478 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 28, 1896. 
AMARYLLIS AT CHELSEA. 
The annual display of Amaryllis, recognised by the 
botanist as more properly belonging to the genus Hip- 
peastrum, is now at its best in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. During the 
time the bulbs remain in bloom (a time which may 
be estimated at six weeks), many a pilgrimage will 
be made to the Royal Exotic Nurseries by cultiva¬ 
tors and admirers of this gorgeous class of plants. 
They were re-potted and started in the last week of 
January, and received no water till the first week in 
March, and very little, indeed, till the second week. 
The mild, open winter not having necessitated the 
use of mucii fire heat, the Amaryllis came on slowly, 
with the result that the foliage has advanced almost 
at an equal rate as the flower scapes, which vary 
from 12 in. to 2\ ft. in height, the latter being the 
the tallest and few in number. The plants are, 
therefore, very dwarf and convenient to the eye of 
the visitor. 
We noted only a few of the very best as we saw 
them last week. The meritorious character of the 
Chelsea strain is now so well known as to need little 
confirmation from us ; but they must be seen to be 
fully realised. Eurasian is a bell-shaped flower of a 
deep crimson intensifying to a glossy maraon-crim- 
son in the throat. Eclipse is white, marbled with 
red, and heavily so towards the tips of the segments. 
A large number of scapes bear four flowers each, 
and Ovis is one of these ; it is a funnel-shaped, deep 
reddish-crimson flower. Marcus is another, and is 
very dwarf with deep crimson flowers intensified in 
the throat. Haitus is notable for the immense size 
of its brilliant scarlet flowers. Very handsome is 
Euryalus with intense, glossy maroon-crimson 
flowers of excellent shape. A clear and pleasing 
colour is presented by Dumas, which is scarlet with 
a white throat and long white rays forming the 
familiar “ knights star " applied to the whole genus. 
Very distinct is Tallyrand with its purplish-crimson 
flowers and white star. Large and bold flowers are 
produced by Falloden, of a glowing crimson with 
maroon throat. Even brighter are those of Marlay, 
which may be described as glowing fiery-crimson 
with six white rays. 
The self-coloured flowers are largely represented 
and very popular, but there are many beautiful 
varieties of light and mixed shades as well as striped. 
Very delicate and pretty is Ottley, a white flower 
broadly edged and lined with soft salmon. It carries 
four flowers, as does Zeno, which is crimson-scarlet, 
and striped with white on each side of the long, 
greenish, white rays. Emin is of a beautiful warm 
salmon with four white bands running to the tips of 
the segments. It is really a first-class variety of 
its type, and in our opinion the best of the salmon 
varieties we noted. Here also Berenis must be 
placed, for it has soft salmon-rose flowers with white 
rays. Heraldine is rosy-salmon, but a shade or two 
darker than Berenis with dark lines on either side of 
the white rays. Solus is very dwarf with bright, 
glossy, rosy-red flowers and a darker throat. Can- 
thara carries eight flowers on two scapes; they are 
soft scarlet with a light centre, lined with scarlet. 
The segments of Fedora are of great width and sub¬ 
stance, white, and very lightly lined with red on the 
three or four upper segments. It comes very close 
upon being a self-coloured, white variety. Another 
striking and attractive light variety is Bandon, with 
widely expanded white flowers having a deep red 
feather on each side of the midrib. Rosalind is 
marbled and tipped with bright scarlet on a white 
ground, and the shape is excellent. The light 
coloured and white varieties continue to improve in 
size and substance, and in many cases the white 
ground is very pure. The dark colours are the most 
favoured, however, and the most numerous. 
The flower scapes of Olympo are only one foot 
high, and bear widely-expanded, reddish-scarlet 
flowers, shaded with rose. The blooms of Myra are 
funnel-shaped, but widely expanded at the mouth, 
and well formed with broad, overlapping segments of 
of a deep scarlet. Those of Geta are rosy-crimson, 
and in that respect distinct. One bulb bears two 
scapes having eight flowers in the aggregate. As far 
as the arrangement of colour is concerned Owick is 
a distinct departure from the type. The huge, 
expanded flowers are of a glowing crimson intensified 
to maroon around the ends of the starry rays, while 
the centre is of a soft green and very attractive. 
One of the most striking of the dark kinds, and one 
of the choicest, is Eldorado. The flowers are of an 
intense maroon-crimson, and uniformly darker than 
any of those we noted. Where the standard is so 
high it would be a lengthy task to single out all the 
meritorious kinds, for the varieties at Chelsea are 
well worthy of cultivation for decorative and exhi¬ 
bition purposes. 
•—-— - 
(Startings fttorn Hie tDurlti 
of Science 
The common Club Moss.— On Saturday the 14th 
inst., when walking through Epping Forest, I came 
across, for the first time, our largest Club-moss 
(Lycopodium clavatum). Its stem trailing on the 
ground was about 2 ft. long without any sign of 
fruit, and I understand it has not been known to 
fruit in the forest. Its spikes or cones are collected 
principally in Germany, Russia and Switzerland in 
summer, the spores, like very fine dust, being shaken 
from them and passed through a sieve. This dust 
known as lycopodium and " vegetable sulphur,” is 
used in medicine for applying to excoriated surfaces, 
and pills are rolled in it to prevent adhesion and to 
conceal any unpleasant taste. It is also used for 
making fireworks and producing artificial lightning 
on the stage, burning brightly and explosively as it 
does with a yellowish-white light.— J. C. Stogdon , 
March 17 th, 1896. 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
The Chrysanthemum in France. 
Le Chrysantheme a la Grande Fleur, par Anatole 
Cordonnier (A. Cordonnier, Grapperies du 
Nord, Bailleal, Nord, France). 
New books on the Chrysanthemum seem to be mere 
plentiful this year than ever, and out of five new ones 
that we have received since the beginning of the year, 
four, including the one under notice, have been 
written by members of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society. Mr. Cordonnier's new work is a decided 
acquisition to Chrysanthemum literature, for it is 
well printed in a small, clear type, is fairly well 
illustrated, and contains plenty for the money. In 
the narrow scope of a short notice like the present, 
it would be difficult to deal fully with a work cover¬ 
ing so much ground as Mr. Cordonnier has undertaken. 
Briefly stated, the largest portion of the book is 
devoted to the many mysteries of cultivation in 
which the author has for some years been an adept. 
Indeed, if we are not mistaken, it was he who, by his 
brilliant Fete des Fleurs at Roubrix in 1887, opened 
the eyes of the French public to the potentiality of 
the Autumn Queen as a show flower; and it is 
certain that the department of the Nord, where he 
resides, has for a long time held a foremost reputa¬ 
tion for the production of large show blooms, large 
numbers of which annually find their'way to the 
Paris markets. 
Of the subjects relating to culture, Mr. Cordonnier 
there speaks with authority. He describes propaga¬ 
tion by cuttings and by seeds, also the composts and 
manures to be employed, re-pottings and the treat¬ 
ment of the plants in their young stages. Summer 
treatment and autumn treatment each have a separate 
chapter, and on the difficult question of bud selection 
Mr. Cordonnier has much to say and has not 
hesitated to give numerous illustrations explanatory 
of the process of taking the bud, which by some 
strange confusion of words does not mean taking it 
at all but leaving it. 
Diseases and insect pests, of course, are discussed 
as is the case with most authors. Grafting, open-air 
culture, and pot culture for dwarf, specimen and 
bush plants are touched upon. Then we find in 
part ii., an excellent catalogue of selected varieties, 
an important feature of which is a note as to the 
proper bud to be taken in each case 
When the reader gets as far as the third part he 
will find his interest quicken by noticing that the 
opening chapter deals with the flower in England 
principally from notes supplied by Mr. Harman 
Payne, to whom frequent reference is made through¬ 
out the work. Then follows a chapter on the Chry¬ 
santhemum in France, and a series of others on such 
matters as Societies, Floral Committees, English and 
Foreign Shows, New Varieties, Popular Varieties in 
England, the whole being brought to a conclusion by, 
a reprint of the rules of the Northern Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Society of France, recently established, and 
of which Mr. Cordonnier is the secretary. 
The price of the book is two francs, and we have no 
hesitation in saying that it is at once the cheapest 
and best book on the famous Oriental flower that has 
ever been published in France, or, indeed, on the 
Continent anywhere. Mr. Cordonnier has dedicated 
the result of his labours to Mr. C. Harman Payne, 
whose literary work in England on the subject of 
French Chrysanthemums and French raisers is 
several times acknowledged. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned plants received Floricultural 
Certificates of Merit at the Royal Botanic Society’s 
Spring Show on March i8th. 
Cyclamen, The Sultan. —The flowers of this 
variety are large, with petals of great substance and 
deep purplish-crimson in hue. It also appears to be 
of vigorous habit. Mr. Odell, Hillingdon. 
Camellia, Baras de Mogofores.— For descrip¬ 
tion of this new Camellia, see list of plants certifi¬ 
cated at the Crystal Palace Spring Show, March 14th. 
Messrs. W. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, Herts. 
Streptocarpus giganteus. —See list of certifi¬ 
cated plants at Crystal Palace. Messrs. John Laing 
& Sons, Forest Hill, S.E. 
Amaryllis Ercles. —Here we have a large well- 
formed flower with segments well folded back. In 
colour it is a dull reddish scarlet, with only a 
suspicion of green in the centre. Messrs. J. Veitch 
& Sons, Royal Exotic Nurseries, Chelsea. 
Amaryllis Myra is a rich glowing scarlet flower 
ot medium size and with broad segments of great 
substance closely compacted together. Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons. 
Rhododendron Yellow Perfection.— The ranks 
of greenhouse Rhododendrons have here received a 
notable addition. The flowers are extra large, and 
of a rich butter-yellow hue, very bright and charming. 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Rhododendron Purity. —The flowers of this 
variety are not quite so large as those of Yellow 
Perfection, but they are still above medium size. In 
colour they are white, slightly flushed or suffused 
on occasion with delicate flesh-pink. Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons. 
Botanical Certificates of Merit were awarded the 
following :— 
Fritillaria nobilis. —This is one of thedwarfest 
of the Fritillaries being little more than 2 in. or 3 in. 
in height. The flowers are large deep brownish- 
crimson in hue, shaded at the base of the perianth 
segments outside with durk purple. The inside of 
the flower is heavily mottled and checquered with 
deep maroon. Messrs. Barr & Sons. 
Pteris tremula elegans. —From the specimen 
exhibited this variety would seem to be of rather 
dwarfer and more compact habit than its type, the 
well-known P. tremula. The pinnules are long, 
narrowly linear, and bifurcated at the extreme tips. 
As the fronds arch slightly a most graceful 
appearance is thus presented. Messrs. John Laing 
& Sons. 
Davallia tenuifola Burkei. —The fronds here 
are from 1 ft. to i£ ft. in length, quadripinnatifid and 
with the ultimate segments linear lanceolate in 
shape. The stipes and rachis are slightly tinted 
rosy-brown. As the fronds possess a graceful 
pendant habit, this should make an excellent basket 
Fern. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons. 
Polypodium schneideri. —The fronds here are 
about 18 in. in length, and bi-pinnate, the ultimate 
segments being pinnatifid and the margins waved. 
A very desirable variety this. Messrs. J. Veitch 
& Sons. 
Laeliocattleya Xantho. —The sepals and 
petals are linear in shape and pale orange-yellow in 
colour. The lip exhibits a deeper shade of yellow 
and bears two maroon blotches at the tip. Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons. 
Anguloa uniflora Turneri. —The flower is sub- 
globose in shape, the sepals and petals light flesh 
colour, suffused with pale rose. The lip is mottled, 
and barred with purplish-brown. Messrs. J. Veitch 
& Sons. 
Cypripedium Schroderae candidulum. —The 
sepals and petals here are pale yellowish-white in 
colour, the petals long, drooping, narrowly linear, 
slightly twisted, and very hairy at the base. The lip 
is profusely spotted with chestnut brown. Messrs 
J. Veitch & Sons. 
