24 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 12, 1882. 
■when they can be produced. The Little White Pet is very 
pretty and -well adapted for decoration, so are some of Ben¬ 
nett’s Hybrid Teas. Although they are not highly valued by 
exhibitors, they are free and useful, and La France is equally so. 
Orchids are invaluable for indoor decoration, and many of 
them last a long time if placed in positions sheltered from 
draughts. Zygopetalum Mackayi, when grown in suitable pots, 
is a grand winter-flowering sweet-scented species. Z. maxillare 
is equally useful. Small plants of Dendrobium nobile are in¬ 
valuable. Coelogyne cristata, Maxillaria picta, Odontoglossum 
Alexandra, 0. Pescaterei, 0. cirrhosum, and Lycaste Skinneri 
are a few of the cheap varieties that are amongst our most 
useful flowering plants for the purpose in question. 
Many other plants might be added which are employed here 
as they come into flower in their respective seasons, preference 
always being given to those plants that produce fragrant 
flowers. I do not like to see the same plants in rooms day after 
day until rendered useless. When changed frequently, which 
should be the case, there is always something fresh to admire, 
and the plants are not spoiled. Ladies soon grow tired of see¬ 
ing the same plants or class of plants occupying the same posi¬ 
tion for an indefinite period. When large numbers of plants 
are employed for indoor decoration it is difficult to have Sela- 
ginella or Moss established and growing in the pots of all of 
them. We prepare hundreds of shallow pans about an inch 
deep of Selaginella. It grows well in any shady position— 
under Vines or Peach trees. The Moss is removed from the 
pans and placed on the pots when they are taken into the 
house. The Moss in many instances becomes established, 
grows freely, and always imparts a neat and pleasing appear¬ 
ance to plants in rooms.—W. Bardney. 
POTATOES OLD AND NEW. 
I read “ Old Tater’s ” remarks on page 468 of your last volume 
with much pleasure, and, whether heretical or not, must subscribe 
to the truth of much that he advances. I, too, have grown many 
varieties, and, all being well, shall continue to try a few annually, 
hoping to select some that are superior to the older varieties. 
Ours is a rather strong heavy soil, and by no means what I should 
term suitable for Potatoes, more especially those varieties possess¬ 
ing a comparatively weak constitution. At present my list of 
suitable varieties from a non-exhibiting point of view is a small 
one. What we require are early maturing, productive, and good 
disease-resisting sorts. It is the want of the latter character that 
disqualifies so many, several of the newer varieties being all that 
can be desired in other respects. 
Commencing with old favourites—Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf 
or Mona’s Pride, cropped heavily, was only slightly diseased 
and early in the season, was and still is of excellent quality. 
It is much liked for growing in frames. Old Ashleaf, Myatt’s 
and Rivers’ Royal Ashleaf, were badly diseased, and for the future 
will not be grown. Ashtop Fluke produced a fair crop of good 
quality, and a few will be grown to succeed Veitch’s. To follow 
this i grew Lady Paget alluded to by “ Old Tater.” A few 
years since Mr. Pragnell kindly sent me a few tubers of this 
variety, and so well did it succeed that I have brought it here, 
discarding the old Lapstone. It again proved one of the heaviest 
croppers we have, in this respect only differing from, or being 
superior to, the handsome eatable Lapstone. Snowflake was as 
productive and handsome as could be wished, but was, I am sorry 
to say, badly diseased and of poor quality. Schoolmaster proved 
better than I have previously had it, and will be grown in great 
quantity next season. The crop was heavy, tubers of good shape 
but slightly diseased, and of the best quality. Magnum Bonum 
and Scotch Champion in the open field were equally productive 
and disease-resisting, but differ materially in regard to quality. 
The former is in my opinion in point of habit and quality of 
tubers decidedly preferable and easily cooked ; but the latter is 
preferred by my employers. Why 1 fail to understand, as the 
“taties” have either a “stone in the heart of them,” or in the 
case of the largest tubers a vacuum more objectionable than a 
“stone.” They require careful boiling, or the best portion is 
spoilt before the “ stone ” is softened. Probably Scotch Champion 
repays good garden culture, and, if good scavengers, are likewise 
great impoverishers. Ask our market growers, and they will the 
following season point out to a row where the Scotch Champion 
grew. 
Of the new or comparatively new varieties I find Suttons’ Sur¬ 
prise, an early round variety, worthy of a second trial, especially 
for forcing, as it makes but little haulm, is moderately productive 
and of good quality. Carters’ New First Crop Ashleaf will be 
forced this season, and I am under the impression it will form a 
formidable rival to Veitch’s Improved. Two at least of Fenn’s 
new seedlings received from Messrs. Suttons, by whom they are 
to be distributed, bid fair to become standard varieties, but as they 
were grown under numbers only it would be useless to discuss 
them. Cleopatra, raised by Mr. Collins and being distributed by 
Messrs. Carter & Co., will also, I believe, become popular both for 
ordinary and exhibition purposes. With me on poor soil it made 
but little haulm, and taking this into consideration the crop w r as 
surprisingly heavy, the tubers being large and handsome. 
Triumph, a now well-known American variety, proved profitable 
and will be grown again. I consider this a poor man’s Potato, as 
it makes but little haulm, being therefore adapted for their close¬ 
planting system ; it also produces a heavy crop of large tubers of 
good shape and quality. In addition it matures early, and thereby 
often escapes disease. Beauty of Kent failed this season, and I 
have done with it ; neither will Porter’s Excelsior, St. Patrick, 
Manhattan, Trophy, Brownell’s Superior, Grampian, nor any of the 
Early Rose type be grown, simply because they are either of poor 
quality or much liable to disease. Woodstock Kidney yielded a 
heavy crop of really fine tubers, but more than half of the crop 
was diseased, and the same remarks apply to Carters’ Holborn 
Favourite. From a partiality, however, for handsome Potatoes I 
shall still grow a few of each.—W. Iggulden, Marston. 
JAPANESE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
With Mr. Moorman and Mr. Etherington I agree that a new 
classification is desirable for the now numerous and handsome 
varieties of the above, but it is necessary that such classification 
should rest, if it be possible, on sound structural ground and 
not upon mere external appearances. The three sections as pro¬ 
posed by Mr. W. Etherington neither allows of scope for future 
improvement, nor does it comprehend all the structural differences 
as displayed by the kinds as already distributed. A noted raiser 
sent me some very fine seedling blooms this season, and much as 
I had known and expected of the Japanese Chrysanthemums I 
never even dreamed that such changes could so quickly and surely 
be wrought in this beautiful class. Anemone-flowered Japanese 
as large as tea-saucers, and of all colours from white to crimson 
scarlet, and purple through all the shades of sulphur, primrose, 
buff, yellow, and red, are surely enough to make a grower’s “ mouth 
water,” as the popular saying goes. Several of my friends are 
taking Mr. Forsyth’s advice given as long ago as 1872, and are 
saving seed from good varieties of large-flowered and Japanese 
varieties. Both Mr. W. Thompson of Ipswich and Mr. Benary of 
Erfurt offer Chrysanthemum seed of the various sections for sale. 
Florists are a little too apt to have set ideas, and quite right they 
are in adhering to them (from their own standpoint), but what I 
and many other lovers of the Chrysanthemum desire are some of 
the lovely single-flowered seedlings which the florist persistently 
thrown away should they appear among his seedling plants. Now 
that single Dahlias and Pyretlirums of the P. roseum section are 
so popular for their brilliant colours, is it not desirable that some 
of us should have single-flowered Chrysanthemums of daisy-like 
form and good distinct colours, as brilliant as it may be possible 
for us to obtain ? 
I submit the following as an example of the classification 
required in the Japanese section— 
Section I. 
Section II. 
Florets strap-shaped for more than 
half their entire length. 
а. —Florets erect, displaying almost 
as much of the colouring of the back 
part as of the front. Ethel, erecta 
superba, Oracle, Peter the Great, &c. 
б. —Florets reflexed, shoving front 
colouring most. Elaine, Beaute du 
Nord, &c. 
c.—Florets twisted, curled, or va¬ 
riously contrasted, showing both back 
and front colouring of the florets in a 
more or less irregular manner. Cossack, 
Gold Thread, Tokio. 
—Dublinensis. 
Florets quilled or tubular for more 
than half their entire length. 
a. —Florets curving upwards or erect. 
Soliel Levant, Red Dragon, Meg Mer- 
rilees. 
b. —Florets reflexed. 
Section III. 
Florets of the disc tubular, densely 
packed in a raised cushion-like mass. 
Florets of the ray flat, slightly re¬ 
curved. Popularly known as Japanese 
Anemone-flowered. Garnet and one 
or two others. 
Migratory Birds. —This is a subject (vide page 581) upon which 
I am sure many gardeners could give us much valuable information. 
In Kent, it is commonly believed that some of the swallows always 
remain with us, although I did not myself see them. I have the 
testimony of credible persons that several were about near Graves¬ 
end during November. Like Mr. Hiam, we had, a few weeks ago, a 
strange if not a migrating visitor—namely, a raven, which passed 
from roof to roof, causing some wonderment, for it is not a wild bird 
