274 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



them, having been raised in 1882, but it will scarcely stand the 

 test of another season. 



Besides those of English origin, Japan, Australia, New 

 Zealand, and Italy have contributed a share of the improvements, 

 but the greatest number of good things have come from France 

 and America. Of the French raisers, Mons. Ernest Calvat 

 stands a long way first ; his novelties sent over during the past 

 few years have been of the highest excellence, as instanced by 

 " Mme. Carnot," " Mons. Panckoucke," " M. Chenon de Leche," 

 " Australian Gold," and many others. One of the faults, how- 

 ever, of our foreign friends is that they often choose such 

 unwieldy names for their seedlings. English raisers, though 

 they labour under the disadvantage of an ungenerous climate 

 for seed production, have lately supplied some really first-rate 

 varieties, and from last season's experience there seems to be 

 every promise of the foreigner finding serious rivals in this 

 country in the raising of new varieties. 



The interest in the Chinese or incurved section seems to be 

 rather on the decline. This may be partly owing to the formal 

 character of the blossoms, and doubtless also because so many 

 people fail to produce good flowers, the reason of which is 

 generally through selecting too early a flower bud, and often 

 through growing them too strongly, by which means the buds 

 are apt to come deformed or refuse to develop at all. It is to 

 be regretted that raisers have not paid more attention to this 

 class, for the addition of meritorious new ones has been very 

 limited ; in fact, varieties introduced thirty years ago are still 

 amongst the best, and yet they are well worth growing, as then- 

 perfect contour affords a charming contrast to the beautifully 

 informal blossoms of the Japanese. 



The single-flowered varieties have most deservedly advanced 

 in popularity, and next to the Japanese they form quite the most 

 useful group of decorative Chrysanthemums. For growing in 

 small pots they are especially useful ; and either in this form or 

 as cut flowers they lend themselves to all kinds of arrangements, 

 and will surely increase in popularity as their merits become 

 better known. 



The old reflexed type of flower like ' Christine ' and its 

 sports are gradually being driven out of cultivation in face of the 

 many and various forms of the Japanese ; but tho best of the 



