January 25, 1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 67 
pleasures and work enough for all her votaries, with all their 
varieties of taste. Some take the greatest delight in Carna¬ 
tions arranged by means of a pair of pincers ; others in making 
individual Gooseberries of an enormous size ; others in beau 
tiful varieties of Ferns ; while others care only for species. 
Bog plants, water plants, rock plants, Orchids have all their 
admirers, and I think it is best for the advancement of horti¬ 
culture that this should be so. I should have written this note 
sooner after the publication of your Journal, but had been 
away on a short garden run with my son. It began with Sir 
Trevor Lawrence’s Orchids, which were a great treat, and re¬ 
minded by their perfect cultivation of old days with Mr. 
Rucker, only with a great increase of numbers of species and 
varieties. We then went to a relative at Reigate, who gave us 
the best large home-grown Oranges which I have ever tasted 
from a tree in one of his houses, and drove us over to Pendell 
Court Gardens, where Mr. Green showed all his plant wonders. 
The cut blooms which he brings up from time to time to the 
Floral Committee give but a faint idea of their beauty when 
seen on the plants. The out-of-door department, where I 
should have been most at home, was at rest, but showed what 
beauty there must be in summer.— George F. Wilson. 
FRUIT-GROWING ON CHALK SOILS 
The criticism of your correspondent “ J. H. H.” on page 29 on 
the above subject, demands a passing notice from me ; brief it 
shall be, but to the point. In the first place 1 must candidly say 
that on reading his remarks over a second time 1 was somewhat 
doubtful as to whether I ought to come to the conclusion that he 
was a practical man or not. Assuming, however, that he is, I am 
surprised that he is not better acquainted with the writings of any 
of the old authors than he appears to be, and that he is not is 
plainly visible from the fact of his statement “ Fifty or a hundred 
years ago, before the advantages of root-lifting and pruning were 
understood,” &c. If he did not know it before, let me inform him 
now for the first time that the practices referred to have been 
known for centuries. 
Seeing that “ J. H. H.” admits that he has had no experience 
on chalk soil, it is quite evident that he is not qualified to give an 
opinion of much value on the subject, and it seems rather strange 
why he should put himself forth as a teacher on such a topic, 
as what he states can have little weight with those who are 
located on chalk soils, and in whose interest my note (page 525 
last volume) was written. The number of random phrases your 
correspondent makes use of* precludes me from alluding to all of 
them in detail; at the same time I cannot refrain from referring 
to one or two. Firstly, as to “ imported loam,” permit me to say 
that if he will read my note (page 525) over a second time he will 
find no allusion made therein to such a commodity. What was 
mentioned was “ the best that could be obtained in the locality,” 
and not brought “ ten miles by canal route.” 
“ J. H. H.” also asks, “Is the garden to be deepened by render¬ 
ing barren a portion of the park or farm l ” Decidedly not, is my 
reply ; neither is there any necessity for such a thing, and this 
your correspondent may prove to his own satisfaction if, when he 
obtains turf from pasture land, he will add the same bulk of old 
soil from the garden and sow it with a mixture of grass seed suit¬ 
able to the locality in April. By so doing he will hardly be able 
in twelve months’ time to tell where the turf was taken from. My 
reply to “J. H. H.’s” note might be considerably enlarged, but 
as I am no advocate for superfluous writing I will not trespass on 
your valuable space by any fur-ther comment. —Et (Uetera. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT CHRISTMAS. 
A few words may be interesting to some of the numerous 
readers of the Journal as to the best way to attain flowers as late 
as Christmas. Much depends upon the treatment the plants 
receive through the growing season. I have had some good flowers 
of a few varieties until the 4th of this month. The treatment I 
give them is about the same as the other earlier-flowering varieties 
until the last stopping, which is not done until the end of July. 
The plants are kept outside as long as possible, covering them at 
night with tiffany or anything light. I afterwards place them in 
a house having a north-west aspect, used also for retarding 
Azaleas and other plants. I do not grow a large number of 
varieties, only a few of which I find keep best. I cannot speak 
too highly of Snowdrop, a most valuable Pompon sent out by 
Mr. Cannell last spring. It is very prolific, not large, but pure 
white; in fact the later it flowers the more pure they are. It 
requires no disbudding. Fleur de Marie is another valuable pure 
white variety of the Anemone type, flowering remarkably late, 
though the guard florets are apt to damp. Malvaiflora is a very 
late Japanese form, also pure white ; but to have it good it must 
not be stopped at all. I have mentioned these three, as white 
flowers are always in demand, more especially at Christmas and 
Easter. I cannot too strongly recommend Lady Slade as a lilac 
incurved variety which comes very handsome late. This I think 
the best of all the coloured kinds, especially for specimen glasses 
or table decoration. Isabella Bott is another grand variety. I 
must not omit one other Pompon, a very useful variety of the 
Anemone section ; it is useful for bouquets or floral decoration, as 
it lasts a long time after being cut—Souvenir de Jersey, a very 
bright orange Pompon, with fringed edges and lasts remarkably 
well, but must be disbudded or it will not be satisfactory. 
The following are a few others which I have found useful of the 
incurved sorts :—Angelina, Blonde Beauty, Guernsey Nugget, 
Hero of Stoke Newington, Duchess of Teck (a sport from Hero of 
Stoke Newington); Themis, Nonpareil, Eve, Yellow Perfection. 
Julia Lagravi&re is a very useful reflexed variety, one of the 
darkest in colour, must not be disbudded. Progne is also very 
useful and keeps well, requiring disbudding. Several of the 
Pompon varieties I find keep well, such as Brilliant, Bob, 
Calliope, Madame Marthe, and the Golden variety of the latter 
which should be in every collection. Rosinante is very free, 
silvery-rose tipped with gold ; this is one of the very best to grow 
in small pots for market or furnishing. 
Japanese do not keep so well as the incurved kinds. I find La 
Nymph one of the very best; with Fair Maid of Guernsey, White, 
Meg Merrilees, Striatum, Yellow Dragon, Gloire d'Or, Laciniatum 
(comes very pretty when not disbudded), and Grandiflurum. I may 
here add I have seen some quantities of Elaine, and very good 
flowers too, produced on the stems of plants where the flower was 
cut early in November. Guernsey Nugget will throw very useful 
flowers this way ; I have had these as late as the end of January. 
Perhaps these few remarks may induce some of your readers to 
state their experience with late-flow T ering Chrysanthemums.— 
A Grower. 
A TRIAL OF POTATOES. 
I SEND you the results of last season’s trial of the following 
kinds of Potatoes. Possibly you may think them of interest to 
your readers. 7 lbs. of each variety were planted, and the pro¬ 
duce is as follows :—Ashleaf, 41 lbs.; Suttons’ First and Best, 
30 lb;.; Beauty of Hebron, 84 lbs. ; Reading Hero, 126 lbs. ; 
Reading Russet, 68 lbs. ; Reading Abbey, 39 lbs. ; Suttons’ Fifty¬ 
fold, 65 lbs. ; Suttons’ Red-skin Flourball, 120 lbs. ; Magnum 
Bonum, 102 lb-:.; Rector of Woodstock, 42 lbs.; Schoolmaster, 
46 lbs. It will be seen that Reading Hero is the heaviest cropper, 
but the two seasons I have grown it it unfortunately decayed 
after being stored ; so I reluctantly discard it, as I do the light 
croppers. For the future I propose growing only Magnum Bonum, 
Red-skin Flourball, and Beauty of Hebron. I may add the 
eleven rows were grown side by side, 27 inches apart ; each con¬ 
sisted of eighty roots, 14 inches apart, and on a light soil without 
manure. If the three sorts I have selected can be improved 
upon I shall be exceedingly glad of any hints to that effect. 
—J. Robinson, Suffolk. 
PLANTS FOR A DARK CONSERVATORY. 
A DIFFICULTY. 
Will any of your readers kindly tell me what climbers or other 
plants are best suited for covering the back wall and roof of a 
dark conservatory ? The house is 28 feet long, 11 feet 6 inches 
high, and 9 feet 6 inches wide, the only light it gets being from 
six windows in front, which are 3 feet wide each, 5 feet 6 inches 
above the floor, and glazed with small panes of glass about l^inch 
wide and 5 inches long. The house can be heated in cold weather. 
May I further ask what plants are best suited for the decoration 
of this house ? We have no stage nor any means of planting out, 
therefore the plants are arranged on the tiled floor, and I find 
they damp off very much, while some, such as Ferns and Euca¬ 
lyptuses, shrivel as though they were scorched. Would it be ad¬ 
visable to have a low stage, say about 18 inches or 2 feet high ? 
Any information that can be kindly given will be gratefully 
received.—A. T. 
Lambeth Palace Gardens. — Iu a recent article upon these 
gardens in a daily contemporary the following particulars were given 
—Authorities appear to differ as to the precise extent of the ‘ park 
and gardens’ attached to Lambeth Palace. Originally it seems to 
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