24 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 10, 1887. 
ASTERS AT CHISWICK. 
At a meeting of the Floral Committee, held at 
Chiswick, when there were present Mr. George F. 
Wilson, in the chair ; Major Lendy, John Dominy, 
W. Holmes, John Fraser, W. Goldring, H. Herbst, 
R. Dean, James Hudson, A. Perry, and S. Hibberd, 
the varieties of Asters grown in the Gardens were 
examined. These had been received from Messrs. 
Carter A Co. ; Benary, Erfurt ; Vilmorin, Paris ; and 
T. Laxton, Bedford. Although the season, being so 
hot and dry, has not been very favourable for Asters, 
those planted in the Gardens have done extremely w r ell, 
the flowers being large and good, although somewhat 
battered by the late rough and boisterous weather. 
Messrs. Carter & Co. sent twenty-five varieties, the 
following being considered worthy of marks :— 
Chrysanthemum-flowered Asters .—Height 12 ins. 
Copper-coloured * * * English seed. 
Crimson * * * ,, 
White 
Continental seed. 
Light blue 
Dwarf French Rose 
,, ,, light blue * * * ,, 
,, ,, blue and white* * * ,, 
,, ,, carmine * * * ;j 
Pceony-flowered Asters .—Height 2 ft., flowers incurved. 
Rose * * * English seed. 
Dark blood-red * * * Continental seed. 
Rose with white * * ,, 
Pyramidal .—Light blue -* * * English seed. 
,, Purplish crimson * * * ,, 
,, Fiery scarlet * * * ,, 
Messrs. Benary, Erfurt, sent nineteen varieties, the 
following being awarded marks : — 
Victoria Asters .—Height 12 ins. to 18 ins., Chrysan¬ 
themum-flowered, very large 
and double. 
Rose and white * * * 
Dark blue and white 
Crimson 
Mignon. —Height 12 ins. to 18 ins., resembling in 
habit and form of flowers the Victoria, 
but somewhat smaller. 
Pure white * * * 
Messrs. Vilmorin, Andrieux k Co., Paris, sent twenty- 
four varieties, the following being considered worthy of 
the marks given :— 
* * * 
* * * 
Crown Asters. —Height 12 ins. to 18 ins., small 
Chrysanthemum - flowered, the 
centre or crown white. 
,, Mixed 
,, Half dwarf multiflore mixed 
,, ,, ,, light yellow. 
Clirysanthemum-flovjered. —Height 12 ins., flowers 
large, double, fine. * * 
Imbricated mixed (Victoria) height 12 ins. to 18 ins., 
large, Chrysanthemum-flowered. 
,, Pompon mixed. 
Pyramidal Bouquet Pose. —Height 2 ft., compact, 
very floriferous, Pompon-flowered, rosy lilac, very 
pretty. * * * 
Pyramidal dvjarf mixed. —Height 12 ins. to 18 ins., 
compact, very floriferous, Pompon-flowered, pretty. * * * 
Harlequin. —Pompon-flowered, some ot the petals 
streaked with white. 
Pyramidal Purple.—Purple and white *** height 
18 ins. 
,, Red.—Red and white * * * ,, 
18 ins. 
Half dwarf.—Red and white * * * ,, 
6 ins. 
lAlliput (China) mixed, small Pompon-flowered, 
partly quilled, colours very bright, and exceedingly 
pretty. * * * -- 
WATER FOR NOTHING. 
Such an announcement as this, even if it does not 
sound startling, should awaken a lively interest in 
the minds, not only of the inhabitants of the great 
metropolis, but also of those in remote districts, where 
the scarcity of water — caused by what will long be 
remembered as the severe and protracted drought of 
1887—amounted to little short of a calamity. The 
subject at issue is a little book or pamphlet by 
Mr. Shirley Hibberd, in which he explains how an 
abundant supply of water may be obtained by simply 
retaining and utilising the rainfall, which, in the 
metropolis and other large cities, is not only allowed 
to run to waste, but proves to be a matter of great 
inconvenience, even doing damage by the overflooding 
of sewers, and it might also be added, according to 
recent experience, by bursting them, causing suspension 
of traffic on the Metropolitan Railway. 
The proposal to utilise the rainfall is not a new one, 
and instances occasionally come under our notice of 
tanks being constructed on a rather extensive scale, to 
minimise the requirements for garden purposes where 
the water companies, changing their previous tactics 
of charging at a certain rate, exact payment according 
to the amount used. The idea of everyone procuring 
their own supply is in no way gratifying to the water 
companies, who naturally employ every means to 
thwart such undertakings ; but anything that will 
having a set of them arranged on the same principle as 
that illustrated in the pamphlet, the sooty water of 
town roofs, obtained during the flushing or washing of 
the slates in the first fifteen minutes or so, is directed 
into a tank for separate use. After this has happened, 
the clean water is conducted into tanks, and may be 
used for any purpose. Some such system of obtaining 
a supply might be adopted on farms, whose proper 
working is almost impracticable for want of a natural 
supply either by springs or rivers ; and if the efforts of 
Dwarf Chrysanthemum-flowered Asteii. 
prove beneficial to the community at large should be 
made the subject of serious consideration, and the 
author of the pamphlet has shown how it can be done. 
There can be no question as to the superiority of rain¬ 
water for garden and various domestic purposes ; but 
that it may be used to better advantage than spring- 
water, or even the article of the water companies, for 
drinking and culinary purposes will be new to many, 
and cause no little surprise. According to the testi¬ 
mony of those having tanks in operation, rain-water 
retained in underground tanks, or those from which 
light is excluded, becomes remakably clear, soft, and of 
good flavour. The latter is the most surprising of all, 
the author should induce those in need of it to adopt 
his plan, some good will have been gained. 
The annual rainfall of London is amongst the smallest 
on record for the various districts or divisions of this 
country, being only 24 ins., as shown by a table at the 
end of the pamphlet. On an acre of land 1 in. of 
rainfall amounts to a little over 22,622 gallons of water, 
and that multiplied by 24 gives 542,928 gallons, 
showing what an enormous amount of the precious 
fluid is allowed to run to waste, which might well be 
utilised over the area occupied by buildings. The 
pamphlet illustrating all this may be obtained from 
Mr. E. W. Allen, 4, Ave Maria Lane, London.— J. 
Pa;oxy-flo\yered Aster. 
and should help us to overcome the prejudice against 
rain-water for drinking purposes. It is in reality 
distilled water of the most natural kind, which before 
contact with the earth’s surface, and consequent con¬ 
tamination, is pure, wholesome, and free from health 
and life-destroying mineral ingredients. 
"Whether in town or country, the best method of 
retaining rain-water is by utilising that falling on roofs 
of slate, glass, or tiles, or any other smooth clean 
surface. By means of gutters and piping, this is con¬ 
ducted into tanks constructed for the purpose, and by 
Cypripedium Morgaxi.e. —Amongst the hybrid 
Orchids, none, perhaps, are more striking and re¬ 
markable than this. It is a hybrid named after 
the late Mrs. C. Morgan, of Hew York, and is the 
result of a cross between C. Yeitchi and C. Stonei ; the 
broad declining petals are whitish and abundantly 
furnished all over with brownish purple spots, recalling 
those of the rare C. Stonei platytsenium. The upper 
sepal or standard is white, shaded with rose and veined 
red; and the labellum is white, tinted and veined with 
rose.— L’Illustration Horticole, 5 ser., /., t. 5. 
