Romance of the Daffodil

Hutt News, Volume 6, Issue 16, 14 September 1938, Page 11 (Supplement)

Romance of the Daffodil

ORIGIN OF THE PETER BARR MEMORIAL CUP

- The progress and evolution cf the modern Daffodil has been really amazing , The plant was known and cultivated several hundred years before the,birth of Christ ; in the seventeenth century less than fifty varieties were in circulation; to-day the latest Classified List issued by the Royal Horticultural Society gives the names of 6,700 varieties. Of the elder varieties r many are now lost to cultivation, while others have been superseded by the aristocratic flowers which grace the daffodil shows of to-day.

At the first Daffodil Show held in Wellington in 1898, Mr. Cooper was the chief exhibitor. Emperor, Empress, .and Gloria Mundi were outstanding varieties at that time. In the opening years of the present century, ■ King Alfred and Lucifer created a sensation amongst local fanciers when shown at -the Hutt Show. From this on, Mr. H. J. Poole yearly imported and distributed the best varieties obtainable. In' 1924 ha visited the daffodil shows in England where he secured, for introduction into. New Zealand, such splendid varieties as Beersheba, , Boyalist, Kantara, Merkara, Glorious, Moira O'Neill, etc. Each year brings some further advance in new-varieties and Mr. Poole continues to secure the best of these for distribution to New Zealand growers. The importation of .Fortune, by the late Mr. Robert Gibson, and other redcupped varieties by Mr. Poole has had a marked influence on seedling daffodils raised in ■this country, and many fine -flowers have been produced which, in some,cases, equal if not excel many of tho British-raised varieties. The late Mr. Thomas Mason, of Lower Hutt, was 'one of the earliest Taisers "of daffodil, seedlings and he, with the late Mr. F. Cooper, probably held the most up-to-date stock of daffodils in the Dominion. The Peter Barr Memorial Cup is the outcome of a wish o,f some of the late Mr. Peter Barr's admirers to do something to perpetuate his memory and in recognition of his great work in the cult of the Daffodil. The cup is awarded annually by the Narcissus Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society to anyone who, in its opinion, has done good work of some kind on behalf of the flower. The cup-is an artistic piece of craftsmanship, the design being modelled from living flowers supplied by Mr. P. R. Bair, V3OL, a son of the late Mr. Peter Barr and, among those who have held it, will be found the most distinguished daffodil growers of Great Britain. The Award of the Cup in 1937 to Mr. H. J. Ft)ole, of Lower Hutt, is a special honour to horticulture in New Zealand, as this is the first occasion it has been awarded outside of Great Britain.

Renaissance of the Daffodil. Peter Barr, an English grower, many years ago said: "I doubt whether any flower has a more interesting or romantic history than the daffodil, or has filled the lives of so many well-known garden lovers with pleasure. Prom early times it has attracted botanists, and later it has become of keen interest to the hybridiser. New forms and colours have been introduced which were undreamt of a century ago, while its cultivation to-day has become a great industry all over England, Australia and New Zealand. I think we may rightly claim it now to be a national flower, as most of the improvements it has undergone have been made by Englishmen" It is to John Parkinson, apothecary to King Jeairies I„ that we are indebted for the first complete descriptive list of daffodils gTown in English gardens, In an article published in 1629, Parkinson described 90 different kinds of daffodils, and to-day there are thousan catalogued in all parts of the world. After Parkinson little was written about the daffodil until early in the nineteenth century, when Richard Anthony Salisbury published, in 181S,' his "Cultivation of Rare Plants." Salisbury was born in 1761 (and was the only son of Richard Markham, a cloth merchant, of Leeds). When he was 24 years of age a distant relative, Mrs. Anna Salisbury, gave him £10,000 to enable him to pursue his botanical studies, on condition that he adopted the name of Salisbury in memory of her deceased brother, John Salisbury, of Exeter. When he died in London in 1829 it was then considered he had a very complete collection of daffodils. In 1836 Rev. Hon. William Herbert (later Dean of Manchester) had been making a close study of- the daffodil, and in a book published in 1836 he included about 150 varieties. Wortking on the daffodil at the same time as Dean Herbert was "Edward Leeds, of Manchester. He possessed a fine old garden near the-River Mersey where, in addition t 0 daffodils, he grew a collection of old florists' flowers, auriculas, carnations, pinks, and florists 1 ' tulips, besides many alpine plants and flowers. In 1850-51 Leeds raised six varieties,: namely one -Le&dsii, three incomparabilis, a yellow trumpet called Major Superleus, and a large handsme bicolour trumpet called Bicolour Grandis. Of these only the last named is still in cultivation. In 1874, Leeds was in poor health and he decided to dispose of his collection of daffodil seedlings,, consisting of 169 varieties, and he was much disappointed that buyers did not come forward. He made a will directing that, in the event of their not being sold, the bulbs and all his papers were to be burnt. Saving the Collection. Patef Barr, -a keen grower, hearing of this development, inquired of Leeds what sum he was askings and was told it £100. Being anxious that the collection should not be lost, he induced other daffodil lovers to form with him a syndicate for the purchase, and eventually the bulbs, numbering over 24,000 were divided among the syndicate of five, one member including a Dutch nurseryman, Peter Van Velsen, of Overveen*

- 11l succession* to Edward Leeds car.c William Backhouse, of Durham, who commenced making crosses of strains 1856. The Tesults he obtained were remarkable. In comparison with those of Leeds, his seedlings were more refined in character, and he seems to have aimed largely at colour. Backhouse was by profession a I inker, and, being a busy man, could find only time to do his hybridising in the morning, beofre leaving to catch his train for his office. It is interesting! to know that all his crossings were done in a small glass poTch leading out of his study, where he kept a few flowering plants, the daffodils intended for hybridising being grown ill pots. He died in 1869 at the age of 62, and several years later Barr purchased his complete collcction of seedlings. As some of the seedlings had become mixed, it took a few years to separate them, The collection was then found to contain 192 distinct sorts, so that, adding the 169 seedlings of Leeds, Barr found himself the proud possessor of 361 distinct new daffodils. Later, Barr purchased the collection of Rev. John Wilson, of Norfolk, who died in 1880. With She advent of so many "new hybrid daffodils, Barr, J. G. Baker, and F. W. Burbridge considered it advisable to approach the Royal Horticultural Society with a view to holding a special conference to consider the classification which had been made. The conference took place on April 1, 1884, in the large conservatory of the society's gardens at South Kensington, and was well attended.. The season being an early one,, Barr was able to exhibit most of the Leeds and; Backhouse seedlings, together with a good l representative collection of the more ancient daffodils. After the conference Mr. Baker took away with him specimen blooms of the different sections for his wife to paint and to press for the Kew Herbarium, where they can be seen to-day. Costly Varieties Although the daffodil conference of 1884 created a greater interest in the new daffodils, there were still not a largo number of purchases in spite of the very moderate prices winch were asked, with a few at each. Little did anyone dream o.f the enormous prices which newly-produced hybrids would command in later years. Some of to-day's prices range up to 100 guineas. The first important buyer was James Walker a market gardener of Ham, a far-seeing Scot, who,, unlike his competitors, saw a future for these new daffodils as market flowers. He speculated in a purchase of £11 worth, and always said it was one of his best in--1 vestmemts. iLater, there was a great rush of market growers to take up the cultivation of many of the Backhouse and Leeds seedlings. Another good grower was Rev. George Herbert EngleheaTt, who went to Ajppleshaw, Andover, in 1881, later removihg to Dinton, Salisbury. Among the best of his early raisings were Albatross, shown in 1891; Seagull, in 1895; Will Scariett, which created a great sensation in 1898; and White Queen (his first white-hybrid), in, 1898. Later, in 1907, Engleheart showed some more good specimens. By crossing the old varieties, M. J. Berkeley (yellow trumpet) with C. J. Backhouse, he obtained an eatly race of tall giant incomparabilis with highly coloured cups, which, though rough, found a sale among market growers. We must not omit John Kendall, a solicitor, who Taised the finest' and most popular yellow trumpet daffodil known to-day, * namely, King Alfred, said to be a cross between Maxims and Emperor. Unfortunately, Kendall, who died in 1890, did not live to see it bloom. Dutchmen have gone to England and paid good sums for small stocks of new varieties and returned to Holland to sell them to other growers at a huge profit. In 1895, Peter Barr, then 70 yeaTs of age, started away 'on a five years' tour of the world, and while in Australia and South Africa gave many Interesting lectureson the daffodil. He died in September, 1909, after only a few hours illness, in his 85th year. Walter T. Nare, of Ingleseombe, near Bath„ grew daffodils extensively for the market, and had bulb farms in various parts of England. The famous daffodil "Fortune" one of the best to come to New Zealand, is said 1 to have been raised by him. He 1 died in 1017 after a long illness, and was greatly missed by a large circle! of friends. One of the latest growers was Rev. Joseph Jacob. In 1912 he published a book on tulips, and later produced 1 some very good ■ hybrids. His death' in- 1929 was a great loss to the daffodil world. One of Britain's best growers and hybridists at the present time is Guy 1 L. Wilson of Broughshane, County 1 Antrim. In 1933 he was awarded the 'Peter Barr Memorial Cup for his work 1 on daffodils and has also won the EngleheaTt'Cup and the Bourne Cup several times, both being for varieties raised by the exhibitor. Mr. Wilsonl started raising daffodils in 1906 and has been, a successful exhibitor in all 1 shows held in Ireland and England. The daffodil growers of New Zealand are well forward in the art of mybridising and some verry fine blooms are,to be seen at some of the shows held in' the Dominion. "He that hath two loaves of bread let "him sell one and buy a narcissis. ■For as bread is food for the body, She; j 1 narcissus is food for the soul." —Mahomet.