276 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 31, 1892. 
FLORICULTURE. 
Violas in Pots for Winter Decoration 
Under the above heading, our good old friend Mr. 
Wm. Dean has made a happy suggestion, which 
will popularize his favourite flower. And I believe 
with Mr. Geo. McLeod, that it is only a matter of 
time until the Viola becomes as popular as our 
winter flowering violets. 
Mr. Riding does not seem to be so favourably 
impressed with this idea, but perhaps he has not 
grown the new miniature type, which is so admirably 
adapted for pot work. 
The remarks of A. J. R. (on p. 224) are worth 
consideration, but I think young plants treated in a 
similar way would give a much better return. We 
can always have plenty of bloom here (from young 
plants propagated in June) up to the beginning of 
December, when grown in cold frames. 
Mr. Riding, however, has them in the open up to 
December 20th. How to grow them from then on 
to March is the point for future consideration, and 
as the’subject is most interesting I hope these columns 
will be open for the opinions of your readers. I am 
myself thoroughly convinced that the miniature type 
at least will, before many years, be largely grown in 
pots, and be forced similar to Violets for market 
purposes. I do not quite favour the idea of seedlings 
for v'inter work. With Violas, as with Chrysan- 
theums, we have early and late flowering varieties. 
The question is a selection of these and how to grow 
them for winter decoration. A few years ago we never 
dreamt of having Carnations in full bloom at 
Christmas, yet at the present time what a wealth of 
bloom we have of this sweet scented and popular 
flower. 
To grow Violas in pots for winter decoration they 
must receive treatment similar to winter flowering 
Carnations. The mild season we have experienced 
has been favourable so far for plants grown under 
glass, but when fire heat has to be given the un¬ 
natural stimulus has the effect of causing the flowers 
to be puny and short-lived unless special care is 
exercised. I do not believe in putting more than one 
plant in a 5-in. pot, which size seems well adapted for 
Violas of the miniature type. Of course I only grow 
this new and lovely type in pots, for they are more ap¬ 
preciated owing to their delightful fragrance, and I 
have been fortunate in getting some fine distinct 
colours deliciously fragrant which when tied up in 
bunches are as valuable as Violets. There is one 
question by the way I would like to ask Mr. 
McLeod—wherein is Violetta a hybrid Viola, and 
wherein does it differ from Duchess of Fife and other 
modern Violas ?— Viola. 
-- 
THE FIRM OF HURST & SON. 
The famous wholesale seed firm of Messrs. Hurst 
& Son next year celebrate their jubilee, tfie business 
having been founded in 1843, and as a memento of 
the occasion have issued a series of four photo¬ 
graphs, of which they have kindly favoured us with 
copies. These include capital likenesses of the 
founders of the firm, Mr. William Hurst and Mr. 
G. W. McMullen, Mr. William Hurst, jun., and Mr. 
N. Sherwood ; a portrait group of the employes of 
the firm, sixty-seven in number, with Mr. Johnson, 
the late manager, in the centre. This group sur¬ 
rounding Mr. Johnson was taken just before his 
retirement in 1890, and contains portraits of most of 
the members of the staff, some few being unavoid¬ 
ably absent. The other illustrations are of the firm’s 
offices and warehouses in London and at Boston, in 
Lincolnshire. 
As we learn from an accompanying circular, the 
house was founded in 1843 by Messrs. Wm. Hurst 
and W. G. McMullen, who for many years repre¬ 
sented the well-known seed firm of Warner & Co., 
of Cornhill, London (long since extinct). These gen¬ 
tlemen commenced business at 6, Leadenhall Street, 
on a very small scale; but both being well known 
throughout the country and very greatly respected, 
the business grew fast and rapidly became important. 
After some 20 years Mr. McMullen retired from the 
firm in consequence of ill health, and Mr. Hurst took 
his son William into partnership. The style of the 
firm was then altered to Hurst & Son. Mr. Hurst, 
Senr., died in 1868. The business then devolved on 
his son and Mr. Sherwood, who married the youngest 
daughter of Mr. Hurst, Senr., and with Mr. Johnson 
as manager, it was carried on until the retirement of 
the latter in 1890. Since that time Mr. Sherwood 
has assumed the entire management, and is now sole 
proprietor. Notwithstanding these various changes, 
the principles on which the business was founded 
and conducted have remained unaltered, and the 
trade has continued to increase year by year. Need 
we add that all who know Mr. Sherwood, will 
heartily wish that the prosperity of the house may 
long continue, and that he personally may long be 
spared to exercise those excellent qualities, of head 
and heart which have endeared him to all who have 
the honour of his acquaintance. 
-- 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Lichens and Lime. 
Where this troublesome pest is making headway on 
fruit trees or just making its appearance, it can be 
easily arrested and finally stamped out by the free 
use of slaked lime. Here we made an experiment 
with lime on four varieties of Apple trees, which not 
only proved satisfactory, but quite a success. On a 
calm, wet day (not uncommon at this period of the 
year), we dusted the trees until they were white with 
slaked lime, which was passed through a fine sieve. At 
the time of operation we had some doubt that the 
lime would injure the buds, but on the turn of spring, 
to our great satisfaction the buds started as if 
nothing had been put on the branches. The lichen 
turned brown and was finally washed off by heavy 
rains leaving the bark clean and healthy. Not a trace 
of lichen remains on the trees operated on. f may add 
that three of the trees carried a fair crop and are 
now showing well for next year.— IV. O’M., Aberga¬ 
venny. 
Apples and Pears at Gunnersbury House. 
The past season was more especially notable for the 
Apple crop. Pears in most places in the south were 
a scanty crop as far as the outdoor trees were 
concerned, but at Gunnersbury House, Acton, one 
of the seats of the Messrs, de Rothschild, the Pear 
trees with few exceptions bore well. Only the late 
varieties now in the fruit room can of course be 
noted, but it might be interesting to mention the 
varieties of Pears with which Mr. Hudson, the 
gardener, manages to keep up a supply from 
beginning to last. 
He has had dessert Pears in constant succession 
since the end of July. The variety that ripened 
then was Doyenne d’Ete and that was followed by 
Jargonelle. Next came Williams’ Bon Chretien, 
Beurre d’Amanlis, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Pitmaston 
Duchess, Marie Louise, Thompson’s Beurre Clair- 
geau, and Napoleon. Some two of the above came 
together, thus affording variety, but the line of 
succession was never broken however. Beurre Diel 
was still in use the other week, but it could not 
be expected to extend its season much longer. 
Knight's Monarch is still in use and an excellent 
Pear, although neither large nor showy. Other well- 
known sorts still in use, and which like the la3t 
named may be considered Christmas Pears, are 
Beurre d’Aremberg, Glou Mor^eau, Easter Beurre, 
and Josephine de Malines. The last named tree is 
usually a good bearer, but last summer it nearly 
failed, so that the stock of it is not so large as in 
previous years. Ne Plus Meuris is not yet ripe. 
Beurre Ranee is the last to ripen with Mr. Hudson, 
and comes into season during January and February, 
finishing off well, although some growers have a 
difficulty in getting it to ripen. The first is of 
medium size and clean skinned, and to their 
moderate size Mr. Hudson attributes their perfect 
ripening in this country; large ones are more 
difficult to bring to proper maturity and have 
therefore to be stewed in order to utilise them. 
Althorp Crassane is another very late sort, but it 
has to be used for stewing, as it never becomes 
properly fit for dessert purposes. The old Catillac, 
or Pound Pear, is one of the best and most 
reliable for stewing purposes. There is a large 
quantity of it in the fruit room in perfectly sound 
condition, and all of good average size. The skin 
was never cleaner nor so free of spotting as it is this 
year. Samples of the same kind are fetching about 
3d. apiece in the market at the present time. 
The supply of Apples has also been excellent, 
and still in great plenty in the fruit room, although 
the varieties are not very numerous. There is still 
a large supply of Waltham Abbey Seedling, a yellow 
Apple at this season with occasionally a red cheek, 
and in exceptionally clean condition. The yellow 
flesh is tender, and sweet eating. The tree crops 
heavily. Court of Wick is a small but very pretty 
Apple with a red cheek and makes pleasantly acid 
eating. Highly coloured is Winter Queening, also a 
good keeper. Dumelow’s Seedling, better known as 
Wellington, is in excellent condition, and quite free 
from spot or blemish. Other varieties still in quan¬ 
tity are Golden Reinette, Blenheim Orange, Alfris- 
ton, and Bess Pool. The latter is heavily suffused 
with red, but yellow on the shaded side, and may be 
described as a good and useful kind if not so liable 
to crack. On the other hand Alfriston is a well- 
known cooking Apple of great excellence, and always 
deserving of a place in collections. 
All of the trees are grown as standards. At one 
time it was the custom to prune them closely in the 
orthodox fashion, and the results were anything but 
satisfactory, and the crops thin indeed. Mr. Hudson 
changed his practice, allowing the trees to grow 
freely with admirable results. Heavy crops of 
medium and even large sized fruits are obtained, 
which is sufficient proof of the efficaicy of the 
practice. The trees are allowed to grow freely, and 
the w'eak and useless as well as badly placed shoots 
are merely removed by way of thinning, but even 
this is done with great moderation. Golden Noble 
produces excellent samples of fruit under this kind 
of treatment, and amply justifies it. 
-—f—-- 
NOTED CHRYSANTHEMUM GROWERS. 
In our last we gave the portrait of a distinguished 
amateur grower, Mr. W. H. Fowler, and to-day we 
have the pleasure of including in our pages the 
counterfeit presentments of two other noted cultiva¬ 
tors of the favourite autumn flower, namely the 
Scottish champion of the year, Mr. Alexander Watt, 
gardener to J. Stewart, Esq , Black House, Skel- 
morlie, Ayrshire, and Mr. H. J. Jones of the Ryecroft 
Nursery, Lewisham, one of our most successful trade 
growers. Mr. Watt is a comparatively young culti¬ 
vator of the Chrysanthemum, but has already made 
his mark in Scotland, and we hope the time is not 
far distant when the fates and the seasons will be 
propitious and so enable him to bring his flowers to 
the south and pit them against those of our 
champions. 
Mr. Watt served his apprenticeship at Ormiston, 
near Edinburgh, and subsequently served as fore¬ 
man at the Arboretum, Birmingham, the Viceregal 
Lodge, Dublin, and lastly with Mr. Hugh Crichton 
at Bellaire. He has been gardener at Black House 
some six years, and in 1891 came to the front as a 
grower of prize blooms at Edinburgh, when he won 
the Association Challenge Cup, besides two first, 
five second, and three third prizes, and followed up 
these successes by taking a cup, a gold medal, and 
four firsts at Stirling in the following week. Last 
November Mr. Watt again won the Edinburgh 
Association Challenge Cup and other good prizes, 
and shortly afterwards, at Paisley, cleared off all the 
first prizes, eight in number, and a silver medal, 
besides showing the best Japanese bloom, a very fine 
one of Lady T. Lawrence, and the best incurved, a 
grand Empress of India. This is a decidedly good 
record, on which Mr. Watt may be heartily con¬ 
gratulated. 
Mr. H. J. Jones’, whose portrait will be found on 
p. 273, has made a name for himself which has be¬ 
come a household word amongst “ mumists." He 
has been in the trade for some years, first in business 
in Lewisham on his own account, then for a few 
years in partnership with Mr. Norman Davis, and 
now again conducting a business of his own at 
Lewisham. Mr. Jones' speciality is the introduction 
of new varieties, and many a good thing has passed 
into commerce through his hands. He grows a great 
collection, and grows them well, and it is his pride in 
business to keep stock of every new and old variety 
that is worth growing, indeed as regards the older 
sorts it is often remarked that “ if Jones has not got 
it, it is not worth having,” and this has almost be¬ 
come a proverb. 
-— - 
W. J. Gordon, the Cleveland Millionaire, who owned 
the Gordon Rose Houses at Glenville, O., died 
November 23rd. By his will Gordon Park, an 
extensive and beautiful pleasure ground, to which 
in the past the public has been admitted on stated 
days, is given to the city of Cleveland under certain 
conditions. Mr. John Thorpe is one of the executors 
of the will, and in all probability he will take charge 
of this park at the conclusion of his work in connec- 
with the World’s Fair .—American Florist. 
