210 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 30, 1S95. 
Haddington, Lady Mary Fitzvvilliam, R. jasmini- 
florum, R. veitchianum, and others, all grown in 
large pots Batches of Eupatorium weinmannianum 
were pushing on towards the flowering stage. The 
Cucumber house was occupied with Sutton s 
Telegraph, Sutton's Perfection, and Peerless, all of 
which had been fruiting freely for some time past. 
———- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Dover House, Roehampton. 
At all private establishments of any size the culture 
of Chrysanthemums is a most important item, and oc¬ 
cupies a good deal of the gardener's time at all seasons 
of the year. Now, however, it is the all-absorbing 
topic of conversation, as well it may be, seeing that 
the labours of a twelvemonth, more or less, are at last 
rewarded. A keen demonstrator of gardening in all 
its various branches, Mr. McLeod has by no means 
neglected the Chrysanthemum, and the glass-houses at 
Dover House gardens have been bedecked in holiday 
garb with the rich colours and glowing tints of the 
Queen of Autumn. Altogether about fifteen hundred 
plants are grown, a number that is reached by but 
comparatively few gardeners in private establish¬ 
ments. 
In’passing, it would be only fair to Mr. McLeod to 
bear testimony to the health and vigour of his plants. 
Short-jointed and sturdy growth is everywhere 
apparent, whilst the foliage is entirely free from spot 
of mildew or any such thing, and simply revels in the 
rich deep green that only accompanies perfect health 
and more than ordinary strength. With regard to 
the number of varieties grown the collection is like¬ 
wise a rich one, for close upon 300 sorts are here 
accommodated, comprising most of the best and 
newest varieties. We were a trifle too early to see 
the plants at their best, as they are somewhat later 
this year from some cause or causes unknown. 
However, those blooms that were not fully developed 
gave great promise of being “ real toppers " in a few 
weeks’ time. 
Lady Saunders is, without doubt, a beauty ; for 
combined with a remarkably dwarf habit, is a bloom 
of large size, of a soft primrose shade of colour, and 
with florets of great substance. Eva Knowles is 
also a grand thing with long, drooping, reflexed florets, 
rich chestnut-red in hue with a sulphur-yellow 
reverse. A most striking flower is Duchess of 
Wellington, being of huge proportions, the outer 
florets long and drooping, the inner incurving, and in 
colour a rich golden-yellow throughout. John 
Doughty, said to be a sport from the Queen of England, 
is not so much incurved as that variety, having 
long, loose, lower petals that place it in the incurved 
Tapanese section. In colour it is a rosy-buff with a 
dull carmine reverse. Viviand Morel was in fine 
form, as was also Charles Davis, whilst other well- 
known sorts, such as President Carnot, Souvenir 
d’une Petite Amie, Mrs. Libbie Allen, Le Colosse, 
Grenoblois, J. Schrimpton, Rose Wynne, Robert 
Owen, Mr E. G. Whittle, and President Borel were all 
in fine condition. The curious flowers of Good 
Gracious were also strongly in evidence, and showed 
up well amongst the rest of the good things. We 
also noted some extra fine samples of the now famous 
Hairy Wonder and Louis Boehmer, also the white 
sport from the latter, which seems to have claimed 
already a full share of popular favour. 
Incurves were not so strong in numbers as the Japs 
and, like them, had not then arrived at their prime. 
A Japanese bloom looks well even when it has not 
yet arrived at maturity ; net so an incurve, for the 
open centre detracts considerably from its merit. 
Both Prince and Princess of Wales showed up 
bravely, and some good flowers will, without 
doubt, be thrown by them. The bright purplish- 
violet blooms of Violet Tomlin were also very 
noticeable, although the flower of the flock was 
without doubt, Jeanne d’Arc, some magnificent 
blooms of it peeping up here and there at 
various points in the floral panorama. Honourable 
mention must likewise be made of the charming 
white Anemone, Lady Marguerite, for some of the 
best examples of it that we have seen this year were 
rejoicing under the care of Mr. McLeod. 
The Grange, Hackbridge. 
For several years past A. H. Smee, Esq , of The 
Grange, “ My Garden," has made a practice of 
throwing open his gardens to his neighbours, and the 
public generally, in the autumn that they may see the 
Chrysanthemums, and in the spring that they may 
have an opportunity of inspecting the Orchids for 
which he is famous. In accordance with these 
customs the gardens were once more thrown open 
on November gth, and have been open every day 
since. It is to be regretted, however, that some 
thoughtless or evil-disposed individual took 
advantage which the opportunity offered to damage 
a rare plant. In the Cattleya house was a plant of 
Comparettia speciosa, and which it had been in¬ 
tended to submit on November 12th, to the com¬ 
mittee of the Royal Horticultural Society for a 
certificate. During Sunday afternoon, however, 
someone broke off and carried away the only bloom 
on the plant. There is no clue to the offender. 
Such i»cidents are not calculated to induce people 
who have valuable and rare plants among their 
collections to exhibit them to the public and run the 
risk of having them completely spoiled. 
The Chrysanthemums,for which the gardens were 
thrown open, were arranged in the large greenhouse, 
between 400 and 500 plants being exhibited. This 
year they have been grown much more dwarf than 
hitherto,and consequently the visitor,on entering the 
door, found facing him a bed of bloom rising from 
between two and three feet high to over six feet. 
All sorts and sizes were represented, and the colours 
were as numerous as the flowers almost, ranging 
from a pure snow white to a deep dark carmine. 
Perhaps the most notable novelty was Com¬ 
mandant Blusset a deep carmine with silvery 
reverse, of which there were several large blooms. 
Amongst the most noticeable of the others were 
Beauty of Exmoutb, white ; Florence Davis, white, 
tinted with green ; President Borel ; W. Seward 
crimson ; Mrs. C. Harman Payne, a large globe-like 
bloom : Mdlle. Therese Rey, a fine white; Lord 
Brooke,broDze,tinted yellow; Autumn Tints; Niveus, 
large snow white; Duke of York; Primrose League, 
a light primrose,the favourite Gloriosa, large yellow; 
and Madame Cambon, which was grown from 
seedlings raised in Algiers. Amongst the singles 
were Miss Rose and Mary Anderson, whilst amongst 
the smaller plants were to be found several Elsies, 
which are regarded as exceptionally useful for 
cutting purposes. All the plants are strong and well- 
grown, showing that the greatest care and cultural 
skill have been bestowed upon them by Mr. G. W. 
Cummins, the gardener, whilst the blooms are large, 
well-shaped, and in the finest possible condition. In 
addition to the Chrysanthemum house, visitors were 
permitted to inspect the Fern house, which never 
looked better. Amongst the Ferns and other plants 
was a large number of Orchids in bloom ; and, in¬ 
deed, this building was patronised quite as much, if 
not more, than that which contained the autumn 
flower. The Cattleya house contained some very 
fine specimens of Cattleyas in bloom, some 
Oncidiums, Cypripediums, including C. Smeeiana, 
and the variety which the Colonial Secretary shows 
such a fondness for, Dendrobiums, and near the 
door a single plant of the Dove Orchid, so called 
because in the centre of the open flower is a 
diminutive growth which has the appearance of a 
white dove with its -wings outstretched. The 
visitors have been very numerous every day, and 
for several hours on Sunday all of the houses, 
were crowded. 
-- 
ST JOHN S NURSERIES, PUTNEY. 
That the “ 'Mum fever ” is no respector of persons 
no one who has had even a comparatively limited 
experience of “ ’Mum" cultivators and their ways will 
attempt to deny. No matter whether the numerical 
strength of the collection is a hundred or a thousand 
it is almost sure to contain a proportion of plants grown 
for the production of large flowers only. We may 
launch invectives as we will at these huge monstrosi¬ 
ties—dub them heavy, clumsy and void of grace and 
true artistic merit—but it matters not; the show 
bloom has evidently come to stay: in fact, the 
general trend of present-day Chrysanthemum culture 
is in this direction, and cultivators are one and all 
straining every nerve to go one better than their 
neighbours in turning out the floral giants that are 
to adorn the show boards in many an exhibition. 
After a few weeks' close acquaintance with shows, 
following on the heels of each other in unbroken 
succession, and a proportionate intimacy with the 
kind of flowers usually to be seen at such functions it 
is positively refreshing to visit an establishment 
where large flowers are not in great request and 
where as a natural result very few, if any, are 
grown. 
The nurseries of Mr. G. Stevens, at Putney, are 
conducted on these lines ; for, although some four 
thousand plants are accommodated, they are all, or 
nearly all, grown with a view to supplying the needs 
of a large market establishment in which the trade 
in cut flowers is a prominent feature. We were 
rather too late to see the bulk of the plants in con¬ 
dition, the blooms having been cut from by far the 
greater part. We noticed, however, neat samples 
still remaining of such old friends as LaTriomphant, 
W. H. Lincoln, Rose Wynne, Niveus, Mdlle. Therese 
Rey and Elaine. The last-mentioned variety is 
grown in great numbers, for Mr. Stevens is of 
opinion that it can even now hold its own against 
any white variety in the market, if indeed it is not 
the best of all. Niveus, too, has done remarkably 
well, and we saw a big batch of plants carrying 
medium-sized flowers of great purity. 
The cultural methods adopted by Mr. Stevens in 
dealing with these plants is well worthy of mention. 
They are stopped once in the early part of the 
season, and then suffered to grow on and make as 
many breaks as they will. Each shoot is allowed to 
bear one flower, all the other buds being taken out 
for about a foot down the stems below the terminal 
flowers. After these latter are cut the secondary 
blooms thrown out by the stems below the point to 
which disbudding was practised are allowed to 
develop. These, although small, come in very 
handy for the making up of wreaths, crosses and 
other floral designs. 
Perhaps the most notable feature at St. John’s 
Nurseries at the present time is a long lean-to house 
filled with late Chrysanthemums, that are being kept 
back for as long as possible in order to furnish a 
supply of cut bloom when it can no longer be 
obtained from other sources. Fully a thousand 
plants go to make up this batch, and not only is their 
apparent health and vigour remarkable, but their 
great dwarfness and really wonderful floriferousness 
can scarcely fail to strike even an uninitiated 
observer. The pots, too, in which they are growing 
are relatively small -another important point in 
their favour. As we passed into the house, Golden 
Gem was the first variety that offered itself for our 
inspection. In ordinary seasons this comes in about 
Christmas time, but it is somewhat earlier this year, 
for the plants are even now bearing a profusion of 
the pretty bronzy-orange flowers. Rubra Perfecta 
was the next to catch our eye. It is a pompon of 
rather tall and straggling habit, but there is no 
gainsaying the beauty of its flowers, which are deep 
crimson in hue, slightly suffused with purple, a deep 
buff shade characterising the reverse of the florets. 
The lovely pompon Anemone sport from Marie 
Stuart called Emily Rowbottom was likewise very 
much in evidence. The blooms are small, certainly, 
but the delicate blush-white colour is wondrously 
attractive. L. Canning is one of the very best late 
white Japanese varieties we have: in fact, although 
our visit to Mr. Stevens did not take place until close 
upon the border of December, the plants were even 
then only just expanding their flowers. A batch of 
Boule de Neige, were, however both gay and bright, 
whilst a touch of colour was afforded by a number 
of plants of the coral-red incurved Lucy Kendall, a 
sport from Violet Tomlin, and Mrs. C. Orchard, a 
Japanese seedling of some merit, bearing yellowish- 
orange flowers. It was raised by Mr. Stevens, who 
grows it in quantity. 
Although it is an undeniable fact that cultivators 
of flower for market have now to be contented with 
much smaller profits than formerly, still we should 
imagine that such splendidly-flowered plants as Mr. 
Stevens has produced this season, as well as in 
previous years, must always yield a good return, 
commanding as they do a ready sale. 
A LARGE TUBER. 
Under the above heading on Nov. 16th The Garden¬ 
ing World recorded a Potato that weighed 2 lbs. 
11 ozs., and stated that it was lifted in a garden in 
Ashford, Kent, by Mr. Tabret, of St. John s Lane: 
but this is a mere pigmy compared to one which 
hails from America, and which is said to have 
attained the enormous dimensions of 28 in. in 
length and 14 in. in diameter, and to have turned 
the scales at 86 lbs 10 ozs.! Moreover, the variety 
is Maggie Murphy, and was grown by Mr. J. B. 
Swan, of Loveland, Colorado. 
