848 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 24. 1P9S 



Chrysanthemum Golden Shower. 



A French Fruit-grow 



ESTABLISHM 



AMONG the many quaint and curious forms of chrysanthemums that English visitors to the exhibition of chrysanthemums held in Paris last 

 have from time to time been exhibited probably no two have been more mon th, under the auspices of the National Horticultural Society of 

 commented upon, or become known to so large a number of enthusiasts France, were so surprised by the magnificent grapes exhibited by M. 



in so short a space of time, as those Mr. Witty, of Nunhead Cemetery, 

 has of late brought into notice. These two varieties, Golden Shower and 

 What Ho ! are wonderfully distinct from anything hitherto grown, 



Fatzer that a few particulars ot the establishment at Quessy, which he 

 conducts with so much success, can hardly fail to be of general interest. 

 The French cultivators of .fruit who visited the exhibition were not less 



although the former is akin to some of the spidery forms, and also surprised by the remarkable examples of ^rape culture presented by 



appears to be a relative of the pretty decorative variety Alice Carter. M. Fatzer than were our compatriots, for, notwithstanding the success 



What Ho ! reminds one of the Japanese introduction of some years back, achieved by French cultivators in various directions, such superbly 



and named Spiderkry ; it is both quaint and curious, but its best friend developed clusters of grapes are seldom, if ever, seen at competitive 



will scarcely allow that it is beautiful. Its florets are comparatively gatherings in France, and consequently the gold medal was 



few in number, and form one ring ; each is stout, tubular, and three to the jury, with acclamation. 



awarded 



five inches in length ; drooping, and with the end coiled up like a watch- 

 spring- The colour is a pale yellowish shade. No doubt anyone who 

 is bold enough to grow this variety and produce a really good speci- 

 men would create quite a sensation. At many a country establish- 

 ment a specimen of What Ho ! would help to entertain and amuse the 

 autumn shooting party, and by force of contrast with the exhibition 

 Japanese and incurved varieties could be used to show the wonderful 

 diversity of form the chrysanthemum is capable of. Not many have had 



Q 



product 



the supply of the principal establishments in Paris, the culture of grapes 

 greatly predominating. The glass structures devoted to the fruits men- 

 tioned cover an area of four acres, and are for the most part heated by 

 the old-fashioned flue, the method of heating being of special interest in 

 view of the remarkable results obtained. The vineries are two hundred 

 feet in length, and, with the exception of those from which the earliest 



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VINERY PLANTED WITH THE BLACK HAMBURGH GRAPE AT QUESSY. 



a kindly word for What Ho ! and yet at the annual dinner'of the N.C.S. 

 the other night blooms of it were adorning many a manly breast. One 

 authority has called it " a chrysanthemum gone mad," and another cha- 

 racterised it as " a botanical curiosity." Dame Nature surely smiled 



d these remarks, and thought of the wild chrysanthemums 



of far Cathay. 



Witty 



present issue. To the writer's mind it is an extremely beautiful flower, 

 and one well worth cultivating for cutting, provided it is at all free in 

 producing blooms. So far it has not proved a particularly elegant 

 grower, and as a decorative plant the variety has yet to be tested ; but 

 those who saw the numerous blooms that adorned the tables at the 

 Holborn Restaurant on the 30th ult. will readily admit that they were 

 wonderfully decorative, and that there is room for this variety that so 

 quaintly combines in itself the curious and beautiful. The illustration 

 serves to show the form and size of the blooms, and how the long, 

 drooping, thread-like florets have suggested the name of the variety. 

 1 hese florets are rich and deep golden yellow, this colour shading oft" to 

 bright chestnut and a brilliant shade of crimson-scarlet. " Like spun 

 silk was the description given this variety by a lady at a recent Drill 

 Hall gathering. Although shown at two meetings of the National 

 Chrysanthemum Society, Golden Shower failed to gain an award from 

 that body ; it gamed an award of merit, however, from the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, and this, rather than showing any weakness on 

 the part of the Floral Committee, indicates the broad sympathies of 

 that body, and reminds us that there are other beautiful flowers besides 

 those that pass muster as exhibition varieties K. P. 



pounu, aiiu we ucoviwi — — 



colour and finish being throughout 



crop is obtained, are twenty-four feeti wide land ten feet high. The 

 earliest houses are only six feet wide, and are heated,by hot water. The 

 illustration of one of the vineries devoted to the Black Hamburgh, from 

 a photograph taken in July last, conveys a good idea of the general 

 character of the houses devoted to the mid-season and late grapes, and 

 also of the great excellence of the crops obtained. A large number of 

 the bunches of the Black Hamburgh weighed from three to four pounds 



each, whilst none were under one J — A * u ~ Vmnrh turned 



the scale at six pounds, the « - 



exceptionally good. The structure in question and all the m.d-season 

 and late houses are heated by flues constructed with pipes, as so 

 clearly shown in the accompanying illustration, and six fires are provided 

 for each house, and at certain periods of the year one hundred and four 

 fires are going simultaneously. As M. Fatzer pointed out in conducting 

 us through the establishment, the system of heating that obtains is 

 troublesome and expensive, and also attended with some risk. More- 

 over, it is impossible to regulate the temperature of houses heated by 

 flues with the same degree of nicety as with a properly fitted hot-water 

 apparatus, and it is necessary to keep a sharp look out for accidents, such 

 as the bursting of a pipe. Should this occur, and the sulphurous fumes 

 escape into the house even for a short time, the whole crop may &e 

 ruined. 



The Black Hamburgh is extensively grown for the early and mid- 

 season supplies, as also ar* F^cWc Seedlin? and Buckland Sweetwater, 



which 



-- - ...v. yucssy grape 



with much success fori cutting in J 



ich appreciated in Pans when of the nign 4 u«», 

 Quessy grapes. Canon Hall Muscat is also grown 



