152 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 9, 1889. 
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, 
Florists' Flowers in November. 
Sang one of our poets :— 
11 November comes, with gloomy fogs begun, 
Through which, dim looming, frowns his furrowed face ; 
Like a huge globe of molten iron the sun 
Seems, labouring through upon his daily race.” 
November brings fogs ; and the prevalence of dense 
fogs, and especially such as visit the suburbs of London, 
give a great deal of trouble to the florist. If there is 
decaying foliage upon the plants, and especially in such 
soft-leaved plants as Calceolarias and Cinerarias, the 
damp fixes upon it at once, and it decays. Hence the 
necessity of constantly overhauling the plants and 
denuding them of anything that appears to hold the 
damp, and in the case of unheated houses and frames 
such vigilance is all the more necessary. A house or 
frame heated by hot water or a flue contributes towards 
drying up the damp ; and if a little fire-heat is applied 
to dispel it, air should be freely given at the same time. 
What is to be especially guarded against is a close, 
stuffy atmosphere ; this accelerates the breeding of red- 
spider and green-fly, and an unhealthy condition of the 
plants. In the case of a cold-house or frame it is 
better to open the windows or frames and allow a free 
circulation of air to pass through, provided the weather 
is genial enough ; it is much better than keeping the 
places closed up and allowing damp to work its ill 
effects. 
The primulaeeous habit of Auriculas in throwing up 
autumn trusses of bloom, appears to be characteristic 
of some collections to a large degree this season. 
Mr. T. E. nenwocd wrote to me the other day 
from Reading, stating that his plants were blooming 
freely. Now Mr. Henwood pots early, and the 
question arises, Does early potting tend to encourage 
the production of autumn trusses ? I should like to get 
Mr. Henwood’s opinion on this subject. Mr. William 
Bolton, of Warrington, pots late, and one reason he 
does so is because it does not encourage a rank summer 
growth, which conduces to an autumn bloom. But 
then he that pots early might reply, “Granted that 
early potting does this—the great advantage is that the 
plants fill the pots with roots by the arrival of winter, 
which is a decided advantage.” I think there is a 
great deal to be said from this point of view. Late 
potting is generally done at the Royal Nursery, Slough, 
but I have seen many autumn trusses on the plants. 
My own plants are singularly free from autumn 
bloom, and I re-potted mine somewhat late. But I 
grow them in unexciting composts, and this may have 
something to do with a lack of autumn trusses. I do 
not mind the seedlings blooming in autumn, as this 
is more helpful than otherwise, and enables one to see 
something of the quality of the bloom, although autumn 
character is sometimes unavoidably altered in spring. 
I have several seedlings expanding their blossoms, and 
their appearance adds to the interest clustering about 
the plants in the autumn. 
Gold-laced Polyanthuses are becoming well estab¬ 
lished in pots, and putting up a vigorous active growth. 
They are in a cold frame, and are allowed to have the 
benefit of nice warm showers, but are screened from 
heavy rains. They promise well at present, but have 
to run many risks during the winter.— H. D. 
The Florists’ Laced Pink. 
Growers of these charming flowers will be glad to hear 
that there is a movement on foot to establish a society 
with the object of bringing them again into popularity 
by means of exhibitions. It is proposed that two 
shows shall be held next year at the Royal Aquarium, 
Westminster, one in the last week in June for the 
southern growers, and the other in July for the 
northern men. For the moment these two proposed 
exhibitions only are under consideration, but we are 
not without hope that in the following season arrange¬ 
ments may be made for holding shows in some of 
the northern towns. The movement has the cordial 
support of all the best known growers, and we under¬ 
stand a circular will shortly be issued on the subject. 
- - > X - e ~ - 
Anthurium carneum.— The leaves of this hybrid 
cannot be described as ornamental in the same sense as 
those of A. Warocqueanum, but they are nevertheless 
of good size and of a bright shining green. The floral 
spathe, however, constitutes the most important feature 
of the plant. This is large, heart-shaped, and for want 
of a better term, may be described as a lively rose- 
carmine, fading to a bright flesh colour, from which 
has been derived the specific name, 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
The Blue Chrysanthemum. 
Your valued correspondent, Mr. W. J. Murphy, has 
opened for me at least a new field of thought and ex¬ 
ploration. Having already decided that no blue variety 
of the Chrysanthemum was actually in existence, the 
idea certainly never presented itself that, perhaps, some 
of those flowers already in our collections might be 
lined or tinged with blue. Some of the purple-coloured 
flowers may, if carefully examined, prove to be marked 
with the long-coveted colour, and it is to be hoped that 
some of the readers of The Gardening World will 
give us the benefit of any observations they may make. 
Personally I do not often get the chance of seeing 
Chrysanthemums in broad daylight, and in an ex¬ 
amination of the sort now suggested nothing short of a 
good light is required. Years ago the Floral Committee 
of the National Chrysanthemum Society held their 
meetings in the evening, but recognising the importance 
of doing their work under more favourable circumstances, 
the time was altered to the early afternoon. But 
candidly I think they jumped out of the frying-pan 
into the fire. In nine cases out of ten the gallery at 
the Aquarium where the meetings are held is so gloomy 
—for fine days are few at this period of the year—that 
the greatest uncertainty prevails as to the colours of 
the flowers staged, and the visitors more often than 
not express considerable doubt if inquiries are made as 
to points of colour in any particularly interesting 
variety. I am not at all uncertain but that a good 
gaslight is far more suitable for the purpose than a 
dull gloomy atmosphere that is heavily charged with 
the pea-soup-coloured mist peculiar to our great 
metropolis. 
It must be acknowledged that Mr. Murphy strikes 
the proper key-note when he inquires whether it would 
not be more judicious for the hybridists to try and 
obtain a blue Chrysanthemum from present ^materials. 
In aid of the valuable suggestion, no doubt many 
readers will during the present season examine with a 
critical eye any flowers showing the slightest tendency 
towards blue, and record for the mutual benefit and 
instruction of those interested whatever they may see 
worthy of attention. 
At the present moment it is impossible to devote 
time to a further explanation, and readers who would 
like to glean fuller particulars on this matter are 
referred to the original article of mine in The Chry¬ 
santhemum Annual for 1889.— C. Harman Payne. 
Propagating Chrysanthemums by Their Leaves. 
A correspondent has sent us a cutting from a provincial 
paper which alludes to “a new way of propagating 
Chrysanthemums by their leaves,” and asks our opinion 
about it. Our correspondent, to whom we have been 
indebted for many useful contributions to our columns 
in the past, evidently does not closely read his 
Gardening World or he would have seen the recent 
reference to the plant exhibited by Mr. Briscoe Iron¬ 
sides at a late meeting of the Floral Committee of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society, which, as the 
subject is both seasonable and of no little interest, may 
be more fully discussed now. Mr. Briscoe Ironsides 
last season put in a leaf as a cutting'without any eye 
or bud at the base of the petiole ; it took root, and in 
due time a plant appeared—the one shown at the 
Aquarium. When this was reported many Chrysan¬ 
themum growers came to the conclusion that, unknown 
to the experimentor, there must have been a bud at the 
base of the petiole, but this was not so. What happened 
was this : the leaf cutting took root, and from the root 
came up a sucker which grew into the plant shown. 
There is nothing therefore surprising about the results, 
just what happened is what might have been anticipated. 
As to how far this mode of propagation will prove use¬ 
ful remains to be learned from extended trials, because 
we do not know at present what percentage of leaf 
cuttings will throw up suckers after they have made 
roots ; they will not all do so, as some have been 
known to fill a pot with roots, yet threw up no suckers. 
Lilford Road Nurseries. 
Chrysanthemums are so grown by Messrs. Davis & 
Jones at the Lilford Road Nurseries, Camberwell, that 
a long succession of bloom is obtained, and the season 
is prolonged as long as possible. The span-roofed 
conservatory is now filled with plants, many of which 
have been in bloom for some time, and the display is 
now very fine. The blooms are also seen to the best 
advantage, from the fact that the tallest plants them¬ 
selves are very dwarf compared with those we frequently 
see grown for exhibition purposes. Messrs. Davis & 
Jones are, moreover, exhibitors at the shows of some 
of the leading societies. They also grow a large 
quantity for cut blooms, and at present a house may 
be seen entirely filled with naturally very late-flowering 
kinds. A considerable amount of stock is grown in 
the open air, and many of the sorts are now coming 
into bloom. 
Japanese. 
Most of the under-mentioned are of recent introduc¬ 
tion, or comparatively Dew, although we noted a 
number of special utility for certain purposes. One of 
the darkest coloured Japanese varieties is Edouard 
Audiguier, a rich maroon-crimson with a silvery 
purple reverse. Mrs. "William Walters is a deep 
crimson sport from this, with a silvery white reverse. 
Both are of medium height. Etoile de Lyon and 
Condor have similarly large heads, with long, broad 
and flat florets ; but the former is a dwarf grower, 
with its florets suffused with rosy purple on a white 
ground, while the latter is tall with almost pure white 
blooms. A pretty Japanese kind with compactly 
arranged, narrow, pure white florets, is Mademoiselle 
Louise Leroy. Thos. Stephenson, a Japanese reflexed, 
is a cinnabar-red sport, but quite distinct from the 
orange-amber of Criterion, and a pleasing flower it is. 
Sunflower has large brilliant yellow heads, with the 
outer flowers drooping, and has not inaptly been called 
a yellow Madame Lacroix. Lakme is a beautiful dark 
orange variety, tinted with salmon. Two of the 
prettiest and most useful for decorative purposes are 
Alexander Dufour, rosy purple with a white reverse, 
and Roi de Precoee, crimson ; both have narrow florets 
very compactly arranged, and they are so floriferous 
and bushy that no garden should be without a batch of 
them for cut bloom or for decorative purposes. J. R. 
Pearson has spreading, bright lilac florets, white on 
the reverse, and very beautiful when grown for cut- 
flower purposes ; it has been compared to a pink 
Madame Lacroix. Autumn Queen is a brilliant crim¬ 
son variety of American origin, very free, and handsome 
for cut-flower purposes. 
Incurved. 
These being naturally later in coming into flower than 
the Japanese kinds are hardly yet at their best, while 
a large number of a few kinds are specially grown for 
late flowering. Prominent amongst them is Yiolet 
Tomlin, a beautiful violet-purple sport from Princess 
of "Wales; the florets are tipped with a silvery rose, 
and the whole flower when seen in its best form is very 
beautiful. Having been extensively propagated from 
a small quantity of stock by Messrs. Davis & Jones, its 
capabilities can hardly be determined till next year, 
when it will have had time to recover from the ex¬ 
haustion which it has undergone. The earliest batch 
is now pretty well advanced. Miss M. A. Haggas is a 
soft yellow sport That originated from the pure white 
Mrs. Heale last year. One side of a low span-roofed 
house is wholly occupied by the two sorts above men¬ 
tioned, while the other side is monopolised by Princess 
Teck, with all the varieties that have sported either 
directly or indirectly from it, viz., Mrs. Norman 
Davis, rich golden yellow; Lord Eversley, white ; Hero 
of Stoke Newington, rose-pink ; Charles Gibson, bronze- 
red ; and Lady Dorothy, cinnamon-buff. The whole of 
these are still in bud, and very promising they look ; 
but will be some time before they expand a bloom. H. 
Shoesmith is a yellow bronze sport from the well-known 
Golden Beverley, and originated last year. Consi¬ 
derably older is the fawn-coloured Miss W. Shipman, 
a sport from the silvery rose Lady Hardinge; both are 
dwarf and flower early. 
Anemones, Pompons, and Single Kinds. 
Souvenir de Madame Blandineries is a large Anemone, 
noted for its numerous long red rays and its small 
yellow disc. Although much smaller in dimensions, 
Mons. Chas. Lebosq is a beautiful variety that is 
destined to become a favourite with growers on account 
of its regular form and pleasing colours, the rays being 
lemon, and the prominent quilled disc of a deep yellow. 
Thorpe Junior is bright yellow, and much larger than 
the last ; but the disc is level with the rays and 
not very prominent. A flower of the first water is 
Miss Annie Lowe, with bright yellow rays and a paler 
disc, it is a sport from the pure white Lady Margaret. 
Amongst choice Pompons, Mademoiselle Elise 
Dordan, with its globular, lively pink heads, stands 
out very prominently. Near by is another named 
Yictorine, a deep bronze variety, otherwise similar in 
all respects to the last named. The brown Cedo Nulli 
is a very pretty and floriferous kind ; but is even sur¬ 
passed by the white, gold, and lilac varieties that have 
arisen from it. They may all be recognised as belonging 
to one type by the tips of the florets being darker than 
