518 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
June  12, '1902. 
Florists  and  Floriculture  over  Fifty  Years. 
(Concluded  from  page  467.) 
The  history  of  the  evolution  of  our  Pansies  is  interesting. 
In  1813,  a  celebrated  Cornish  Admiral,  while  out  one  day  enjoy¬ 
ing  a  private  walk,  gathered  a  few  plants  of  Viola  tricolor,  and 
taking  them  home,  said  to  Thompson,  his  gardener,  “Plant 
these,  and  seed  them,  and  try  to  improve  them.”  The  plants  had 
produced  much  improved  progeny  by  the  year  of  Waterloo,  and 
the  progress  has  been  continued  adown  the  decades.  It  is  only 
when  one  sees  a  fine  form  of  a  white-ground  Pansy  of  the  present 
day  that  the  great  strides  that  have  been  made  are  fully  realised. 
The  Fancy  Pansy  was  of  later  formation  than  the  Show.  The 
Viola,  as 'we  know  it,  has  arisen  since  1862,  when  Mr.  James 
Grieve,  of  Redbraes,  Edinburgh,  .started  and  worked  from 
V.  lutea,  V.  stricta  alba^  and  V.  ammna.  Mr.  John  Phillips,  a 
Lancashire  gardener,  re-introduced  Viola  cornuta,  which  becaine 
exceedingly  popular  for  the  ribbon  border  craze  wdth  which 
Everybody  in  those  days  was  smitten.  Viola  Blue  Bell  was 
raised  by  Mr.  R.  Dean,  and  has  become  so  remunerative  to  one 
grower  at  Isleworth,  in  Middlesex,  that  he  raises  10,000  to 
15,000  yearly  for  Covent  Garden  Market. 
Pelargoniums,  Primulas,  Tulips. 
Those  of  us  who  see  the  miserable  Show  Pelargoniums  that 
pass  muster  in  these  times  can  scarcely  realise  how  great  was 
the  interest  manifested  by  certain  of  the  old  florists  for  these 
plants.  We  should  like  to  see  a  revival  in  favour  of  such 
gorgeous  and  easily  cultivated  plants.  The  Fancies  used  to  be 
called  the  Ladies’  Pelargoniums,  for  the  same  reason  that 
Picotees  received  feminine  names  from  Mr.  Morgan  May.  They 
are  more  floriferous,  more  slender,  and  fairer  than  the  Shows. 
From  Slough  there  still  come  some  good  sample  Pelargoniums 
for  the  public  gaze,  but  Turner’s  is  the  only  firm  that  make  a 
speciality  of  them. 
The  Zonals  have  been  improved  in  later  times,  and  are  to-day 
much  the  more  useful  and  popular.  The  variegated  Pelar¬ 
goniums  were  very  great  favourites  twenty  years  ago,  and 
especially  for  bedding,  but  have  also  declined  in  general  estima¬ 
tion. 
Primula  sinensis  has  had  some  ups  and  downs,  and  really 
came  under  strict  care  about  the  beginning  of  the  period  w’e  are 
considering.  Mr.  Dean  explained  that  before  crosses  had  been 
made  with  the  plants  growers  were  never  troubled  wdth  keeping 
the  seeds  of  red  and  of  white  varieties  separate,  but  sowed  them 
together,  and  when  an  order  for  so  many  whites  and  so  many 
reds  came  to  the  nurserymen  they  simply  chose  plantlets  with 
light  leafstalks,  and  knew  they  would  produce  white  flowers, 
and  that  dark  stems  denoted  red  or  crimson  flowers.  But  after 
crossing  had  gone  on  for  some  years  it  was  discovered  that  the 
plants  Avith  the  darkest  stems  sometimes  yielded  the  whitest 
flowers !  Such  is  the  effect  of  the  infusion  of  twain  individuali¬ 
ties. 
There  was  once  a  time  when  florists’  Tulips  Avere  seen  in  every 
back  garden  in  every  townshij)  and  city  even  ;  but  one  must 
now'  journey  to  Lancashire  if  a  collection  would  be  seen.  Drs. 
Hardy,  Order,  and  Hepw'orth  Avere  famous  old-time  florists  among 
Tulips,  as  so  were  Messrs.  Richard  Headley  and  J.  Slater. 
Verbenas  and  “Epoch-making  FloAwers.” 
The  Verbena  owes  (or  ow'ed)  its  prominence  to  Dr.  Sankey, 
of  HanAvell,  who  made  remarkable  strides  by  seeding  the  plants 
and  by  crossing.  Varieties  were  commonly  named,  like  the 
herbaceous  Calceolarias,  but  foAV  are  distinctive  and  constant 
enough  to  be  named  to-day.  This  is  a  genus  that  Avould  w'ell 
repay  for  careful  attention. 
Mr.  Dean  then  proceeded  to  deal  Avith  “  a  series  of  epoch- 
making  flowers.”  And  first  he  introduced  the  English  Pansy — 
“  those  great,  gaudy  Pansies  you  see  on  the  costers’  barroAA’s.” 
John  Salter,  of  Chrysanthemum  fame,  first  took  it  in  hand,  as 
his  tastes  did  not  incline  to  the  Avhit e-ground  A'arieties.  In  the 
forties  he  went  oAmr  to  Versailles  from  Hammersmith  and  estab¬ 
lished  a  nursery  there;  but  on  the  outbreak  of  the  French 
Revolution  of  1848  he  Avithdrew  to  London.  Andrew  Henderson 
was  another  notable  Pansy  fancier,  avIio  .sent  to  Wm.  Dean’s 
nursery  at  Shipley  numbers  of  his  seedlings,  where  they  were 
grown  better  than  they  could  have  been  at  the  raiser’s  own 
place.  John  Laing  and  John  DoAvnie  must  also  be  named  in  con¬ 
nection  with  Pansy  evolution. 
Then  there  came  that  tremendous  interest  in  Chrysanthemum, 
which  seems  now  to  have  about  reached  its  highest.  In  1846, 
Robert  Fortune  brought  home  the  Chusan  Daisy,  from  which  the 
Pompons  have  sprung.  In  his  second  visit  to  China  he  secured 
a  number  of  their  neAver  and  best  types,  and  despatched  these 
home.  The  vessel  containing  them  was  wrecked,  but  some  seeds 
having  been  saved,  these  gave  rise  to  stocks,  from  which  our 
owners  propagated. 
The  early  stages  in  the  rise  to  popularity  of  Hippeastrums, 
Dahlias,  Gladiolus,  Sweet  Peas,  Begonias,  and  Clematis  were 
ve^  briefly  reviewed  by  Mr.  Dean,  but  as  he  has  recently 
written  of  these  in  his  series  of  articles  on  “  Certificated  Plants,” 
appearing  in  the  Journal,  it  is  not  desirable  to  recapitulate.. 
Planting  ont  Dahlias. 
Dahlia  roots  can  now  be  planted  safely.  We  alw'ays  get 
much  better  results  from  roots  planted  between  May  15  and 
June  1  than  from  those  planted  earlier.  Where  it  is  possible 
it  is  much  better  to  make  at  least  two  plantings.  The  soil  is 
of  little  importance,  as  Dahlias,  like  Corn  or  Potatoes,  will  groAV 
Avell  anyAvhere  if  given  sufficient  nourishment  and  good  culture. 
Of  great  importance,  hoAvever,  is  the  condition  of  the  soil.  My 
preference  is  a  good  heavy  sod,  w'ith  no  manure  except  a  little 
pure  bonemeal.  Too  much  manure  has  ahvays  been  the  chief 
source  of  failure  in  groAving  Dahlias,  especially  Avhen  planted 
early.  If  sod  land  is  not  available,  any  soil  Avill  answer,  but 
it  should  be  thoroughly  prepared,  and  a  light  dressing  of  bone- 
meal  applied.  The  objection  to  using  land  too  rich  is  that  the 
plants  become  overgroAvn  and  are  soft,  Avith  the  result  of  blasted 
buds  and  small  or  one-sided  floAA'ers.  The  chief  object  in  Dahlia 
groAving  is  to  get  fine  flow’ers  and  lots  of  them.  This  we  have 
ahvays  done  by  getting  the  bloom  on  small,  Avell-grown  plants, 
and  Avhen  the  plants  are  once  blooming  well  w'e  feed  them 
heavily  to  produce  the  large,  long-stemmed  flowers. 
Selection  of  A'arieties  is  very  important,  although  not  so 
much  so  as  some  years  ago,  because  groAvers  and  dealers  have 
become  more  interested,  and  consequently  better  educated  in 
Dahlias.  In  ordering  Dahlias  from  any  reliable  house,  and 
asking  for  the  best  for  any  particular  purpose,  one  is  pretty 
sure  to  get  Avhat  he  w'ants.  Roots  that  are  wanted  for  later 
planting  should  be  kept  in  a  cool  place  sufficiently  dry  to  keep 
them  dormant.  I  Avould  caution  everyone  against  planting  too 
closely.  The  rows  should  not  be  closer  than  4ft,  and  if  the  soil 
is  rich  still  farther  apart.  Eighteen  inches  to  2ft  apart  in  the 
roAvs,  according  to  variety,  is  p>lenty  close,  Avhile  3ft  to  4ft  is 
required  on  heavy  soil  if  specimen  plants  are  wanted.  By 
planting  too  closely,  less  flowers  Avill  be  had  than  if  planted 
the  proper  distance,  and  the  quality  will  suffer  also.  Dahlia 
plants  raised  from  cuttings  will,  in  most  cases,  give  equally  as 
good  results  as  roots,  and  in  some  cases  much  better.  These 
can  be  set  at  any  time  after  it  is  safe  to  plant  out  Tomatoes,  and 
Avill  require  onty  the  same  good  treatment  necessary  for  all 
plants.  It  is  best  to  diA'ide  large  roots  before  planting,  but, 
Avhether  this  is  done  or  not,  too  many  shoots  should  not  be 
alloAved  to  remain.  For  best  results  not  more  than  tAvo  shoots 
should  be  allowed  from  each  root,  Avliile  one  is  better.— W’^.  P. 
Peacock  (in  the  “  Flori.sts’  Exchange.”) 
Adiantum  Capillus-Veneris  var.  cornubiense. 
Of  the  five  or  six  forms  of  Adiantum  Capillus-Veneris  none 
exceeds  in  beauty  the  remarkably  elegant  variety  here  illus¬ 
trated  (fig.  a),w'hich  bears  a  nearer  resemblance  to  that  hand¬ 
some  Maidenhair  Fern,  A.  farleyense,  than  any  other  hardy 
Fern.  It  Avas  found  near  the  CAitting  of  the  St.  Ives  (CornAA'all) 
railway  about  1874  by  Mr.  Trevithick,  and  named  A.  Capillus- 
Veneris  var.  cornubiense  by  J.  Tyerman,  Esq.,  of  Tregony.  At 
first  it  Avas  supposed  tO'  be  a  tAvo-year-old  seedling  of  the  typical 
specfes(the  fertile  and  sterile  pinnules  of  the  species,  A.  Capillus- 
Veneris,  being  represented  at  b  in  the  engraving)  which  is  found 
at  Tintagel,  AA'hich,  hoAveA'er,  never  produces  fronds  the  same 
size  the  third  year  or  afterAvards  as  it  does  the  second  year, 
Avhereas  this  is  constant  to  its  size.  Too  much  cannot  be  said 
in  faA'our  of  this  grand  acquisition  to  our  hardy  Ferns.  The  pin¬ 
nules  are  nearly  palmate,  verj^  deeply  cut,  sometimes  into 
tAvelve  or  thirteen  segments,  quite  barren,  thereforei  it  can  only 
be  propagated  by  rhizomes.  The  stipes  are  3in  to  4in  long.  The 
finest  specimen  in  CornAvall,  and  perhaps  in  England,  Avas  shoAvn 
at  the  Penzance  Exhibition,  grown  by  Mr.  George  Maddern, 
gardener  to  E.  Bolitho,  Esq.,  TreAvidden,  which  measured  quite 
3ft  in  diameter.  It  is  of  a  drooping  habit,  and  if  groAvn  in  a 
pan  Avill  soon  cover  it  all  round.  The  specimen  from  which  the 
accompanying  engraving  was  prepared  was  given  me  by  Mr. 
J.  G.  Mitchison,  and  Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge  was  kind  enough  to 
make  a  sketch  of  it.  Another  very  desirable  variety  is  A. 
CapillusWeneris  var.  magnificum  (Lee).  The  frond.s  of  this  use¬ 
ful  and  attractive  Fern  are  much  larger  than  those  of  the 
species,  being  from  12in  to  15in  long  by  4in  broad,  and,  like 
those  of  cornubiense,  are  gracefully  curved;  but  the  pinnules 
are  not  so  deeply  cut,  as  can  be  seen  by  fig.  c.  Another  well- 
known  form  is  A.  C.-V.  var.  daphnites.  This  differs  in  a  very 
remarkable  degree  from  all  other  varieties ;  the  pinnules  of  each 
of  the  branches  are  confluent  (united),  and  the  apex  of  the 
rachis  dilated,  spreading  out  the  pinnules  into  a  crestJike 
crispy  mass.  The  stipes  are  ebony  coloured.  It  is  not  very  un¬ 
like  Adiantum  Luddemanianum.  A.  Capillus-Veneris  var.  minus 
is  a  verj'  pretty  form.  The  pinnules  are  not  larger  than  the 
species,  Isut  much  prettier,  measuring  sometimes  18in  from  the 
bottom  of  the  stipe  to  the  apex  of  the  frond. — W.  R. 
