daily. 
Free  flowering  early  varieties  that  are  rooted  in  spring  and  induced  to 
grow  sturdily  under  glass  until  May  in  4  inch  pots  will  be  furnished  with 
three  or  four  shoots.  These  should  then  be  placed  in  6-inch  pots  and 
grown  in  cold  frames.  When  well  established  and  the  shoots  have  made 
three  or  four  leaves  they  should  be  pinched  again.  If  abundance  of  air 
is  admitted  they  will  grow  strongly  and  branch  freely.  By  the  beginning 
of  August  they  can  be  placed  in  8-inch  pots,  and  before  the  end  of  the 
month  they  will  be  fully  a  foot  through.  These  can  be  stopped  again 
about  the  end  of  the  month,  and  allowed  to  grow  and  flower.  For  the 
early  months  of  the  year  they  are  better  in  6  or  7-inch  pots,  and  should 
have  by  the  first  week  in  September  shoots  after  pinching  about  1  inch 
long.  Pinching  in  this  case  must  be  done  early  in  August.  After  the 
end  of  September  it  is  important  that  the  plants  have  a  light  airy 
structure  and  a  position  near  to  the  glass.  Keep  them  growing  slowly 
until  the  flower  trusses  are  visible,  when  a  temperature  of  65°  to  60°  will 
bring  them  into  flower.  The  atmosphere  must  be  kept  rather  dry,  air 
admitted  freely  on  ail  favourable  occasions,  and  water  supplied  with 
great  care. 
When  cuttings  are  rooted  from  March  until  July  there  is  no  difficulty 
in  having  sturdy  plants  before  the  approach  of  winter.  This  is  important, 
then  the  plants  only  need  to  grow  slowly  during  the  months  of 
November,  December,  and  January.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  keep  them 
in  a  moderately  dry  atmosphere,  rather  dry  at  their  roots,  and  in  a 
temperature  that  does  not  fall  below  40°.  They  are,  however,  perfectly 
safe  if  frost  only  is  excluded.  In  a  very  low  temperature,  however,  the 
foliage  is  liable  to  suffer  from  damp.  Plants  that  have  their  shoots 
stopped  at  the  leginning  of  November  break  again  into  growth,  and  are 
