542 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
are many now flowering. A few days since I had the pleasure of calling 
upon several of our Sheffield Orchid growers, and was much pleased, also 
not a little surprised, at the bright display now to be found in the flower¬ 
ing houses of the respective establishments. 
Westbrook. —The residence of Mrs. H. Wilson and her son, A. 
Wilson, Esq., who is a connoisseur in choice and rare Orchids, and the 
proprietor of the extremely valuable collection here grown. The collec¬ 
tion of Odontoglossums is especially large, comprising many of the 
finest hybrid spotted forms of 0. crispnm. The plants are in robust 
health, making very strong growths, and having stout foliage of a rich 
dark green colour. A decided improvement in this respect is perceptible 
during the last few months, and which Mr. Pidsley, the able and thought¬ 
ful gardener, attributes it to an alteration they have this season made in 
the stages in the Odontoglossum houses. These previously consisted of 
stone tables running along each side of the low span-roofed houses with 
a pathway up the centre, the pots being placed upon these tables in 
direct contact with the stone. A plan, however, has now been adopted 
obviating this, which has been for some time before adopted by Messrs. 
Sander at St. Albans, and which is as follows :—The stone tables have 
been slightly lowered, and upon them, raised about 8 inches from the 
stones by light iron legs standing in zinc dishes kept filled with water, is 
fixed a light wooden lattice-work stage, a thin covering of moisture-hold¬ 
ing material, as moss or sand, being placed over the surface of the stone 
table and under the wooden one upon which the plants are arranged. 
Mr. Pidsley states that since these alterations, although the temperature 
is kept at the same point as formerly, a decided change in the atmosphere 
is perceptible, and is evidently enjoyed by the plants. The following is 
a list of the various Orchids in flower at the time of my visit:—Dendro- 
biums heterocarpum, Ainsworthi, and nobile; Odontoglossums crispum 
(several forms), Pescatorei, hebraicnm, Rossi majus, Lindleyanum, Uro- 
Skinneri, cirrhosum, Krameri, and nebulosum; Oncidiums tigrinum, 
cheirophorum, Forbesi, macranthum, and varicosum; Cypripediums 
Spicerianum, Roezli, Fairrieanum, insigne, Maulei, Chantini, and album 
marginatum; Lselia autumnalis and albida, Cymbidium Lowianum, 
Lycaste Skinneri. Cattleya maxima, Pleione maculata, Maxillaria grandi- 
flora ; Masdevallias Shuttleworthi, Davisi, and ignea, Tricocentrum 
albo-purpureum, Yanda tricolor, Phalsenopsis Sanderiana (fine var ), and 
Coelogyne Massangeana. A fine hybrid spotted Odontoglossum crispum 
had a very strong spike carrying thirty-four blooms. Cypripedium 
Fairrieanum had been in flower for two months, and was still good. A 
plant of Dendrobium nobile, 3 feet in diameter was literally covered 
with flowers, and was flowering on the current year’s growths. A fine 
collection of Chrysanthemums has been grown at Westbrook this season. 
Oakholme. —The residence of Thos. Wilson, Esq. A visit to these 
gardens is at all times a treat to those who delight in seeing good ex¬ 
amples of plant culture combined with perfect cleanliness, neatness, and 
good order, Mr. Wm. Hannah, the experienced gardener, has long had 
more than a local reputation. The large plant stove is bright with large 
and splendidly coloured specimens of Crotons, Dracaenas, Alocacias, 
Sphoerogyne latifolia, and Cyanophyllum magnificum, several almost 
perfect plants, having four or five pairs of leaves each, very large, richly 
coloured, and without spot or blemish ; Adiantum farleyense, a number 
of large specimens growing most luxuriantly, and a general collection of 
stove flowering and foliage plants. Orchids are well grown at Oakholme, 
and the chief house is very gay with Dendrobiums Ainsworthi ^several 
good plants), cceruleseens, nobile, Wardiauum ; Odontoglossum crispum, 
some fine plants and vars., one carrying over fifty flowers upon one strong 
branching spike; Cymbidium Lowianum, a large plant, with numerous 
flower spikes ; several Oncidiums, Calanthes, &e. 
Ia a smaller plant stove we were shown several very richly coloured 
and valuable forms of seedling Crotons raised by Mr. Hannah from seed 
he has succeeded in ripening, and the parentage of which is C. majes- 
ticus x C. Weismanni. These seedlings will be most valuable either 
as small table plants or for large exhibition specimens. A large number 
of Chrysanthemums are here grown especially for late flowering, as 
many of these are only just showing colour freely, whilst others are now 
at their best. A fine display will be maintained with them up to and 
after Christmas, when they will be succeeded by forced Azaleas, Primulas, 
Schizanthus coccinea, Cinerarias, and bulbs. 
Mount View, —The residence of D. Ward, Esq. The collection of 
Orchids here is a very large one, filling five or six large houses. The 
robust health and fine condition of the whole collection throughout testify 
most unmistakeably to the fact that the gardener, Mr. Page, is no novice 
in Orchid culture. The Orchids at Mount View have wonderfully im¬ 
proved under his care, and hid fair to become much more widely known 
and celebrated than at present. Some splendid varieties of Phaltenopt-is 
amabilis are now in flower, with large numbers of Lycaste Skinneri, 
Odontoglossum crispum, and Dendrobium Wardianum. Light wooden 
stages on which to stand the plants are here used as at Westbrook, and 
the vigour of the plants proves the soundness of the practice.—W. K. W_ 
THE LATE MR. CHARLES JEFFREY. 
The death of Mr. Pohlman will cause regret to many Auricula 
growers. In the end of August last sincere sorrow was caused to many 
by the death of Charles Jeffrey, Falkirk, where for upwards of fifty-eight 
years he carried on the business of bookseller, respected and esteemed 
by all who knew him. He was a fellow worker with Campbell, Lightbcdy, 
Traill and others who brought the Carnation, the Ranunculus, the Tulip, 
and other florists’ flowers for a time to the ascendant in Scotland, and 
especially the Auricula, from which their names are not likely ever to be 
[ Deoember 16, 
disassociated. Of these four Mr. Peter Campbell still survives. To the 
very last Mr. Jeffrey remained devotedly attached to the Auricula. His 
health had been for some time failing. Only a week before his death, 
however, Mr. Menzies of Duns and myself enjoyed in his company at 
Falkirk some hours, such as lovers of that flower know. Little did either 
of us think when congratulating the genial gentle old man of eighty-four 
years on his appearance that the end was so near. He was then attend¬ 
ing business, and of course showed us his stock of Auriculas, always a 
most select one, which his brother, as ardent a florist as he, will still main¬ 
tain. I will afterwards request leave to allude to his success with the 
Auricula. Meanwhile, in the name of a circle of friends, growers of that 
flower, a circle in which Mr. Jeffrey formed one of the strongest links, 
and at a date even yet too early to write composedly of our loss, I would 
ask space in the Journal, which he prized so much, to record our sorrow 
at the removal of a valued friend, a genuine florist, one of the truest, 
kindest, most upright, and most loveable of men.—A Northern 
Amateur. 
JAPANESE CHRYSANTHEMUM WHITE CERES. 
This variety was introduced from the continent in 1882. At the 
December meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society of that year 
Messrs. T. Jackson & Sons, Kingston-on-Thames, exhibited a stand of cut 
blooms, and were awarded a first class certificate. It was then described 
as a broad-petalled pure white variety, intermediate in character betwetn 
Elaine and Fair Maid of Guernsey. That is an accurate description of it. 
It is of a strong robust habit, making fine wood and foliage. The flower 
buds set in August about the time of the earlier varieties. They swell to 
a good size, are conical in shape, and the calyx very scaly. Although the 
variety sets its buds so early, it does not flower in time for the November 
exhibitions, for it is truly a late-flowering variety, and in a natural way 
does not flower until the end of November or the beginning of December. 
It cannot be properly described as a free-flowering variety, or its value 
would be greatly enhanced. It requires disbudding to three or four 
flowers, and assisted by a little heat to get them out, the small side shoots 
hardly ever producing a flower. There is another Ceres, introduced I 
think in 1883, described as a canary yellow, but it never came into general 
cultivation. In some trade catalogues there is a variety under this name 
described an a blush pink, but that I take to be identical with this one 
under notice, as the outer petals often come blush pink, but it opens pure 
white. Hence the confusion that has arisen respecting these varieties 
under the same name, as mentioned by me in the Journal in the autumn, 
1884. That year I had some good blooms of it which decorated the table 
at our first dinner of the Kingston Chrysanthemum Society in Decem¬ 
ber, being first brought out and exhibited by Messrs. Jacksons. We called 
the variety Jackson’s Ceres, to distinguish between the three. I am not 
able to say who is the raiser of it.—C. Orchard. 
[Our illustration was prepared from one of the magnificent blooms 
shown by Mr. Beckett of E'stree, at the National Chrysanthemum 
Society’s Floral Committee meeting recently, when a first-class certificate 
was awarded for the variety. Twelve grand blooms were shown of great 
size and substance, exceeding 7 inches in diameter, proportionately deep 
and pure white. The woodcut is a slightly reduced representation of an 
average bloom, and correctly depicts the character of the variety as grown 
by Mr. Beckett.] 
HOWICK HOUSE. 
The residence of G. E. Wrigley, Esq., is situated about four miles 
from Preston. The gardens are approached by a short but neat drive. 
The grounds surrounding the mansion have been tastefully laid out, and 
the lawn is fairly extensive and well kept. The system of decoration is 
varied, which adds a charm and interest to the grounds that is not gene¬ 
rally met with since the modern style of flower gardening has been in 
vogue. Large beds are devoted to Hybrid Perpetual Roses, which have 
made remarkably strong growths, all the best and newest kinds having 
been planted. Other beds and brrders are furnished with collections of 
bulbous and herbaceous plants, others with Rhododendrons and Liliums 
intermixed ; these, with large beds of Dahlias, single and double, give 
some idea of the system of planting and ornamentation that has been 
adopted. A wall of Peaches bordering one side of the grounds was 
carrying a good crop of fine fruit. In one portion of the grounds shaded 
by forest trees Todea superba had stood outside unprotected during the 
whole of last winter. The shrubs and Conifers were healthy and luxu¬ 
riant, except where they had attained to a fair size, and had their 
roots in wet cold clay. It appears in this neighbourhood that choice 
Conifers fa ; l when their roots leave the more fertile soil of the 
surface. 
The glass, which is extensive, is, however, the principal feature of in¬ 
terest in these gardens. The houses contain a large and excellent collec¬ 
tion of Orchids, by far the most complete in the vicinity of Preston. The 
first house, a lengthy lean-to structure, was full of Odontoglossums in 
variety, the whole of the plants having made remarkably large pseudo- 
