228 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 8, 1894. 
long run it would appear most satisfactory 
in the latter case, at least, that the plant 
doctor should be supplied with apparatus 
and make a reasonable charge for the use 
of the same, or cover his expenses by the 
profits of his calling. All this is based 
upon the assumption that the work is to be 
carried on by private practitioners ; but on 
the contrary, if advice is to be given gratis 
by the government, there would be no room 
for private enterprise, as the chances of a 
lucrative occupation would be seriously 
imperilled. In fruit and hop growing dis¬ 
tricts the experiment of having a plant 
doctor at the call of the public might well 
be tried. 
The National Amateur Gardeners’ Association.— 
The fourth annual dinner and presentation of prizes, 
medals, etc., of this Society, will take place on 
Wednesday evening, December 12th next, at the 
Guildhall Tavern, Gresham Street, E.C., at 7 o'clock 
precisely. 
The Borough of Croydon Chrysanthemum Society's 
Show in 1895 will be held on November 12th and 
13th. 
A Warning to Gardeners.—We venture to caution 
those of our readers who may seek to obtain 
situations by means of advertisements, against 
parting with any fees to strangers who may write to 
them offering to obtain them situations for a cash 
consideration. We have a case before us in which 
a young gardener received a letter from a man, who 
gave a postal address in a Surrey town, stating that 
he had to engage an under gardener for Lord 
Blank’s place, and that he would put him forward 
for the situation on the receipt of 5s. and the promise 
of a similar amount should he get it. The first 5s. 
was sent, and a second letter followed stating that 
the young man had been selected for the vacancy, 
when the second sum was honourably sent, and the 
swindle discovered, nothing more being heard of the 
assumed agent to the noble Lord, who quickly 
changed his base of operations. It is a very old 
dodge, but no one need be victimised if they will 
take the ordinary precaution to write to the person 
mentioned by the swindler before they part with 
their money. 
London Pansy and Violet Society—The general 
meeting of this Society was held at the Guildhall 
Tavern, E.C., on the 3rd inst., under the presidency 
of Mr. Wm. Robinson, F.L.S. There was a good 
attendance of members, and much enthusiasm pre¬ 
vailed, it being determined to hold a show in London 
next May or June, and a schedule of prizes was 
considered and adopted, each modern type of the 
Viola being represented. In view of the decision of 
the Viola Conference held at Birmingham in August 
last, classes for the miniature and rayless types are 
included. The President (Mr. Wm. Robinson) 
offers liberal prizes for the best baskets of plants of 
rayless Violas in blooms arranged for effect. Mr. 
Wm. Robinson was re-appointed as President for the 
coming year, Mr. Ranger Johnson as Hon. Treasurer, 
and Mr. A. J. Rowberry was appointed co-Hon. 
Secretary with Mr. Geo. McLeod, of Chingford. 
Messrs. E. R. Smith and G. W. Cook were elected 
to fill vacancies on the Committee. The Hon. 
Treasurer placed his balance-sheet on the table, 
showing that all prizes won at the last show had 
been paid, leaving a satisfactory balance in hand. 
The Gardener’s Company.—The Gardener’s Com¬ 
pany had a dinner on Monday evening, November 
26th, in the Grafton Galleries, Grafton Street, Bond 
Street, the general invitations being to meet the 
Lord Mayor, the Lady Mayoress, and the Sheriffs. 
The Master, Mr. Beaumont Shepheard, took the 
chair. Besides the principal guests, the company 
included Lady Westbury, Archdeacon Farrar, Sir 
Forrest Fulton, Q.C., and Lady Fulton, Mrs. 
Samuel, Sir Trevor Lawrence (Past Master), Sir 
Albert Rollit, M.P., Mrs. Hand, Mr. Woodall, M.P., 
Mr. C. Ernest Tritton, M.P., and Mrs. Tritton, Mr. 
and Mrs. F. A. Bevan, Mr. Under-Sheriff Phillips, 
and Mrs. Phillips, Mr. W. H. Simpson, the Mayor 
of Croydon, Professor Fairbairn (Principal of Mans¬ 
field College), Mr. Sotheran (Master of the Loriner's 
Company), Mr. W. L. Thomas, Mr- C. Welch, 
F.S.A., Mr. Hepburn (Master of the Currier's Com¬ 
pany), Lieutenant-Colonel George Lambert (Upper 
Warden), Colonel North (Renter Warden), and the 
Clerk, Mr. Gofton Salmond. Of mediaeval origin, 
the Gardener’s Company was incorporated by letters 
patent in 1605, and again by charter in 1616. It 
was allowed to lapse in or about 1834, but was 
resuscitated four years ago. The Lord Mayor, in 
acknowledging the toast of his health, said that, as 
everybody knew, the Corporation was in the most 
perfect state of health. It had a shock a short time 
ago, but had sufficiently recovered from that. Sir 
Albert Rollit proposed the toast in honour of the 
Gardeners’ Company, which, he said, was doing a 
good work in the way of awarding scholarships and 
other rewards in the matter of gardening. The Master 
briefly acknowledged the compliment. Lieutenant- 
Colonel Lambert proposed “ The Ladies,” for whom 
Mr. Tritton spoke. After the dinner there was a 
promenade concert in the galleries .—The Times. 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames. 
The Chrysanthemums here, although at present 
rather past their best, have certainly been this year 
everything that could be desired. The Japanese 
section was most strongly represented, and many of 
the best varieties included in this section are grown 
at Greenlands with exceedingly good results, the 
blooms of many being large and well developed, and 
certainly reflect great credit upon the cultivators. 
Conspicuous among the collection were some 
really splendid blooms of Robert Owen that for size 
and depth of bloom, as well as for form and colour, 
were everything that could be desired. Wilfred 
Marshall, with its fine, rich yellow flowers, is another 
incurved Japanese of sterling merit. Some excellent 
samples of Mdlle. Therese Rey, Viviand Morel, 
Viscountess, and Hambleden were all in praise¬ 
worthy condition. Good blooms of Rose Wynne, 
another very desirable variety, with its white florets 
of good size and substance prettily striped with pink 
or rose, were also noteworthy. Princess May, a 
white flowered Japanese sort, has the florets prettily 
tinted at the tips with pale lilac. It is also a strong 
grower, and the blooms are of a large size and good 
substance. Other varieties that were in excellent 
order were Golden Wedding, Primrose League, E. L. 
James, and Walter Surman. 
Besides the larger plants which were grown for 
the purposo of obtaining large blooms, a number of 
small plants, each carrying a single flower and 
evidently obtained from very late struck cuttings, 
were also very noticeable, and considering the 
diminutive size of the pots, and the smallness of the 
plants, some nice blooms of Louis Boehmer and 
Rose Wynne were to be seen. Small plants of this 
kind are very valuable material for decorative 
purposes, and it is rather curious that greater 
quantities of them are not grown. 
NOTES FROM PARK PLACE, HENLEY- 
ON-THAMES. 
The long immunity from anything like severe frost 
experienced by dwellers in the above locality has 
well nigh established a record. Situated as the 
gardens are upon the hills immediately overlooking 
the Thames, which winds its way through the valley 
beneath, the frost is never so severe as it is in the 
lower-lying and consequently damper situations. 
Thus, at the particular period of my visit, although 
the ponds and pools which are to be seen here and 
there in the meadows nearer to the river—vestiges 
of the extensive floods which have so recently covered 
the valley—were sheeted with ice, the frost appeared 
to be much less severe as the hill was ascended. 
Indeed, so mild has been the weather, that even as 
late as November 30th, a handful of Tropaeolum 
flowers were gathered from plants in the open air. 
Tea Roses, too, have been recently cut in excellent 
condition from plants outside. A dish of Scarlet 
Runner Beans, gathered upon Lord Mayor’s day, 
were of excellent flavour and appearance. The 
Dahlia has been able to grow on and bloom away 
for nearly as long as its desires prompted it to do. 
As a natural result of this almost unprecedentedly 
mild weather for autumn, the leaves are still clinging 
to many of the hardy fruit trees, particularly Pears, 
with unwonted tenacity. 
The plant houses at Park Place were looking very 
bright and gay, and this in despite of the large 
quantities of cut bloom of all sorts that are continu¬ 
ally needed. Chrysanthemums are grown exten¬ 
sively, but chiefly in the bush form, although a few 
plants are also cultivated, for the sake of large 
blooms. The bush plants were sturdy specimens of 
their class, rather dwarfer in habit than are many 
this year, and full of flower. Disbudding in these 
latter is not carried out to any great extent, with the 
result that the flowers, if a little smaller individually 
than usual, are produced in great profusion, and 
may be cut with long stalks in bold and 
conspicuous sprays that render them of the greatest 
value tor decorative purposes 
One small house in particular was particularly gay 
with a fine batch of the well-known Euphorbia 
(Pointsettia), pulcherrima, the flower heads being of 
good size, and the bracts large and exceedingly well 
coloured. Other houses held numbers of well- 
flowered plants of Cyclamen persicum, some finely 
striped and blotched varieties showing up very 
conspicuously from the pure white varieties which 
are here, as indeed they are ever) where else, held in 
great esteem. Primulas also were present in con¬ 
siderable numbers, both single and double sections 
being well represented. Some fine little plants of the 
new Saintpaulia ionantha raised from seeds sown in 
spring deserve honourable mention. The plants 
have been blooming away for a considerable period, 
and yet at the present are full of flower. One fine 
little specimen in particular had between thirty and 
forty blooms expanded, and from the number of 
flower scapes which are still making their appear¬ 
ance, the flowering period will yet extend for some 
time to come. The plants were in fact quite the 
best that we have yet seen. Stove plants, especially 
Codiaeums (Crotons), were well coloured and 
appeared to be in the best of health. 
The vineries were cleared of fruit for the Grapes 
(of which a considerable quantity are grown), have all 
been cut and placed in bottles in a room specially 
designed for the purpose. Here they keep quite as 
well as they do upon the vines, and the houses 
are thus placed at liberty for the housing of 
any plants to which it may be necessary to afford 
protection. One vinery, which has this year afforded 
very satisfactory results, was a few years ago filled 
with vines, which like many others which may be 
seen in different parts of the country, carried long 
straggling and cumbrous spurs, which presented 
anything but a neat appearance. To remedy this, 
the old canes were headed down to within a few 
feet of the ground. After two or three months, 
however, every one of them produced strong and 
healthy shoots from near the base, which proceeded 
to grow away in an exceedingly vigorous manner, and 
now, after having been duly stopped at the end of each 
season’s growth, have developed into stout and 
healthy canes. Mr. Stanton is of opinion that this 
method is quite the best one of treating vines carry¬ 
ing such long and unsightly spurs, and, certainly, 
the success which has attended his experiments in 
this direction quite warrant him in the expression of 
this opinion. 
The several Peach houses pertaining to the 
establishment were also in praiseworthy condition, 
and their occupants are holding out bright hopes for 
next season's crops.— A. S. G. 
-- 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM 
SOCIETY. 
Annual Dinner. 
The annual dinner and presentation of prizes of the 
N.C.S. took place at Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, 
on Thursday evening of last week, and was voted 
by all who were present to have been one of the 
most successful of the many pleasant social evenings 
which have been held under the old Society's 
auspices. The genial President, Sir Edwin 
Saunders, occupied the chair, supported by 140 
members and friends. The tables were charmingly 
decorated, the dinner and musical entertainment 
were in all respects admirable, and the after-dinner 
speaking of a crisp, bright and enthusiasm inspiring 
order. 
The usual loyal toast having been duly honoured, 
the President, in proposing the toast of the evening, 
" The National Chrysanthemum Society,” said :— 
Again we are privileged to meet together in celebra- 
