JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  16,  1897. 
5, SO 
Tricopilia  brevis  (W.  H.  Young). — A  charming  Orchid  that  is  compara¬ 
tively  well  known.  The  short  tubular-like  lip  is  white  on  the  outer 
margins  and  primrose  yellow  within.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  deep 
brown  with  yellow  bars  and  tips  (award  of  mert . 
CYCLAMENS  AND  PRIMULAS  AT  READING. 
Though  the  name  of  Sutton  had  been  to  me  as  “a  household  word,” 
it  was  not  until  a  recent  date  that  I  was  able  to  pay  a  personal  visit  to 
their  establishment.  Prior  to  this  I  had  been  in  spirit,  for  my  friends  had 
spoken  delightedly  of  what  they  had  seen,  and  I  had  read  from  time  to 
time  of  visits  made  by  greater  wanderers  than  I  can  ever  hope  to  be. 
These  served  one  purpose  at  least,  they  whetted  my  appetite,  and  caused 
me  to  make  the  most  of  an  opportunity.  Having  been,  and  having  seen, 
I  will  follow  up  my  initial  expedition  into  the  town  of  Reading  by  a  few 
notes  of  what  I  saw  and  admired. 
Some  persons  may  say  “  Why  did  you  not  w'ait  for  the  summer  and 
then  go  ?  ”  adding,  perhaps,  that  there  would  be  much  more  to  see.  To 
this  I  would  reply  that  the  man  who  does  not  seize  an  opportunity  when  it 
arises  is— well,  remiss,  and  further  that  the  Primulas  and  Cyclamens  were 
amply  satisfying.  More  I  might  have  seen  so  far  as  numbers  are 
concerned,  but  a  higher  grade  of  quality  would  be  impossible,  at  least 
such  is  my  opinion.  For  upwards  of  a  score  of  years  I  have  been 
growing  these  two  kinds  of  plants,  but  I  have  attained  to  no  such  excellence 
especially,  perhaps,  in  the  Cyclamens. 
There  were  not  half  a  dozen  only,  but  hundreds,  even  thousands,  of 
plants,  filling  house  after  house  and  presenting  a  lovely  display.  Here 
one  would  see  a  gorgeous  mass  of  brilliant  scarlet,  there  some  scores 
of  plants  clothed  with  the  purest  white,  yonder  similar  numbers  of  a 
warm  crimson  or  a  bright  blue.  And  so  one  might  go  writing  in  general 
terms  of  what  had  been  seen,  but  such  is  not  the  present  intention. 
There  was  here  evidently  something  to  be  learned  from  a  cultural  point 
of  view,  and  my  guide  readily  gave  me  all  the  information  as  to  the 
methods  of  procedure  that  are  adopted.  Neither  in  respect  of  the 
Primulas  nor  the  Cyclamens  did  it  differ  materially  from  the  lines  upon 
which  I  had  worked,  but  the  results  were  markedly  superior.  I  shall 
continue  to  try  my  hand,  and  when  I  can  produce  plants  superior  to  those 
of  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  I  shall  rest  on  my  laurels  in  perfect  contentment. 
Of  one  thing  I  am  assured,  which  is  that  cultivation  alone  could  not 
possibly  do  everything.  The  best  attention  will  do  much,  but  it  will  not 
add  every  desirable  attribute  for  which  the  florist  looks  to  any  plant. 
There  must  first  be  an  inherent  quality  which  high  culture  may  accentuate 
and  bad  systems  would  almost  suppress.  In  this  fact  lies  the  crux  of  the 
matter.  The  Reading  strains  of  these  two  plants  possess  the  best  points 
that  can  be  wished,  and  plants  grown  from  Uiem  require  skill  and  common- 
sense  culture  to  bring  these  to  the  surface*  With  what  the  firm  started 
many  years  ago  I  am  not  aware,  but  it  is  easy  to  see  the  advance  that  has 
been  made  even  in  the  last  half  a  dozen  years.  Then  we  should  have 
said  the  summit  is  reached  and  no  better  can  be  produced.  But  Suttons 
recognise  no  zenith,  and  the  work  that  was  commenced  in  the  long  ago 
continues  to-day  with  unabated  vigour  and  surprising  success.  What  the 
end  will  be  none,  I  take  it,  will  venture  to  say. 
Looking  for  a  moment  at  the  Cyclamens,  it  will  be  conceded  that  it 
was  not  long  ago  considered  a  far  cry  from  the  persicum  to  the  grandi- 
florum  section,  and  yet  since  the  inception  of  the  latter  both  have  made 
enormous  stridp.  It  is  fortunate  indeed  that  there  is  no  confliction  between 
these  two  strains— each  can  be  grown  to  advantage  in  every  collection. 
The  former  gives  the  grower  small  dowers  in  enormous  numbers,  and 
foliage  so  beautifully  marbled  that  for  it  alone  the  plants  would  readily 
be  cultivated  ;  while  the  latter  provides  almost  as  many  flowers  of 
considerably  larger  size,  but  the  leaves  lack  the  handsomeness  of  the 
smaller  and  older  section.  It  is  therefore  obvious  that  both  must  have  a 
place  in  all  establishments  where  (Cyclamens  are  appreciated,  and  I  for 
one  would  like  to  know  where  they  are  not.  I  shall  not  attempt  a 
selection  where  all  are  so  good,  but  must  .single  out  for  special  mention 
the  deep-hued  Vulcan  and  the  delicate  Salmon  Rose.  These  are  superb 
in  all  respects,  but  then  so  are  the  vast  majority  of  the  others. 
Chinese  Bnmulas  for  the  embellishment  of  rooms,  greenhouses,  and 
conservatories  in  the  winter  are  unsurpassed,  and  are  probably  ’only 
rivalled  by  the  plants  named  in  the  preceding  paragraph.  The  diversity 
of  colour  now  to  be  found  amongst  the  many  varieties  was  not  always  a 
characteristic  of  Primula  sinensis.  At  the  present  moment  one  may  have 
any  colour  from  pure  white,  through  the  shades  of  rose  and  red  to  the 
deepest  crimson,  with  heliotropes  and  blues  to  swell  the  list.  Again  must 
the  Reading  firm  be  accorded  its  meed  of  praise  and  credit,  for  it  is  to  its 
enterprise,  persistency,  and  resource  that  we  owe  many  of  the  most 
distinct  varieties  in  cultivation.  Ever  since  a  commencement  was  made  in 
the  cross-fertilisation  of  varieties  of  Chinese  Primulas  the  results  have 
shown  an  advance.  There  have  doubtless  been  failures  of  which  the 
horticultural  world  has  never  known,  but  there  has,  on  the  whole, 
certainly  been  advance. 
As  the  time  of  beauty  amongst  these,  as  with  the  Cyclamens,  is  but 
in  its  infancy  for  the  present  season,  no  selections  will  be  made.  Instead 
of  this,  everyone  who  can  is  counselled  to  go  to  Reading  any  time  during 
the  next  two  months,  and  behold  the  display  for  themselves.  They  will 
find  many  other  plants  besides  the  Cyclamens  and  the  Primulas  in  which 
to  take  an  interest.  I  have  been  once,  but  shall  go  again  when  I  can,  for 
the  eye  is  pleased  by  the  beauty  of  the  flowers,  while  the  mind  is  being 
enlightened  out  of  the  abundance  of  Messrs.  Sutton’s  foreman's  knowledge 
_ TT  w  'wr  o 
A  Rejoinder  to  Me.  J.  W.  Moorman. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Moorman  does  not  attempt  to  verify  hia 
fibres  before  rashly  rushing  into  print.  Until  very  recently  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Committee,  and  if  he  did  not  know,  the  necessary 
knowledge  could  have  been  had  for  the  asking. 
The  cash  contributions  of  the  Royal  Aquarium  to  the  N.C.S.  during 
1896,  the  year  with  which  Mr.  Moorman  deals,  were  these  : — 
September  Show  . 
•  • »  ••• 
...  £50 
0 
0 
October  Show  . 
...  ... 
75 
0 
0 
November  Show  . 
... 
...  275 
0 
0 
December  Show  . 
. 
50 
0 
0 
Total . 
•••  ••• 
...  £450 
0 
0 
But  there  is  something  which  does 
not  strike 
a  superficial 
observer  like 
Mr.  Moorman— f.c.,  the  cost  of  the  four  exhibitions  to  the  Royal  Aquarium’ 
Society.  All  the  necessary  staging,  tables,  and  baize  ;  the  printing 
and  posting  of  the  bills  announcing  the  shows  ;  all  the  advertisements 
in  the  daily  and  weekly  papers,  with  the  exception  of  the  few  exclusively 
devoted  to  gardening,  are  provided  for  the  N.C.vS.  without  charge. 
The  N.C.S.  do  not  pay  the  costs  of  hiring  the  place  for  their  shows,  nor 
for  attendants,  police,  lighting,  music  and  moneytakers.  They  are  free 
of  the  many  charges  incidental  to  hiring  a  hall ;  they  are  not  worried  by 
insurance  agents  and  County  Council  officials.  There  is  no  demand  in 
respect  of  damage  or  dilapidation.  They  are  simply  at  the  cost  of  the 
labour  necessary  to  the  staging  arrangements,  and  the  provision  of  the 
indispensable  machinery  of  their  own  exhibitions. 
Taking  a  low  estimate,  I  put  the  cost  of  the  four  shows  at  the  Royal 
Aquarium  as  something  like  the  following  : — 
September  Show  . 
...  £75 
0 
0 
October  Show  . 
75 
0 
0 
November  Show  . 
...  150 
0 
0 
December  Show  . 
75 
0 
0 
375 
0 
0 
Add  Cash . 
...  450 
0 
0 
And  the  result  is . 
...  £  2j 
0 
0 
As  against  Mr.  Moorman’s  £300 ! 
I  hold  that  I  have  placed  the  cost  of  each  show  at  considerably  less 
than  that  which  w’ould  have  to  be  borne  by  the  N.C.S.  did  they  have  to 
defray  the  whole  amount.  Let  Mr.  Moorman  and  those  who  think  with 
him  ascertain  the  cost  of  hiring  nearly  5000  superficial  feet  of  tabling 
and  baize  (the  quantity  provided  at  the  recent  November  show),  and  add 
to  that  the  cost  of  labour  in  erecting  it.  The  growlers  are  ignorant  of  the 
charges  incidental  to  carrying  out  a  large  flower  show  in  London  as  a 
financial  speculation  ;  it  is  this  formidable  amount,  added  to  the  labour, 
vexations  and  worries,  which  has  led  me  to  determine  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  any  project  of  the  kind  unless  the  entire  cost  were  guaranteed 
beforehand. 
If  Mr.  Moorman  would  only  take  the  trouble  to  examine  the  last 
published  schedules  of  prizes  he  would  find  it  distinctly  stated  that  the 
Royal  Aquarium  Company  give  £  50  towards  the  Dahlia  and  Gladioli  prizes 
at  the  September  show  ;  but  as  the  Committee  prefer  to  consider  this 
particular  exhibition  as  held  by  the  Royal  Aquarium  Company  and  not  by 
the  N.C.S.,  the  Society’s  funds  is  not  credited  with  this  £50;  on  the  other 
hand,  the  amount  of  the  Dahlia  and  Gladioli  prizes,  a  proportion  of  the 
Superintendent’s  expenses,  luncheon  to  the  Judges,  are  not  debited  to 
the  Society. 
There  are  other  points  in  Mr.  Moorman’s  communication  equally 
imperfect  or  erroneous,  and  misleading.  At  the  special  meeting  of  the 
General  Committee  to  which  he  alludes  in  paragraph  4,  page  553,  he 
insinuates  that  the  officials  quashed  the  proceedings.  Nothing  of  the 
kind.  A  sub-committee  of  three  members  was  appointed  to  look  for 
suitable  places  in  which  the  exhibitions  of  the  Society  could  be  held,  and. 
report.  They  never  once  met  or  attempted  to  discharge  the  duties  they 
undertook  to  perform.  If  I  may  presume  to  regard  myself  as  one  of  tho 
“higher  officials,”  I  admit  I  distinctly  stated  I  should  cease  to  be  the 
Secretary  of  the  Society  if  its  shows  were  removed  from  the  Royal 
Aquarium,  and  I  said  this  ip  reply  to  a  direct  question,  or  I  should  not 
have  given  expression  to  this  determination.  I  did  not  in  any  way  oppose 
the  appointment  of  the  committee  of  inspection  ;  I  simply  refused  to  a,dd 
to  the  labour  incidental  to  the  secretaryship  by  acting  upon  it. — 
Richard  Dean,  Secretary  National  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
Freedom  for  the  N.C.S. 
Well-wishers  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  must  welcome 
the  discussion  which  has  arisen  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture 
concerning  the  Society’s  humiliating  position  in  relation  to  the  Royal 
Aquarium.  The  letter  from  Mr.  Moorman  last  week  reviews  the  subject 
in  an  impartial  and  comprehensive  manner,  and  few  men  are  so  well 
qualified  to  deal  with  it  as  your  correspondent.  He  has  had  long 
