January 15, 1898. 



GA RDENERS' MA GAZI NE. 



35 



Chrysanthemums. 



Chrysanthemums for 1898. 



It is perhaps due to readers of the Gardeners' Magazine that I should defend 

 my selection of chrysanthemums for exhibition, which appeared in the issue of 

 December 18. My critic, on page 6 in the first number for this year, assumes a 

 modesty in bis opening paragraph which is quite refreshing, but not at all charac- 

 teristic of the man, if we may take his price lists, &c, as any criterion. I may 

 say at once that I had not ;in mind, when penning my offending list, the especial 

 satisfaction of trade growers. I gave those varieties which, from our own experi- 

 ence and my own personal observation over a lengthy round of shows and other 

 collections, appealed to me as the most suitable, and the most likely to prove 

 satisfactory in the hands of exhibitors. I do not presume to say that my list 

 included only the " best," but " what we considered the best." It is well kno*n 

 that, as a member of the Floral Committee of the N.C.S., and from the fact of my 

 securing the most promising novelties each season, or at any rate what we regard 

 as such, in order to enter in the best competitions, the opportunities are good 

 eaough to enable me to speak with some weight on this matter of selection, and 

 more especially as I am] entirely unbiassed by trade interests. My selection of 

 varieties is based on the grounds of having to supply a large quantity of exhibition- 

 grown flowers for decorative purposes, as well as having to stand the tests of keen 

 competition at the shows ; hence, colour is of vital importance, as also good and 

 consistent varieties. Pains are taken to select from the endless choice presented 

 nowadays those only which give us the best and most effective colours in (lowers of 

 graceful form, and with some regard also to the habit of the plants ; and I am 

 quite satisfied to leave the results in the hands of readers to compare, as they will, 

 with the varieties urged by your correspondent. My selection was offered as a 

 solution of the bewildering difficulties some experience in deciding what not to 

 grow, particularly in limited collections. Each year this becomes more difficult, 

 owing to the large number of comparatively worthless varieties offered with such 

 glowing descriptions. We annually discard some fifty or more Japanese varieties, 

 and Mr. Mease, the well-known grower and prize winner, assured me it was the 

 same with the collection at Leatherhead. This yearly weeding-out must obtain, 

 to admit a fair share of novelties, some of which will turn out improvements, and 

 others prove disappointing ; but all the same, the fascination of new things impels 

 U5 to try a goodly number each year. 



I will briefly discuss these varieties set forward in opposition to my own choice. 

 Iirst, Pride of Mad ford : this, as I have before remarked, does not commend 

 itself as one of the best twenty-four owing to its incurving character, which does 

 not exhibit sufficiently the rich colour of the surface of the florets unless these are 

 artificially turned back. Madame Ad. Moulin has always been consistently good 

 here ; the blooms are large and the florets long, of a graceful drooping habit, and 

 white in colour ; it will still be grown here. Of the others named in the para- 

 graph Madame Gustave Henry, V. Roger deChezelles, and Mons. Andre, we dis- 

 carded two years ago after a season's trial, and, despite the fact that two have 



effective tones of colour can be obtained, they enhance the value of a mixed 

 exhibit by giving as great a variety as possible. 



Trent Park Gardens* "W. II. Lees. 



The Price of New Chrysanthemums. 



The remarks of Mr. W. H. Lees on p. 823 of the Gardeners' Magazine 

 of December 25, with respect to the price of G. J. Warren, seem to need some 

 response from me. When I submitted the chrysanthemum in question to the 

 meeting of the N.C.S. Floral Committee in November, 1896, I had but one plant 

 of it, and had decided not to distribute the variety until 1898. However, after a 

 conversation with Mr. W. H. Lees, and as a consequence of it, I decided to dis- 

 tribute G. J. Warren in 1897 ; Mr. Lees knew what the price would be, and also 

 that I could not accept many orders. He also knew I could not guarantee plants 

 until April. I was able, however, to dispatch the first fifty plants on March 15, 

 1897, and Mr. Lees having given me the first order he was considered first. I 

 am firmly convinced that Madame Carnot is the best Japanese chrysanthemum, 

 and that G. J. Warren will come next, while these, with the new Mrs. Mease, 

 will make a grand trio. Mr. Lees states that he has not seen a good flower of 

 G. J. Warren ; if no good blooms have been shown how was it that the 

 R.H.S. made it an award of merit, and the N.C.S. a first-class certificate? It 

 was also awarded an F.C.C. by the Scottish Horticultural Association. Were 

 none of ihese nine blooms worthy the honours gained ? There was also one bloom 

 of G. J. Warren in my thirty-six novelties at the November show of N.C.S., as 

 good as any Madame Carnot Mr. Lees has staged this last season. 



I should also like to ask Mr. Lees whether the plant he complains of was the 

 first he had purchased at 21s., and whether he never previously had one of a new 

 variety that failed to produce an exhibition bloom the first season ? The flower 

 of Madame Carnot shown by Mr. Lees at the Aquarium was not to be compared 

 to those shown in 1897, and yet thirty francs, or 25s.. had to be paid for each plant. 

 Mr. Lees' remark is an unfortunate one, and tends to damage my reputation, 

 otherwise I should have made no remark. I may add that there will be no cause 

 to complain of having plants of Mrs. Barks, which have been over- propagated. 



Earlswood. \y. Wells. 



Effective Climbers. 



The wonder is that we do not plant more climbers around or against old 

 trees, or even young ones. For instance, a fine ampelopsis in its beautiful 

 tints of autumn climbing up an old Robinia, hiding the old bare branches, 

 is wonderfully effective. Hardy climbers are, I consider, in their element 

 climbing around and up trees or large bushes, for there they produce 

 effects such as the artist or poet delight in ; they do not harm the trees 

 in any way, but produce a beautiful effect. The effect of an ampelopsis 

 twining around an Acer negundo needs to be seen to be realised, and yet 

 how simply these effects are produced. Another sweet and beautifnl 



Hu rS*^ dul1 "? Colour ' and lacks refinement and grace in form. Mrs. 

 cnaries bhck has proved uncertain with us and elsewhere also, judging from the 



So Tv g J ,i? aSt Sea£ T ° T nS ' thou 8 h h has been shown well occasionally, 

 male infsTre nn^l • n S ' Ft are .° f P °° r Colour ' wash y and ""decided 

 3 unless P T J' decoratiD S nor on a show board. Louise is 



ThSi SLS !fili Wd hence not in the first fifty varieties. Mdlle. 



tu.e K ey we still regard as a first-rate flower, and as it was at the head of the . • . , , 



i« of Japanese m 1894 surely it is in the best fifty now Ladv Saunders h« In planted in suitable places, such as against old walls, up dry poles, or over 



'I the most exquisitely delicate tints of sulphur yellow in the centre TnH ^ we arches m odd corners > are fine and useful for decoration during the 

 sX'er it 6 mo a s C t k lov°eIv at J* ^ J^ilee" Exhibition it SS'^k" «? 



' did not p lace Sun^U^ 0W, ^ d A A ^ faV ° Urite with man y besides m y self - C"*' \T~" ~ 



the former tWnV. ■' • F ' A " Eevan in the best twenty-four, because in fact > nothing seems to harm the ivy to any extent. 



singling pe als Sil TZTT" haS . n0t the charm in its closel y inter " 



, m JL>V a,s w . mch 1 look lor m a best vanetv. and the ™1n.,r tU^u 



Western climber, and an old favourite, is the honeysuckle ; both Early Dutch and 



Late Dutch varieties are very sweet, as are many others, and they are 

 always admired. When planted at the base of trees or shrubs, to make 

 archways in the pleasure grounds in odd out-of-the-way places, even in 

 the shade it matters not, they will grow with perfect freedom everywhere, 

 and when allowed to ramble at will, they are the very objects whose 

 odour always announces their presence. Ivies of various kinds, when 



winter ; to my mind the ivy is not used nearly as much as it ought to be, 

 and there are some very pretty varieties that will stand smoke and fog ; 



=S£<££ HGirS 10 V n £ bCSt , VariC ff ty ' - and the co,our ' though "unique 

 charming ffi ^ buTis verv ^""^ effectiv e. Mrs. Bevan is certainly a 



r r er ', butl s_very liable to damping, and hardly large enough for the 



company of Madame Carnot. 



Mrs. wTmS^^T^ to TTi e y eH ° W Madam Carnot ™ meaning 

 Seville, Mrs. Be^n Mrs l£E ° mmended the / ormer with Western King, John 



<<» '897 (page 119 Vf hat vearT'if ^l*™' T™^ ° therS > aS nov <* ies 



novelties for 1898. i t is a hard"! 7 b u f- rdeSS on my part to call them 

 ««. and I must rrav l 1 T , er to sa ? wnat 15 ne w nowadays when none are 

 Madam, p Ri £ * ve <J e «*d ulgence of my readers for mentioning as — 



k__s_ ?V or I8 9o catalogues of either MV rr 1 t 



mentioned 

 X 



°«nan j llj^f^ Catalo S" es of ? th « Mr. H. |. Jones or Mr. 

 warded » v r r u, H J% come lnto P'ommence lately, 



£ceiC e H ,C S ' ?T mittee - 1 saw in the p 

 — isff^fet 0 : E- Jeffcock, so that it h£ some claim to be 



e thin and open in the rpniro "r ° me . aegree P r t oim sing. will, I fear, always 



^ imuugn us Deing 



1 saw in the past season for the 



---""ana open in the centre nf 7C a win, i tear, alwa } s 



»*n flowers, and also of S £ he , That was the character of our 

 •utumn • itL^: , l so ot th ^ blooms submitted to the ™ 1 . > I 



^ not seen, it is one of r,i th ° me Beaut y is not Arst-rate. 



vcrv i>rv,r 5 ? ne of ^alvat's last v M r' 5 intVr^«^:„ ~ 



Clematis as climbers are hardly surpassed in their season, and they 

 enliven old walls, trees, arches, and may be even trained up poles 

 with good effect ; the great variation of colour in these flowers is charm- 

 ing, and the size of the blooms attracts considerable attention. They are 

 easily grown, and never need a great amount of time spent upon them. 

 A few of these handsome climbers planted in unsightly places will quickly 

 repay the small expense in purchasing and planting. C. Jackmani, 

 C. montana, C. Henryi, C. lanuginosa, C. flammula, and many others 

 of more recent introduction are useful for the purposes mentioned, and 

 their flowering period extends over several months. Another climber 

 most beautiful in its season is the Banksian rose, but this requires a 

 wall, and when a good high wall can be given, it invariably produces 

 good results. When in full bloom there are few more delightful pictures 

 than the Banksian rose, its large clusters of yellow flowers set amongst 

 the shining green foliage being both elegant and effective. This rose 

 is useful for decorating, being without thorns, or, at least, there are 

 very few, and there are many walls in a large establishment that could 

 be much improved by planting some such beautiful climbers, that would 



Maling Grant be useful as well as ornamental. 



Dr. Liebert I 



Compton Basset. 



W. A. Cook. 



points 



itc^jA * Iace variety, as al<^ ivo ^wnuer snow, which 



!Si m . C : h has not rina fen 2 S °f J ose P h B ™°ks greatly 



i 5? bto,ncd the F C P n M h °Y n U P '° the f °™ displayed by the blooms 



for ft, curiouslv * I" November, i8 9 6. Lady I Lham llV w n° Z 



m Viviand Morel iwJT u- u a "r/ ne ex quisite form 

 «J1T$ nor d«d it anrv>o, i:r.^ ou S h . , an d. the blooms did not find 



*ill pro 

 I 



)ello» 



m ^intain 



year's growing 



^arietie S in „o7^tiTenr m v «? ge - P ro P° rti on of white and 

 ^santhemums. 3?22! 1 2L***5* ^ these colours pre- 



f even 



ai^-— ™™ of wMu !?? of ^enty-fou 



pre 



ur varieties may contain 



5* WE^ d in Hke prop^SXn CeS Crimson ™d other 



M t " and haKKSSS fofms E y ? ? ^ better to show a 



^ f,c f or instant \.", e Mrs - Harm an Payne. Etfcol XAAi*** } La 



At the same ilT *n yne » Ethel Addison, and 

 me same time, if really g 0o d bloom, of rich and 



Crown Woods and Forests.— The report for the year ended 31st March, 



1897, of the Commissioner in charge of the Crown woods and forests has been 

 issued. The property under the direction of the Commissioner comprises the New 

 Forest, Dean Forest, and the whole Crown property in Wales, County Monmouth, 

 in Scotland, in Ireland, and in the Isles of Man and Alderney. The income 

 derived from the New Forest from sales of forest produce, amounted in the year 

 1896-7 to .£7,355 4s. 1 id., and certain service rents, amounting in the same year 

 to ^3>099 us. 8d. The income derived from the Forest of Dean from the 

 sources above mentioned amounted to £5,305 17s 7d., and £1,856 12s. lid. 

 respectively. During the year there were about 660 acres added to the area 

 inclosed for planting purposes. With a view to introduce in the Forest of Dean 

 and the Highmeadow Woods a more scientific and systematic system of forest 

 cultivation than has hitherto been adopted, the Commission has arranged with an 

 experienced Conservator of Forests in the Indian Forest Service to make a detailed 

 examination of the woods, &c, and furnish a report on them. It is desired not 

 only to improve the prospective yield of the forest, but also to establish such a 

 system of management as may serve those who desire to study forestry in this 

 country with a good practical object lesson, such as at the present time they have 

 to go to France or Germany to find. 



