Kovember 1, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
411 
Nursery to form an idea as to the magnitude of the collection of 
Chrysanthemums there grown. As regards comprehensiveness it can 
perhaps hold its own with any in the kingdom, and comprises most of 
the best varieties in cultivation. There are about 3000 plants arranged 
in the large show house before mentioned, but these only form a minor 
portion of the collection. Nevertheless they will in the course of a week 
or ten days make a display practically unsurpassed. This house is more 
•than 100 feet long and proportionately wide, and the plants are arranged 
in banks on each side, with a winding walk through the centre. As 
elsewhere, the blooms are late in expanding this year, and on the 
occasion of a recent visit many promising novelties were not opened, but 
there were abundance to interest the most casual observer. Two other 
fine houses are likewise filled with plants for producing large blooms, 
while another huge structure is devoted to the single and Pompon 
types, of which a speciality is likewise made. In addition to these tens 
of thousands of stock plants, healthy and vigorous in appearance, are 
grown so as to meet the ever-increasing demand for cuttings. 
Regarding the individual blooms it need scarcely be said that the 
majority of those open are quite up to the average in size, and among 
the newer varieties some charming novelties were conspicuous. Those 
with hirsute florets form a striking feature, as they are becoming very 
numerous. Of these the recently certificated Hairy Wonder, and which 
is figured in the present issue, stands out prominently. Esau is another 
effective flower of the same type, salmon blush suffused with yellow. 
King of the Hirsutes is a large Japanese flower of a lemon yellow, and 
Monarch of the Ostrich Plumes is another striking novelty of a bright 
yellow shade. 
Among the new Japanese varieties King of Chrysanthemums is 
promising remarkably well. This is a splendid flower of a bright 
crimson shade, with an old gold colour reverse, and will make a grand 
addition to the list of exhibition varieties. It was obtained from Japan 
through California, and is very appropriately named. Parthenia is a 
beautiful reflexed Japanese flower, pure white, and of great substance. 
As a yellow Phebeus will probably be heard of again, the same applying 
to Sir Edwin T. Smith. The last-named appears to resemble The 
Tribune in form, but is larger and of a richer colour. The new varieties, 
Mrs. W. H. Lees and Madame C. Molin, for which certificates were 
recently awarded, are likewise represented, and our attention was drawn 
to Silver Cloud, a large white flower tinted salmon. 
The foregoing varieties are but a few of the latest introductions, but 
all the standard kinds are, of course, included in the collection. Some 
incurved flowers were seen to be expanding grandly, and amongst the 
others several striking new Anemone-flowered sorts were discernible. 
Descartes is undoubtedly one of the best Anemones in cultivation, and 
worthy of the certificate that Mr. Jones secured for it last week. It is a 
large flower of a rich crimson colour, some of the centre tubes being 
faintly tipped with yellow. Another new variety of the same type is 
Junon, a charming rosy pink flower. As mentioned above, thousands 
of seedlings are on trial, and many novelties of this year raised by other 
growers have already been added to the extensive stock. 
SWANLEY. 
The Home of Flowers would not be worthy the name or that of Cannell 
were not Chrysanthemums well and extensively grown, so that the 
collection numbers about 6000 plants, almost all of which are displayed 
in Messrs. Cannell & Sons’ largest house, an imposing span-roofed one 
standing at the top of the nursery. The plants are not nearly so 
advanced as they have been in former years, but still the show is an 
imposing one. The growth of the plants is stout and strong, and so far 
damp does not appear to have played such havoc as is the case in many 
collections this season. The flowers are of good shape, finish, and colour, 
while in size they leave little to be desired. Both the firm and its 
grower deserve the heartiest congratulations for the success that has 
certainly been achieved. 
Amongst so many varieties one scarcely knows where to commence, 
and after that difficulty has been overcome he cannot find a place to 
stop, for each glance something fresh catches the eye, and he may thus 
go on noting until almost every variety grown has been accorded a 
certain amount of attention. However, by starting with the popular 
and handsome Charles Davis one cannot but fancy he is on safe ground. 
Madame Charles Molin is splendidly seen in this collection, as also is the 
darkly coloured William Seward. The old Avalanche ia seen in some¬ 
what large numbers and in excellent condition, and it is evident that 
the Swanley experts are well aware of its practical utility. The hand¬ 
some blooms of Edwin Molyneux (Messrs. Cannell’s famous introduc¬ 
tion) are very striking, the colour being developed to a singular degree. 
A deep claret red coloured flower of great size and weight will be 
certain of notice. It is Commandant Blussett, and undoubtedly an 
acquisition. Vi viand Morel as is usual everywhere holds a foremost 
position, while the chastely beautiful flowers of Miss Anna Hartshorn 
are very numerous and of excellent quality. The delicate shade of 
Primrose League secures for it a very large number of admirers, while 
the unique variety Odorata, with its lilac florets striped with yellow and 
sweetly scented, will also be accorded a high place by many. Mons. 
Panckoucke is a grand yellow that is not sufliciently grown, for it is 
certainly possessed of many good points. Mrs. C. Harmau Payne is 
large in size and grandly coloured, while the blooms of Mrs. E. G. Hill 
are very charming. 
In addition to those already mentioned there are now in bloom at 
Swanley a number of seedlings, some of which were apparently of great 
promise, though they were not sufiflciently advanced to permit of a 
decided opinion being expressed. Lord Marcus Beresford was certainly 
one of the best, with its pointed bright yellow florets and somewhat 
flat bloom. Pleasance, soft blush in shade, looks to have the making 
of a good sort, as also does William Weeks. Colonel Curzon, pale rose ; 
R. Falconer Jameson, a deep coloured Eteile de Lyon ; Colonel Batten, 
delicate pink ; Miss Marie Cameron, very pale rose, and John Machan, 
clear yellow, were also seen. 
Each of the varieties which have been named above belong to the 
Japanese section, those included amongst the incurved not being 
accorded so much attention—in fact, only a comparatively small 
number of plants, considering the extent of the collection, is grown. 
Globe d’Or, Madame Darier, Mons. R. Bahuant, Baron Hirsch, Queen 
of England, and Lord Wolseley were, however, seen in very good 
condition. Any time during the next week or two Swanley, if only to 
see the Chrysanthemums, will be worth a visit, though those who go 
might do worse than devote a few minutes to the Zonal Pelargoniums, 
which are now making a glorious display. 
Early Flowering Chrysanthemums. 
The contrast between the summers of 1893 and 1894 has certainly 
been most marked. The spring was good and very free, except in one 
or two instances, from late spring frosts. Some hot weather set in early, 
and by the beginning of July things in many cases were a month earlier 
than is usual here ; but from that time forward there was a deficiency 
of sun and heat till by October things were as late, and in some cases 
later, than in average seasons. The result of all this has been that in 
Chrysanthemums the development has not been so good, although many 
sorts have grown from one-quarter to one-third higher than usual, and 
made more than ever evident the necessity for the possession of dwarf 
varieties. 
A very remarkable thing was the great prevalence late in the season 
of green fly on the Chrysanthemums, and an even more remarkable 
phenomenon was about the end of June the sudden appearance of 
thousands of those little long black insects which turn into ladybirds. 
The numbers were so great that in about ten days they had devoured 
the whole of the green fly, leaving the plants free to grow, and them¬ 
selves shrivelling up preparatory to their appearing in a new life as 
ladybirds. In former years I have noticed the ladybirds suddenly come 
and eat the green fly. They seemed to drop from the sky, as did the 
small black insects this year, and if we could do anything to promote 
their incoming in sufficient numbers early in the season we should be 
little troubled with green fly. I have seen experienced Chrysanthemum 
men kill these insects, thinking they were eating the plants, which is an 
entire mistake. There is another insect, too, which I have seen killed as 
an enemy and called a caterpillar, which it is not, but more like a 
gentle, such as is used for fishing bait, only that it is rather more green ; 
these work up into the hearts of the plants and destroy the green fly. 
It is pointed at what I may term the mouth end and thick at the other, 
and if anything can be done to foster them it would be a good thing for 
the Chrysanthemums. 
As for the shows of the National Chrysanthemum Society at the 
Aquarium at Westminster on the 4th, 5th and 6th of September, there 
was nothing very new or striking in early Chrysanthemums. I believe 
the new sort Harvest Home was exhibited for the first time by 
Mr. Owen the raiser. At the show of the same Society at the above 
place on October 10th, 11th and 12th it was apparent that exhibitions 
do not do justice to the typical early varieties. How is it likely that a 
fair idea of October flowering sorts can be obtained from a show where 
the first prize for twenty-four flowers in not less than eighteen varieties 
goes to a stand containing W. Seward, Kentish Yellow, W. H. Lincoln, 
E. Molyneux, and Miss Dorothea Shea? There is no great difficulty in 
growing late sorts early, as the London shop windows have abundantly 
shown, as displaying large blooms of W. H. Lincoln (a decidedly 
November variety) at the end of September; but that does not make it 
even a semi-early sort. 
It seems to me that London is being left behind in the early 
varieties, and unless the schedules are altered the metropolitan shows 
will cease to mark the progress being made. The fact is many minds 
have become so acquainted with November shows for prizes, 
that these same minds do not grasp the importance of the early 
kinds to the flower trade and decorators in general; and while great 
progress is being made elsewhere, it is by some thought that such 
progress does not exist, or that it is a phantom of the brain of the 
enthusiast. 
This October show was chiefly remarkable as relates to the early 
Chrysanthemum in the decorations shown. Mr. J. R. Chard of Stoke 
Newington, who took the first prize, and among his objects was one 
very large wreath composed almost wholly of Gustave Grunerwald, 
perhaps the largest mass of that variety ever seen at a show. The other 
decorations exhibited by Mr. D. B. Crane, of Highgate ; Mr. E. Beckett, 
of Aldenham, Elstree ; and Mrs. Walter Mole, of Hemel Hempstead, 
consisted almost wholly of early-flowering Chrysanthemums ; thus they 
were advantageous in showing their value for these purposes. 
The good new sorts of early and semi-early kinds I have been able 
to discover and grow are as follows :—The first in importance is a great 
advance in colour to any early sort yet in cultivation. It is named 
Harvest Home, and was raised by Mr. Owen. It is a crimson of very 
bright tint, tipped golden yellow ; Japanese in form ; grows a little 
over 3 feet high, and has flowers about 4 inches across ; a free grower, 
with a rather slender habit and moderate foliage ; blooms in September. 
Longfellow (Longfellow) is a beautiful white Pompon, the form of the 
