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November 14, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



25 



winter, even if you have to use a bar to 

 break up the surfacing of frost. 



Get some protecting material ready to 

 use on outdoor subjects. It should not 

 go on until the ground is well frozen. 



Have you booked the names of all 

 mums you would like to try another 

 year? Discard all superseded sorts and 

 save only such as are up-to-date. 



Sponge kentias and other palms on 

 wet days and give any other foliage 

 plants a similar cleaning. 



Let your early Boman hyacinths and 

 Paper "White narcissi open in a cool 

 house. Hard forcing, especially after 

 the flowers start to open, is hurtful. 



Finish planting violas, daisies, aubriet- 

 ias, myosotis and other spring bedding 

 stock in frames, unless you are located in 

 a milder climate and can winter them 

 outdoors. 



NEW DAHLIA CHARLES LANIER 



One of the finest of the new dahlias is 

 the yellow, Charles Lanier, of which A. 

 H. Wingett says as follows in the Dahlia 

 News: "Some five years ago I made 

 several crosses and obtained quite a few 

 seeds, from which I raised nearly 100 

 seedlings. I did not record these crosses, 

 but after flowering reserved the seven 

 best varieties. These in turn were fur- 

 ther weeded out until now I have only 

 this one variety, which showed merit 

 superior to any variety known to me. I 

 first exhibited it in Lenox, in 1906. Its 

 record is well known. As an example 

 of its shipping and staying qualities, I 

 may say that the flowers sent to New 

 York were cut on Monday, shipped on 

 Tuesday, and I was advised by the man 

 who staged it for me that no fresh flow- 



ers were necessary to keep the vase in 

 good order until Thursday evening. It 

 is the most prolific variety I have and 

 every growth produces long-stemmed 

 flowers of about five and one-half 

 to seven inches in diameter, and it 

 is seldom a deformed flower is seen. It 

 may interest to know that the majority 

 of my plants were rooted cuttings, plant- 

 ed about the middle of June from 2^^- 

 inch and 3-inch pots. Some of the flow- 

 ers shown in New York were from plants 

 rooted after May 1 and not planted out 

 until July. As an exhibition variety it 

 is excellent, pn account of its beautiful 

 color, foliage and stem. But to my 

 mind its greatest value is duo to its pro- 

 lific flowering and easy culture. ' ' 



Mr. Wingett is gardener for Charles 

 Lanier on the latter 's estate at Lenox, 

 Mass. < 



NOTES FROM MERSTHAM. 



Varieties Sent to New York. 



We have much pleasure in sending a 

 few notes for the benefit of readers who 

 are interested in mums in England, as 

 the season is now in its glory. 



The new Australian varieties will no 

 doubt interest your growers most, for 

 these are the plants that are most likely 

 to be popular next season, and as a rule 

 do exceptionally well with the American 

 growers. 



Up to the time of writing we have not 

 seen all of the new sorts that will be 

 sent out this year, and comment only on 

 those that were sent to Mr. Duckham, 

 who so kindly stages them for us at the 

 New York exhibition November 6. The 

 varieties sent are the undermentioned: 



Pockett's Surprise is as the name im- 

 plies, and will be an agreeable surprise 

 to thousands of other mum lovers who 

 will have the patience to allow the plant 

 to make a second break and secure sec- 

 ond crowns. (On your side, you do not 

 experience the objection we have in tim- 

 ing the buds or breaks.) If the first 

 crowns are secured here, the first two or 

 three rows of petals are quilled, although 

 they have an enormous spread. The 

 later buds liave the first rows of florets 

 quilled half way only, and all others flat. 

 The petals are thick, and the flower is 

 a good keeper. The color is a rosy crim- 

 son, which does not burn. The habit is 

 fine and the stems props in them- 

 selves. 



Another variety is Charles Beckett, a 

 bronze terra cotta flower with a big 

 spread. The petals hang over to an 

 enormous extent, and unless I am greatly 

 mistaken this name will be a household 

 word among growers. The habit of the 

 plant is as stiff as a cane. 



Rose Pockett is an old-gold flower 

 with a shade of salmon, a beautiful 

 spread and superb habit. The name 



alone is sufficient guarantee to warrant 

 something above the average. 



Leslie Morrison is a broad-petaled 

 rosy crimson, the habit of which will be 

 hard to beat. 



George W. Pook is a variety similar 

 to the last named in style and shape, but 

 of a salmon terra cotta shade. 



Charles H. Totty is a bright chestnut 

 with old-gold reverse. It is full seven 

 and one-half inches across, with broad, 

 gracefully drooping petals and a splendid 

 habit. 



Mrs. C. H. Totty is a beautiful pink, 

 a most telling color. The flowers are not 

 fully out on our second crown buds, but 

 we can see enough to insure we have not 

 misnamed the variety. 



Clara Wells is an incurved variety, a 

 ball of rich cream, a stiff, dwarf habit. 



Merstham Blush is an immense blush 

 flower, a color that is rarely seen among 

 chrysanthemums; an enormous and beau- 

 tiful bloom. 



Another variety we have sent over, not 

 an Australian, is Mrs. L. Thorn. This 

 is almost an exact counterpart of Mrs. 

 A. T. Miller, but canary yellow in color. 



Lilian Coppard is from Australian 

 seed, a bright crimson with drooping 

 florets, similar in make to old Viviand- 

 Morel. The flower is one of the pret- 

 tiest, seven inches across, and a magnifi- 

 cent keeper. 



Other Novelties. 



The varieties described above are those 

 sent over for the New York show, but a 

 word or two on other varieties "will per- 

 haps be welcomed. The notes are taken 

 from our own flowers, for up to the pres- 

 ent, exhibitions have not started in earn- 

 est here. 



W. Luxford is a grand, buttery yel- 

 low, a real beauty, seven inches across 

 and very deep. 



Dorothy Gouldsmith is not quite at 

 its best, but already hangs down eleven 

 inches from the top of the flower. 



Harold Wells is as white as snow, and 

 easily spreads nine inches across. 



W. M. Moir is only half out, but re- 

 minds one of a swan's back, both in 

 shape and color. 



Mrs. Norman Davis is a beauty, al- 

 most pure white. On a plant only two 

 feet high in a small pot, this variety has 

 a flower nine inches across. 



W. Beadle is a rosy purple, a pretty 

 flower nine inches deep. 



Mrs. A. T. Miller is. as usual, one of 

 the best and purest whites among mums. 



Lady Talbot is a great improvement 

 on Mrs. Mease, and Lottie is a really 

 good rich yellow. The two last varie- 

 ties are from Australian sources, as well 

 as two or three of the others, but most 

 likely your growers have them and will 

 no doubt exhibit thorn to the best ad- 

 vantage. 



The Season. 



The season liere lias not been a good 

 one for chrysanthemums by any means. 

 We have not been treated with our usual 

 share of sunshine, and the year has been 

 damp and cold throughout. Blooms are 

 damping wholesale where attention has 

 not been given the flowers that are half 

 out, although we have been fortunate 

 enough in our nurseries to keep the flow- 

 ers dry so far. 



The early flowering, or outdoor kinds, 

 have dono remarkably well in the south 

 of England. Up to the time of writing, 

 October 24, we have not experienced a 

 frost hard enough to cut the blooms, al- 

 though there has beeii just enougli to 

 upset many other flowers. ^lavket grow- 

 ers have had a good hanest of bloom. 



Reverting to the Australian varieties 

 of the big late blooms, Mr. Pockett tells 

 us some of next season's will be better 

 than the varieties this year. Wo liave 

 not seen the flowers yet. We tol<l you 

 last season we could safely rely upon 

 what this raiser said when he stated 

 this season's varieties were to prove the 

 best he had ever raised. an>l witliout a 



