68 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 3, 1891. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM 
PROSPECTS. 
What is the promise of the November Chrysanthe¬ 
mum bloom ? Much, I think, will depend upon the 
weather. Some November flowering varieties 
appear to promise to be early, others late ; but all 
the growers whose collections I have seen say that 
the season has been a trying and vexing one, owing 
to its cold, wet, and sunless character, and rapid 
variations of temperature ; and that insects had run 
riot among the plants, thrip and other felonious 
visitants have been numerous, and earwigs more 
troublesome than usual. 
I have seen the collection grown by Mr. Allen, 
The Gardens, Swallowfield Park, Reading. He has 
some very good plants that promise well, but others 
have taken on a yellowish tinge to the leaves, pro¬ 
bably the result of cold or some miscalculation in 
giving fertilizers. At Devizes, Reading, and other 
places Mr. Allen generally gives a good account of 
himself, and I have no doubt he will again be equal 
to the occasion when it arises. 
At Heckfield Gardens, Mr. A. Maxim, the suc¬ 
cessor to the late Mr. William Wildsmith, has a 
good collection also, but I do not know that it is his 
intention to exhibit. Like Mr. Allen's, Mr. Maxim's 
plants promise to throw some good blooms. Heck¬ 
field has good traditions, among them the 
Chrysanthemums ; and it is gratifying to find Mr. 
Wildsmith’s most worthy successor following in the 
footsteps of his teacher. 
At the Priory, Hornsey, the residence of H. R. 
Williams, Esq., Mr. E. Rowbottom has a remarkably 
good collection of some 700 plants of a highly promising 
character. He is particularly strong in new 
varieties, especially of the Japanese section, and 
should give a good account of himself at the 
November shows. Louis Boehmer promises to be 
very fine. On one plant was a fine flower pretty 
well expanded, showing on its pleasing pink petals 
the plumed character peculiar to it. Also was 
W. Tricker, an American variety introduced by 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Son, and said by them to be 
the most lovely incurved Japanese yet seen ; M. R. 
Bahnant, a continental incurved variety that seems 
as if it will be very late, the colour is carmine-rose 
shaded with cerise ; Emily Rowbottom, the pretty pure 
white sport from Marie Stuart, which originated 
here. 
Zanzibar is a clear yellow incurved variety from 
America; Mrs. W. Walter, a sport from Edward 
Audiguier; Val d'Andorre, which on the terminal 
bud comes quite scarlet ; Sunflower ; Mdlle. Blanche 
Pigmy from terminal buds, as it comes too earl)' 
from the crown bud; G. P. Rawson (American), 
apricot yellow, promising to be very fine; Gloire 
de Rocher, bright orange-amber, said to be between 
Mrs. Falconer Jameson and Val d'Andorre ; R. C. 
Kingston, American Jap, said to be another of the type 
of Etoile de Lyon ; the latter also promises to be very 
fine from the terminal bud ; Beauty of Castle Hill, 
Cleopatra, a variety which is expected to take the 
place of Fair Maid of Guernsey ; Excellent, a soft 
pink Jap; Agnes Flight, Stanstead White, promising 
to be very fine ; Mohawk (American incurved); Vol¬ 
unteer, a soft rosy-pink Jap of fine quality ; C. H. Shar- 
man, D. B. Crane, a sport from Mrs. J. Laing ; W. H. 
Lincoln, a very fine double golden-yellow Jap; Purity ; 
Mdlle. Marie Hoste, a large Jap, white, striped, and 
bordered with amaranth ; Jules Toussaint, said to be 
a seedling from E. Molyneux, of a brilliant carmine 
colour, very promising ; E. G. Hill, very promising, 
a golden Jap, from America which has brought 
across the water a great reputation ; Miss M. 
Wheeler; Mrs. Falconer Jameson ; Peculiarity, a 
very novel American Jap; Belle Paule ; Holborn 
Beauty ; Mrs. E. W. Clarke, appearing to be a very 
late variety ; Cesare Costa, said to be of a deep red 
colour ; and Airs. G. C. Schwabe, a very fine English 
raised seedling Jap, delicate rose, shaded with 
salmon. 
Of incurved and Pompon varieties Air. Rowbottom 
has a very fine lot also, including some of the newer 
varieties, which I hope to see when in bloom. 
Jeanne d'Arc is very promising on terminal buds, it 
is too early from the crown bud ; besides it comes 
of a better colour and smooiher from the former. 
Air. Rowbottom gets most of his blooms from the 
terminal bud, and thoroughly believes in it. 
Not far from the Priory is Holy Innocents’ Vicar¬ 
age, Hornsey, and here Mr. H Neary grows, under 
decided disadvantages, a good number of early 
varieties, and some 350 plants of later ones. The 
early-flowering Pompons are great favourites with 
Air. Neary, and he produces some very fine blooms 
indeed. His Japs and incurves he keeps low; they 
do not get much beyond 3.J ft. in height. William 
Holmes promises well, so does the claret-coloured 
Refulgence ; the Queen family are late ; Etoile de 
Lyon of very fine substance in the bud. He has 
Aladame Desgranges, and its sports G. Wermig, 
Airs. Hawkins, and Airs. Burrell, pale primrose, which 
I think is the most beautiful of all. Air. Neary pro¬ 
cures very fine flowers indeed of these ; and he has a 
number of specimen plants of a very promising 
character. 
His Pompons he disbuds, leaving but one bud 
to a stem, but he gets 8 and 9 very fine flowers 
upon a plant. His leading varieties now in bloom 
are Early Blush, Blushing Bride, Alice Butcher, 
an orange-red sport from Lyon, which is deep 
rosy-purple; the latter is also very fine; Alaud 
Pitcher, Air. Cullingford, etc. Some plants of Comte 
de German)', which is an October flowering variety, 
were carrying fine blooms under glass. Air. Neary 
also grows some very fine specimen plants for local 
shows. Such varieties as Airs. Forsyth, Air. G. 
Rundle, Golden Christine, Airs. W. Heale, Avalanche, 
William Robinson, Aldlle. B. Rendatler, etc. Mr. 
Neary deserves the greatest credit for what he grows 
so well in such a limited space, and with his hands 
so full of other work; it is his enthusiasm that 
carries his Chrysanthemum growing to a successful 
issue. 
From here I made my way to Finsbury Park to 
seethe collection grown by Air. J. Alardlin. He has 
something like 1,800 to 2,000 plants in 16 and 12 
sized pots ; and their condition does him the highest 
credit. Standing in rows in various parts of the 
spacious yard they look like battalions of a floral 
army gathered for a review. The plants are all in 
fine health, though Air. Alardlin says it has been a 
very trying season. He grows from twelve to twenty 
plants of leading varieties, and he is this season 
cultivating many novelties, such as Excellent, a fine 
new Jap ; Air. Harford, a sport from Lord Alcester; 
Bishni, a new Jap ; Aliss Alary Weightman, said to 
be a very fine American variety ; Airs. Winthrop 
Sargeant, American incurved ; Flora Alacdonald ; 
Airs. R. Sinlet, Reward, American, Airs. C. Bebant, 
Shoita, very large, white ; Air. W. K. Harris, Clytie, 
a very free branching variety ; a capital one to grow 
to form an edging to.groups, etc. I was much im¬ 
pressed with Air. Alardlin's skill as a cultivator, and 
I can quite understand how it is the fine displays 
he makes during the blooming season is the best of 
the kind held in London. Great crowds go to witness 
it. The pondition of the flower-garden and borders 
in Finsbury Park reflects the greatest credit on Air. 
Alardlin. — R. D. 
COMPENSATIONS IN 
NATURE. 
An evening paper has pointed out, with a great 
amount of force, that the principle of compensation 
may now be seen exemplified in the London Parks. 
What was lost in spring is being gained in autumn. 
Summer was late in coming as far as green trees were 
concerned, and now, in the last week of September, 
they look as if it were the last week in August. So 
it comes to pass that if we have had a wet summer we 
have partial compensation in an abundance of green 
grass to regale the eye and to invite the foot to walk 
'upon ; and so it has been since early spring. 
There has not been a day this year, as there are 
scores of days in ordinary years, when the grass has 
appeared parched or brown. There is one conspi¬ 
cuous exception in the matter of the trees. In many 
places the Limes have already shed their leaves. 
It is invariably the earliest tree to become denuded 
of leaves ; and in a hot dry summer like that of 1887, 
the branches have been seen completely bare by the end 
of July, and, this notwithstanding, it is curious to 
notice how in many of the suburbs in London and in 
provincial towns the Lime is planted for street 
decoration. 
Probably this comes about because the Lime is a 
cheap tree, and local bodies have to make a moderate 
sum go as far as possib’e. But no street planter of 
experience is found recommending the Lime for this 
particular purpose —R D. 
BOUILLIE BORDELAISE. 
A Remedy for the Potato Disease. 
We (Bell's Weekly Messenger) have on many occa¬ 
sions described the experiments in connection with 
sulphate of copper and lime as a remedy for Potato 
disease which Prof. Aime Girard has been carrying 
on for some years at the Government farm at 
Joinville-le-Pont, near Paris, the details of results 
given having been brought down to the end of the 
season of 1890. This year they have been continued 
in a more extended form, and at the end of August 
we had the pleasure of visiting the fields, when the 
various experiments were explained to us by Dr. 
Aime and AI. Tisserand, the Councillor of State and 
Director of Agriculture. The main experiment is 
being carried out on five hectares (nj acres) of 
Richter's Imperator, the crop being the best we have 
seen this year. Although there is another month’s 
growth still to be made, there is already a large 
crop, and one root which we pulled had beneath it 
potatos weighing over 1,700 grammes (about 4 lbs.), 
the tubers being generally of a good useful size and 
not too large. It is estimated that the crop will 
yield extraordinarily well this year. The disease 
made its appearance early this year, and when the 
crop was dressed with the sulphate of copper 
mixture on July 9th, a few spots were found on the 
leaves in the field. These spots are still on the 
leaves, and are a most effective testimonial to the 
fact that the mixture not only prevents but checks 
disease. The dressing (bouillie BonUlaise) was made 
up as follows :— 
AVater. 100 parts. 
Sulphate of copper .... 2 ,, 
Lime. 2 ,, 
This was applied by a Vermorel machine, an imple¬ 
ment about half the price of the Strawsonizer, but 
which does its work very effectively. The result 
w'as that the disease was checked, and the field 
entirely saved. It was extremely interesting to note 
that in a few' patches where the dressing was not 
applied the crop is cut down, and there is hardly a 
plant to show. No one could go over this grand 
field without feeling sure that the treatment is 
successful. A couple of plots in different parts of 
the field were also dressed with a sulphate of iron 
dressing, in order to test Dr. Peterson's alleged 
remedy. In each case the patch was almost 
destroyed by the disease. 
Besides this large field demonstration, AI. Girard 
has also a series of thirty-four plots, on which he is 
testing as many leading French, English, and Ger¬ 
man varieties of Potatos, and on each of these three- 
quarters of the plot has been dressed with the 
sulphate of copper and lime dressing and one-quarter 
left untreated. In every case but one the difference 
is most striking, the untreated portion being every¬ 
where much diseased, and the crop practically 
destroyed. Of course the difference is greater in the 
case of less vigorous sorts, and it would appear also 
that foreign varieties are in France more subject to 
disease than French sorts. The uselessness of 
sulphate of iron as a dressing is well shown in three 
experiments in connection with these plots, In 
these cases there is a smaller duplicate plot dressed 
with this mixture, and in each case they are either 
worse, or the same as the non-treated portion of the 
experimental plot. One variety of Potato—the Ger¬ 
man " Gilbe rose”—shows exceptionally interesting 
results. The portion of the plot treated with the 
bouillie Bordelaise is most vigorous, and ripening oft 
capitally, the tubers beneath the plants being good 
both in quantity and quality. On the undressed 
portion a good portion of the crop is utterly des¬ 
troyed, and the plants still remaining are poor and 
stunted, and the crop small. The extra plot dressed 
by sulphate of iron may almost be said to be 
entirely destroyed, and what few tubers there are 
are small in size. This result may be said, also, to 
be confirmed by the other two sulphate of iron plots. 
The experiments are full of interest, the more 
especially that they are a continuation of the first 
made to test this new remsdy. The present season 
is one in which the disease is very bad throughout 
France, and there is not a variety that has not been 
attacked in these experimental plots. In every case, 
however, the parts treated with the sulphate of 
copper have been saved. This is a striking proof of 
the usefulness of the dressing, and the fact that five 
years’ experiments have all been equally successful 
should be proof positive that at last we have a sound 
and practical means for combatting the most disas¬ 
trous disease that attacks our food crops 
