I FRANKLY confess to a liking for new things in the floral kingdom. If it was true in Solo-mon's time that there was nothing new under the sun, it can hardly be true to-day. We read of this, that and the other novelty in flowers, "It originated with Mr. So-and-So." Sometimes the novelty is the result of a sport from some other plant, and is not like the parent, in some respects at least. It was considered a remarkable thing when a double bouvardia originated. It was named Alfred Neuner, from its grower. Not long after there was a sport from this which was pink in color. Now we have three novelties in doubles: Hogarthi, a light scarlet carmine; flavescens, sent out by its French originator as a yellow - but it can only be called a lemon yellow when in bud and a creamy white in bloom ; and Victor Lemoine, bright scarlet.

The beautiful Sunset rose is a sport from Perle des Jardines, and differs from it in color. The Bride is a sport from the lovely pink Catherine Mermot, but unlike that, is a pure ivory white. Gloire de Dijon has a combination of shades of amber, carmine and cream. Reine Marie Henriette, a seedling of Gloire, has bright red flowers, pure cherry red ; while Waltham Climber another seedling, is crimson. Melanie Soupert, also a seedling, is a pure white. We can not tell why these three seedlings from one rose should be so dissimilar.

Niphetos has long stood in the front rank as a white tea, especially for the beauty of its long pointed buds, although it is not a vigorous grower. Now from this rose we have a novelty in the form of a sport, J. T. Blair, named for the popular superintendent of the Pittsburgh, Shenango and Lake Erie railroad, in whose greenhouse it originated. Unlike Niphetos, it is a strong plant. The outside petals are pale yellow, and this color deepens towards the center, which is a rich golden yellow, suffused with rose. Thomas Meehan, former editor of the Gardener's Monthly, said of it: "The strangest combination of color ever seen in the rose." The fragrance is said to be different from that of any other rose.

Baroness Rothschild has long been considered a perfect rose in every respect. The color is a lovely delicate shade of pink. Now we have a sport from it, rightly named White Baroness Rothschild, which possesses all of the fine qualities of its renowned parent, except its color. Both are hardy. Pride of Reigate is a sport from the well-known hybrid' perpetual, Countess of Oxford, but unlike that, this has flowers spotted and striped with white.

Another novelty is Vick's Caprice, a sport from Archduchess d' Autriche, a hybrid perpetual of a soft satiny pink color, while this has the soft pink ground distinctly striped and dashed with carmine and white. Thus we see that new varieties of roses are originated from sports and seedlings. Many are also obtained from cross-fertilization. It must be very interesting to those who experiment in this way.

I have had blooming in my garden for a month, beginning early in May, a novelty in poppies, said to be a sport from an old-time yellow flowering variety. Seeds were sent me for trial last spring. I sowed them but did not observe any seedlings till this spring, when I saw several plants that were quite new to me. They had round hairy buds. I was delightfully surprised when one unfolded into a large single, orange yellow poppy. The florist who sent the seed said it was thought to be hardy. A hardy yellow poppy, and blooming In May 1 Truly it is a novelty worth having. It keeps on developing new buds, and I hope it is a perpetual bloomer. The name of this novelty is "Nudicaule Aurantiacum." This spring I found it was catalogued by another florist last year, who sells plants only, at 50 cents each. He stated that this new and most showy of the Iceland poppies was awarded a first-class certificate by the Royal Horticultural Society, July 15, 1886. He has it named " Nudicaulei Miniatum Improved I" Some of the flowers, apparently from the same roots, are clear yellow, while most of them have the novel shade, orange-yellow, or orange-scarlet as the florist calls it.

In the same bed I was glad to find numerous seedlings of the large oriental poppy which bears immense single blossoms of a crimson-scarlet color with a dark purple, nearly black blotch in the center. Can it be that the seeds sown in June did not come up till this spring ? I did not see any signs from them last year, and concluded none germinated.

Among the annuals, Snowdrift poppy has become popular wherever known. It was introdued two years ago. It has round balls of purest white. The new Japanese pompons have double flowers in co!ors of scarlet, crimson, pink, blush, lilac, white, some mottled and fimbriated. This year we have four "angel" poppies introduced, though this name seems to us a misnomer ; Angel of Morn, pure white; Angel of Noonday, cherry red ; Angel of Evening, bright rose; Angel of Midnight, "black, a novel and beautiful color." Novel indeed I More rare, if possible, than the orange-scarlet! We opine that the names are the invention of the florist in whose catalogue alone we find them specified. Whether they are new varieties, or old varieties re-christened, remains to be seen. The devices of florists are many, and not always exactly straight!

Mrs. M. D. Wellcome.