164 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 13, 1886. 
that the Rose is the queen of flowers, but 
we are of the opinion that the more modern 
Chrysanthemum has the largest number of 
followers, and rims the Rose very hard indeed 
in the race for honours. There are two things 
in favour of the latter flower : first, it comes 
in at a time when other flowers are scarce, 
the Rose, on the other hand, blooming when 
flowers are abundant; and, second, whilst 
but the few can grow Roses fit for exhibition, 
the thousands can produce really good Chry¬ 
santhemum blooms; indeed, even in towns 
and other populous places where Roses would 
die, or exist only miserably, the Chrysanthemum 
thrives well, blooms finely, and serves to bring 
beauty and sweetness into courts and alleys 
where the Rose is rarely or never seen. 
We have no other such a democratic flower 
as is the Chrysanthemum; it is literally every¬ 
body’s, hence it is so popular, bio other flower 
has so many shows specially devoted to it; and 
even the Rose, varied as its forms and characters 
are, cannot compete with the Chrysanthemum 
in variety of form. Of all the beautiful flowers 
found in gardens now, none more thoroughly 
accentuate the wondrous progress made by 
florists during the past twenty years than Chry¬ 
santhemums do; a honest retrospect must 
show that this progress has been marvellous. 
We should be ready-bo assert that such relative 
progress during the ensuing twenty years was 
impossible, and it is, most probably, because the 
flower has been virtually built up, and now 
seems only to offer room for variation and 
perfecting. Still, there will be comparative 
wonders ere twenty more years have elapsed ; 
but it is unfortunate that ive have, on paper, 
scarcely any record of the development of the 
Chrysanthemum pictorially. Essays and books 
have been written, more or less good; the last 
one specially being devoted absolutely to the 
practical work of cultivation and of exhibition, 
but none seem to grasp the great fact that the 
flower now demands a special monograph or 
literature to itself. It is true that in "the past 
a constituency of subscribers could hardly have 
been foimd which would have made the publi¬ 
cation of a special Chrysanthemum magazine 
or quarterly profitable. That difficulty hardly 
now exists, because there are not less than 
100,000 really enthusiastic Chrysanthemum 
growers in the kingdom, the majority of whom 
are so deeply imbued with love for their pet 
flowers, that they would, probably, support any 
serial, whether of a monographical form or 
otherwise, which was devoted solely to it. 
Here is opened an opportunity for the 
National Chrysanthemum Society, if it is 
anxious to merit its comprehensive title, or to 
display its power and usefulness. Let it 
provide an editor who possesses literary capacity, 
and turn out, say, quarterly, a finely illustrated 
number of the desired work, with ample de¬ 
scription and cultural notes, and, without doubt, 
a sufficient number of the Chrysanthemum- 
growers would subscribe to it to make such publi¬ 
cation a success. Books, whether cheap or dear, 
emanating solely from private sources, would 
be necessarily deficient in that broadness and 
fullness, as well as of impartiality, which would 
be found in a publication issued from some 
public source. How much we should all like 
to treasure faithfully executed portraits of the 
best flower of the day; not merely for their 
own sakes, but also as enabling some contrast 
to be made between the best of to-day and 
those of some ten years hence. As to cultural 
detail, that may, perhaps, have been already 
a little overdone, especially when ample oppor¬ 
tunity has been offered throughout the gardening 
press for the publication of the best methods 
of the best growers. 
We are disposed to think that few plants are 
more easily grown than are Chrysanthemums ; 
few need less of that anxious attention demanded 
by many other florists’ flowers; few, perhaps, 
the sooner force upon the attention of the most 
ignorant of growers the obvious methods to 
ensure success. We have a wondrous number 
of shows open to Chrysanthemums, but we 
have other uses for the flower than in merely 
furnishing public exhibitions. The plants are 
amongst our most valuable home-decorative 
material, and as cut blooms decorate our houses, 
or are useful as well as beautiful in many 
domestic ways. All these things combined 
lend special interest to the flower, and its 
popularity is of the greatest. We, therefore, 
think that it merits a monograph, and a really 
good one too. Who will undertake the pro¬ 
duction of so interesting a work, and do it well 1 
--- 
"We regret to hear that Me. George Gibbs, senior 
partner of the old-established firm of Thomas Gibbs & 
Co., seed merchants, of 24, Down Street, Piccadilly, 
died suddenly on Monday morning last. The deceased 
gentleman was writing a letter in his office, when he 
left his seat, immediately staggered and fell, and died 
shortly after being removed to his private residence. 
The annual Chrysanthemum show promoted by the 
Royal Botanical and Horticultural Society of Manchester 
will be held iu the Town Hall on the 23rd and 24th 
inst. 
During January and February next, Dr. T. L. W. 
Thudicum will deliver a series of lectures on the 
Diseases of Plants, with special reference to Agri¬ 
culture and Forestry, at the Society of Arts. 
Old time visitors to the late Mr. John Salter’s 
famous Versailles Nursery at Hammersmith, will 
regret to hear of the death of his widow recently at 
Pembroke Road, Earl’s Court, Kensington, in her 86th 
year. 
Ve regret to record the death, on October 29th, 
at Warwick Road, Kensington, of the wife of Mr. 
John Lee, formerly of the Royal Vineyard Nurseries, 
Hammersmith. 
Mr. Peter Blair, sou of Mr. Blair, of Shrubland 
Park, succeeds the late Mr. Z. Stevens at Trentham. 
The Rose would seem to be growing in popular 
favour in India, judging from the fact that the 
publishers of The Indian Gardener announce the earlv 
publication of “Roses and How to Grow Them ”—the 
most complete work on Rose culture yet published in 
that country. 
We are pleased to hear that the veteran Philip 
Frost, of Dropmore, who has recently been suffering 
from a sharp attack of bronchitis, is now somewhat 
better. 
At the last meeting of Belgian horticulturalists held 
at Ghent, Certificates of Merit were awarded to M. Hye- 
Lej'sen, for Cypripedium euryandrum ; to M. Arthur 
de Smet, for C. argus var. nigro maeulatum ; and to 
Messrs. Vervaet & Co., for Phalsenopsis Lowi. 
The Mark Lane Express of Monday, November 1st, 
contains a portrait of Mr. Martin Hope Sutton, of 
Reading, and an appreciative notice of his career. 
The Paris correspondent of the Daily News states 
that the harvest of the State Apple gardens in the 
Paris Luxembourg Park was finished on Saturday. 
One-third is divided between the Prefect of the Seine 
and the President of the Republic, who have the finest 
Apples for their official dinners. Another third is sent 
to the Military Hospital of Val de Grace, and the rest 
is sold. The orchard at the corner of the Luxembourg 
Gardens is kept for supplying grafts to gardeners. One 
of the most productive of the State orchards is at 
Versailles. 
Chrysanthemum Shows Next Week. 
Monday : — -Sheffield and Hallamshire (two days). 
Tuesday :—Yeovil, Watford (two days) ; Southgate 
(two days) ; Winchester (two days); Brighton (two 
days) ; Putney (two days). 
Wednesday : — Dublin, Luton, Chelmsford, Hampstead 
(two days) ; Bristol (two days); York (three days). 
Thursday Hitchin, Chiswick, Taunton, Hull (two 
days). 
Friday : — Sheffield and West Riding (two days), 
Saturday :—Kettering and Ramsbottom. 
DALLAM TOWER, MILNTHORPE. 
This interesting establishment has long been under 
the management and supervision of the present excellent 
gardener, Mr. S. Sarple. A few weeks ago I had an 
opportunity of walking through the grounds and 
houses, and was much pleased with all that came 
under my notice. The trees in the park were just 
putting on the tints of autumn—the varying shades of 
brown, red and yellow adding much to the beauty of 
the scene—whilst against these colours, the sombre and 
dark green of the Conifer® was very effective. Among 
the latter I noticed a capital Araucaria imbricata, nearly 
50 ft. high ; this was of a fine and distinct habit of 
growth ; Cryptomeria japonica, 50 ft. ; Cupressus ma- 
crocarpa, 40 ft. ; Wellingtonia gigantea of similar 
dimensions ; Cupressus Lawsoniana erecta viridis, 30 ft. 
high, a splendid specimen ; Cedrus atlantica, 30 ft., &c. 
The houses were full of very useful and healthy 
plants: Crotons and Dracaenas for house decoration, 
many Dendrobium nobile in baskets for winter and 
spring bloom ; one large specimen was nearly 4 ft. 
through. D. crassinode and Wardianum had made 
healthy and stout bulbs, and ere long will be swelling 
the bloom buds ; some good D. thyrsiflorum were 
grown with the stove plants and had made grand 
bulbs. On the shelves in the Pine stoves and Croton 
house were numerous pots and pans of Calanthes that 
had made up some capital bulbs, and were pushing 
many stout spikes. Bouvardias, Euphorbias, Poin- 
settias and Gardenias are numerous and healthy, and 
with a good batch of Chrysanthemums will make a 
capital display for some time to come. 
At the lower part of the kitchen garden is a water¬ 
course some 6 ft. or 8 ft. wide, with perpendicular sides 
made up with square stone sets. Here in the joints 
and crevices of these stone walls are to be seen some 
thousands of plants of Asplenium trichomanes, with 
some plants of Ceterach officinarum growing amongst 
them ; this was to me one of the prettiest and most 
interesting sights I saw during a short ramble in the 
neighbourhood of Milnthorpe, Kendal and Windermere. 
So far as I could gather, the plants were self-sown, and 
by the continual springing up of fresh seedlings, 
numerous additions were made every season. I could 
not see that there was much variation in the form, 
scarcely any having assumed the crested form which is 
now so eagerly sought after.— IF. S. 
-- 
“ INVINCIBLE ” TREE-GUARD. 
Mr. G. S. Cole, The Dean, Cirencester, has invented 
a new form of tree guard, which he has named “ The 
Invincible,” and of which the accompanying is an 
illustration. The object of the inventor has been the 
production of a tree guard combining the greatest 
amount of strength and durability with the minimum 
of cost, and giving the least amount of trouble in fixing 
or removing. The guard is constructed on the principle 
of the bicycle wheel, the tension of the wire giving 
strength. Hence the lightness of the structure, which 
means, of course, less iron, less labour in the making, 
and a less surface of iron to be kept tarred. The 
inventor claims for it that it is particularly adapted for 
fruit trees, and being cheap can be highly’- recommended 
for use in deer parks, pleasure grounds, &e. The 
guards are made to protect a tree 16 ins. in diameter, 
and being open at the bottom, stock can feed close up' 
to the tree without being able to touch it, thereby 
preventing the accumulation of grass or weeds, which 
is not only unsightly, but injurious to the tree. So 
many of the ordinary forms of tree guards are such 
eyesores in gardens, parks and pleasure grounds, that 
many will doubtless welcome the introduction of this 
neat and serviceable article. 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOWS. 
The National Society.— Nov. 10 th and 1 1th. — 
The managers of the National Chrysanthemum Society 
have no reason to regret the steps they have taken to 
give the society a wider range of operations, nor have 
they cause to feel other than gratified with the progress 
the society is making. Its last annual gathering at 
the Westminter Aquarium was an unqualified success, 
the exhibition, on the whole, being much more exten¬ 
sive than any that have preceded it, and, generally 
speaking, the various productions staged were of a 
high order of merit. This year the society had the use 
