' FEBRUARY. 
33 
POMPONE CHKYSANTHEMUMS. 
(Plate 173.) 
The exceptional cliaracter of the year 1860, influenced not 
only out-of-door productions, hut also the more sheltered 
inmates of greenhouses, and even stoves; not only had wall- 
fruit no flavour, and Verbenas no character, but even Chry¬ 
santhemums were very different from what they usually are; 
the shows were, comparatively speaking, failures, and even 
the winter garden of Mr. Salter was shorn of some of its 
splendour. This was to he attributed in a great measure to 
the absence of sunlight; it was impossible to hope that flowers 
would expand, or that colours would be vivid, when day after 
day a cold and leaden sky hung overhead, or the rain descended 
in torrents. One might naturally have expected, considering 
how fond this flower is of moisture, that those planted out-of- 
doors would have flourished ; hut here again, there was dis¬ 
appointment, they were so late in coming into flower, and when 
they did, the weather was so unfavourable, that they were 
quite below the mark; and even the Temple Gardens made 
but a poor display, compared with what they have done in 
previous years; yet we see, despite of all this, that Mr. Salter 
lias contrived to introduce a few novelties to our notice, and 
I have notes taken at his nursery in December, which I hope 
to give in a future number; with those who are not exhibitors, 
Pompones generally are greater favourites than the large 
varieties, they are so much more compact in growth, and 
copious in their blooming. They will not do, however, for that 
tremendous operation called dressing; generally speaking, they 
are much too compact for that, but the extent to which this is 
carried in large flowers, may he judged from the fact that one 
flower (which shall he nameless) which the raiser was anxious 
to dispose of, took three days to dress, and then was brought 
to such a state of perfection as to completely take in the 
experienced foreman of a London nursery, who was sent to 
look at it. Two out of the flowers selected for illustration 
this month may be considered as novelties, one especially so, 
and coming from the same raiser who has already given us 
so many valuable varieties, they may he regarded as an in¬ 
dication that he does not mean to stop where he is. The thirst 
for new things is as insatiable as ever, and though the last 
season was not favourable generally for the raising of them, 
yet the growers of Chrysanthemums will not be disappointed, 
and we must only hope that the year 1861 will he an inprove- 
ment on its predecessor; we have just had a winter that has 
VOL. XV., NO. CLVIII. D 
