318 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 4, 1888. 
evening a string band, oiganised by Mr. Pryer, a member of the Society, 
played a capital selection of music. 
A CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW IN CINCINNATI. 
The “American Florist” announces a grand Centennial Exhibition 
of Chrysanthemums at Cincinnati, Ohio, from October 22nd to October 
27th next, when some extraordinary prizes will be offered. Only four¬ 
teen classes are enumerated, but the prizes range from 250 to 5 dollars. 
For “the best display comprising the largest number of well grown 
plants, all kinds,” the prizes are £50, £30, and £10. For “ the best fifty 
plants, all kinds,” £20, £10, and £5 are offered, with £10, £5, and £2 
for twenty-five plants. Smaller prizes are also offered for plants in such 
classes as the following :—“ Best ten white,” “ best ten yellow,” “ best 
ten pink,” and single specimens in the same way. There are only three 
classes for cut flowers. The first is for “ the best display in variety, not 
less than 300 vases or glasses,” the prizes being £20, £15, and £10. The 
others are of a similar character, with prizes from £10 to £2. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT DOVER HOUSE, ROEHAMPTON. 
Chrysanthemums are largely grown in the garden to produce 
large blooms, and from their appearance they will do so. Several hun¬ 
dreds of plants are cultivated for this purpose, the majority occupying 
a position in a newly acquired kitchen garden, a row of plants standing 
on each side of a high path in such a manner that they miss the winds 
and are exposed to the sun ; in fact, just the spot a cultivator would 
choose. The plants run on the big side as regards the wood and foliage, 
but nevertheless it is ripening well. Thunberg is 8 feet high, other 
sorts in proportion. Very fine jin appearance are the plants of Val 
d’Andorre ; 10-inch pots are mainly used, and the plants had not needed 
much feeding beyond occasional supplies of soot water. The Queen 
family perhaps showed a soft appearance rather as compared with the 
other varieties. In this garden the Rundles and Glennys are still con¬ 
sidered worthy of a place.—R. 
JAPANESE CHRYSANTHEMUM DOREE. 
This new variety belonging to the early-flowering section is now 
flowering in the nursery of Messrs. W. & G. Drover, Fareham, and a 
very pleasing variety it is ; the colour is a soft yellow or deep primrose. 
The flower is of medium size ; the florets reflex thoroughly, forming a full 
bloom. It is a useful addition to the early-flowering class. 
EARLY-FLOWERING VARIETIES. 
This section of Chrysanthemums was well represented at the late 
Crystal Palace Show by the groups there staged in competition for the 
prizes offered. By far the best as representing the greater variety wa3 
that from Messrs. Davis & Jones, Camberwell, London, containing as it 
did the best kinds in this section. Intending growers of this section of 
the Chrysanthemum could not do better than select varieties from the 
undermentioned, which I noted as being the most meritorious. Mdlle. 
Leonie Lassali, creamy white, very free flowering, of good form ; Miss 
Davis, fine pink sport from Mrs. Cullingford, the flowers of good form ; 
Mrs. J. R. Pitcher, flowers soft pink, of capital form; Toreador, small 
flower of a bronze colour ; Mignon, this is a capital sort, very profuse 
bloomer, dwarf compact habit, deep rich yellow. Salter’s Early Blush, 
a rosy blush-coloured flower; Nanum, creamy white, perfect formed 
flower, free ; St. Crouts, very free, pink in colour ; Lyon, a bright rosy 
purple; Alice Butcher, a sport from Lyon, colour at commencement a 
deep red changing to orange ; Flora, a bright yellow, very free ; Blanche 
Colomb, creamy white ; not forgetting those favourite varieties 
Madame Desgrange, G. Wermig, and Mrs. Burrell.—E. M. 
The season has not been one of the best for Chrysanthemum 
growers generally. After a late cold spring a succession of dull wet 
weather setting in made a vast difference in the wood produced 
compared with last year, when the wood was as hard as Hazel. How¬ 
ever, we have had three weeks of fine weather, which has improved the 
appearance of things much in the respect of the ripening process, 
though our plants which are grown for large blooms average a foot 
higher than last year, but i there seems every chance of good solid 
blooms. 
Our summer-flowering varieties have done well this season, perfecting 
well-formed blooms with full centres, which is sometimes a fault in 
summer varieties, having what is termed black centres. We have a good 
number of Madame Desgrange, G. Wermig, and Mrs. Cullingford, which 
we are beginning to cut freely. The two former are opening far better 
than they did last autumn, though the plants have been rather closely 
packed for want of room ; consequently the wood is soft, though the 
plants have abundant healthy buds. Mdlle. Leonie Lassali, a sulphur- 
white variety, is of a good stiff habit and very free, is about ten days 
earlier than Madame Desgrange. La Vierge is pure white, flowering 
through October, fine for cutting or for pot plants ; this is also a dwarf 
stiff-habited variety. Anna Liabaud is not so satisfactory, the flowers 
not coming perfect. The above varieties may be relied upon for a 
succession of useful blooms until Lady Selbome, Mdlle. Lacroix, and 
Elaine begin to open. 
Earwigs have been troublesome; these are now disappearing, but 
green fly attacked the plants about ten days ago, and seem likely to be 
troublesome until we get the plants housed, when fumigating thoroughly 
will be tried. Tobacco powdering or syringing is of little use, as the 
pests are seeking protection on the under leaves as the nights become 
colder.—A Notts Grower. 
SEASONABLE WORK. 
Every attention must be paid to those plants that are to yield large 
flowers. The majority must be under cover, and the remainder placed 
where they can be protected or lifted inside in case of frost. Early 
frosts often compel the housing of these plants to take place before it 
would otherwise be necessary, the thermometer having already fallen 
2° below the freezing point. These light fiosts do not appear to do 
harm, but they do the plants no good, and protection from such influ¬ 
ences should be provided. When the plants are housed be careful not 
to crowd them, for it is important to preserve their lower foliage until 
the last. The preservation of the foliage insures the activity of the- 
roots, which must be farther assisted by top-dressing and judicious 
feeding. Admit abundance of air at first and avoid unduly exciting the 
plants, or the flower buds will come forward too rapidly to insure their 
being of good size and perfect form.—A Grower. 
NATIONAL SOCIETY’S CATALOGUE. 
In looking through the above Catalogue I note that in the charac¬ 
teristics of incurved it is said the bloom should be as nearly a glole 
as possible. In my opinion this would have been better had it 
read in this way—“ The incurved flower should be of globe form,, 
but as much deeper as possible.” With all good judges and grower*! 
the depth of an incurved bloom is the most essential point. What 
would be done if a second prize winner declared that the first prize 
blooms do not correspond with the characteristics of an incurved bloom 
should the stand contain flowers which are of extra depth ? Qualified 
adjudicators will always acknowledge depth in a bloom as the first con¬ 
sideration, and I fancy deep flowers are more easily found at the present 
date than they were, say, fifteen years ago.—E. Molyneux. 
REVIEW OF BOOK. 
The Tuberous Begonia, its History and Cultivation. By Contri¬ 
butors to the “ Gardening World.” London : 17, Catherine- 
Street, Strand, 1888. 
In a compact book of 106 pages is embodied all the information 
that can be required concerning the Tuberous Begonia, representing; 
the work of several hands, prepared under the direction of Mr. B. Wynne. 
The history of the species, the origin of the cultivated forms and their 
culture both indoors and out, are treated at length in several chapters. 
Numerous illustrations are given of the leading varieties or types, and 
portraits of Mr. R. Pearce, Mr. John Laing, and Mr. H. Cannell are also 
included. 
The following extracts give some idea of the scope of the work ini 
the historical portion. The cultural instructions are reliable anc? 
elaborate. 
THE FOREST HILL STRAIN. 
“ It was in the year 1875 when Mr. John Laing of Forest Hill 
whose portrait we have the pleasure to introduce into these pages, after- 
some years of patient labour bestowed on the improvement of many of 
our most important florists’ flowers, turned his attention to the Tuberous 
Begonia, for which he believed there was a grand future as a greenhouse- 
decorative plant. How he has succeeded in the development of the 
plant to a pitch of excellence at first undreamed of all the world now 
knows, and we can only express our regret here that we are unable to 
give more than a general idea of how the marked improvement has- 
been brought about by him. Mr. Laing commenced cross-breeding 
with B. boliviensis, B. Veitchi, B. Pearcei, and the following varieties— 
Vesuvius, Dr. Masters, Mrs. Masters, and Dr. Hooker ; but the seedlings 
obtained in the following year were not of a promising character, but 
little improvement being visible. He then obtained all the varieties ho- 
could get of other raisers, both at home and on the Continent, which he 
crossed with his own seedlings, and vice versa ; and the next season had 
the pleasure of raising several sorts which were decided improvements. 
This little success gave a fresh impetus to the work, and by adding to 
his stock the best new varieties sent out by other growers, and a mg' 
seeds, carefully fertilised, from the finest sorts, had the results of fifty- 
seven different crosses to sow in January, 1878 ; and from these sowings- 
great advances were obtained. In the summer of the same year Mr. 
Laing exhibited at South Kensington a group of seedlings which fairly 
startled the floral world, and to which the Royal Horticultural Society 
awarded its gold medal, many of the varieties being also distinguished 
by the award of first class certificates. Then was the Tuberous Begonia, 
characterised as ‘ the coming flower.’ 
“ In the same year the Messrs. Veitch sent out their Queen of Whites, 
which turned out to be a splendid seed or pollen parent. Mr. Laing 
crossed it with Henderson’s White Queen, and vice versa, and in 1879 
