150 
November 4, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
side is a perfect mass of white. Then follow in 
other houses batches of Araucaria excelsa, Bou- 
vardias, Carnations, and a fine lot of Indian 
Azaleas well set with buds. A batch of about one 
hundred grand plants of Lapageria rosea and L. alba 
in flower, and again exhibiting superb health, much 
took my fancy, as did also a collection of Japanese 
Acers and a select batch of choice seedling Begonias. 
The side frames are filled with Primulas, etc. Tea 
Roses by the hundreds fill up other frames, and I 
noted also a collection of greenhouse Rhododen¬ 
drons, numbering several hundreds, amongst them 
being some of the leading varieties. Leaving the 
plant houses, I took a walk through the extensive 
outside department. A very nice carriage road for 
visitors driving through the nursery adds con¬ 
siderably to the appearance of it, and the effective 
planting of the borders along the drive is also very 
commendable. I can only note a few of the hosts of 
choice subjects that came under inspection on every 
side. Several brakes of hybrid Rhododendrons for 
healthy appearance and robust growth are most 
noticeable. A huge brake of named Rhododendrons 
opposite exhibits the same robustness and .health, 
and on inquiring the reason of such vigorous health, 
I was told that the splendid yellow loam in which 
they are planted was the sole cause of it, and on ex¬ 
amining it I was surprised to find in this part a loam 
of such richness. A magnificent brake of standards 
of the double flowering Crataegus, a fine collection 
of Pyrus, and a row of standards of the Golden 
Poplar, P. canadensis aurea, are worthy of note. A 
grand lot of standard Lime trees are the finest I 
have ever seen for culture and health. Passing 
along, we come to the Roses, which are grown by 
thousands, and what is still better than number, are 
grown to perfection. Magnificent specimens of 
Weeping Willows, Retinosporas, Cupressus, Hollies, 
etc., in perfect symmetry and fine health, also com¬ 
manded our admiration. 
I regret that I had not time to note more of the 
very interesting things to be seen in this nursery. It 
is, however, only fair to say that everything I saw 
reflected the highest credit on the able manager, Mr. 
Smith.— Caledonian. 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Measuring Chrysanthemu.m Blooms. 
Which is the right way to measure a Chrysanthe¬ 
mum bloom ? When we read of blooms being 14 in. 
and 15 in. across, does that mean that the petals 
were stretched out on the level, or that the measure¬ 
ment was taken without touching the bloom ? I 
have a plant of Sunflower with very good foliage. I 
measured one leaf yesterday and it was iij in. from 
the stem to the point, and I daresay if the crinkles 
were pressed down it would measure a foot. The 
bloom measures about 9 in. without touching it, but 
if the petals were stretched out I daresay it would 
be 12 in. or 14 in. across, hence I should like to 
know which is the right way to measure them. I 
have a plant of Etoile de Lyon showing very well, 
the buds are over 2 in. across, and I believe the 
blooms will be 2 ft. in diameter, that is to say if the 
petals are stretched out level. If you will kindly say 
how blooms are or ought to be measured you will 
greatly oblige .—Constant Reader. [The blooms 
should always be measured in depth and diameter 
without touching them. If the petals are spread out 
flat, the fact should always be stated when such 
measurements are given. —Ed.] 
Lilford Road Nursery. 
From every corner of the land Chrysanthemums 
will be the all-absorbing topic until the season is 
over, and even then it will only be quieter as far as 
the general public is concerned, but not dormant. 
The Chrysanthemum is a town plant as much as one 
for the country, as maybe seen in the nursery of Mr. 
Norman Davis, Lilford Road, Camberwell, where 
the place is completely surrounded with houses with 
all their pestilential accompaniment of blacks from 
the chimneys. At present the Chrysanthemums 
have taken possession of all the houses in the nur¬ 
sery, and, it must be acknowledged, make a brave 
display. The newer and most popular varieties only 
are in evidence, and some of them are grown in great 
quantity. A recently certificated plant is Madamoi- 
selle Therese Ray, a Japanese kind with broad, 
slightly twisted, ivory-white florets. A grand thing 
is Col. W. B. Smith, which varies from golden- 
bronze (its best condition) to yellow. The huge 
flowers, with florets in the young state twisted side¬ 
ways, are very imposing. Florence Davis is much 
more nearly pure white than last year, though the 
pale green so characteristic of it still keeps possession 
of the centre. LTsere has long, tubular, slightly 
twisted florets, but is not an amateur’s flower, as it is 
difficult to grow to perfection. Louise (Calvat) is a 
beautiful flesh-pink incurved Japanese variety with 
a white centre. . The florets are very broad. The 
variety blooms very late when the terminal buds are 
taken. Madame Chatin is an improvement upon 
Madamoiselle Lacroix with drooping white florets. 
A French seedling with pure white blooms and lobes 
cut away from the florets is handsome in its way ; it 
is named Madame Charles Molin. 
Robert Owen is a handsome golden, or sometimes 
golden-bronze incurved Japanese variety, the crown 
buds of which should be taken, otherwise it blooms 
so late as to be useless for exhibition purposes. In 
this condition the stem is entirely unbranched, with 
a single bloom on the top. Viviand Morel is as 
popular as ever, and is here grown in great quantity, 
making its presence felt in every house. It varies 
from rich rosy-pink to pure white. The rich chest¬ 
nut hue of Lord Brooke is very handsome in the 
half expanded stage, and scarcely less so when the 
open blooms fade to bronze. Curious and beautiful 
are the light golden yellow blooms of Mons. T. 
Pankoucke, with long, twisted florets toothed or cut 
at the tips. Etoile de Lyon is dark and good this 
year ; and the golden-yellow Sunflower is as hand¬ 
some as ever. The rosy blooms, with silvery reverse 
of Mrs Harman Payne attain a huge size when all 
the material of which it is composed is fully de¬ 
veloped. The terminal buds are of a beautiful dark 
purple. A very vigorous grower is Le Versean, 
with large rose blooms ultimately shading to magenta, 
with a buff reverse. Madame Octave Mirabeau is 
a great improvement upon Belle Paul, both as to 
size of bloom, the purple edges of the florets, and 
the constitution of the plant, and all these improve¬ 
ments are certainly a good recommendation. A 
Japan-raised variety, brought to this country by way 
of America, and named Golden Wedding, is of a 
rich golden yellow, and very promising, but will re¬ 
quire another week to estimate its full value. 
Similar to the last is Le Brae, but the golden-yellow 
is tinted with bronze. Duke of York has broad, 
rose-purple florets with a silvery reverse. 
Amongst varieties that may be recommended 
for amateurs. Bouquet des Dames takes a leading 
place, for anybody can grow it, and the globular, 
pure white blooms are handsome. Dwarf and 
vigorous is Madame Girond, with large crimson-red 
blooms, and buff on the reverse of the florets. 
Madame Chas. Capitante is a flesh-pink reflexed 
Japanese variety, notched at the tip of the florets, 
and withal a pleasing colour. Similar to Edwin 
Molyneux is Charles Shrimpton, but the florets are 
longer, more reflexed, and of a brighter crimson. Ada 
Prass was recently certificated, a fact which says 
much for it, as certificates are becoming more diffi¬ 
cult to obtain. It is an incurved Japanese variety, 
with broad, soft, pink florets, fading to blush. Wm. 
Tricker is in handsome form this year. The White 
Louis Boehmer is really a fine thing for those who 
can appreciate the plumose type. Very pretty and 
distinct is Mrs. A. J. Parker, with salmon-pink 
blooms of moderate size, with the florets revolute 
along the sides, and appearing narrow. 
In one house is a batch of some 500 plants ofWm. 
Seward, the blooms of which are of a rich, velvety, 
dark, almost maroon crimson. The florets are of 
great substance, feeling almost leathery to the touch. 
Many of the plants were struck in March and are 
very dwarf with large blooms. The plant is very 
easy to grow. The golden-yellow flowers of Andre 
Fallieres form a fine contrast to Wm. Seward. In 
two other houses are batches of plants of John 
Shrimpton numbering some 500. This, it may be 
remembered, was certificated along with Wm. 
Seward last year, creating some sensation on 
account of their intense colour. John Shrimpton 
is the brighter crimson of the two, and the dwarfest 
in habit. There are also 500 plants of Charles Davis 
in one house making a brave display. It is a sport 
from Viviand Morel and perfectly constant, although 
it varies from a warm bronze to yellow, tinted with 
rosy-bronze when fully developed. A remarkable 
feature of this variety is that it throws up numerous 
suckers, all of which bloom sooner or later. Already 
some of these buds are about the size of a shilling. 
They may be had in bloom in spring. The broad 
petalled G. W. Childs is of a rich crimson, tinted 
with amaranth. 
Besides the above, all of which are Japanese 
varieties, and in most cases suitable for exhibition 
purposes, a large quantity of decorative and pompon 
varieties are grown for the sake of cut flowers. A 
few pompons are grown in pots, including the beau¬ 
tiful Madamoiselle Elise Dordans, Rose Trevenna, 
similar in colour to the last, but having flatter 
florets, not fluted, and Wm. Kennedy, rich amaranth. 
We also noted blooms of the new yellow Lady 
Selborne that is already popular,^ for cut flower 
purposes in the market. Ryecroft Glory is a dwarf, 
early, decorative variety bearing a profusion of gold 
and slightly bronze-tinted flowers. It has all the 
qualities of a good decorative variety. Amongst 
decorative kinds now blooming profusely in the open 
ground, and only 18 in. or 2 ft. high, are La Vierge 
and Mrs. Cullingford, both white; G. Wermig, 
yellow; Alice Butcher, orange-red; Source d’Or, 
orange; and Charles E. Shea, with light yellow 
flowers, and very narrow florets. For cut flowers all 
of the above are invaluable. 
Ryecroft Nursery’. 
At the present time many a pilgrimage is being paid 
by devoted lovers of this class of plants to the Rye¬ 
croft Nursery, Hither Green, Lewisham, where Mr. H. 
J. Jones has got together the largest and finest collec¬ 
tion we have seen under one roof. Two houses, 
however, are devoted to the culture of the favourite 
plant, each 104 ft. long by 25 ft. wide, but the finest 
display at present is in one house. The other con¬ 
tains about 3,000 plants, but they were scarcely in 
full bloom when we saw them the other week. There 
are over 4,000 plants in what, for the present, we 
shall call the show house proper. There is no staging 
of any kind in it, so that there is free scope to 
arrange the plants according to taste or inclination. 
A narrow path takes a winding course through the 
middle of the house and takes its form from the 
arrangement of the plants, which are made to assume 
a broad and continuous belt on either side of the 
path, and undulated so as to present the appearance 
of four banks or ridges. The latter alternate with 
those on the opposite side of the path. Seedlings 
are numerous, and some of them are very fine, but 
another year will be accorded to many of them to 
test their proper value. The extraordinary rage for 
Japanese varieties has almost ousted everything else 
from modern nursery collections. Here, as elsewhere, 
only the merest sprinkling of incurved, with a few of 
the smaller decorative sorts, may be seen. Amongst 
the Japanese kinds, A. G. Ramsay is a bold crim¬ 
son-red flower. Mr. Robert Craig is a drooping- 
petalled w’hite variety of some note. The huge 
blooms of Madame Calvat are very striking, and 
have long, spreading, tubular, white florets. The 
acknowledged gem of the season is, however, 
Madamoiselle Therese Ray, a pure white incurved 
Japanese variety of great beauty. Similar in form 
is the flesh-pink Ada Prass, with a white centre and 
certainly very handsome. It is dwarf and easy to 
grow. Charles Davis, the yellow sport from Viviand 
Morel, with a rosy-bronze shading, is grown in some 
quantity. Very promising is Pearl Beauty, an ivory- 
white, incurved Japanese variety. President Borrel 
is rosy-magenta with a yellowish reverse, and very 
choice. Santel 93 also belongs to the same section, 
and has soft rosy-purple flowers with a silvery wffiite 
reverse. The rosy-purple flow'ers of Denne has the 
florets incurved, the outer ones being tubular and the 
rest flat. It, as well as Duke of York, belongs to the 
incurved Japanese section. The latter has rosy- 
purple florets and a silvery reverse. 
It may interest Chrysanthemum growers in general 
to know that some of the first lot of varieties that 
were sent over in blocks of ice by Mr. Earland from 
New Zealand are grown here, and flowering for the 
first time. The young plants arrived in very bad 
condition, and Mr. Jones could only save about half 
a dozen of them. Zealandia and Rimutaka are both 
incurved Japanese varieties, and the first is the best 
of the two. The broad florets are pink, shaded with 
white. The florets of Rimutaka are reddish purple, 
with a buff reverse. Both will require another year 
to test their size, as they had a poor start in spring. 
Mr. Jones has also been enterprising in other direc¬ 
tions, and has acquired the whole of the collection 
of Messrs. Pitcher & Manda. Amongst others in 
this latter collection we should specially note G. W. 
