THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 291 



POMPONE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



jlS the rose is the admitted queen of summer, and the 

 dahlia the autumn king, so may the chrysanthemum be 

 ranked as the king of winter ; for, coining into bloom 

 just at the season when the autumn monarch succumbs 

 to the terrors of the ice king, it may be said to be the 

 floral connecting liok between the old and the new year — like an 

 oasis in the desert, or a star to cheer the florist when all around is 

 drear and dark. Unlike most other plants, the chrysanthemum 

 seems to delight in smoke-pent cities ; for, within a stone's-throw of 

 Fleet Street, in the Temple Gardens, abutting upon the Middlesex 

 side of the river Thames, may be seen, every autumn, a display of 

 this flower, which for effect rivals the American nurseries of Bag- 

 shot, or the grand display of these plants at Chiswick and the 

 Regent's Park. Our attention was first directed to these gardens 

 one thick November morning, when the fog being of true London 

 character, we landed at Paul's Wharf, and wended our way west- 

 ward through Thames Street, Whitefriars, and the Temple, where, 

 through the aid of a sudden gleam of sunshine, we descried, amid 

 the yellow mist, a grand display of this splendid flower. At the 

 first sight we thought they must have been transplanted from some 

 suburban nursery or garden, but a closer inspection satisfied us that 

 they were veritable productions of the place. In Lincoln's Inn 

 Fields, also, the chrysanthemum flourishes, and would do so more 

 fully if more attention were devoted to its management ; and in most 

 of the squares a few straggling plants may be seen, amply testifying 

 that, if properly managed, they would make London gay even when 

 the country is cheerless; for they are less likely to be injured by 

 frost in London than in the suburbs. 



With these facts before us, it is in the nature of things that 

 chrysanthemums should be risinc in public favour; and the gor- 

 geous specimens which have been produced, not only of plants, but 

 of cut flowers also, at the Stoke Newington and South London, at 

 the Horns Tavern, Kennington, and ether exhibitions, prove that 

 the chrysanthemum, as a florists' flower, will become as popular as 

 the rose, the dahlia, and the hollyhock. 



Among the novelties lately brought into notice are the varieties 

 which belong to the class of pompones, or small varieties, which 

 have originated from the Chusan Daisy (a variety introduced by 

 Mr. Fortune from China) and the ordinary kinds. These varieties 

 are specially lvmarkable to the hybridizer, as having taken on, in 

 crossing, the varied colours of the lar^e kinds, without increasing in 

 size ; for though some of these are larger than the Chusan Daisy, 

 the majority scarcely exceed it in size; and some of them are even 

 smaller. In form, also, several of the varieties are nearly perfect, 

 while one of them, called La Kain Bebe, when the flowers are fresh, 

 has the scent of violets ! The plants in habit arc mostly compact 

 and shrubby, but some of them are a little inclined to become tall. 

 Most of the varieties flower very freely, and therefore are likely to 



October. 



