OcTOBKU 2C, 1006. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



J 267 



MONROVIA AND MERSTHAM. 



1 have been requested to give a few 

 facts, or hints, on Monrovia chrysanthe- 

 mum, with which variety I have had 

 unusual success in the last three or four 

 years. I do not consider myself an au- 

 thority on mums, or the cultivation of 

 them, but I have had good success, es- 

 pecially with a few varieties and, as Mr. 

 Totty says, these are the ones for me 

 to grow. I made my fit^t success and 

 what reputation I may have as a mum 

 grower on the good old variety. Major 

 Bonnaffon, but now that variety will not 

 get out of its own way for me, even 

 after changing the stock and giving ex- 

 tra care, and I guess it will have to be 

 dropped. 



Since then Monrovia has been the best 

 paying variety for me to grow, but to 

 get good results you have to propagate 

 early, plant early and take early buds. 

 To give any certain dates is impossible, 

 as it all depends on the condition of the 

 plants and length of the growth when 

 the first buds appear, but I know that I 

 have at times taken the bud a month 

 earlier than Mr. Totty advises for Mers- 

 tham Yellow, August 10, and secured 

 good flowers. A variety you cannot take 

 a safe bud before that date will never 

 be a strong competitor to Monrovia. 



On Mcrstham Yellow I took some buds 

 before and Eome after August 10 and 

 even on some of those taken after that 

 date did they turn green and it was the 

 second crown, too, and that is as a rule 

 considered safe on early varieties. Those 

 that did develop about half, or a little 

 less than that, are only small flowers 

 and, as my commission man in Chicago 

 says, they are too soft and flabby to sell 

 well or to cut any figure in the market 

 there. 



Monrovia and Merstham Yellow were 

 planted the same day and in the same 

 benches and they had the same distance 

 between them and received the same 

 treatment right through and the redult 

 was that of the Monrovia I cut ninety- 

 •'ight per cent good flowers and received 

 $4 a dozen for more than half of them 

 (510) and of the balance three-fourths 

 fetched $3; less than 100 out of pretty 

 near 1,000 blooms fetched less than that. 



I began to cut Monrovia September 20 

 and finished about October 12 and 

 • leaned the benches for another crop. 

 At that time only the piece where the 

 Merstham Yellow was planted had to be 

 left, as they were not all ready to cut. 



Mr. Totty is right in saying that local- 

 ity, climate and treatment have a whole 

 lot to do with it, but there are many 

 growers out here and around Chicago, 

 too, who do not like Monrovia because 

 they cannot do much with it and have 

 discarded it. I would advise them to 

 try Merstham Yellow, or any other early 

 variety. But for myself I do not think 

 I shall give it much bench room another 

 season and if I do I shall plant it with 

 the second earlies. 



Another good example of locality, as 

 ^r. Totty mentions, is Wm. Ducldiam. 



;r^-.A' 



I -was one of those who went in for this 

 variety extensively and I am giving it 

 a second trial this year, but it is no good 

 here. I shall entirely discard it. Dr. 

 Enguehard is far superior and is the 

 best pink I have on the place. I know 

 that Wm. Duckham is grown in great 

 shape in the east, but I cannot do it. 



I have always read Mr. Totty 's notes 

 with great interest. Every year I try 

 many of the varieties he has recom- 

 mended, but last year's are a great 

 disappointment to me. I have other 

 varieties which are no good here, all 

 coming with eyes and no good in gen- 

 eral, Emily Milebam and J. Miller. 

 Maybe Mr. Totty has them in fine shape. 

 Of last year's novelties Clementine 

 Touset, Dr. Galloway and Mrs. Wm. 

 Duckham are the best here so far and 

 Jeannie Nonin looks very promising but 

 is rather late. 



I also notice Mr. Totty 's notes about 

 the poor market in the east for early 

 mums this year. My experience is quite 

 dififerent. I have never had better prices 

 nor had as many inquiries for early 

 mums as this year and my benches of 

 early mums have paid me better than 

 anything I have ever grown. 



GUNNAR TeiI/MANN. 



• SOME NOVELTIES. 



The usual list of novelties are on hand 

 for the fall shows and the pessimist who 

 says that there has been no progress in 

 the chrysanthemum of late years is likely 

 to be disillusioned. The finest thing I 

 have seen so far is Beatrice May. As set 

 up before the New York committee last 

 week it was grand and captivated every- 

 one. It is hard to imagine a finer white 

 than this for either commercial culture 

 or exhibition. The habit is dwarf, foli- 

 age up to the flower and stem excellent. 

 Later or terminal buds show pink shad- 

 ing but still the full center and splendid 

 size. 



Another white almost finished is Mrs. 

 F. F. Thompson. This is a noble looking, 

 massive flower with broad petals that 

 twist and curl in a most enchanting 

 manner. This is evidently purely an ex- 

 hibition flower as it is rather "necky" 

 but in size it will scale up with the best 

 and iu a collection it will be a most nota- 

 ble flower. 



May Seddon, which it is claimed has 

 been grown 11x11 inches in Australia, 

 does not live up to its reputation for size 

 so far but it is a beautiful pure white 

 and next year with early propagated 

 stock I have no doubt will make a very 

 different showing. It is so dwarf and 

 slow growing that it evidently needs a 

 long season of growth. 



The yellows show several notable 

 things, chief among which are Mrs. Geo. 

 Beech, Mme. S. Rivol, Mrs. Wm. Knox 

 and Old Gold. The first named, I think, 

 will make its mark as a commercial yel- 

 low, but it is quite late and needs some 

 time yet in which to develop. It is a 

 yellow sport from Mrs. Swinburne and 

 those who are growing this latter va- 



riety will be able to make their own 

 comparisons as to size, form, etc. 



Rivol is also a sport, coming from 

 Paola Radaelli. The inside of the petal 

 is deep ochre, giving the flower the ap- 

 pearance of deepest orange yellow. Those 

 who have grown the parent know that 

 it is a particularly strong grower and 

 of this the Bport also partakes. 



Mrs. Wm. Knox, heralded as the finest 

 yellow in Australia, will not take the 

 title away from Appleton here, unless 

 another year, with the opportunity for a 

 longer season of growth, puts more sub- 

 stance into the flower and more stiffen- 

 ing into the stem. Just misses being a 

 splendid thing, but well worth a trial, 

 is the way I figure it out so far. 



Old Gold is a beautiful grower, one of 

 the best I ever saw, and as a 6-inch pot 

 plant will meet with a warm welcome. 

 Tbc flower is only medium in size but it 

 is a beautiful color, "of the shade the 

 name implies, and the flower sets right 

 down on the luxuriant foliage; truly the 

 American ideal in foliage and stem. 



Mrs. G. Heaume, commercially speak- 

 ing, is perhaps off-color, being a 

 salmony bronze, but its habits as to 

 foliage, stem, size, finish, etc., leave noth- 

 ing to be desired and in the exhibition 

 classes it will be very prominent. 



Viola, as a Japanese pink, and Mrs. 

 J. Marshall, as an incurving pink, are 

 both well worthy of a place. A few days 

 later will see them fully develdped and 

 they both seem very good. 



Mrs. John E. Dunne is one of the 

 most striking of the new ones and one 

 of the very best also. Stem, foliage, size, 

 and finish are all there in perfection and 

 the rcflexing petal shows the color to the 

 best advantage. The color is a deep old 

 rose and must be seen to be appreciated. 

 I think Dunne will stay for years as a 

 striking and distinct variety. 



In Mrs. Henry Partridge we have a 

 variety that will, I think, supplant 

 Church, grand though the latter is. It 

 gives t)»o Church color when Church is 

 seen at its best; that is, when the 

 florets reflex, and has the advantage of 

 being a kind, free, easy grower. Unlike 

 most other reds, it shows no tendency to 

 burn and I have flowers developing now 

 in the open sunlight without a trace of 

 burning, something very unusual in a 

 red variety. 



Mjersthjim Crimson in color is simply 

 superb. On early crowns the flower is 

 reflexed, with a golden tip on the up- 

 turned end of the petal; a beautiful 

 combination, but the neck is too long. 

 The late bud makes a very good stem, 

 with the foliage right up to the flower, 

 though the golden tip of the petal is 

 missing and the flower is a solid, deep 

 crimson. 



R. E. Richardson is a very strong 

 grower, with cabbage-like leaves, and is 

 now building up an immense flower of 

 blush white. Strong as an oak tree in 

 growth, Richardson will appeal directly 

 to those growers who want something 

 that will grow and give good satisfac- 

 tion. 



Mary Ann Pockett, on the other hand, 

 is an indifferent grower and in midsum- 

 mer made very little headway, though 

 the flower that is finishing is a great sur- 

 prise in the way it is building up. The 

 color is quite unique, being Indian red, 

 with an old gold reverse, and it is 

 mostly reverse that shows. 



E. J. Brooks is very strong in growth, 

 with a splendid stem and foliage. The 

 color is rosy purple and the flower, when 



