December 13, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
543 
EARLY CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Referring to the article on early Chrysanthemums by Mr. W. Piercy 
at page 490, I think it is time some more definite method of classing 
these should be found, and perhaps Mr. Piercy might be induced to 
classify the sorts, particularly as to the period they come into flower in 
the open borders. I do not suppose I am singular in my experience with 
regard to these, which is one of much disappointment that many early 
sorts flower so late as to require the protection of glass in our northern 
climate. Those that do flower are among the finest border flowers— e.g., 
Pr^cocitd, which begins flowering in July ; Madame Desgrange and 
varieties, which begin six weeks later, beside several Pompons that are 
pretty but of less value. Flowers which do not come in until October 
are too late for borders. La Yierge, for instance, is a most useful variety, 
but it has to be flowered under glass ; Roi des Pr^coces belongs to the 
same class. Of those named by Mr. Piercy I do not know Grace Attick, 
but will try it another season. Sam Henshaw has the unfortunate fault 
of flimsiness and an open eye, and will not do in the north. Elsie is 
going to prove a good decorative variety, but it only opened its flowers 
in the beginning of December. Madame C. Soucliet is about the same 
stage as the above. 
Some other varieties of the present season, which I like better and 
are a month earlier, are—Capucine, a very pretty dwarf grower ; Madame 
Jonis Langlois, the earliest to open, of a very pretty shade of rosy 
violet, dwarf and good ; Bettina, clear orange, edged with yellow, I 
expect will prove a standard decorative sort ; Madame Mezard is very 
■distinct, the florets, which are a light violet, are sprinkled over with 
white blotches ; La Tosca is a dark crimson ; Condor, white, worth 
trying. Several other kinds, all of which were selected from the cata¬ 
logues as early, have not yet flowered. 
The present has been a disappointing season, so many sorts having 
failed to flower, and among these some of the most useful. Elaine, 
for instance, is generally a failure; Mdlle. Lacroix is flowering very 
sparsely ; Source d’Or, Ornements, Lady Selborne, Simon Dblaux, and 
many others showing scarcely a flower. Of those that have done well are 
the Rundle family ; Queen of England and its varieties ; Mons. W. 
Holmes, a grand sort; Reverie, very good ; Chevalier Domage, Soeur 
Melanie, Mrs. Forsyth, Fair Maid of Guernsey, Julie Lagravbre, Peter 
the Great, and Princess of Teck. 
I omitted to say that I have heard very good accounts of a new 
variety of this year named Margarita, in the way of Eiise Dordan, but 
which flowers throughout the summer and is very sweet scented.—B. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM STAKES. 
Whether Chrysanthemums are grown for exhibition or home deco¬ 
ration, they generally require stakes, and this fact is often overlooked 
until they are required, which happens at a very busy time. Where 
wood stakes are used they are generally in readiness, but where hedgerow 
sticks are used it is often the reverse. I wish to remind those in charge 
that any time during the winter is the best time to get them. Now, 
while the hedges and trees are leafless, it is easy to see which are the 
straightest and best for the purpose. They can also be used much 
thinner if cut now than when they are full of sap, as they will not bend 
about like fresh-cut ones. If tied tight together in bundles they will 
■dry straight. The time can be better spared now than in June or July, 
when so many things require attention. In visiting several gardens, I 
have been impressed by this want of timely consideration by noticing 
stakes used as thick as walking sticks where as thick as lead pencils 
(near the top) would have been sufficient, and this is important when 
the plants are required for conservatory decoration.—E. 
NEW AMERICAN CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
A SHORT time since one of our leading nurserymen sent me a bloom 
•of a Japanese Chrysanthemum which had created much sensation in 
America this season. I was asked to give an opinion as to its merits. 
From the note on the same subject on page 514, I think the two are 
identical, or nearly so. I could not discern any difference between the 
bloom I saw and Mrs. H. Cannell. The flower in questiomwas a bad 
one, but it was of the character of the Japanese variety named. The 
only difference I could see was that the back of the petals were more 
thickly covered with the long silky hair mentioned in the report from 
the American Florist than in the case of the blooms of Mrs. Cannell, 
though these have small hair-like particles on the reverse of the florets, 
these showing a decided tendency to incurve in the same manner as 
those of the variety named. From the bloom I saw, I was bound to say 
that not sufficient difference existed between the two varieties to warrant 
me in saying they were distinct.—E. M. 
A WALL OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
By this I mean a wall 84 feet long and 10 feet high, the back wall 
of a spacious lean-to Peach house, a mass of flowers from near the 
bottom to the top, and no break showing the bare wall. This is to be 
■seen year after year at Berry Hall, Solihull, near Birmingham, the re¬ 
sidence of Joseph Gillett, Esq., of steel pen fame, and it is “a sight 
worth seeing. The sorts planted are Curiosity, Jardin des Plantes, Gloire 
Be France, Peter the Great, Flambeau, Belle Paule, Fleur de Marie, 
Baronne de Prailly, Thunberg, Cry Kang, The Cossack, Elaine, Crimson 
Velvet, of a lovely bright glossy colour ; John Salter, Illustration, 
James Salter, Jane Salter, Fair Maid of Guernsey, Rubra Striata, Dr. 
Macary, Bronze Jardin des Plantes, Madame de Sevin, Duchess of 
Albany, Mme. B. Rendatler, Mrs. Bunn, and Comte de Germiny. These 
are established plants planted in the border against the back wall, close 
to which a wood trellis part way is placed, but the roots are away into 
the Peach tree border of the house. In training the plants very little 
is cut away, as a mass of flowers is the chief object for cutting from. 
These plants are cut back in January, never stopped, and almost every 
growth tied in. When armfuls of cut flowers are wanted and Peach 
house or other walls are at disposal, that is a very easy method of 
securing them, independent of producing a charming display. 
Mr. Milton, the gardener here (the family of Miltons are well known 
in connection with Mr. Maurice Young’s nursery at Godaiming), grows 
a good collection of Chrysanthemums independent of those on the 
wall, and amongst other newly introduced varieties the following are 
in fine character with him—viz., Madame John Laing, Mrs. J. Wright, 
Mdlle. Blanche Pigny, Mawet Postula, Pelican, and Lady Lawrence, a 
large white, resembling Pelican. Peaches are grown extensively at 
Berry Hall in spacious well-built houses, each 84 feet long. 
Berry Hall also has a celebrity for Conifer®, a fine collection having 
been planted many years ago, including several of the rarer species 
so little planted now. There are fine specimens of Abies invecta (the 
Drooping Spruce) planted thirty years ago ; a fine Picea grandis, 20 feet 
high ; a grand Abies monstrosa, and a Picea magnifica, 15 feet high ; 
and a host of others. An excellent collection of herbaceous plants, in¬ 
cluding the leading varieties of the Paconies, are grown here.—D. 
M. A. DE LEAU. 
The variety I exhibited both at Birmingham and Pontefract under 
the name of Albert de Leau, should have been named M. A. de Leau. 
I was also under the impression that it wa3 the Albert Deleau of the 
N.C.S, The variety in question I had from Messrs. W. Clibran & Son, 
Altrincham, and am indebted to that firm for the correction. I submit 
Delaux’s description— 11 M. A. de Leau (Delaux), pure’white, as white 
as that beautiful variety Helene, but splendid blooms, no empty space, 
and double the size of flower. It is without doubt the finest white 
variety ever seen.” I consider it quite distinct from Elaine, having 
more the form and petal of Mons. Astorg, with the pure white of Ava¬ 
lanche.—D. Lindsay, Otterspool Gardens, Liverpool. 
[Our correspondent is probably right, and his blooms were very fine* 
answering well to the description. The Albert Deleau of the N.C.S. 
Catalogue should, we suspect, be Albert Dblaux.] 
CHRYSANTHEMUM FABIAN DE ME DIANA. 
When reading about this Chrysanthemum in the last issue of the 
Journal, the first thing that struck me was that Mr. Machattie cannot 
have the true Fabian de Mediana, for he says this variety “has been 
shown in splendid condition in Scotland this season.” When in good 
condition, Fabian de Mediana is acknowledged to be the best type of 
Japanese Anemone we have, being so full centred, the disc especially 
large, while the guard florets hang quite perpendicularly. The colour of 
these is deep lilac, the centre being blush shaded purple. If your corre¬ 
spondent has the true Fabian, I am at a loss to know how it resembles 
Duchess of Albany, which is a full Japanese, without the least appear¬ 
ance of an Anemone centre. Has Mr. Machattie been misled with the 
bad form of the Anemone this season ? I have not seen a really good 
bloom of it anywhere, but plenty which would give an idea that it was 
a Japanese variety by the entire absence of properly formed quill florets, 
which are needed to make a typical Anemone. But, then, I have not 
seen any blooms of Fabian which were at all like the Duchess in colour, 
of course assuming he alludes to Jackson’s variety, that with the orange 
buff, shaded red florets, this being the variety which is so commonly 
called the Duchess of Albany. The other variety (Veitch's or Salter’s, 
I forget which) is not much grown. This would more resemble the 
colour of iFabian, which, in the absence of the distinction which Mr. 
Machattie does not give, renders the matter more uncertain. Even 
should the latter be the variety to which Mr. Machattie alludes, there is 
a wide difference between it and Fabian de Mediana. The former has 
much broader florets, which fill up the centre, the points of which 
recurve. 
My opinion is, that no bloom of Fabian de Mediana—no matter its 
form or otherwise—ought to be admitted into the Japanese section under 
any consideration, because if such a commencement is made, where will 
the line be drawn ? It must, indeed, be a badly grown flower which 
does not, in some manner, display its true character ; therefore, I would 
say, if it is not fit to be shown in its proper class it is not fit 
to be shown at all. Even if it were possible to obtain a bloom 
without any sign of Anemone character, I fancy it would not assist 
the Japanese section greatly. There are quite enough in the latter 
family without admitting Anemone varieties. I do not know what the 
rules are in Scotland regarding the admission of varieties such as 
Triomphe du Nord into the reflexed class, but I never but twice saw it 
staged in England in a reflexed stand, and then I was uuder the necessity 
of disqualifying them or of passing them, which was nearly the same 
thing. I do not believe in the fashion of allowing one sort to be shown 
in two stands which are supposed to be opposite in character. My idea 
is give all a place and keep them there, and there only. If such method 
was practised strictly more satisfaction would be given, and exhibitors 
would know what varieties to depend upon for the different stands.— 
E. Molynetjx. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT SOLIHULL. 
One of the most successful cultivators in Warwickshire is Mr. Thomas 
Hewitt, who retired from the nursery business a few years since, and 
