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HORTICULTURE 



December 8, 1906 



Chrysanthemum Notes 



EARLY CHETSANTHEMUMS 



These varieties have been known for at least fifty 

 years but while the older ones were wholly and solely 

 of the pompon type the later race are Japanese and it 

 is only since the popularization of these that early chrys- 

 anthemums have been grown to any great extent. 



The Japanese early chrysanthemum is practically of 

 French origin although the class has been added to by 

 English growers and now forms a very important section 

 of the chrysanthemum in this country. In France M. 

 Aug. Nonin of Paris is the up-to-date man in this class 

 while in England Mr. W. Wells has been busily engaged 

 in their culture for many years. 



A few weeks ago when at the Merstham nurseries on 

 other business I had the opportunity of seeing Mr. 

 Wells' earlies in full bloom and as they do not yet 

 appear to be largely cultivated in America a few notes 

 concerning them may be acceptable to the readers of 

 Horticulture. 



Mr. Wells has several large plots of ground devoted 

 to the growing and trial of earlies. They are mostly 

 rather dwarf growing and free flowering. Some may 

 be disbudded more or less severely according to the taste 

 of the grower, but for the open border in the amateurs' 

 garden such a proceeding is scarcely necessary. Fifty 

 thousand plants were making a grand show late in Octo- 

 ber, some of them having commenced to flower in 

 August. They are not left in the ground all the year 

 round but are lifted in the late autumn. Cuttings are 

 struck in February and Marcli and planted out from 

 the 1st to the 18th of May and thenceforth require but 

 little attention. 



Mr. Wells digs the ground in winter, liberally supply- 

 ing stable manure at the time, and from the time the 

 young plants are put out no other attention — not even 

 watering — is required. The plants are grown for two 

 purposes, viz., the supplying of cuttings to amateurs 

 and the sale of cut flowers for local trade. The follow- 

 ing is a list of some of those we most admired ; Perle 

 Rose, good form, pretty shade of rosy pink ; Queen of 

 the Earlies, white; Roi des Precoces, neat little flower, 

 reddish crimson; Eosie, dwarf and free golden terra 

 cotta; Agnes, bronze; Clara, y<^llow; Diana, bronze and 

 gold; Rabelais, purple amaranth; Dame Blanche, white; 

 Polly, dwarf, orange yellow, one of the best; Nina 

 Blick, chestnut; Jules Mary, reddish crimson, rather 

 dwarf, free flowering, a most effective variety; Le 

 Pactole, reddish chestnut, rather a large flower; Armide, 

 pale blush, rather tall grower ; Radium, very rich fiery 

 crimson, does well in pota, golden bronze reverse; Tapis 

 de Neige, pure white, free; Glacier, white, good sized 

 blooms; Le Cygne, similar flowers to the preceding but 

 taller in growth, stiff stems; Merstham, pink, very 

 pretty neat little Jap, close and compact, rosy pink; 

 Wells' Scarlet, bright scarlet terra cotta, a dwarf 

 grower, begins to flower in August; Goacher's Pride, 

 pure white but occasionally flushed with pink, very free 

 dwarf; Perle Chatillonnaise, a neat little flower, gold 

 and blush on a cream ground; Fee Enchanteresse, 

 creamy white, shaded rose at the tip, very free. All 



the family of the Masses, which now number nine, are 

 also useful sorts. 



EARLY SINGLE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Single-flowered chrysanthemums have always been re- 

 garded with favor by those interested in the decorative 

 value of the popular autumn flower, but up till now we 

 had no race of early flowering singles. A start has, how- 

 ever, been made and there is every probability that early 

 singles will find many admirers, for they are light and 

 graceful in appearance and begin to flower by the first 

 of August, lasting onward into late autumn. 



Mr. Wells of Merstham a year or two ago succeeded 

 in getting two or three of this type and from these 

 he has got quite a number of new seedlings ; we saw 

 altogether about 600 plants in the open which were sown 

 in February of the present year, then pricked out in 

 boxes and planted in the open ground in May. He has 

 156 varieties altogether for distribution or further trial, 

 the best of them — about three dozen — being in- 

 tended for deliveiy next spring. Ruby, reddish crimson 

 flat florets, with yellow centre, is large dwarf and free; 

 Florence Gilham, white, yellow centre, flat florets, has 

 been in flower since midsummer ; J. H. Runchman, dull 

 reddish terra cotta, yellow centre; Majestic, rich red, 

 centre yellow ; Venerable, ruby red, yellow centre ; Phil- 

 adelpliia, pale rosy pink, a very perfect form, centre 

 yellow; Jupiter, white, slightly tinted rose purple, yel- 

 low centre; Alexander, soft shade of golden buff, centre 

 yellow ; Surrey, old rosy salmon ; Marvel, rather narrow 

 florets, deep rosy pink, are some of the most promising 

 of this new and useful race. 



SOME GRAND YELLOW CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Among the noblest exhibition blooms seen at Euro- 

 pean sliows tlic grandest in size are probably to be found 

 among the yellow varieties. ^Vhite and purple shades, 

 perhaps, run the yellow the closest, but certainly this 

 season the most numerous blooms have been found 

 among the yellows. 



Looking over my note book after a busy season and 

 after having travelled a good many miles, I find that 

 many of the names of the best show flowers seen in the 

 leading groups and collections justify my opening re- 

 mark. Duchess of Sutherland, Mrs. W. Knox, Mme. G. 

 Rivol, Bessie Godfrey, Sensation, General Hutton, Mrs. 

 Harry Emmerton, Mrs. Greenfield, George Lawrence, 

 are but a few of the well known large varieties in differ- 

 ent shades of the primitive color of the well-termed 

 golden flower. 



The very biggest yellow Japanese chrysanthemum 

 ever grown is, I think, F. S. Vallis, for there were seven 

 blooms of this variety shown in Paris, measuring 18 

 inches across from tip to tip. Le Bouvier is another 

 monster, with long drooping florets. Lieut.-Colonel 

 Ducroiset and Calvat's Sun are two more members of 

 the big brigade, both solid, substantial fiowers of the 

 purest tone. Ministre Morgeot is also a giant. Sou- 

 venir de Bailleul is another spreading flower with a 

 great length of narrow floret, close and compact but 

 very much paler in color than any of the preceding. 

 Calvat's Victoria and Albert has also been shown in 

 enormous examples. Naples, Roi d'ltalie. Col. Labou- 

 chere, Mme. Louis Bigot, and Embleme Poitevine are 

 fine varieties of the closer and more compact incurved 

 chrysanthemum. 



