MARCH. 



33 



NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



"WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 



The past season has added several new Chrysanthemums of considerable 

 merit to the varieties already in cultivation. Those we have the pleasure of 

 representing in the accompanying plate are, in our judgment, the very best as 

 well as the most distinct and desirable among them. We are indebted to Mr. 

 Salter, of the Versailles Nursery, Hammersmith, and to Messrs. Downie, Laird, 

 and Laing, of Stanstead Park, Forest Hill, and Edinburgh, for the opportunity of 

 figuring them. They have severally been submitted to the Floral Committee 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society, and have gained first-class certificates ; and 

 Lady St. Clair, the only one of them exhibited at Sydenham, received also 

 there a certificate of merit. 



The fine white variety named Lady II. St. Clair {fig, 1), is perhaps 

 the noblest Chrysanthemum yet obtained. This variety is stated to be a 

 sport from Queen of England. Some remarkably perfect specimens of it 

 were exhibited at Kensington by Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing, on the 

 occasion of the Chrysanthemum Show held last autumn in the Horticultural 

 Gardens— a show which we regret to find is not to be followed up by a similar 

 one during the present season, but which Ave, nevertheless, hope to see revived 

 in less pre-occupied years. The blooms produced on the occasion referred to 

 were extra-sized, fully 4 inches in diameter, and upwards of 3 inches in depth, full 

 to the very centre, creamy white and made up of broad florets, which were incurved 

 so as to form a high globular mass. It was pronounced to be the best white 

 variety yet obtained, and was certainly very chaste and beautiful in character. 



Scarcely less meritorious were the blooms of General Slade (fig. 2), 

 shown by Mr. Salter, which is undoubtedly the best variety we yet possess in 

 its peculiar colour— one of those indescribable intermixtures of red and yellow 

 not uncommon in this family. The flower-heads, or flowers as they are com- 

 monly called, are of the largest size, made up of incurved florets, which close 

 in to form a full convex crown. The colour is a fine coppery or Indian red, 

 the florets golden-tinted at the back, and besides very brightly golden-tipped! 

 Out of doors the plants are freely branched, growing about a yard high. This 

 variety may be taken to represent the old Two-coloured Incurved, carried very 

 far towards perfection. 



The other variety we have selected for illustration is called Duchess oe 

 Wellington (fig. 3). This also was shown bv Mr. Salter, and is a remarkably 

 handsome and pleasing flower. The heads are of full average size, and of fine 

 properties, the florets bold, evenly compactly and completely incurved, so as 

 to form a full high centre ; and the colour is a lovely rosy lilac, lighter and 

 silvery at the back of the florets. It is something in the style of Lady 

 Hardmge one of Mr. Salter's fine varieties of last year, but is somewhat 

 deeper coloured, and rather more compactly built. This novelty belongs to a 

 class of colours which is particularly pleasing and effective, amongst the many 

 dingy reds and purples which occur in the present race of Chrysanthemums 



It may be useful to record here some of the more remarkable novelties, 

 which, m addition to the subjects of our illustration, made their appearance 

 last autumn at the principal metropolitan shows. The following more par- 

 ticularly came under our notice :■ — 



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YOL. I. 



