308 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 11, 1896. 
including three twenty-five guinea challenge vases, 
won in six consecutive years; surely a very hand¬ 
some record. For Grapes he has also been a most 
successful competitor, putting to his credit as many 
as 6o first prize awards. Mr. Molyneux is not 
merely a specialist, for he takes the greatest possible 
interest in all the varied departments of a well- 
appointed garden. At Swanmore will be found a 
splendid collection of herbaceous plants; some go 
varieties of Michaelmas Daisies are there grown. 
Sweet Peas, too, are a pleasing feature; in the 
summer months as many as 40 sorts are culti¬ 
vated. Then in the hardy fruit department he shows 
his prowess in the finely-cultivated collection of 
fully 2,000 trees. 
These details are purposely mentioned because it 
frequently happens that when a man has gained a 
high reputation in some particular department, it is 
supposed that to that one department his energies 
have been mainly or wholly directed. This is not 
so, however, with the subject of this sketch. At 
Swanmore he has the management of the woods 
and trees, as many as half a million having been 
planted since the estate was purchased ; and the 
supervision of some 90 acres of land also falls to his 
office. Mr. Myers is a great advocate of allotments 
and puts the theory thoroughly to the test of prac¬ 
tice in the letting of this considerable acreage for that 
system of culture. 
In 1886, Mr. Molyneux turned his attention to 
literary work, and his well-known volume on the sub¬ 
ject of "Chrysanthemums and their Culture has 
reached its ninth edition. He is also the author of a 
work upon the subject of " Grape Growing," and has 
the proud distinction of being the recipient of the 
Silver Medal awarded by the Journal of Horticulture, 
in connection with his labours on the subject of the 
Chrysanthemum. Mr. Molyneux is a frequent 
lecturer on horticultural subjects, and no man is 
perhaps better able to interest and enthral his 
audience than he is. As a judge at the flower shows 
he is in great request, and probably no one has ever 
reached a higher eminence than he in this capacity. 
The unanimous contentment with which competitors 
invariably accept his decision is in itself the greatest 
tribute to his careful judgment. 
In the national game he is no mean exponent at 
cricket, and for the last twelve years has been captain 
of the Swanmore club, whilst in the wheeling world 
he may be frequently seen scudding along the Hamp¬ 
shire roads on a well-appointed cycle. That he is 
one of the hardest workers in horticulture will be 
generally conceded by all who know him ; and with 
a kindly presence and a generous temperament he is 
a man who has deservedly obtained the high reputa¬ 
tion which he enjoys. That he may be spared for 
many years to fulfil his duties and shed the light 
of his intellect upon us will be the earnest wish of 
his many friends and acquaintances the world wide 
over.— Gyp. 
--4-- 
FORGING RHUBARB. 
The quantity of the above that is annually forced in 
this country is enormous, and I should say that the 
practice is a fairly profitable one. Providing the 
material is good, there is no difficulty in doing 
Rhubarb well. The first batch, which is in the 
market now, certainly requires more heat than those 
that follow nearer spring. A place underground is 
also better than a place above, being warmer, and 
thus needing less artificial heating. A capital sub¬ 
stitute for hot-water pipes is the hot bed, providing 
one can get plenty of good horse manure made up 
into a bed a yard in height, which will settle con¬ 
siderably. of course. The rest is plain and rapid 
sailing, for the plants will grow like grass. Two or 
three years' crowns are the best. Never be tempted 
by big roots, although I do not mean to say that all 
such are useless. My opinion is, however, that after 
a certain time (say three years), unless exceptionally 
well looked after, Rhubarb crowns do not throw such 
good strong stuff as they did at first, the reason 
being the increase of side buds or crowns, which 
greatly exhaust the main body. Some growers serve 
all the roots like bricks, simply cutting them with 
the spade, especially where room is in great request. 
To pack them close together within 6in. of the sides 
of the hot bed when forcing is all that is required, 
the 6 in being left for a little banking up round the 
roots to shield them from the air. Covering with 
soil of any description is needless. The roots should 
be split into single crowns after having been forced, 
choosing the best and throwing the others away, 
and planted one yard apart at this stage. Total 
darkness is essential to good colour, which is a 
most important point in growing for market.— J. G. 
Pettinger, Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
--- 
NEW AMERICAN CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
IN 1895. 
Fine Chrysanthemums have multiplied of late years, 
but when it comes to the selecting of the new 
varieties—all first-class exhibition sorts—even the 
large grower has to pick his way very carefully, con¬ 
sidering the great advance in size, build, and quality 
oftheexhibition blooms ; for they are not over plentiful 
even yet —I mean those varieties combining size, depth, 
finish, general refinement, and of a good distinct 
colour ; and it might as well be for ever settled that 
a variety lacking those combinations is anything but 
a first-class exhibition sort. 
I believe that last year wilt long be remembered 
among growers of Chrysanthemums as giving to the 
world a larger number of the finest varieties extant 
than any other. Instead of finding it necessary to 
discard more than three-fourths of them, as is usual 
in the first or second year’s test, many of last 
year’s introductions are already assured a position 
among the varieties that are indispensable to the 
exhibitor. They have in some cases proved a 
delightful surprise, for Major Bonnafion is sure of 
supremacy among yellows of the incurved section, as 
is Mutual Friend among whites in the Japanese 
types. Then, again, we want more of the dwarfer- 
habited varieties, in which desirable quality a large 
number of the new ones show a marked improvement, 
thus avoiding so much staking and tying. 
In America new varieties of Chrysanthemums for 
commercial purposes are the all-important pursuit of 
the hybridiser and raiser ; they should have a dwarf 
habit with a strong and erect stem furnished with 
luxuriant foliage to the base of the flower, which 
should be of a fair size, not necessarily large, but 
solid and quite double, and of a distinct shade of 
colour. These are the principal conditions which 
govern the committees appointed to judge new Chry¬ 
santhemums. I do not think it wise to confine the 
honours wholly to commercial varieties. New 
colours and forms that are suitable for exhibition 
purposes should be recognised and recommended for 
that purpose, if distinct, or an improvement on an 
existing variety in colour, size, form, or substance of 
petalage. This would not be so misleading to 
growers in this country who desire exhibition 
varieties only. 
Earliness being another principal virtue looked fcr 
in new varieties by the American florists, those are 
watched closely and eagerly sought after as they 
appear on the market, as they only buy Chrysanthe¬ 
mums to any extent that will suit the commercial cut 
flower trade which they cater for. 
For example, Mrs. M. R. Parker, Jun., a first-class 
early pink ; J. H. Troy, an early white ; and Miss 
M. M. Johnson, a very early deep golden-yellow, 
are all excellent early commercial varieties, with 
medium-sized flowers, blooming early in October, 
and were certificated by the National Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Society of America. Commercially considered 
they were much more valuable, and sold to a greater 
extent than the larger-flowered mid-season exhibition 
varieties. 
Annually, many fine seedlings are being raised in 
America, and there is no reason to doubt that with 
the excellent climate and fine soil they can produce 
still better varieties than are yet in commerce. 
When the florists obtain the ideal commercial Chry¬ 
santhemum with large enough flowers for exhibition 
in this country, we may expect to receive some 
valuable acquisitions, for of late years they have in 
America turned their attention to producing a strain 
with a great improvement in the size, colour, and 
refinement of flower, and dwarfness in habit of the 
plant especially. 
In the American climate and under glass Chry¬ 
santhemums are much easier grown, and with less 
care and considerably less expense than in England , 
besides they are grown in half the time and by quite 
simple methods compared to the elaborate English 
systems of culture, which require the experience of 
an expert. 
A difficult task in the cultivation of new Chrysan¬ 
themums is the selecting of the best and the 
discarding of the inferior sorts at the end of each 
year. Many excellent sorts are every year thrown 
aside to make room for others of a greater or less 
degree of worth. Of course, it is always intended 
that the change shall be for the better. But it is hard 
to say when a comparatively new sort should actually 
be discarded in favour of one of more recent intro¬ 
duction. It has often happened that a variety, after 
the first year or so, has retired into significance only 
to turn up serenely in good condition when some 
skilled or fortunate grower succeeds in bringing it 
out in more perfect form. It is a lamentable thing 
to see so many fine seedling Chrysanthemums 
annually discarded in America only on account of a 
slight defect of the stem, a lack of foliage up to the 
flower, or from their not being of a decided shade of 
pink, a pure white, or a clear yellow. 
In selecting the following varieties my chief aim 
was to keep in view new varieties, which are 
distinct, attractive, and useful for exhibition pur¬ 
poses, and to mention and describe those that have 
come under my notice during my recent visit to 
America. My frequent visits to the principal Chry¬ 
santhemum exhibitions and many growers’ estab¬ 
lishments have afforded me an excellent opportunity 
of observing the new varieties, from which I have 
carefully selected the following :— 
New Incurved Varieties. 
Miss Louise D. Black. —An improved Mrs. L. 
Child Madeira ; colour, deep golden-yellow; has a 
fine habit, and much better than the latter in every 
respect. 
Grace Harris.—A grand addition to this class, 
resembling Miss G. Spaulding, but with much 
broader petal, and not such a deeply-built flower. 
Nellie Elverson. —A large flower, outside of 
petals bronze, inside brownish-red, very full and 
deep. As an exhibition variety this will be among 
the leaders. 
Henry Reiman (syn. H. W. Reiman).—A superb 
variety of deep golden-yellow hue, flowers full, deep, 
and very large; should rank in the first-class few. 
Mrs. Moses J. Wentworth. —A fine flower of 
great substance, full, and deep, rich yellow in colour, 
and very distinct. It is very dwarf in habit. 
Miss G. Spaulding is a very perfect incurved, 
white, with great depth and substance. 
The Egyptian. —This is of a very dark red colour, 
with flowers large, full, deep, and of perfect form. 
This particular colour is not so popular in America, 
but will be much appreciated here on account of its 
distinctness. 
Miss G. Bramhall makes a splendid flower, and 
as a straw-coloured variety would be hard to beat. 
The petals very broad and of fine substance. 
New Japanese Varieties. 
E. M. Bigelow. —A grand large incurved bloom, 
full, and globular, almost a perfect incurved as 
exhibited, of a distinct shade of red—a tone of 
colour difficult to describe. 
Mrs. H. W. Emerson.— A glorious yellow of 
great size. As compared with H. L. Sunderbruch, 
W. H. Lincoln, and Mrs. C. Lippincott, it has many 
points in its favour. 
Miss Jennie Falconer.—A large, solid, incurved 
Japanese of a clear canary-yellow, very pleasing, and 
with broad intermingling petals. As exhibited it is 
fully g in. across and 5 in. in depth. This variety 
was shown under the name of Dorothy Spaulding in 
New York, but its name was afterwards changed, and 
it was sent out under the name given above. 
Miss Florence Pulman.— Flowers enormously 
large, of beautiful build, and high quality, with 
broad pure white petals. This I consider to be the 
finest white American variety ever sent out. I 
believe it will succeed well in this country. 
Brigand.— This apparently has Cullingfordi and 
G. W. Child’s blood in it; the first in the foliage, 
the later in the flower, which is much larger than 
the parent. 
New York.—A massive Japanese with plenty of 
material, showing immense capacity for producing 
big blooms. In colour it is white with a lemon centre. 
Olympus. —Has immense solid flowers of pure 
Japanese form, white, slightly shaded pink ; petals 
bread and of fine substance; but in America it has 
the objectionable weak stem. 
Mrs. Geo J. Magee —Avery distinct exhibition 
variety, of dwarf habit, flowers globular, very large, 
and of a distinct shade of pink. 
Lady Playfair—A beautiful pearly-pink, of 
large size, and splendid proportions; petals of medium 
width, whorled and interlaced. It is very attrac¬ 
tive, unique, and of good habit. 
