142 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 2, 1895. 
them reminds us of Avalanche but has narrower 
florets. One has long crimson florets with a golden 
reverse. Very handsome is a white Jap with long 
quilled florets. Various other shades are well repre¬ 
sented here. Amongst small flowered, decorative 
sorts, the golden Ryecroft Glory is very telling with 
its wealth of bloom, and the same may be said of the 
crimson and buff Souvenir de Auguesvives, the 
crimson Feu de Bengal, and the elegant and charm¬ 
ing sprays of the white Gladys Roult. Needless to 
say, all the decorative and market varieties are 
grown in bush form, for Mr. Jones knows how to 
make the most of them. His collection of singles is 
also extensive. 
Lilford Road Nursery. 
The old tradition is still kept up in this nursery, for 
every house is filled with Chrysanthemums', including 
all the best of the new ones as they are brought 
forward. Mr. Norman Davis, of Lilford Road, 
Camberwell, is well known to a wide circle of Chry¬ 
santhemum growers, and many a pilgrimage is made 
to see the latest in " Mums.” The most striking 
feature in one of the houses is a batch of 150 plants 
of the magnificent golden-yellow Pallanza. The 
plants were only struck in May and June, then put 
in 60-size pots, and from thence to 8 in. ones. They 
were only intended for stock, so that no care was 
taken of them. They were housed about the middle 
of September, and the terminal buds being promising 
they were allowed to develop. The result is that he 
has freely-grown, bushy plants, each bearing six 
to nine or more blooms of a useful size, some of 
them being fit for exhibition purposes. The bushes 
are very dwarf and make a fine display. 
Amongst other Japanese kinds, Comte de Laurani 
is beautiful, being heavily overlaid with deep rose 
and just showing a white edge. Amiral Avellan is 
clear yellow, and one of the best novelties in this 
section; the plants are only about 20 in. high. 
Reine d’Angleterre is 2 ft. high with broad and deep 
rosy-amaranth florets. A very bold and beautiful 
incurved Japanese sort is Miss Ethel Addison, having 
broad purplish-rose florets and a silvery reverse. 
Mrs. E. S. Trafford is the bronze sport from Wm. 
Tricker, and a beautiful and distinct-looking thing it 
is. A quantity of it may be seen here in a dwarf and 
freely-flowered state. The same may be said of the 
charming Louise, which varies from white to warm 
pink. Philadelphia, in its earlier stages at least, is 
creamy-yellow, and may not in our country turn out 
the same as the blooms imported from America last 
year, but we should be loath to descry it till perfectly 
developed. 
One of the sensations amongst novelties this year 
is the magnificent Lady Byron, a pure white, in¬ 
curved Japanese variety of great size. It may 
hardly be fair to make comparisons, but Mrs. H. 
Weeks, belonging to the same section, is several 
shades purer, and like the cleanest newly-driven 
snow. M. P. Montigny may be described as white, 
overlaid with rose and white on the reverse. The 
half-opened flowers of Pride of Madford are brilliant 
carmine-amaranth, but fade a little paler as they 
open. Mons. Georges Biron is a reddish-chestnut 
with a golden-buff reverse, and an improvement on 
Hamlet. A handsome sort for conservatory work 
and general purposes is Souvenir de Petite Amie, 
with five to nine beautiful white blooms on a plant, 
and dark green foliage Mademoiselle Therese Rey 
is still perhaps the best white, but Madame Carnot 
will run it hard. The terminal bud of the latter is 
the best. Other fine things are Thomas H. Dennis, 
crimson, flushed with violet, according to the incident 
rays of light, Mons. Charles Molin, orange-yellow, 
flushed red, and King of Chrysanthemums, crimson 
with a light chestnut reverse. Bride of Maidenhead 
is a very deep flower but never very broad, and pure 
white. Mons. Pankoucke is one of the best yellows, 
and often appears on the exhibition boards. 
Mr. Davis also keeps a stock of all the best of the 
older ones, including Viviand Morel in fine condition, 
Ed. Molyneux, Charles Davis, the green Florence 
Davis, Col. W. B. Smith, Mrs. E G. Hill, Eda 
Brass, and others in fine condition A large stock of 
various kinds is also kept out of doors. Amongst 
new incurved sorts we noticed Major Bonnaffon, a 
clear yellow of great promise. Descartes is an 
.Anemone with velvety-crimson florets ultimately 
fading off a little, yet the best of this colour. 
A large quantity of the most popular and useful 
sorts is grown without disbudding for the sake of 
cut flowersi Several houses are filled in this way. 
The pure white Lady Fitzwygram is now covered 
for the second time with useful blooms for cutting. 
Gaspard Bucharlat is more branching than Source 
d’Or, and similar in colour. The pompon Com¬ 
mandant Schnerder has purple-amaranth flowers 
possessed of a soft fragrance. President Hyde and 
Ryecroft Glory are both grand yellow sorts for this 
kind of work. Marquis de Mortmont is bronzy-gold 
and beautiful. Charles Jolly is pink, and said to 
pass in America for the last-named. White, pink, 
rose-pink, salmon-pink of great beauty, and other 
attractive varieties that take the public eye, are 
grown in this easy, free and charming way. 
Earlswood Nurseries. 
" Mums " are undoubtedly the subject for gossip at 
the present time, for the persistent labours of nearly 
a twelvemonth are rewarded at last, and mar y a 
brave display is to be seen in innumerable show 
houses and conservatories in all parts of the country. 
In no establishment, however, whether small or 
large, can the regal autumn flower be seen to better 
advantage in all its gorgeousness of beauty, and 
diversity of colouring than at the Earlswood 
Nurseries, where Mr. Wells' skilful cultivation has 
produced some really grand results, which visitors 
from far and near are cordially invited to inspect. 
In a large span-roofed house, some 160ft. in length, 
23ft. in width and sloping from 13ft. in height at the 
ridge to 5ft. at the eaves, are accommodated nearly 
three thousand plants in bloom, comprising all the 
best sorts in cultivation, and containing a goodly 
percentage of the newest varieties. The arrange¬ 
ment of the plants throughout is exceedingly praise¬ 
worthy, whilst the splendidly healthy and dwarf, 
short-jointed growth, with the thick leathery leaves 
of great substance, speak in unmistakeable terms of 
cultural skill of no mean order. Mr. Wells is, in 
fact, an enthusiast with regard to "mums,” cherishes 
them as children, and is never happier than when he 
is pointing out the merits of some new variety to an 
interested visitor. Tne first thing that strikes such 
an one is the wonderful vividness and distinctness of 
colouring displayed by the flowers, for Mr. Wells 
holds, and rightly so, that colour is a most im¬ 
portant point in the qualifications of a good 
Chrysanthemum. Accordingly, every effort is made 
to develop the characteristic hues of each variety 
to the full; nor have the efforts been in vain. 
As has been previously intimated, the number of 
varieties grown at Earlswood is legion, and space 
will only allow of the mention of a few of the cream 
of the collection. Comparisons are notoriously 
odious, as a rule, but in this case we may say with¬ 
out disparagement to any of the other sorts-tbat the 
finest of them all is one rejoicing in the name of 
Mons. Chenon de Leche. The plants are exceed¬ 
ingly dwarf and vigorous in habit, the blooms, which 
belong to the Japanese reflexed section, being fully 
10 in. in diameter, and of proportionate depth. The 
outer florets are of a deep lilac in colour, tipped 
with gold, and slightly thorned at the apices, and 
shading to a light terra-cotta towards the centre. 
The large petals and enormous rosy-mauve blooms 
of Reine d'Angleterre are very conspicucus. Mdlle. 
M. A. de Galbert is a grand white Japanese, v'ith 
very strong florets. Mons. Georges Biron claims 
more than a passing glance, with its large deep 
crimson flowers. The florets are long, slightly 
incurving, with a bronzy reverse, and tipped with 
gold, a splashing of the same colour serving to lighten 
and beautify the centre. A very fascinating bloom 
is Mrs. Airdree, which is profusely striated with 
rose upon a white ground. Mons. H. J. Jones, 
although it does not come well on the first crown 
bud, makes a splendid flower upon the second. In 
colour it is rosy-lilac, with a silvery reverse, and 
petals long and massive. An exquisite variety is 
Mons. Gruyer, with its huge, pale rose flowers, in 
which a light yellow tinge is observable towards the 
centre. 
Other good Japanese varieties of recent introduc¬ 
tion are Madame Marius Ricoud, which has blooms 
of a delicate rosy-lilac, and petals long, narrow, 
drooping, and much reflexed ; Deuil de J ules Ferry, 
soft violet: this is a seedling from Louis Boehmer, 
and was sent out as a hirsute variety, although at 
Earlswood this description would be incorrect, no 
hairs being visible, although a few thorny processes 
are observable on the tips of most of the florets ; 
Mons. Benjamin Giroud, reddish-crimson, with 
golden-yellow reverse, and petals charmingly fringed; 
Florence Davis, creamy-white in its earlier stages, 
but passing to pure white when fully developed ; 
Madame Adrien Armand, lilac, with a slightly paler 
reverse, and long, wavy, and twisted florets; Madame 
Carnot, a superb white, of which some enormous 
blooms were on view : Beauty of Teignmouth, rich 
purple, with lilac reverse; and Mrs. Libbie Allen, a 
rich golden-yellow Japanese incurved. The beautiful 
hairy varieties, of which so much has from time to 
time been said in praise, were well represented ; 
for the old Hairy Wonder was in fine form, whilst 
the not less beautiful Louis Boehmer bore some 
grand blooms. White Plume, a sport from Louis 
Boehmer, retains all the graceful contour of the 
latter variety, but varies from it in being of the 
purest white. 
Of older sorts which have won for themselves 
notoriety and renown on many a show-board, and 
which well sustained their reputation, mention should 
be made of Sunflower, Viviand Morel, Rose W ynne, 
Miss Rita Schroeter, Souvenir de Petite Amie and 
Mdlle. Theresa Panckoucke. The incurved section, 
although not nearly so largely represented as the 
Japanese is by no means neglected by Mr. 
Wells. Queen of England, Empress of India, and its 
golden sport, William Tunnington, and Baron Hirsch > 
all bore good blooms of great depth and quality. To 
this section belongs Mrs. R. C. Kingston, in which 
the flower is of a soft lilac-pink, very pleasing and 
attractive. 
In addition to the large show-houses a number of 
smaller erections are filled with large numbers of 
stock plants in 32-sized pots obtained from the late 
struck cuttings. These will be allowed to bear one 
flower each, so as to make sure that they are true to 
name, and that the cuttings obtained from them also 
bear their correct appellations. Many of these are 
now flowering, and it is astonishing to see how large 
the blooms are in proportion to the size of the pots in 
which the plants are accommodated. 
A few notes upon the system of cultivation pursued 
by Mr. Wells with such success may be of interest 
to some of our readers. That it is not necessary to 
allow the plants such large pots as are usually given 
them is evident, for some of the blooms are of greater 
diameter than the pots containing the plants. For 
the larger specimens, healthy, short-jointed cuttings 
are inserted during December and January, whilst 
from cuttings put in during March and April some 
splendid dwarf stocky material is obtained. Mr. 
Wells attaches the utmost importance to firm potting, 
particularly in the later shifts. Stimulants are not 
given until it is absolutely certain that the pots are 
filled with roots, and then only in small doses. A 
chaDge of diet with regard to manure is also implicitly 
believed in, although a bag of soot is always kept in 
the water-tank; guano, Thompson’s & Clay's all 
being used in turn, dissolving them in the weak 
solution of soot. That this is a most successful plan 
of action will be abundantly manifest to any visitor 
to the Earlswood Nurseries who knows a really good 
thing when he sees it, and who is able to appreciate 
at its true value such an exhibition of floral beauty 
as is there forthcoming. 
- I -- 
NEWS FROM ARCTIC REGIONS. 
The Windward which was built as a Scotch whaling 
ship, and sent on a voyage of exploration to the 
polar regions at the expense of Mr. Alfred Harms- 
worth last year,arrived at Gravesend in the Thames, 
on the 22nd ult ,in rather a battered condition. Mr. 
Jackson is in charge of the explorations being carried 
on by the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition. Mr. 
Jackson remains behind in Franz Joseph Land, the 
scene of the explorations, and intends to stay there 
for three years while he is kept in communication 
with England once a year by the Windward, which 
will thus bring home the information concerning 
discoveries, observations, &c., once a year to Mr. 
Harmsworth. 
From a gardener’s point of view very little about 
plants and nothing, perhaps, concerning cultivation 
can come from Franz Joseph Land, where the 
temperature in winter often falls to 45' to 50- below 
zero. Mr. Jackson, however, has sent back sketches, 
photographs, skins of the bear and walrus, natural 
history specimens of the country, &c. He also sends 
a collection of plants from that region of snow and 
ice, and which are to be sent to Kew in order to 
determine whether they can be grown in this 
country. 
Mr. Jackson has made his headquarters at Cape 
Flora, where he and his party have a comfortable 
