October 22, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
847 
among the good ones they have sent us, we take what they write not 
only with a grain of salt, but a good heap of it. 
This season has been very unfavourable for their growth and testing 
in this country, being three weeks or more later than an ordinary one, 
in consequence of which I think that some which I cannot place as 
■early—that is, flowering before the end of September—may in another 
year be fairly classed as such. As usual I will deal with the two Shows 
first. At the Crystal Palace Dahlia Show on the 4th and 5th of Sep¬ 
tember the usual three prizes were offered for groups of early flowering 
Chrysanthemums, which were taken in the following order :—Messrs. 
Eeid & Borneman first, Mr. H. J. Jones, of the Ryecroft Nursery, Lewis¬ 
ham second, and myself third. In relation to this first prize here and 
at the Aquarium Show, where also the first prize was awarded to the same 
firm, it will be well to state that these two groups were not by any means 
wholly composed of early flowering sorts. If this is allowed to go on, 
xor it was commenced last season, the result would be that others to win 
the prizes would have to use the late kinds too, and thus pervert the show 
from its proper uses. It may be as well to name some of the sorts placed in 
these groups—W. H. Lincoln (Marvel, syn. Spiralis, syn. Mrs. Wellam), 
Elliot T. Shepherd, Charlie Sharman, Carew Underwood, M. Freeman, 
and Mrs. Alpheus Hardy. No one would clas 3 these plants as early, 
they were plants that had been forced out of their season. Many growers 
know that if a piece of an old plant or a young plant struck the 
summer before is grown that it will flower earlier than a spring-struck 
plant, and also that if the first bud that appears is kept and all the 
other side shoots and buds are taken off, that many sorts can be had in 
bloom early, especially if forced with fire heat; in fact a whole group 
could be made up in that way by selecting the right sorts which are 
well-known to experienced growers. A lady or gentleman comes to the 
show and sets down the names of some that they might decorate their 
garden next season, and sends an order for a dozen Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, 
which will not only not bloom early but very often not bloom at all 
even in a greenhouse, much less in the open garden. 
I am rather at a loss to understand how the Judges should in two 
distinct cases let such a thing pass, but have an idea that Chrysanthe¬ 
mum judges are so much schooled in the matter of the late kinds and 
judging of individual flowers that they are wanting in appreciation of 
these sorts. I am attaching no blame to them. I think it is inad¬ 
vertently done, just as architects apply the pattern of a Greek or 
Roman temple to a post office in London or an orphan school at 
Clapton. I admire the Maison Caree at Nismes as a proper temple 
for the gods of the Romans, but not as a post office in London. There 
is an increasing number of new sorts fit for the purpose without forcing 
late ones, Bouquet de Dame and M. Bahuant for instance, which are 
both so early that they are unfit for the late shows and fulfil the 
conditions of growing such are applied to the late sorts. 
At the Aquarium Show on September the 9th and 10th Mr. E. Vince 
of the Highgate Cemetery, north of London, took the second prize for 
a group ; Mr. H. J. Jones of Lewisham third ; and Mr. N. Davis of 
■Camberwell had an extra prize for his group. These were all good for 
the season, but not remarkable, except in the case of Mr. Jones’, for 
having many new sorts of the season contained in it. In the class for cut 
flowers. Mr, Owen of Maidenhead was first, Mr. Ware of Hale Farm 
Nurseries, Tottenham, London, was second, and Mr. E. F. Such of 
Maidenhead third. Mr. Owen exhibited for the first time in England 
several of the new French early sorts—namely, Jules Paquet, Mde. 
E. Lelfort Pompons, for which he was awarded certificates, the latter 
being very similar and not any better than the new Pompons, Mde. 
Albert. Colmich and V. Chiquot, all orange coloured, and perhaps 
V. Chiquot is the best. He had also for the first time as cut 
flowers M. G. Dubor, a fine orange yellow Japanese, Madame 
Louis Lionnet, a large incurved pink ; M. Zephir Lionnet, a fine 
magenta Japanese, Mme. Eulalie Morel, fine cerise Japanese, 
M. Vauvel, a fine pink Japanese; Vice-President Hardy, very fine 
orange Japanese, and M. G. Dubor has a slight twist in the centre, and 
seemed the best of the Japanese exhibited. I should explain that all 
those fine flowers had been grown on disbudded plants. He also 
exhibited two very fine crimson flowers of Souvenir de M. Menier, also 
from disbudded plants, but from my own experience it is not so good 
when grown naturally. On a visit to Mr. Owen at Maidenhead on 
September 21st, among many promising seedlings and others I saw 
some flowers of a new seedling of his raising named N. Molyneux ; this 
is much in the style of E. Molyneux, but purple inside the florets, and 
with a kind of whitish-grey outer surface. These, of course, were from 
disbudded plants. 
At Mr. Ware’s nursery, Tottenham, on September 16th I saw in 
bloom the new sorts Madame Chauvin, pale magenta Japanese ; 
M. Francis Katzer, a new coloured red orange Japanese; Chevalier Ange 
de Banderia, a pink Japanese; M. Lemailles, a deep pinkish bronze; and 
M. Leheureux, a yellow reflexed. I was much impressed on that occasion 
with a patch of the early Pompon White Lady planted among others in 
the open field, which bore much finer flowers there than the plants I had 
formerly grown in pots, and this has demonstrated to me its suitability 
for the open garden. 
I was very fortunate in a visit to the Ryecroft Nursery of Mr. H. J. 
Jones at Lewisham on the 29th of September, for he had just completed 
a lean-to structure, with lights and wood about 8 or 9 feet wide and 
100 feet long, which he had filled with plants of new and old early 
flowering Chrysanthemums, mostly in full bloom. There were about 
1000 plants here, which formed a grand display, the finest I have ever 
seen. They were well-grown plants, mostly disbudded, and as they had 
only been under glass a day or two had not lost any perceptible colour, 
which the bright and dark-coloured ones very soon do when housed. 
This show was a credit to any grower, and much more so in the present 
case, owing to the great expense and labour in the production of it, due 
to the number and very high price of the many new and expensive 
varieties. One had a French list price of 30 francs, and many more 
prices, ranging 20, 15, and 10 franca each this spring, besides others 
from other sources than France, but little less dear. I myself have 
grown many of the best of these, and can well testify to the cost and 
labour such collections entail. 
In an effort to particularise the best and most worthy of cultivation 
among nearly 150 new so.ts of the season one must necessarily fail to 
some extent, not only on account of the number, but to the fact that in 
an unfavourable season like this probably wa have lost the opportunity 
of testing which more favourable summers would have afforded. It is 
possible that unknown merits may be found another season in some of 
those of which we at present think but little. 
I will try and deal with some of the earliest first, and foremost is 
M. Gustave Grunerwald. I believe this has a great future before it. 
My own plant had been too weakened to do it justice, and my estimate 
was low, but on seeing other plants in far apart places found it to be a 
fine strong sort, though not so coarse and robust as some, still the flowers 
a kind of light lilac or pink, seemed of no particular merit, and by no 
means justify M. Delaux’s description, which I translate thus : “Here 
is, without contradiction, the most beautiful and the most remarkable 
variety of Chrysanthemums that exists.” He gives the height at 
35 centimetres, or about 14 inches, but I think it will grow generally 
about 18 inches. The opinion I had formed from the above plants wa3 
quite changed one day on a visit to Mr. N. Davis’s nursery at Camber¬ 
well, for there was a plant in its first bloom showing the most delicate 
and elegant flower ever seen at this time of the year. The plant was 
slender with very few leaves and a mass of flower buds on the top besides 
the flower that was just fully out, which was about 3 to 4 inches across 
in the form of a half-ball with narrow petals filling up well all over, 
with just enough curve and twist to add that exquisite refinement which 
so distinguishes the flower. It was nearly pure white, grown as it was 
at the very light end of a glass house. I visited this plant on three 
occasions weeks apart, and it seems to be as M. DMaux states, “Con- 
tinuellement en fleur.” 1 am not sure how it was that this plant 
demonstrated so much better the great merit of the variety than the 
others, but have a strong suspicion that much of it was due to the skill 
of Mr. N. Davis. For anyone who may have seen Mons. Dtilaux’s 
engraving of the flower I may say ft conveys the idea that the florets are 
broader and coarser there than in the flower itself, especially in the 
middle. It is very early, blooming at the beginning of September. 
Perhaps the next new plant in importance is Baronne G. C. de 
Briailles. This is one of the most striking of the early varieties yet seen. 
It is a very stout robust plant, growing 2 feet 9 inches high, with 
flowers about 5 inches across, composed of rather broad and stout florets 
reflexed. The blooms are durable and nearly white, slightly flushed 
pink at the outer ends of the florets. The bloom3 come out at different 
levels, so that no buds need be taken off to let them all expand. It is 
a good grower, the habit nearly all that can be desired, and it flowers 
at the end of August. 
Yicomtesse d’Av&ne.—This is a good pinkish lilac incurved variety, 
very dwarf, and fairly stout, about 20 inches to 2 feet high. F owers 
about 3 inches across. Very early, blooming in August. It is of stout 
woody habit, and very rapid in coming to perfeetion. Thus a cutting 
inserted on May 21st was in flower by September 25th. 
J. B. Duvoir, not Madame de Dubor, for which the name may be 
mistaken, is a most beautiful Pompon, perhaps the finest of all the early 
Pompons, and quite equal to any of the late one3. It is not perfectly 
white in the open, but is so under glass, and its extreme delicacy of 
appearance renders it very attractive. The blooms in August were 
inches across, very full of florets. 
Ami Mezard flowers at the end of July, strikingly novel in appear¬ 
ance, 2 feet high ; flowers 4 inches across, composed of broad ribbon-like 
florets of a blushing pink to yellow; profuse bloomer, and fine stout 
habit. 
Madame Zephir Leionnet is very fine orange yellow reflexed variety, 
2 feet high, flowers 3 inches across ; profuse and excellent bloomer ; very 
early, blooms in August. 
M. Dupuis is very bright orange yellow, much reflexed, flowers 
3 inches across. Plant 18 inches high. This is the best in its line, and 
with Madame Zephir Lionnet form the best pair of the kind, and a 
considerable advance on sorts in cultivation previously, as they both 
bloom in August. 
R6n6 Chandon de Briailles blooms in July ; 2 feet high ; flowers 
2 inches across ; reddish violet striped with white on the petals. 
Coral Queen was raised by Mr. Owen ; most striking colour of pink 
coral; Japanese ; 3 to 4 feet high, flowers 4 inches across, each one 
with a good stalk, so that the flowers are not crowded together. It 
forms in the garden a most striking object, as it is a very free bloomer. 
It is of good habit, and is an excellent sort altogether. It flowers in 
September. 
Gloire d’Astafort is much the same colour as the above, perhaps the 
ladies will call it terra cotta. It is a Japanese, flowering at the end of 
September, of rather slender habit and spare foliage, but good bloomer 
with long stalks ; 4 feet high ; blooms 4 inches across. 
Ruby King, raised by Mr. 0<ven, a very fine stout dwarf plant 
requiring no stick ; reflexed crimson ; flowers 3 inches across, produced 
