IMPROVING THE DAFFODIL.

Shannon News, 15 October 1926, Page 1

IMPROVING THE DAFFODIL.

NEW ZEALAND SEEDLINGS,

A correspondent writes: —"Now that the shows of daffodils for this district are over it would be a good thing to go over the shows and review them and see if they have been ai:y improvement or otherwise on other years. I have been to many of them —not as an exhibitor, but as an ardent admirer of this class of flower. These notes were suggested to me by an exhibit I saw at the Wanganni show. One side of a table was taken up by some of the newer varieties, while on the other side was a large collection of those varieties that were seen at shows* about 20 years ago, and whien are now beijng lost to cultivation. Tuera is no doubt that very great strides have been made with these plants during the last 15 or so years, and they have gained not only in size but in colour also. The numerous varieties' that are being exhibited . under the class for Giant Leedsii are certainly glorious flowers, but there are many of them that are nothing more or less than ineomparabilis and should not be allowed in a class that is for white or pale primrose cups. In some cases they are larger than the old trumpets and, although they are beautiful, it would be a good thing, to cut this class down a bit by putting all those with coloured cups in the Incomparabilis classes. The next section (is for Barrii, and here some advance has been made, but still they are a long way behind the other classes. I do not consider such flowers as Romance, Bath's Flame and Brilliancy are at all beautiful, and yet they are being constantly shown. They do not compare with the smaller and moro dainty things like Mohican and so on. Size is all they are shown for, and the sooner we give up worshipping size the better. The doubles are increasing every day, and some of the newer'ones are better than the old ones. They are more dainty and refined and, wherever daffodils are grown, they will be wanied. The trumpet classes are getting I blooms, that were unthought of a fewyears ago, and I cannot see where they are going to stop. The greatest * improvements have been made in the classes for white trumpets, and there are some beautiful and dainty things to be seen now. Take Lord Roberts, for instance, and you :will find it in every exhibit of trumpet daffodils, * and in many cases it is named the champion bloom. I have read over reports or' shows in England, and in no,case have I seen it mentioned. Perhaps it is a variety that does better in our country than in the country where it originated. I would name this variety as the best bf the yellow trumpets and Armistice as the best of the whites, but I cannot name the best bi-colour, as : I have not seen one that comes up to the standard of those named. In the Incomparabilis section there are so many that it would be impossible to say which is the best. I have one called Festive in my notes and have seen this at several shows. I believe that it is expensive, but for allround perfection it conies nearest to what I think a bloom should be. It shows some faint resemblance to Bernadini, that favourite of a few years ago. Croesus is a bloom that commands attention wherever it is shown, and Maceb'earer is another that is doing well in most parts. There is no doubt that this has been a remarkable season for the number of seedlings shown in the various shows which have been the work of New Zealand hybridists., 'rhe champion bloom at the Hutt show was one called Terriea, which we wore told has been raised here. The runner-up v to this bloom was another New Zealand seedling called Armistice. In .every class that is set up blooms, can be found labelled seedling, and some of them are equal to the best of the imported flowers. The formation of ' a daffodil Society in New Zealand will do much to- foster the raising of hybrids, and 'now that it is an accomplished fact we may hope to see prominence given to blooms that are raised here. There is a lot of work to bo done yet, but the formation of the Society will give raisers a chance of getting some recognition for their work.