October 3,1, 1831. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORriCOLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
389 
Conway, North Waleis. I have often wondered since if we 
allow them to hang too long on the trees; I also think it ought 
not to be grown on a wall. 
My estimate of good Pears will not include any of the 
early varieties, but only those which are termed melting, as in 
my estimation others are not worth growing for dessert. Beurre 
d’Amanlis is the first to ripen on the list. It is a very useful 
Pear. It succeeds well in the open. It is also excellent when 
grown on a wall. Beurre Superfin is an excellent variety. It 
succeeds well on a wall or in the open. When grown in the open 
it assumes a russety appearance, and the flavour is exquisite. 
Louise Bonne of Jersey is an excellent well-known Pear. It 
succeeds well in the open in the south. Beurri Hardy is a 
capital large fruited variety, and very rich in flavour. As a wall 
Pear it grows to a very large size; it also does well in the open 
in the south. Marie Louise.—This well-known Pear hardly 
needs any comment. It succeeds well in the open in the south; 
it is also very good when grown against a wall. With a few 
trees on different aspects a long succession may be maintained. 
Doyenn^ du Cornice.—This useful Pear should be tried in every 
gai’den in the open and against a wall. It is one of the very 
best of Pears. Pitmaston Duchess is becoming veiy popular. 
With good culture it grows to a very large size. Marie Louise 
d’Ucc e. —This is very hardy and well adapted for the north. 
Beurr(i Diel is an old favourite. Its flavour is liked by many ; it 
is very hardy. The following Pears are best grown on south, 
south-west, or west walls. Beurr^ d’Aremberg.—A'though this 
is not a large Pear it is of excellent flavour, and ripens at a 
useful time. Winter Ne is.—Sma 1, but very de icious. Josephine 
de Ma’ines.—The flavour of this excel'ent Pear is excelled by no 
other variety. GIou Moryeau.—Very good. Ernie d’Heyst.— 
Very large, and of fine flavour. Tbe following are also very 
good :—Maide Benoist, Knight’s Monarch, Passe Crassane, 
Bergamotte Esperen, Nouvelle Fulvie, Easter Beurre (good in 
some districts, and does best in the open), and O ivier de Serres. 
— A. Young. 
A GOSSIP ON NEW FEENOH JAPANESE 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Tue announcement in the horticultural press that the opening of 
the exhibitions in connection with the numerous local Chrysanthemum 
societies is at hand has no doubt been a source of considerable 
satisfaction to those of your readers who happen to be enthusiastic 
growers of that charming flower. For a long time past they must 
have noticed with no little astonishment a large number of new 
varieties brought out year after year, and more particularly so in the 
case of the Japanese section. That we are likely to have a still 
larger influx in the future is admitted among growers who are well 
acquainted with the work that is being carried on in various parts of 
the Continent by raisers who have already made their names famous 
wherever the Chrysanthemum is held in esteem. Whether this be 
an advantage or not I think the new comers must answer for them¬ 
selves, but “ it goes without saying ” that many varieties of recent 
importation have proved their excellence on the exhibition stands of 
all the leading societies in this country. 
It is to the French raisers that the credit of distributing the vast 
majority of the Japanese varieties now in cultivation among us is 
due, but it is principally to one firm that we amateur and professional 
English growers owe a debt of gratitude. As long ago as 1826-27 
Capitaine Bernet, the first amateur in Europe, began to raise the 
Chrysanthemum from seed, and was rewarded by seeing his efforts 
constantly crowned with success in obtaining varieties of new and 
distinct kinds. The work which he inaugurated has been continued 
to this day by a band of amateur and professional growers in the 
neighbourhood in which he lived and worked, and at length, after a 
long-continued run of success, they began almost to think that they 
had run the length of possibility. But the importation of varieties 
from Japan soon made known a new type, and by the careful and 
intelligent crossing of the different varieties a fresh impulse was 
given to the already interesting culture of this flower. The results 
have proved a grand success, and the Chrysanthemum at the present 
time is a greater favomute and more extensively cultivated in this 
country than has ever been the case before. 
There is, I think, much reason in assuming that the Chrysanthemum 
in a measure owes its still increasing popularity to the introduction of 
the Japanese varieties and to the subsequent improvements made by 
Capitaine Bernet’s successors in the south of France, the climate of 
which has proved to be eminently suitable for ripening the seed ; and 
it is in this class that the greatest advances have been made by them 
during a comparatively speaking short space of time. 
Most people interested in this subject are now familiar with the 
leading varieties of French origin, and those who remember the verj"^ 
fine display of Japanese blooms at the Lambeth Amateur Chrysan¬ 
themum Society’s Show in 1877, which was mainly owing to the 
efforts of the Secretary, the late Mr. Summers, can scarcely le 
astonished at the very prominent position that has been given to them 
in all exhibitions since that date. When the leading French raisers 
sent out a set of twenty seedlings in the spiing of last year they 
informed us that they had been selected from upwards of 4000 
seedling plants, so that some little idea may be formed of the many 
hours of anxiety and the trouble that the production of these new 
varieties must necessarily entail. I do not know whether it will be 
of any interest for your readers to he made acquainted with the 
names of the collection to which I have just referred, but it may 
possibly be of some service, as nearly all of them are now to be seen 
at both of the exhibitions at the Temple Gardens and at well-known 
establishments such as Messrs. Cannell & Sons of Swanley, Mr. Davis 
of Camberwell, Messrs. Veitch of Chelsea, and others, and can be 
purchased of them or of any other respectable nurseryman who deals 
in the Chrysanthemum. 
They are as follow :—Angele, rather a pleasing variety, con¬ 
spicuous by its lilac rosy petals; Boule d’Argent, Brunette, Elise, 
Flamme de Punch, a charming flower of extraordinary dimensions, 
the colour of which is a bright orange with a tinge of red ; Helvetic, 
L'Or du Rhin, M. Blanc ; M. Tarin, which comes rather early ; 
M. Astorg, a fine silvery white, with a centre of very pale violet ; 
M. Deveille, M. Henry Jacotot; M. Moussillac, a large flower of a 
bright crimson red, with an incurved centre of bright gold ; Mdlle. 
Augustine Gautheut, Mdme Deveille ; Margot, very distinct, will 
attract much attention on account of its beautiful yellow violet rose 
petals, which droop in a graceful manner from its chamois-coloured 
centre ; M. Boyer. Mastic : this, too, is very distinct, and is of a 
very dark yellow ochre colour, with a mingling of light straw colour ; 
Roseum superbum, and Souvenir d’Amsterdam, a vivid crimson. 
From other sources we had Bois-Rose, H6risson, M. de Vazza, and 
several others, which, although unclassified, may ultimately prove to. 
be of the Japanese type if one may be permitted to judge by the 
very elaborate descriptions that were given of them. 
The imported varieties of the past and present year being now in 
full bloom have been pronounced by competent authorities to be the 
finest set of plants that has ever yet been distributed. Several of the 
1883 set just mentioned have been awarded first-class certificates by 
the Royal Horticultural Society, and at the recent meetings of the 
Floral Committee of the National Clirysantheraurn Society first-class 
certificates have also been gained by Colonel Mallock for M. Astorg 
(Delaux) and M. Tarin (Delaux), and by Messrs. Cannell and Sons for 
Flamme de Punch (Delaux) and M. Moussillac (Delaux). Messrs. 
Cannell also presented the same evening a bloom of a much more- 
ancient variety—viz., Richard Larios (Delaux), the striking features 
of which are the dark rose and brilliant violet marking with tips of 
snowy white. This, too, was awarded a first-class certificate, but it is 
scarcely large enough for a show flower, although an exceedingly 
useful one for decorative purposes. 
However, of all seasons the spring of 1884 was the grandest 
triumph for the French raisers, and one in which we shall in due time 
participate ; and although only a young gardener myself, your sub¬ 
scribers who have been living witnesses of the gradual but certain 
progress that has been made will pardon my assuming that the French 
catalogues early in the year must have st.artled even the oldest growers 
by the unprecedented announcement of the distribution of betwoca 
seventy and eighty new varieties of Chrysanthemums in the various 
sections, the majority of which are described as new Japanese 
varieties. 
Those who possess a share of these novelties (for no one to my 
knowledge has ventured on the importation of so large a number as 
the entire set comprises) speak ve.y highly of them, the greatest 
fault being that mauy are semi-early and are at their best too soon for 
the ordinary show purposes ; and as these plants may probably bo 
two or three years before they are eventually in the hands of the 
general public, it may be useful to know that out of the large number 
which have been imported by the English trade there are many, and 
probably the best of this more recent collection, to be seen at those- 
trade growers, who make it a point of their business to import and 
distribute this very valuable November favourite. 
For these exhibitors and growers who desire to acquire some of 
these newer varieties, and thus make a very fine addition to the collec¬ 
tions which they already possess, I will specially mention Belle 
Alliance, a fine brick red with a golden centre ; Colibri, an early 
bloomer of a dark crimson colour, with an incurved centre ball of 
gold ; Frizou, a splendid distinct canary yellow with curly florets ; 
Madame de Sevin, a very large bloom of beautiful amaranth rose with 
a fine white centre ; Brise du Matin, a light pink-coloured flower, 
very full, and one that comes easy, and has already been awarded a 
first-class certificate by the National Chrysanthemum Society ; 
Fernand Feral, another very large bloom of a light rosy pink ; Beautd 
des JardinSj a light amaranth colour ; Anna Delaux and Aurore 
