490 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 8, 1887. 
Letters were read from Miss Mason, an inspector of boarded-out 
children under the Local Government Board ; and from Miss Akers, 
the Secretary of an organisation which under the regulations of the 
Local Government Board takes the oversight of the boarded-out 
children, both of whom promised assistance in the matter. A letter 
was read from the Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain, offering the use of the Hor¬ 
ticultural Club as a meeting place for the Committee. A hearty vote 
of thanks was given to Mr. D’Ombrain for his offer. Mr. Barron an¬ 
nounced that some members of the Seed and Nursery Trades had taken 
between them 40,000 subscription forms for placing in their catalogs s. 
a cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Deal closed the proceedings. 
Further donations and subscriptions will be thankfully received 
by Mr. A. F. Barron, Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, 
London. 
WADDON HOUSE, CROYDON. 
Within a few minutes’ walk of Waddon station, near West Croydon; 
Philip Crowley, Esq., has a pleasant suburban residence, and a garden 
in which he takes considerable interest. For several seasons Chrysan¬ 
themums have constituted an important feature there during November, 
and this year a very fine display was provided, to see which several 
members of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Committees with gar¬ 
deners in the district were recently invited. That the gardener in 
charge (Mr. W. King) has been more than ordinarily successful can be 
judged from the fact that he succeeded in defeating Mr. C. Gibson at 
the Croydon Show with cut blooms. This was an honour of no small 
importance, as, though the resources of Morden Park have been heavily 
taxed this season, the blooms were good, and Mr. King therefore 
achieved a success as a young Chrysanthemum exhibitor of which he 
might well be proud. Between 600 and 700 Chrysanthemums are 
grown, and the majority of these were arranged in two lean-to houses, 
one being chieflv devoted to incurved and the other to Japanese. A 
larger number of the latter are grown, as they are especially valued for 
their bright and varied colours, and at the time of the visit already men¬ 
tioned the plants formed a bank of rich and beautiful flowers, the pro¬ 
ducts of ■well-grown plants, as evidenced by the short firm wood and 
large, leathery, dark green leaves. The collection is a large one as 
regards number of varieties, including most of the best in cultivation, 
and to enumerate those well represented would take up too much space. 
The following were, however, unusually good in size of blooms and excel¬ 
lence of form— i.fi.. Madame C. Audiguier, Comte de Germiny, Grandi- 
florum, Val d’Andorre, Elaine, Criterion, Belle Paule, Meg Merrilies, 
Agr^ments de la Nature, Triomphe de la Rue des Chalets, Thunberg, 
Fair Maid of Guernsey, and Album Fimbriatum. Amongst the incurved 
the Queen family constitute the leading varieties, Lord Alcester being 
remarkable for its deep blooms and broad clear florets, Refulgence also, 
and John Salter with Lord Wolseley have been capital. Of the reflexed 
Cullingfordi is a favourite and is thoroughly well grown, its rich sub¬ 
stantial blooms showing up admirably amongst the other lighter 
varieties. 
But Chrysanthemums are considered only as a temporary or season¬ 
able attraction, the numerous convenient houses being devoted to 
Orchids, Ferns, Palms, and miscellaneous plants that throughout the 
establishment are distinguished by their fine condition, and many 
are specimens up to a good exhibition standard. They have gained 
honours at more than one show in brisk competition, and they are 
growing still more formidable to rival exhibitors. Amonpst the Ferns 
are splendid plants of Davallia Mooreana, Adiantums farleyense and 
others, with a wonderful example of Microlepia hirta-cristata, which 
from tip to tip of opposite fronds measures fully 12 feet, and it is 
in the most vigorous health. Two other Ferns that are thoroughly 
well trown are Trichomanes radicans, the Killarney Fern, and the 
delicate Todea pellucida. The Trichomanes is 4 feet in diameter, and 
crowded with its translucent fronds, the Todea being about a foot less 
in size, but similarly healthy. Of other stove foliage plants Dracaenas 
and Crotons receive much attention, the former comprising recurva, 
Lindeni, Baptisti, and majestica of fine proportions, and clothed with 
leaves to the base of the stem. A pair of D. Lindeni in particular are 
very handsome, 5 feet high, with broad well developed leaves ; Aspa¬ 
ragus plumosus, Anthuriums, and several Palms are noticeable in the 
collection. 
The flowering plants include Heaths, Azaleas, together with the 
ordinary conservatory plants, but there are also some of unusual 
interest. For instance, a plant of Impatiens Hawkeri, a grand bush 
over 6 feet in diameter, is very remarkable. This is only two years 
old, and yet it has formerl a fine compact specimen of that size, and 
has borne numbers of its large deep red flowers. It is much superior 
to the now well-known I. Sultani, as it makes a plant of better habit, 
retaining its lower leaves longer than the other. The graceful yellow 
drooping Urceolina pendula is grown in pots, and produces its flowers 
freely, while on the roofs of the various houses the most noteworthy 
plants are the elegant Petrasa volubilis, the large flower-d Aristolochia 
ornithocephaia, and the neat A. elegans, the imposing Hoya imperialis, 
which has had eight large clusters of flowers this year, the free little 
Ficus repens on several walls, a very large Lapageria rosea in the con¬ 
servatory, which has produced several thousands'* of flowers, and a fine 
Passiflora quadrangularis in the same house. 
To give an adequate note about the Orchids at Waddon House it will 
be necessary to [ ay another visit later on, but the Coelogynes cannot be 
passed without a word, as they are quite extraordinary, and afford an 
eloquent defence of the system of employing small pots for Orchids. 
The plants arc good varieties of C. cristata, and are in 32 and small 
24 sized pots, the pseudo-bulbs overspreading the sides and nearly 
reaching the stage upon which they are placed. One in the former size 
has thirty spikes showing, the others are producing forty-eight and fifty 
spikes each, while one large specimen, over 3 feet across, will probably 
have 100 spikes. The healthy condition of the plants, their stoutr 
pseudo-bulbs and firm leaves, prove that they receive liberal treatment, 
weak liquid manure being employed with discretion, as it also is for 
other Orchids of strong constitution ; but advantageous as this un¬ 
doubtedly is when judiciously applied, it is dangerous in the hands of 
inexperienced persons. Dendrobiums, Cypripediums, Cattleyas, and cool 
house Orchids are well represented, but the most notable within the past 
few weeks has been Liparis pendula, which, though rarely seen in 
gardens, is scarcely less attractive either in grace or fragrance than the 
favourite Dendrochilums. Three plants in small pots have from twelve 
to fourteen long pendulous spikes of pale j ellowish minute flowers 
closely placed, and the fragrance is of a peculiarly agreeable aromatic 
character. For vases th°y are very useful, and last nearly a fortnight 
when cut and placed in water.—C. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN AMERICA. 
While we have been busily occupied with the Chrysanthemum 
shows in this country our American horticultural cousins have also been 
similarly engaged, the popularity of this flower and the number of shows 
increasing rapidly within the past few years. The “ American Florist ” 
gives a series of reports in the November issue just to hand, and several 
of these are written by a lady in such an amusingly critical strain that 
a few passages may be reproduced. 
New Yobk. —The exhibition in this city seems to have been very 
satisfactory, and is thus noticed by the correspondent in question. “ The 
New York Horticultural Society has scored a big success. After a 
good deal of hard work and a certain amount of anxiety they have pro¬ 
duced a Show recalling the palmy days of Madison Square Garden, 
when they used to turn that desolate caravansary into a tropic jungle- 
The centre point of the Show must, of course, be the Chrysanthemums, 
but the interest was not confined to this class of plants. There were 
some good Orchids and some fine decorative plants. The Judges had 
rather a difficult job to decide on the merits of the best flower in the 
Exhibition, but they finally settled on Troubadour, a large fluffy pink 
Japanese. There were others that excelled it in size, but not in general 
excellence. Peter Henderson was winner of the prize for new varieties- 
introduced since 1885, and also for largest and best display of named 
kinds. Some of his new varieties were of very great merit, notably a 
rich ox-blood red, John Welsh. 
“ The baskets and vases filled with Chrysanthemums and Ferns cannot 
be very highly praised, and the bouquets of the same flowers were very 
poor ; they were like nothing on this earth so much as Derbyshire birch 
besoms, being built on the same model. 
“ The prize standards were shown by Geo. McClure. Among the 
many unique varieties shown by this exhibitor was Leopard, mauve, 
strangely spotted with pure white. Another mauve seedling of note is 
Volunteer. Mr. John Pettit is a terra cotta seedling of Mr. Spaulding’s, 
chiefly noticeable for the way the petals were whorled ; the heart of the 
flower being turned in an opposite direction from the outer ring. 
Dragon's Head was a pale pink with oddly notched petals ; Robt. 
Bottomly is a big white, very noticeable.” 
Boston.— -This show was held by the Massachusetts Horticultural 
Society, and was well patronised by exhibitors and visitors. “The 
Society has much reason to be proud of its Show this year, for in 
almost every particular it was the best exhibition of the kind it has 
ever given. The quality of the plants was far beyond anything ever 
seen here, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to excel the 
specimen cut flowers shown, either in size, variety, or form. The 
premiums offered this year were larger than ever before, and this fact 
encouraged the growers to unusual efforts. With the exception of the 
usual fringe of fruit and vegetables about the sides, and a small group 
of Orchids and cut Roses on the stage, the plants in competition for the 
special prize for twenty named plants in 8-inch pots were sufficient to 
fill the lower hall. The premiums in this class were 100, 75, and 50 
dollars.” 
A first prize equivalent to £20 is rarely offered for Chrysanthemum 
plants in this country, in fact this part of exhibitions is often somewhat 
neglected in framing schedules. The result is that there is a perceptible 
decline in specimen culture, and it is only a few, like Mr. Beckett of 
Elstree, who have the opportunity of devoting the necessary time and 
care to their production. 
New Jersey.— Referring to this Show the lady correspondent 
observes:— 
“ This was purely a Chrysanthemum Show. There were some few 
cut Roses and foliage plants, but the Orchid family was represented by 
one sad and lonesome Zygopetalum only. Still, we can hardly complain 
on this score ; the Chrysanthemums were the object of the Show, and' 
undoubtedly the strong attraction. All the old favourites were there, 
but naturally most interest was felt in the direction of the novelties. 
The Spaulding prizes, six in number, awarded for new seedlings, have 
called out a lot of promising infants. These prizes are awarded by Mr. 
Spaulding with the understanding that all stock of prizewinners is to 
become his property ; the growers are to have the privilege of naming 
their plants, and in the spring of 1838 are to be furnished with one 
