December 11, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD- 
237 
should be avoided. Undue crowding encourages damp 
and spot, and, consequently, a sickly development. 
It is only ample room, cleanliness, and a free circulation 
of air that will keep at bay that dreaded and destructive 
enemy, the spot. 
In his excellent book on the Carnation and Picotee, 
Mr. E. S. Dodwell recommends cultivators to “fre¬ 
quently go over the plants with the brush and scissors, 
removing all dust and decaying foliage. Destroy green¬ 
fly by brushing over the plant affected with a weak 
solution of soft-soap and tobacco-water. Draw off the 
lights on any favourable occasion, and in wet and 
windy weather tilt them both at back and front. 
Some little difference prevails as to the best aspect for 
the frames during winter. I prefer the north, as 
keeping the plants more at rest, and enabling us to 
leave them guarded—with the lights, of course, freely 
tilted—on questionable mornings, with more impunity 
from the gleams of sunshine which break out often un¬ 
expectedly in the autumn and winter months. Be 
sparing in the application of the watering-pot ; but, 
when needed, let the plants have a thorough soaking, 
and in the morning.”— R. D. 
-—- 
HORTICUL TURAL S OCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural. — Dec. 7<A.—The last 
meeting of the year was held in the east crush-room 
of the Albert Hall, the large conservatory not being 
available. But few subjects were sent for exhibition ; 
there were few present, except members of the com¬ 
mittee ; the work was soon got through, and after 
most cordial votes of thanks had been accorded to the 
respective chairmen, Mr. G. F. Wilson, and Mr. Harry 
Yeitch, and to the members of the committees, by the 
council, for their valued services, the proceedings were 
soon brought to a close. It was not a cheerful ending 
of a season that has seen much good work accomplished, 
and most of those present felt somewhat concerned as 
to what will be the ultimate fate of the society. 
The First Class Certificates awarded, were to Mr. 
T. S. M are for the ever beautiful Narcissus mono- 
phyllus (Corbularia Clusii), Hoop-petticoat Narcissus; 
to Mr. William Bull for Cypripedium callosum, a 
species from Cochin China, with bright green foliage, 
and a large flower with medium-sized slipper and petals, 
and large broad dorsal sepal, white with numerous 
longitudinal bands of purple ; and to Mr. G. Stevens, 
Putney, for Chrysanthemum Carew Underwood, a fixed 
sport from Baron Prailly, and a fine handsome flower 
to boot, bright orange with the reverse of the petals 
pale rose. Mr. T. S. Ware showed a good clump of 
Helleborus niger maximus in full bloom, flowering 
plants of the useful Primulas obconica and floribunda, 
and a fine stand of Chrysanthemum Mrs. H. J. Jones, 
a yellow sport from Ethel, and, except in colour, the 
exact counterpart of that valuable late white varietv. 
Mr. Ware was unfortunate in not having brought a 
plant, or the new variety would, doubtless, have ob¬ 
tained the certificate which it well deserved. Messrs. 
C. Smith & Son, Caledonia Nursery, Guernsey, sent 
blooms of a promising yellow variety, named Governor 
of Guernsey, but the blooms were somewhat past their 
best. Mr. G. F. Wilson brought up a pretty little 
flowering Veronica, which in an exposed place when 
the thermometer went down to 15° Fahr. escaped 
uninjured. Mr. Hans Nieimand, Royal Nursery, 
Harborne Road, Birmingham, sent some small plants 
of a variety of Poinsettia with prettily golden variegated 
foliage. Mr. Heims, gardener to F. A. Philbrick, Esq., 
Q.C., Oldfield, Bickley, showed a fine form of Lselia 
anceps virginalis. Mr. Searing, gardener to C. J. 
Partington, Esq., Heaton House, Chesliunt, staged a 
strong-grown plant of Odontoglossum Alexandra, a 
small pure white neat-flowered variety, with one spike 
of seven branches and sixty blooms. Mr. Cowley, 
gardener to F. G. Tautz, Esq., Studley House, Hammer¬ 
smith, showed a flowering specimen of Spathoglottis 
angustorum, and three varieties of Anthurium. Mr. 
J. King, Rowsham, staged a seedling form of Richardia 
fethiopica, with a strong dash of steel-blue in the 
foliage, which gave the leaves a peculiar glistening 
appearance. Mr. King also had some seedling Chinese 
Primulas, one of which, named Jubilee, a Fern-leaved 
variety, with rosy carmine flowers, wire edged with 
white, was very pretty. Messrs. Hooper & Co., 
Twickenham, had a bright basket of winter-flowering 
Carnations. 
At the Fruit Committee table the only subjects of 
interest exhibited were three immense smooth Cayenne 
Pines, sent by Mr. Coomber, Hendre Park Gardens, 
Monmouth, and which were awarded a Cultural Com¬ 
mendation ; half a dozen good Pines, mostly Queens, 
from Mr. J. Harris, Singleton Gardens, Swansea ; and 
specimens of a large Apple named Lady de Tabley, 
from Messrs. Caldwell & Son, Knutsford, Cheshire. 
Manchester Horticultural Improvement. 
— Dec. 2nd .—At the usual fortnightly meeting, held 
on the above date in the Memorial Hall, Albert Square, 
Mr. F. Robinson in the chair, Mr. Isaac Booth read a 
paper on “Chicago ; its Parks and Boulevards.” He 
said that Chicago stands on the river Chicago, and still 
retains its Indian name. In 1804 the importance of 
the position of the town was recognised by the United 
States Government, and the old fort Dearbourn was 
constructed near the corner of what is now Michigan 
Avenue and Lake Street, and was garrisoned with fifty 
men and three guns. A few years afterwards the 
fort was taken by the red man, and many of the 
soldiers and settlers were killed. It was rebuilt in 
1816 near Rush Street Bridge, and finally disappeared 
in the great fire of 1871. In 1820 Chicago contained 
eight white families ; in 1830 there was 100 inhabitants, 
consisting of whites, blacks, Indians, and half-breeds. 
In 1837 Chicago was incorporated a city, with 4,170 re¬ 
sidents, and at the time of the disastrous fire there were 
300,000 inhabitants. In 1880 it contained 500,000. 
In fifty years the little frontier trading post had de¬ 
veloped into a metropolis for half a million people, and 
being situated in the midst of a vast fertile and pro¬ 
ductive agricultural district—with railroads converg¬ 
ing from all parts of the compass, and a cheap water 
communication open to navigation about eight months 
in the year—it certainly promises to become at no 
distant day the great commercial emporium of all 
central North America. 
Coming to the parks and boulevards of Chicago, Mr. 
Booth first of all spoke of Lake Park on the shore of Lake 
Michigan. The city appropriates each year a certain 
sum of money to improve and beautify this place, but 
as the town has virtually no legal title to the ground, 
the Park Commissioners do not feel at liberty to spend 
a very large sum upon it. Grove Park is devoted ex¬ 
clusively to pleasure, no heavily-laden teams being 
allowed on the drives. It is par excellence the boule¬ 
vard of Chicago. Then there is South Park, which is 
really two parks with a broad avenue connecting both 
together. The western division contains about 500 
acres of land laid out in charming drives and walks 
through green grassy lawns, while directly to the east 
lies the eastern division of South Park stretching along 
the lake for a mile and a quarter. Both together the 
divisions contain about 1,055 acres of land, through 
which there are already thirty miles of gravel walks, 
while fountains, miniature lakes, groves of shady trees, 
and masses of ornamental shrubbery make the park 
one of the most delightful of resorts ; in fact, a real 
fairyland. From the western division of South Park 
begins Pavilion Parkway—a broad boulevard or drive 
running directly west for five miles, and then turning 
northward. Douglas Park lies to the south-west of 
the town, and is four miles from the centre of the city. 
It contains 233 acres of land, beautifully laid out with 
drives, walks, lakes, ponds, fountains, rustic bridges, 
houses, and music stands. From the western side 
starts Douglas Boulevard, which runs one mile west, 
then north for nearly a mile, and joins the Central 
Park at the south-western extremity. Douglas Boule¬ 
vard has a central planting space of 125 ft. wide, and a 
drive on each side of 40 ft. Central Park is a mile and 
a half long and a third of a mile wide, with an exten¬ 
sion half a mile long. This park contains 236 acres, 
and is directly west of the city. 
Then comes the boulevard that connects Central 
Park to Union Park. It is two and a half miles long, 
and forms a most excellent approach to Central Park. 
At the north-east corner of this park the Central 
Boulevard begins and extends to Humboldt Park. 
This boulevard is graded 50 ft. wide for a central 
drive, and has two side drives, each 25 ft. wide, while 
upon either hand is an equestrian roadway 31 ft. wide, 
and outside of all are the side walks for pedestrians, 
each 8 ft. wide. The whole of the 250 feet are shaded 
by six rows of tall elms. Humboldt Park contains 
290 acres of land artistically laid out in walks and 
drives through the lawns, a large lake forming the 
central portion of the park. The lakes, walks and 
drives of Lincoln Park are also charming. The parks 
and boulevards are not complete in every particular, 
but when finished will present the finest system of the 
kind in the world. With one exception they will 
extend entirely around the city with exceedingly fine 
drives. Within the city itself there are several small 
parks, but these are only breathing places for the town, 
and are too small to exhibit the charming powers of 
the landscape gardener. No expense has been spared 
to make the parks and boulevards attractive and 
pleasant. The beautiful avenues of shady trees consists 
of Elms, Oak, Hickory, Catalpa, Chestnut, and more 
particularly the beautiful Maple of all kinds. As 
regards the bedding, it is one grand panorama of 
beauty. Hundreds of thousands of plants are used 
each year. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Booth 
for his interesting paper. 
Mr. R. Tait, the treasurer of the society, laid on the 
table some cut flowers and plants gathered by him 
that (Thursday) morning in the open air at Llanfair- 
fechan, North Wales. The collection included Roses, 
several varieties of the Chrysanthemum, Hydrangea, 
Ivy, and the Arbutus, with its rich Strawberry-like 
fruit. The foliage and blooms were almost perfect. 
The Wirksworth Chrysanthemum Show 
was held in the Town Hall, Wirksworth, on the 2nd 
December, and showed how rapid had been the progress 
made in this district during the last two years. Six large 
groups were put up, but the two smallest ones far ex¬ 
ceeded the others in freshness and general effect; being 
both good in flower and foliage. The principal varieties, 
just at their best with buds to develope, were Jardin 
des Plantes, Bronze Jardin des Plantes, Baron Beust, 
Plutus, Lady Hardinge, Prince of Wales, Mrs. Cobay, 
Barbara, Cherub, Le Grande, Rev. J. Dix and Mrs. 
George Rundle ; and of Japanese Fleur Parfait (very 
good), Elaine, Berthier Rendatler, Source d’Or, Duchess 
of Albany, Margot, M. Paul Fabre, Aurore Boreale, Rex 
Rubrorum, Peter the Great, M. C. Hubert, Lady Selborne, 
James Salter, Tokio, Bouquet Fait, Fair Maid of 
Guernsey, Le Cygne, Mons. J. H. Laing and George 
Gordon. Other varieties shown well were : Cullingfordi, 
Marabout, Golden Christine, Pink Christine, Crimson 
King, Julie Lagravere, Mdlle. Martha, Dick Turpin, 
Pink Pearl, Georges Sand, Chevalier Domage, Lady 
Buller, Purple King and Gold Button. 
-- 
^fnfuart?, 
Mr. Edward Pohlmann, the well-known Auricula 
raiser and cultivator, died at Halifax, on the 27th of 
November, at the age of sixty-one years. He was a 
most enthusiastic florist, dearly loving, from his youth 
upwards, the plants he tended with so much care ; and 
he was never so happy as when he was in the garden 
with his favourites. It was while he was in his garden, 
during a spell of trying weather, that he took a severe 
chill, which developed into bronchitis and other dis¬ 
orders. He took to his bed on the 12th of November, 
and died on the 27th, after a period of severe suffering, 
much regretted by his family and friends. He was a 
man of upright, unblemished character, an accomp¬ 
lished florist, and an excellent judge ; and his death 
creates, in the ranks of the northern florists, a void 
difficult to fill. He was born in Halifax, in the year 
1825, and, after receiving his education, he commenced 
to learn his father’s business of a pianoforte manufac¬ 
turer. When his father retired from business it passed 
into the hands of his sons William, Henry and Edward, 
and they carried it on under the appellation of Pohlmann 
& Sons. Eventually Edward, who was deeply attached 
to flowers and greatly preferred his garden to his 
business, retired, and commenced on his own account 
as a florist in Parkinson Lane. The Auricula was his 
favourite flower, and he grew it for forty years, during 
which period he raised and “let out” two'darkselfs—one 
Garibaldi, which he distributed himself; the other 
Helen Lancaster, sent out by Mr. Royds, florist of 
Rochdale, a variety of excellent quality when in good 
form. When he died, Mr. Pohlmann left behind a 
large number of seedlings, both show and Alpine, 
obtained from crosses of the best varieties, and some of 
which are expected to make a name for themselves. 
He had recently purchased, for distribution, Mr. Samuei 
Barlow’s fine dark self—Mrs. Potts—which created a 
sensation at the Rochdale Auricula show last spring. 
He also took in hand the laced Alpine Auricula, and 
raised some charming varieties. He also grew Carna¬ 
tions, Picotees, Primroses, Polyanthus, &c., having 
choice collections of each ; and many of the choicer 
hardy plants found a congenial home in his garden in 
Parkinson Lane. His son Edward succeeds him. 
