Tecember 14, 1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 549 
•- Relative to the weights OF Peaks, it may be interest¬ 
ing to some of our readers to state that in the autumn of 1879 
half a dozen Pitmaston Duchesse Pear trees in 9-inch pots were 
purchased, and grown on in the same pots under the eare of Mr. 
William Bremner, gardener to Miss Wrigley, Wansfell, Winder- 
mere. There was a good crop, the three heaviest weighing 29]-, 
26], and 24] ozs. respectively. 
- In reference to manure for Chrysanthemums, “ B.” 
writes :—“ Last year I wanted a large supply of flowers ; the pots 
were crammed with roots, and in order to carry them over the 
flowering season a mixture of manure and loam was applied to 
the surface of the soil. A little sulphate of ammonia was dis¬ 
solved in the water given to them. This season similar treatment 
has been given the plants, and I am highly pleased with the 
results. In a root-crammed soil, such as that occupied by free- 
rooting plants, there is nothing fresh left for the roots to take to. 
The slight surface-dressing I imagine supplies this want to some 
extent, and to the benefit of the plant. With regard to a good 
late white I would be glad to have advice. We have had a bounti¬ 
ful supply of Elaine, and a later batch of the same to last till 
Christmas. Just now Fair Maid of Guernsey and Fleur de Marie 
are commencing to unfold their earliest blooms. Both, however, 
possess faults ; the former not being so pure in the white as 
desired, and the latter wanting in the quality of floriferousness. 
Does anyone know a late variety with the good qualities of 
Elaine 1 I am glad to see La Nymphe coming into notice. 
I recommended it highly a few years ago for furnishing pur¬ 
poses. Julia Lagravbre is another kind well worth attention to 
the burdened flower-producer. Where a bronzy hue is liked, as it 
often is by ladies, General Bainbridge should be grown as the 
best. This kind is very productive of side shoots, which under 
good cultivation afford good blooms.” 
- “J. H. T.” writes that “when being shown through the 
very fine and well-managed gardens at Knowsley Hall I was 
quite delighted with a very fine specimen of that grand old plant, 
Luculia gratissima, planted out against the back wall of a 
conservatory, covering a space of about 10 square feet with up¬ 
wards of a hundred of its rose-coloured large terminal cymes of 
fragrant flowers.” 
- The weather in the metropolitan district has 
been quite of a winterly character during the past week. There 
have been no such falls of snow as have occurred over a wide ex¬ 
tent of the country ; indeed, the ground has scarcely been covered, 
and then only for an hour or two on the 6th inst., the greater quan¬ 
tity melting as it fell. Fogs have been prevalent, and sufficiently 
dense and prolonged to do considerable injury to Orchid and other 
flowers, and the ground has been hard with frost. Yet the mercury 
of the thermometer has not fallen below 22°, or 10° below freezing ; 
but this occurring on several consecutive nights, and no thaw 
following during the day, has quite put a stop to planting and 
ground work generally, and much of this work remains to be 
completed. The weather yesterday (Wednesday) was much 
milder. 
- “ J. H.” writes on Strawberries in December “ At 
Chalcot House Gardens, Westbury, there is at the present time in 
one of the houses the best crop of ripe Strawberries of Vicomtesse 
Hdricart de Thury it has ever been my good fortune to see at this 
time of the year. The batch consists of several dozens of plants 
growing in 7-inch pots, each plant carrying from thirty to fifty 
fruits in different stages of development. Those I had the pleasure 
of tasting were of good flavour and fair size, the largest weighing 
nearly half an ounce each. The plants were forced in the spring, 
and after having had a rest of a few weeks were shaken out and 
repotted in good turfy loam and well-decomposed manure, nothing 
further being required afterwards other than giving water when 
necessary. The highly satisfactory results obtained reflect great 
credit on Mr. Davies the gardener.” 
- At the next meeting of the Meteorological Society, 
to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on Wednes¬ 
day the 20th instant, at 7 p.m., the following papers will be 
read :—“ Popular Weather Prognostics,” by the Hon. R. Aber- 
cromby, F.M.S., and M. Marriott, F.M.S. ; “ Report on the Phe- 
nological Observations for 1882,” by the Rev. T. A. Preston, M.A., 
F.M.S. Mr. J. S. Dyason, F.M.S., will exhibit (1) a series of 
typical clouds in monochrome, and (2) a series of sketches of 
clouds in colour made in June, July, and August, 1882. As the 
list of officers and Council for the year 1883 will be prepared at 
the next Council meeting, it is requested that those Fellows who 
wish to suggest names for the new Council will send them in 
before the 20th instant. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM KING OF THE CRIMSONS. 
Although certificated a few weeks ago this is not a new 
variety as many suppose it to be. It has been in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Liverpool probably about fifteen years, and 1 have known 
it for at least a dozen years. It is a handsome dark reflexed 
variety that might have been lost had it not been brought to the 
front this year. It has not been very largely grown about Liver¬ 
pool during the past few years on account of the rage for incurved 
varieties, and very few collections inolude it at the present time, 
though undoubtedly it is one of the richest and best in culti¬ 
vation for the conservatory and general decorative purposes.— 
W. Bardney. 
Your editorial criticism on this flower on page 519 reminds me 
of the reply of the pert young lady in Punch, who when told to 
call a black beetle a cockroach because it was neither black nor a 
beetle, replied, “ Oh 1 it is neither a cock nor a roach.” However, 
let me say I did not write without authority, for in the catalogue 
of Mr. Davis of Camberwell, a large metropolitan vendor of Chrys¬ 
anthemums, I find it classed under the new Japanese varieties with 
this observation :—“ This magnificent variety, although not new, 
has on account of its scarceness been seldom offered to the public, 
although it is well known to the northern growers. In habit of 
growth and shape of flower it is similar to Julia Lagravere but 
three times the size, and the colour a most brilliant crimson—real 
crimson. It is called a reflexed flower, but it is quite as much a 
Japanese as Elaine, Triomphe de Nord, and many others highly 
recommended.”—D., Deal. 
[It would be interesting to know how long Mr. Davis has 
grown King of the Crimsons, and whether he has produced 
blooms that warrant him in saying the variety is “quite as much 
a Japanese as Elaine and Triomphe de Nord.” Good blooms of the 
varieties mentioned are out of place in a stand of reflexed flowers, 
while King of the Crimsons has never been included in a stand of 
Japanese, nor, we venture to say, never will be without spoiling 
its effect or risking its disqualification. One of the finest blooms 
of the variety in question that has been exhibited was staged by 
Mr. Molyneux at Kingston in his first-prize stand of reflexed 
varieties. We grew King of the Crimsons eighteen years ago, and 
that is our authority for saying it is not new, and the same ex¬ 
perience has taught us it is a true reflexed and not a Japanese 
variety ; indeed, we shall not be surprised to hear that it was 
raised long before the Japanese forms were known in this country.] 
MUSCAT OF ALEXANDRIA GRAPES. 
I WAS much interested with Mr. Bardney’s account of the 
Muscats at Knowsley Hail. From what he says of them they must 
be very fine, and when in such grand condition will be a source 
of pleasure to all who are fortunate enough to see them. 
A house of Muscats finished as these at Knowsley is something 
to be proud of at any time, and more especially in these times 
of comparatively sunless summers. 
I can, however, hardly agree with Mr. Bardney when he 
suggests that the success attained with these Muscats is to be 
attributed to the roots being nearly all in sand. Of course 
nothing is better for making roots multiply, but if nothing else 
is supplied than sand poor results will assuredly follow. When 
spread on the surface of a border of good strong material sand 
is very beneficial, for if some of the roots are laid in it they 
rapidly increase in numbers, and then take possession of the loam, 
See,., that forms the border. 
