THE GARDENING WORLD 
357 
February 4, 1899. 
WEBBS’ 
NEW BROCCOLIS. 
“Mont Blanc.” 
One of the finest early Broccolis in cultivation. 
It is of short, compact habit of growth ; the beads, 
which are thoroughly protected, are snowy-white, 
close, and of fine texture, and the flavour every¬ 
thing that can be desired. 
Is. 6d. and 2s. 6d. per packet, post 
WEBBS’ AVALANCHE. 
A splendid new variety, suitable for early 
spring use, very hardy and robust in habit of 
growth ; the heads, which remain a long time fit 
for use, are snowy-white, close and well pro- 
by the foliage. 
6d. and Is. per packet; 2s. 6d. per 
ounce, post free. 
See Webbs' Spring Catalogue, post free, is. 
WEBBS’, Wordslcy, Stourbridge. 
NOVELTIES 
RAISED AT 
WINDSOR and OSBORNE. 
It is Messrs. CARTERS’ privilege to 
offer the following new and choice 
productions tothenotieeof gardeners 
and private cultivators. 
BRITISH QUEEN MELON. 
Raised and named by Mr. Owen Thomas, Supt. of 
the Royal Gardens, Windsor. Awarded the First- 
Class Certificate R.H.S. Pronounced by the Com¬ 
mittee to be not only the very best white-flesh 
melon ever submitted, but the richest flavoured of 
any colour. Awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal 
Caledonian Society in association with other fruit 
exhibited by H.M. The Queen. 
In sealed packets, price 2 6 and 3 b each, post free. 
ROYAL OSBORNE CUCUMBER. 
A valuable cross between the Bocliford and an im¬ 
proved type of Telegraph, raised and named by Mr. 
George Nobbs, Head Gardener to H.M. the Queen 
at Osborne. In our opinion it is one of the best all 
the year round varieties introduced in recent years. 
In sealed packets, price 2/6 & 3,6 each, post free. 
ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUES , POST FREE. 
CARTERS, 
Hbc ©ueen’s See&smen. 
Only Addicss- 
237 , 238 & 97, HICH HOLBORN, LONDON. 
WARE'S 
■■.SEEDS. 
TOTTENHAM 10/6 COLLECTION 
OF SELECT 
VEGETABLE SEEDS, 
POST FREE, contains: 
i| pts. Broad Beans 
J pt. French Beans 
i pkt. Red Beet 
i pkt. Borecole, best 
i pkt. Broccoli, best 
1 pkt. Brussels Sprouts 
t pkt. Cabbase, best 
2 pkts. Carrot, best 
t pkt. Celery, red or white 
2 02. Cress, curled 
i pkt. Cucumber 
i pkt. Endive, best 
i pkt. Leek, best 
2 pkts. Lettuce 
2 oz. Mustard, white 
3 pkts Onions, best 
i pkt. Parsley, curled 
i pkt. Parsnip, best 
4 pts. Peas, selected 
i oz. Radish, best 
1 pkt. Savoy Cabbage 
2 oz. Spinach, fine 
2 pkts. Turnip, best 
1 pkt. Vegetable Marrow 
2 pkts. Herbs, sweet and 
pot 
OTHER COLLECTIONS AT 15/-, 21/-, 42/-, 63/ . 
COLLECTIONS OF 
CHOICE FLOWER SEEDS 
From One Shilling upwards, Post Free. 
SEED CATALOGUE with 130 beautiful Illustrations, 
containing also full descriptions and collection? ot 
Begonias, Chrysanthemums, 
FREE UPON APPLICATION. 
THOS. S. WARE 
(LTD.) 
HALE FARM NURSERIES, 
TOTTENHAM, LONDON. 
■ HP ^ ^ ^ 4 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
IjNw. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , FEB. \th, 1899 . 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monoay, February 6tb.—National Chrysanthemum Society, 
Annual General Meeting, at the Royal Aquarium, West¬ 
minster. Time, 7 p.m. 
Ts the Chrysanthemum on the Wane ? 
—More than one of our daily con¬ 
temporaries answer this in the affirmative, 
and consider it a text lor a sermon on “ the 
vanities,” simply on account of a para¬ 
graph, which appeared in another paper, to 
the effect that the Watford Chrysanthemum 
Society, after having had ten prosperous 
years of existence and two adverse ones has 
resolved to wind up its affairs. We 
prefer to consider the presumption erroneous 
that because one society drops out of the 
running all the others are about to do so 
likewise. Either the Watford society is 
itself to blame (owing, it may be, to the 
loss of energetic workers on the executive, 
through removals or other causes over 
which it had no control), or the flower- 
loving community being so near London 
may have other and better attractions for 
their money than a local society can afford. 
Certain, it is, that the Watford shows were 
held at a time when Chrysanthemum shows 
were taking place everywhere in the 
southern counties. Notwithstanding the 
last two unsuccessful shows at Watford, the 
lapse of this show will not diminish the 
number in the country, for other societies 
have been estab ished within the last week 
or two, even in localities surrounded at no 
great distance off, by other flourishing 
Chrysanthemum societies. 
The “ idolatry of the deposed flower ” is a 
curt figure of speech to employ, but we are 
not at all convinced that the “ autumn 
queen ” has been deposed, nor that any 
“ pretender ” is likely to take its place. 
We do not consider that popularity and 
extravagance are synonymous terms, for the 
low figure at which even the newest varie¬ 
ties are obtainable makes this everybody’s 
flower. Moreover, the popularity of the 
Chrysanthemum is much more deeply seated 
than the caprice of fashion that exhibits 
itself in the form of “violently coloured 
dress materials and gaudy feminine head- 
gear” as stated in the article that was 
meant to be a requiem for the deposed 
flower. That many other Japanese things 
are falling out of favour is also adduced to 
illustrate or confirm the decadence of the 
Chrysanthemum. The modern Chrysanth¬ 
emum is as much a western production as an 
eastern one, for the truly Japan-raised 
varieties, now in cultivation, are really 
comparatively few. Another argument is 
the absurdity of idealising a flower that has 
no more “ pretensions to shape than a wet 
kitchen mop.” We should like to know 
what other shape should be substituted for 
a Chrysanthemum than that of a Chrys¬ 
anthemum. As far as we know all the 
salient shapes, of which a Chrysanthemum 
is capable, have been produced and 
developed along their particular lines, and 
admirers have only to select their choice. 
As to perfection that is merely an opinion 
never likely to be universally adopted in the 
case of any particular flower, or form of it. 
What advantage would there be in develop¬ 
ing (if that were possible) Chrysanthemums 
in the shape of a Rose, Dahlia, Camellia, 
or Carnation ? Furthermore, the gardener 
who loves a Chrysanthemum for its own 
sake, is much more conservative than the 
victims to fashion in ' dress; and after 
having spent, perhaps, the best part of his 
life in growing Chrysanthemums, he still 
thinks of them all day from one end of the 
year to the other, and goes to bed, where he 
dreams of them. Societies that foster a 
love of them are still numerous, and know 
how to put them before an admiring public 
in an attractive way. 
The Most Civilised Nations spend about £4 upon 
war preparations for every £1 they spend on educa¬ 
tion. 
Frightening Crows.—M. Brunei, director of one of 
the French schools of agriculture, draws attention 
to an easy plan of protecting newly sown wheat fields 
from the ravages of crows. The cost is from is. 6d. 
to 2s. 6d. per acre. Rods a yard high are placed in 
the soil 70 yards apart, in zigzag fashion and con¬ 
nected by very fine twine. It is said that the crows 
arrive but being very suspicious will not alight on 
the field, and go elsewhere. The practice has been 
in vogue tor many years, in many parts of Scotland 
and is indeed c'osely akin to the method adopted by 
many a cottager to keep small birds from attacking 
fruit, Lettuces, Cabbage plants and other things 
liable to suffer from the birds. In the cottage garden 
the zigzag threads of cotton or twine are fairly 
effective against the small birds; how they would 
act in the field on a large scale remains to be proved. 
Crows, in this country at any rate, are fairly “ 'cute ” 
and soon get to the bottom of any dodge practised 
by the farmer. It is no uncommon thing to see 
crows sitting on the scarecrows put up by the farmer, 
and some of these scarecrows are ugly enough to 
frighten anything except a crow. 
