APRIL. 



•il 



NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. 



It has been well remarked by Mr. Salter, some of whose new flowers arc 

 now figured, that Chrysanthemums are, in these days, not only extensively 

 cultivated as ornaments to the conservatory in winter, but as most attractive 

 flowers for public exhibitions. Iudeed, so attractive are they, and that at a 

 season when the bright beauties of summer and autumn have for the most part 

 faded from our view, that we think it is unfortunate that our leading horti- 

 cultural bodies — the Royal Horticultural Society in particular, because on this 

 body the advancement and encouragement of horticulture, in all its branches, 

 rests, as a public duty — cannot find the means, or display the courage, to 

 maintain an annual show of the Chrysanthemum, which, be it noted, has this 

 additional claim upon their support — that it is emphatically the poor citizen's 

 flower, growingwell even in London, and flowering freely and in the highest 

 state of perfection in the midst of the smoky and foggy atmosphere of the 

 metropolis. We really hope this Society will have the good taste to address 

 itself to the fulfilment of its proper mission, and at least give as much 

 encouragement to flower-growing among the humbler classes as it does to 

 fashionable promenading. To this end we hope to see Chrysanthemum shows 

 maintained ; and, along with the highly-cultured exhibitions of professional 

 growers, we would fain see invited the productions of the more humble growers 

 who are to be found in the courts and byways of London, because the 

 humanising taste for flower-growing ought to be in every way fostered and 

 encouraged. 



Every year adds to the number of the varieties at the disposal of the 

 Chrysanthemum-grower, and in most instances furnishes him with some 

 improved materials to work upon. Perhaps the season of 1862 was not quite 

 so marked as its predecessor in respect to the production of first-class flowers, 

 such, for example, as Carissima, General Slade, &c. ; but a considerable array 

 of novelties was presented for public approval, some being varieties of very 

 considerable merit. Among them, our choice fell upon one called Princess 

 Alexandra (all honour and happiness to its fair Danish prototype, now a 

 Princess of our own !), and upon another called Talbot, the peculiarities of 

 which we shall presently explain. 



Beyond these, of the sorts which we had an opportunity of seeing those 

 which appeared the greatest acquisitions are briefly noted below. Princess 

 Louts of Hesse is a variety which promises to be very useful as a conservatory 

 plant, being of dwarf, compact habit, and a free bloomer, the flowers of a rosy 

 pink, with incurved florets paler at the back. Her Majesty is one of the 

 slightly-tinted whites, like Vesta, very beautifully formed, and very perfect— 

 a model flower, no doubt, but to our mind less distinct than those already 

 named ; very handsome, nevertheless, being of free dwarf habit, and a compact 

 grower, and therefore available for cultivation as a specimen plant, while it 

 will rank amongst the best for cut blooms. This style of flower appears to have 

 reached nearer to ideal perfection than any other, for we see from time to time 

 some charming samples in this way brought forth at the exhibitions. Lord 

 Palmerston has been highly spoken of, and is of a fine showy colour, described 

 as " dark rose amaranth, incurved, and tipped with silvery blush f but it is 

 too flat for our taste, though astonishingly " filled-oiit" in the picture given in 

 a contemporary. Duchess of Buckingham is a sulphury white, and seems 

 likely to be a useful decorative sort. We saw nothing remarkable among 

 Pompons. ° 



VOL. II. 



