176 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  26,  1903. 
languages,  and  that  it  is  scarcely  to  he  expected,  we  shall 
find  no  divergence  of  opinion  on  this  latter  question. 
Surely  the  listing  of  plant  names  and  botanical  terms  in  a 
tongue  understood  by  nearly  the  whole  of  the  educated 
Avorld  could  be  brought  under  the  segis  of  one  recognised 
authority,  and  thus  save  us  from  present  day  confusions 
and  bickerings.  One  or  two  illustrations  may  be  cited  to 
point  the  moral,  and  in  some  sense  justify  the  bluntness  of 
the  text.  Let  us  take  for  instance  the  old  garden  and  com¬ 
mercial  plant  commonly  and  wrongly  known  as  Smilax. 
For  years  this  has  been  known  to  gardeners  as  either  Myrsi- 
phyllum  or  Medeola  asparagoides.  In  a  recent  number  of 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture  this  plant  was  designated  by  a 
totally  different  generic  title.  The  correctness  of  this  I  do 
not  for  one  moment  wish  to  question.  But  what  I  ask  is, 
By  whose  or  what  authority  is  this  name  bestowed  1  How 
long  have  certain  stove  plants  been  known  as  Crotons  ? 
Yet  would  we  be  up-to-date  we  must  now  term  them  Codi- 
seums.  In  some  publications  they  are  referred  to  by  the 
latter,  and  in  others  by  the  former  name  ;  and  thus  is  the 
confusion  carried  on  even  in  high  places. 
Amongst  hardy  plants  we  have  a  state  of  affairs  which, 
to  say  the  least,  is  deplorable.  We  may  find  a  plant  in  one 
genus  and  have  known  it  as  such  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
at  any  time  it  may  be  moved  to  another  section  or  have 
bestowed  upon  it  quite  an  original  appellation.  Again  is 
asked,  By  whose  or  what  authority?  AVith  variegated  forms 
of  different  species  it  is  questionable  whether  there  will  not 
always  be  some  confusion  and  complexity,  but  this  is  not 
nearly  of  so  much  importance  as  the  difficulties  experienced 
in  the  changing  and  muddling  of  specific  names,  and  it  is 
this  latter  phase  about  which  there  is  so  much  complaint. 
A  writer  of  articles  in  the  public  press,  whose  experience 
is  great  in  this  section  of  horticulture  which  has  become  so 
much  the  vogue  of  late  years,  is  frequently  and  to  some 
extent  rightly  looked  up  to  as  an  authority.  But  such  an 
authority  is  more  or  less  self-constituted,  and  not  of  suffi¬ 
cient  strength  to  warrant  meddling  with  or  changing  titles. 
Then  once  more  I  ask.  Who  is  or  who  are  the  responsible 
authority  or  authorities  in  this  difficult  and  troublous 
matter  1 
Glance  for  a  brief  space  at  some  of  the  unlovely  names 
given  to  new  Orchids  shown  at  the  R.H.S.  meetings.  Note 
how  the  different  classes  are  being  brought  together  by 
hybridising,  and  tell  me  if  anything  like  concise  or  simple 
name-titles  exist.  It  is  not  likely  that  many  will  be  so 
impressed  with  the  length  of  a  specimen’s  name  as  to  think 
the  plant  thereby  enhanced  in  value.  Yet  what  other 
reason  the  introducers  can  have  for  some  of  the  atrocities 
noted  is  hard  to  understand  or  explain.  Bigeneric 
hybrids,  we  are  told  many  of  them  are,  and  from  what  can 
be  gathered,  there  appears  every  opening  for  a  bigeneric 
muddle  and  entanglement  which  will  puzzle  professors  of 
the  present  day,  and  those  hereafter  to  rectify. 
We  have  in  this  country  certain  authorities,  apart  from 
individuals,  to  whom  we  have  a  right  to  look  for  guidance 
in  these  matters.  On  the  continent  also  there  are 
societies  and  associations  ;  but  these  and  our  own  should 
be  brought  into  line  together,  thus  avoiding  as  far  as 
human  means  allow,  these  dissensions.  It  seems  to  me 
quite  possible  for  a  central  body  or  head  to  be  formed  from 
all  the  various  centres  of  horticulture,  which  would  lay 
down  the  needful  lines  of  government  in  clearing  up  and 
straightening  out  the  existing  imbroglio.  Of  course  there 
would  be  expense  and  difficulty  in  choosing  the  right 
persons  to  represent  certain  interests,  but  there  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  these  difficulties  would  be  insurmount¬ 
able,  were  the  work  taken  up  in  earnest.  Space  will 
scarcely  allow  of  a  detailed  scheme  being  now  laid  down. 
Here,  however,  is  scope  for  able  organisers  and  abler  pens 
than  mine,  and  to  these  may  be  left  the  task  of  presenting 
in  proper  form  and  substance  a  faintly  shadowed  idea. — 
A  Provincial. 
- •  - 
A  Selection  of  Cactus  Dahlias. 
Although  last  season  was  so  very  unfavourable  to  the 
production  of  good  blooms  of  Cactus  Dahlias,  yet,  taking 
the  large  London  exhibitions  as  a  whole,  some  really  good 
flowers  were  on  view.  Many  varieties,  as  in  other  years,  | 
have  dropped  out  from  one  cause  and  another,  but  after 
deducting  all  those  which  have  some  one  or  more  grievoiis. 
faults,  there  are  a  goodly  array  well  worth  growing  this 
season,  and  several  which  bid  fair  to  become  standard 
varieties.  Regarding  colour,  there  is  nothing  actually  new 
amongst  the  best ;  by  new  I  do  not  mean  that  they  are 
absolutely  similar  to  older  ones,  but  that  no  quite  distinct 
breaks,  with  the  exception  of  Fancy  Cactus  Alpha,  were 
amongst  them.  Amongst  the  best  is  Gabriel,  a  sturdy 
growing,  bushy  variety  with  blooms  composed  of  short 
florets  which  abruptly  curve  inwards,  forming  quite  an 
elbow  at  about  half  their  length,  giving  the  flowers  the 
appearance  of  being  round.  The  colour  is  red  at  base,  with 
white  tips.  It  is  a  very  pretty  and  quaint  variety,  and  an 
abundant  bloomer.  . 
Mrs.  H.  J.  Jones  is  also  red,  tipped  with  white,  but  dis¬ 
tinct  from  Gabriel.  It  is  a  strong  grower,  with  woolly  fluff 
on  the  stems  and  dark,  healthy  foliage.  The  blooms  are 
large,  and  the  petals  long  and  narrow.  In  Mrs.  Winstanley 
we  have  a  dwarf  sturdy  grower,  producing  an  abundance  of 
large  flowers  of  good  form  on  strong  erect  stems,  the  colour 
being  orange  scarlet,  a  genuine  addition.  Mrs.  Edward 
Mawley  is  a  very  fine  yellow — in  fact,  quite  the  best  yellow,, 
and  rapidly  becoming  known  everywhere.  The  blooms  are 
large  and  formed  of  very  numerous  petals,  which  incurve 
regularly  and  neatly.  The  flowers  are  not  produced  in 
great  quantity,  but  last  a  very  long  time,  the  plants  being 
strong  and  robust,  and  stem  of  flower  very  stiff.  In 
Columbia  we  have  yet  another  bicolor,  but  more  inclined 
to  have  the  red  in  a  band  down  the  sides  of  the  petals  than 
wholly  at  the  base,  the  centre  and  tips  being  white.  The 
flowers  are  of  fine  form  and  splendid  for  exhibition,  being 
very  pretty  and  striking,  but  the  stems  are  weak,  the 
blooms  hanging  quite  pendant. 
Alpha,  the  new  break  (a  Fancy  Cactus)  was  up  to  ex¬ 
pectations,  and  shows  no  tendency  to  self-colouring.  The 
blooms  are  large,  rather  heavier  than  some  of  the  newer 
Cactus,  but  for  productiveness  unequalled ;  quite  a  success. 
Aunt  Chloe,  a  very  dark  variety,  is  somewhat  under  exhi¬ 
bition  size,  but  very  pretty  indeed  ;  in  the  garden  some  of 
our  bushes  were  a  picture.  The  blooms  are  made  up  of 
numerous  petals,  fine  at  the  points,  the  plants  being 
dwarf  and  sturdy  and  the  flower  stems  strong. 
J.  H.  Jackson — just  the  opposite  to  Aunt  Chloe,  is  huge  in 
size,  with  fairly  fine  petals  and  free-flowering  habit,  too 
large  for  exhibition,  but  a  novelty  all  must  grow.  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Needs  is  fine  in  the  petal  and  freely  produced.  The  petals 
are  so  narrow  at  the  base  as  to  show  in  front  the  green 
scales  at  the  back  of  the  blooms.  P.  W.  Tulloch,  with  a 
peculiar  combination  of  colours,  was  several  times  shown 
in  fine  form,  particularly  by  Mr.  P.  W.  Tulloch  himself. 
The  plants  are  of  wiry  growth  and  free  in  flowering,  and 
the  form  of  flower  is  very  incurved.  Ringdove  is,  as  its 
name  implies,  delicate,  but  no  less  beautiful.  The  colour¬ 
ing  is  very  pale  red,  gradually  becoming  pinky  white  at  the 
points.  The  petals  are  straight  and  stems  strong. 
Lottie  Dean,  shy  at  first,  is  now  better,  the  flower  being 
of  good  size,  narrow  in  petal,  slightly  yet  abruptly  incurv¬ 
ing  at  the  points,  and  of  a  yellow,  overlaid  with  old  gold  or 
amber  colour.  Florence  is  yellowish  orange,  straight  in  the 
petal,  very  productive  and  constant ;  it  is  a  good  flower,  and 
on  one  or  two  occasions  last  year  was  exhibited  in  better 
form  than  when  shown  by  the  raiser  in  1901.  Goldfinch,  a 
late  bloomer,  is  very  pretty.  The  plants  are  tall  and  spare, 
and  have  hardly  had  a  trial.  Richard  Dean,  a  scarlet  with 
white  tips,  was  seldom  shown,  but  a  striking  flower  when 
it  was.  Possibly  more  will  be  heard  of  it  in  a  better  season. 
The  flowers  during  wet,  cold  weather  seem  to  have  a  diffi¬ 
culty  in  developing  to  their  fullest  extent  before  the  back 
petals  begin  to  go,  the  blooms  when  let  run  undisbudded 
opening  better. 
I  have  now  given  the  cream  of  the  last  season’s  novelties, 
basing  the  selection  mainly -on  exhibition  points.  Several 
others  might  be  mentioned  as  being  by  no  means  worth¬ 
less.  Amongst  them  are  Mars  (for  cut  bloom).  Cinnamon, 
Mrs.  De  Luca,  and  Brightness,  the  last  being  a  srnall,  bril¬ 
liant  scarlet  flower,  and  produced  freely,  attractive  as  a 
garden  plant;  and  Nana,  a  pompon  Cactus.  Several  new 
ones  have  a  decided  failure,  but  it  is  more  than  pro- 
.bable  that  they  would  have  been  better  but  for  the  wet  cold 
weather,  so  that  we  will  not  give  the  names  of  these,  pre¬ 
ferring  to  give  them  another  chance  of  redeeming  their 
character. — S.  L. 
