196 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 24, 1888. 
Chrysanthemums at Chiswick. 
The central part of the large vinery at Chiswick is 
occupied nearly throughout its length with a very 
varied collection of Chrysanthemums, representing all 
the autumn and winter-flowering sections of this now 
most popular plant. Not having been urged forward 
in any special way, they are very late, and will continue 
to produce flowers for some time to come. The 
Japanese section is, perhaps, most numerously repre¬ 
sented, as it is in almost any collection, and the follow¬ 
ing are in excellent form—namely, Mathilde Cazaux, 
creamy white ; Mons. J. Laing, crimson ; Al. Dufour, 
deep rose-magenta ; Vierge Japonaise, resembling 
Mdlle. Lacroix ; Soleil Levant and Peter the Great, 
both yellow ; Margot, warm rose, and free-flowering ; 
and Mons. Holmes, crimson, early and floriferous. 
The collection is chiefly notable for its extent, and the 
number of kinds which one rarely finds in one 
establishment, but must seek for through 
a great many. La Trioinphante and M. Paul 
Dutour are somewhat similar, and suffused with 
rose on a white ground, while Le Chevrefeuille 
is shaded with delicate rose. L’lle des Plaisirs, 
orange-crimson ; M. Cochet, orange ; and Source 
d’Or, orange-crimson, are all very pretty and 
attractive kinds, whether for decorative purposes 
or for cut flowers. Their small size is against 
their use as a rule for the exhibition table. Janira is 
something in the way of Madame de Sevin, but darker. 
Irene has its florets quilled for half their length, while 
those of Rose Celeste are quilled nearly to the tip. 
Rose Beauty has large heads, and spreading, somewhat 
twisted florets, and might prove useful for exhibition 
purposes on account of its size. Phoebus is a very 
brilliant yellow, but inclined to be open in the centre. 
Amy Purze is a neat flower, suffused with purple on a 
white ground, and is becoming popular for exhibition 
purposes in the reflexed section. The latter class 
includes the never-failing brilliant crimson Cullingfordi. 
Owing to the plants being very late, few of the 
incurved varieties are yet in perfection ; but are 
represented by Princess Beatrice, silvery rose ; Ruby, 
purple and silvery rose reverse; and Lord Alcester, the 
latter not exceeding 2 ft. in height. Amongst large 
Anemone-flowered kinds, Acquisition, Citrinus, and 
Laing’s L’Anemone were in fine condition the other 
day, and the small-flowered Anemone Marguerite de 
Waldemar was very floriferous. St. Michael, bright 
yellow ; Maid of Kent, white ; and Prince Victor, 
crimson ; are pretty Pompon varieties. The single 
white, Mary Anderson, resembles a very fine Mar¬ 
guerite or Paris Daisy, with overlapping florets. 
--- 
THE VINEYARD AT CONSTANTLY 
SOUTH AFRICA. 
While on a short visit to the Cape in April and May 
last I went to see the Government wine farms at Con¬ 
stants. This place is beautifully situated beside the 
Table Mountain range, and lies nicely to the sun, the 
climate being quite perfection for Grape culture. At the 
time of my visit (April 10th) most of the Grapes had 
been gathered, for the seasons are quite reversed from 
ours, though plenty were to be had from later districts. 
The Vines, which are mostly in bush form, though 
some are trained horizontally, looked extremely well— 
the wood strong and well ripened, and foliage fresh and 
vigorous. At present there are 113,000 Vines at Con- 
stantia, and another large piece of land was being 
trenched for planting more. The soil looked light— 
part of it of a reddish colour and the other portion white. 
One Grape I tasted—called Hanepoot (Dutch for 
Honeypot)—was very good, much like our Muscat of 
.Alexandria, and very fine wine is made from this 
variety. 
The process of wine-making has been very much 
improved of late years at Constantia. The Cape 
Government has secured the services of some con¬ 
tinental experts, and a number of young wine-farmers 
reside for a time at Constantia in order to learn the 
proper processes in wine-making. The Grapes at this 
place are all pressed by machinery, while at most of 
the other wine farms in the colony the pressing is done 
by the feet of the blacks. The yield of wine at Con¬ 
stantia for the past season was 93 leaguers, each 
leaguer containing 127 gallons. 
The climate seems to suit Vines to perfection, and if 
the Cape Government is successful in the endeavour 
to improve the general wine manufacture of the colony, 
there seems no reason w'hy a much larger quantity of 
wine should not be exported than there is at present. 
The Phylloxera has made its apipearance at the Cape, 
and, of course, the invasion of such a pest has been 
viewed with alarm. Some Grape-growers at the Cape 
anticipate trying the sending home of fresh Grapes, 
and think this may pay them. Whether such a trade 
will ever become large or remunerative it is not easy 
to say. All who have an opportunity should pay a visit 
to Constantia, where there is much to interest, and 
where, judging from my own experience, a courteous 
reception awaits anyone who goes armed with the 
necessary Government permit, which is to be obtained 
by calling at the colonial secretary’s office, in Cape 
Town. 
While writing, I may just mention that I was 
much surprised at the miserable way in which the 
Cape Government maintains the Botanic Gardens at 
Cape Town. A mere pittance is allowed for main¬ 
tenance, and the manager has to sell plants and seeds 
to eke out the wretched sum allowed. Such a state of 
things is not creditable to the Cape, and should be 
remedied. Passing from the grand Parliament building, 
lately finished, to the Botanic Gardens nearly opposite, 
one cannot fail to be struck with the care with which 
every comfort and luxury have been provided for Cape 
legislators, and on the other hand, how meagre and 
even wretched are the resources available for the Botanic 
Gardens. This is a matter which might well be 
remedied with credit to the Cape, and pleasure to all 
who happen to call to see the Botanic Gardens, and 
who, at present, can only be struck with the poor 
support afforded them.— J. Thomson, Clovenfords. 
-- 
THE GARDENERS OP THE 
FUTURE. 
In these days of keen competition it is of paramount 
importance that those who wish to excel in any 
department of human enterprise must equip themselves 
as thoroughly as they possibly can with all the 
weapons of warfare they can command, and if there is 
any one department to which these remarks apply more 
than another, it is possibly the science and practice o 
horticulture. It is quite lamentable to see the little 
interest which some young aspirants for honours in the 
profession take in subjects connected with it. When 
not actually about their ordinary avocations, the long 
winter evenings which they could put to good account 
in the acquisition of knowledge, which would be of 
good service to them in after life, is frittered away, if 
in harmless, yet worthless pursuits which serve just to 
pass away the time and are barren of any good results. 
One excuse they make, which has some amount of 
reason in it, is that the chances are very remote of 
obtaining any adequate pecuniary return for the labour 
and pains taken in acquiring a knowledge of botany, 
entomology, or chemistry ; the prizes of the profession 
being so few. This excuse, however, is only worthy of 
mental sluggards, for knowledge always gives power, 
strength, and inward satisfaction to its possessor ; and 
the pursuit of either of these sciences serves as mental 
training, quickening the powers of perception and 
observation, and raising the student to a higher mental 
level than he would otherwise attain. 
The knowledge of freehand and mechanical drawing 
has often proved of immense service to numbers of the 
gardening community. All young men ought to make 
themselves acquainted with the art of drawing plans 
of gardens and glasshouses, and the principles on which 
they are constructed. In this work, many a hour 
which would otherwise prove wearisome, may be 
pleasantly passed away and be a great help in after 
years, and it may, we think, be very properly argued 
that, as a rule, those who make a wise use of their 
leisure time when young are generally the most suc¬ 
cessful in after life. In thus advocating the claims of 
what is termed book knowledge, we are quite alive to 
the fact that we have had in the past many first-class 
practitioners, whose book knowledge was of the most 
meagre description, and that book knowledge without 
a practical training in the various departments of garden 
practice will never make a good practitioner. At the 
same time, who will be bold enough to assert that any 
one of those grand old men of the past would not have 
stood in a more advantageous position had they had the 
advantage of a scientific knowledge of the many things 
connected with their profession ? How often do we see 
questions asked in gardening periodicals which betray 
an amount of ignorance of many common things which 
ought to put the questioners to shame, but till the 
rising generation of gardeners either voluntarily equip 
themselves in a better manner, or the force of circum¬ 
stances compels them to do so, we shall have the same 
evidence of inadequate knowledge cropping up. 
Many in the profession, no doubt, have hindrances 
to contend with that are, to some extent, peculiar to it, 
because, as a class, many of them lead comparatively 
isolated lives, and are far removed from centres of light 
and leading, and cannot avail themselves of the classes 
in botany, agriculture, and other branches of learning 
which are held in more populous districts ; but class 
books on these and other subjects are comparatively 
cheap, and a diligent student can from them make 
himself pretty well acquainted with any one of them. 
We have sometimes thought that botany, chemistry as 
applied to agriculture, and entomology, ought to be 
made prominent subjects in the elementary schools of 
our rural districts, because from an early familiarity 
with these subjects a more intelligent insight would 
be given into the rationale of the various garden 
and farming operations. The greater intelligence of 
those who till the soil will lead to better returns, and 
with the increased remuneration that the tiller of both 
farm and garden will receive in the not very distant 
future, will make it less difficult to retain the rural 
population at home than it has been in the past. 
To those who would improve themselves by study, 
we would urge the propriety of not attempting too 
many subjects at one time; and in making choiceof 
■ one or more, it may be as well to select those which 
best agree with the natural bent of the student’s mind, 
as being those in which he is most likely to excel. 
One great help to young beginners would be to keep a 
diary of garden operations, the state of the weather, 
the condition of crops, and how they are effected by 
the changeable atmospheric conditions prevailing during 
the varying stages of growth; the successes and failures 
following the various processes which pass under their 
observation, and their remarks on subjects connected 
with natural history and phenomena will be of great 
service to them in forming a correct opinion on all 
questions pertaining to their calling, and enable them 
to steer clear of many a quicksand. 
In reference to the claims of botany and entomology, 
we have sometimes thought that the careful study of 
the latter should have the preference, because plants 
have been, and can be very successfully grown by those 
who are quite ignorant of systematic botany, who if 
they had an insight into the life history of the many 
insect plagues that are injurious to plant life, might 
often do much to avert the mischief they occasion, and 
this knowledge can hardly be obtained without a diligent 
study of the subject. As recreations from more serious 
study we would suggest chess, fretwork, and music. 
Low songs, trashy novels, and horseracing literature 
ought to be considered as beneath the dignity of the 
gentlemen which the gardeners of the future ought to 
be.— IV. B. G. [Hear, hear, Ed.] 
-- 
A CHAT ABOUT CHRYSAN¬ 
THEMUMS.*- 
Many years ago, probably near upon a quarter of a 
century, the Chrysanthemum was a favourite flower in 
the neighbourhood of Liverpool. About that time the 
late Mr. Broome, of the Inner Temple Gardens, paid us 
a visit, and brought with him trained plants of Cedo 
Nulli, to show Liverpool growers how plant growing, 
or more correctly speaking perhaps, how the training of 
the Chrysanthemum was carried out in the South. For 
this the then existing society presented him with a 
handsome walking stick. We have had several teachers, 
if I may so term them, for although they may not have 
actually taught us very much, they inspired Liverpool 
growers with a determination to excel in the culture of 
this particular flower. If my memory serves me right, 
Mr. Hobbs, of Bristol, next came upon the scene with 
small but neatly-dressed flowers. In this respect they 
surpassed those grown with us, but we had size on our 
side, a feature that has characterised Liverpool flowers 
even up to the present time. I have said the Bristol 
flowers surpassed the Liverpool flowers in neatness, for 
dressing was not then practised by us. The very same 
character marked the flowers contributed at a later 
date (about seventeen years ago) by Mr. Rowe, of Roe- 
hampton. At this particular time I had to be content 
with a third place with large but undressed flowers. 
As I could see dressing was an essential that could no 
longer be ignored if the post of honour was to be gained, 
I set about the manufacture of my own tools ; they 
are rough examples in comparison to what are used by 
growers at the present time, but they answered my 
purposo, and I still use them. About this time the 
late Mr. Hignett and Mr. John Wilson, of'Sandfield 
Park, were the foremost trained-plant growers, and the 
* A paper read by Mr. W. Tunnington, of Liverpool, at the 
Chrysanthemum Conference, Sheffield, November 16th. 
