440 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  7,  1S95; 
I  need  not  say  this  exhibition  is  well  patronised  by  the  inhabitants  as 
well  as  the  many  visitors  in  this  favourite  watering  place,  the  credit  of 
which  is  due  to  the  able  Superintendent,  and  who  is  to  be  congratulated 
on  the  magnificent  display  mentioned.  Like  many  other  collections  I 
have  seen,  the  flowers  have  not  the  freedom  of  expanding  and  keeping 
as  one  would  desire  this  season. — Alfred  Outeam,  F.E  H.S. 
Victoria  Park. 
With  the  advent  of  frost,  and  the  consequent  ending  of  the  bedding 
display  in  London  parks,  any  casual  observer  would  naturally  suppose 
that  there  would  be  little  or  nothing  there  to  attract  attention  till  the 
spring  again  comes  round.  So  well,  however,  does  the  London  County 
Council  cater  for  the  public  that  in  all  the  principal  parks  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  shows  are  annually  opened,  where  visitors  can,  without  any 
cost,  see  the  perfection  to  which  these  favourite  flowers  are  grown — 
perfections  which  many  who  see  them  would  have  no  conception  of  were 
it  not  for  the  privileges  referred  to.  As  might  be  expected  from  such  a 
well  known  and  efficient  cultivator  as  Mr.  J.  W.  Moorman,  the  show  at 
Victoria  Park  is  this  season  a  superb  one — equal,  in  spite  of  some 
climatic  drawbacks,  to  any  of  its  predecessors.  The  main  portion  of 
the  plants,  numbering  about  2000,  are  tastefully  arranged  on  both  sides 
of  a  large  span-roofed  house,  100  feet  long,  with  a  straight  path  through 
the  centre,  the  flatness  of  surface  that  would  otherwise  occur  being 
effectively  dispensed  with  by  raising  some  of  the  plants,  and  thus 
forming  a  pleasing  and  undulating  surface.  By  standing  at  one  end  of 
the  house,  and  looking  down  the  long  range  of  variously  coloured 
blooms,  an  effect  is  given  which  only  needs  to  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated. 
Mr.  Moorman  is  well  known  as  a  successful  Chrysanthemum  grower, 
and  therefore  keeps  pace  with  the  times,  his  collection  including  many 
of  the  best  and  most  recent  introductions.  At  the  same  time  old 
varieties  are  not  disregarded,  and  many  fine  fiowers  of  such  kinds  as 
Mrs.  George  Bundle,  Mrs.  George  Glenny,  Golden  Beverley,  White 
Beverley,  Jardin  des  Plantes,  and  Mr.  Bunn  all  add  their  share,  and  no 
small  one,  to  the  floral  display.  One  cannot  help  remarking,  in  spite  of 
the  many  recent  and  beautiful  introductions,  how  indispensable  these 
old  forms  are  to  the  Chrysanthemum  world.  Very  striking  in  the 
Victoria  Park  collection  are  numerous  plants  of  the  bright  yellow 
Ryecroft  Glory  dotted  here  and  there.  This  variety  is  grown  in  bush 
form,  well  covered  with  showy  flowers,  and  fully  illustrating  its  useful¬ 
ness  for  decorative  purposes.  That  effective  Pompon  Elise  Dordan  is 
extensively  grown,  and  contrasts  pleasingly  with  the  huge  Japanese 
flowers  alongside.  Exceptionally  fine  are  the  flowers  of  Louise,  which  is 
of  dwarf  habit,  and  is  hard  to  beat  as  a  white  incurved  variety. 
In  the  choice  of  kinds  and  subsequent  management  much  care  has 
been  exercised,  for  while  the  show  now  is  in  every  way  creditable,  there 
are  many  plants  only  just  forming  their  flowers,  which  means  that  the 
display  will  be  prolonged  over  a  considerably  long  period,  an  important 
point  in  a  Park  collection. 
Amongst  the  yellows  none  is  more  striking  for  size  and  brilliancy 
than  Sunflower,  with  its  bright  golden  flowers.  Many  plants  of  William 
Tricker  are  conspicuous,  as  also  is  Miss  Dorothy  Shea,  with  its  magnifi¬ 
cent  terra-cotta  flowers  and  long  drooping  petals.  The  large,  rosy, 
blush  blooms  of  Mrs.  C.  Harman  Payne  are  equally  effective,  while 
Madame  Edouard  Rey  could  not  well  be  dispensed  with,  its  pleasing  rose- 
coloured  flowers  being  of  perfect  form.  Baron  Hirsch,  Colonel  W.  B. 
Smith,  Boule  d’Or,  and  Gloire  du  Rocher  are  all  conspicuous  and  largely 
grown,  the  bronze  incurved  blooms  of  the  first-named  being  very  showy. 
Lord  Wolseley,  a  bronze-red  sport  from  Prince  Alfred,  is  very  promising, 
and  numerous  flowers  of  Avalanche  leave  little  to  be  desired  both  as 
regards  size  and  formation.  Mr.  Moorman’s  experience  of  Charles 
Davies  is  that  it  does  not  come  well  from  the  early  bud,  though  from 
subsequent  ones  there  are  numerous  fine  flowers  showing. 
Mrs.  E.  G.  Hill  is  very  promising  with  its  large  white  slightly 
incurving  blooms.  Many  others  are  well  worthy  of  mention  as  grown 
at  Victoria  Park,  including  Mrs.  F.  Jameson,  G.  W.  Childs,  G.  C. 
Schwabe,  Mrsi  J.  Laing,  Florence  Davis,  W.  Seward,  Bouquet  des  Dames, 
and  J.  Shrimpton.  In  short,  the  plants  throughout  give  unmistakeable 
signs  that  their  culture  is  thoroughly  understood  and  properly  carried 
out,  and  the  large  masses  of  people  who  are  daily  visiting  the  show  prove 
that  the  efforts  of  the  L.C.C.  are  appreciated,  at  any  rate  in  this — the 
public  playground  of  East  London. 
Battersea  Park. 
Battersea,  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  first-class  parks  of 
London,  so  well  known  for  its  carpet  beds,  its  tropical  plants,  and  the 
abundance  of  its  summer  flowers,  is  now  dull  and  dreary  so  far  as  that 
department  is  concerned,  and  one  can  hardly  help  experiencing  a  feel¬ 
ing  of  depression  when  perambulating  the  broad  walks  with  dead  leaves 
rustling  all  round,  beds  empty  and  cheerless  that  but  a  few  weeks  ago 
were  bright  and  glorious,  with  nothing  left  to  remind  one  of  the  recent 
summer  excepting,  perhaps,  a  few  early  flowering  Chrysanthemums 
dotted  here  and  there  on  the  borders.  One  feels  glad  to  get  away  from 
these  associations,  and  turns  for  relief  to  something  fresher  and  brighter, 
and  indeed  it  may  be  found  in  the  large  Chrysanthemum  house,  now 
filled  and  gay  with  the  queen  of  autumn  flowers. 
Mainly  for  the  purpose  of  variety  some  little  changes  have  this  year 
been  made  in  the  arrangement  of  the  plants,  the  pathway  being  made 
to  run  along  the  front,  with  the  plants  staged  in  bank-like  form  to  the 
back.  Another  excellent  idea  introduced  by  Mr.  Coppin,  the  able 
Superintendent,  is  that  of  clothing  the  bare  ends  and  part  of  the  roof 
of  the  house  with  tall  elegantly  growing  varieties,  such  as  Margot.  The 
effect  caused  by  these  is  very  pleasing,  and  does  away  with  any  approach 
to  formality.  In  this  large  bank  of  flowers  the  varieties  are  pleasingly 
discriminated,  so  that  the  colours  do  not  clash,  and  are  well  spread,  so 
that  in  no  case  do  two  of  the  same  shade  come  together — a  most 
important  item  when  staging  a  large  collection  of  plants.  Though  the 
show  has  already  been  open  several  weeks,  it  cannot  yet  be  termed 
perfect,  as  many  of  the  varieties  are  only  just  building  up  their  flowers, 
so  that  the  public  will  have  the  benefit  of  the  show  for  several  weeks  to 
come. 
A  decided  feature  in  the  show  is  the  large  number  of  the  old  varieties 
grown.  These  are  very  effective,  and  amongst  others  were  noticed  good 
flowers  of  Elaine  and  Avalanche,  Louis  Boehmer,  Empress  of  India,  Mr. 
Bunn,  W,  H.  Lincoln,  and  superb  specimens  of  Edwin  Molyneux. 
Many  of  the  more  recent  introductions  are  also  included,  and  in  all 
cases  stems  well  clothed  to  the  base  with  leathery  green  leaves  prove 
that  the  plants  have  lacked  nothing  requisite  during  their  growing 
period,  and  reflect  great  credit  on  Mr.  Coppin  and  his  growers — Messrs. 
Wheeler  and  Sharman.  Fine  flowers  of  Miss  Dorothy  Shea  are  most 
effective,  and  Viviand  Morel  with  its  long  drooping  florets  form  a 
pleasing  contrast.  Baron  Hirsch  is  flowering  very  creditably  ;  and 
amongst  the  whites  Eda  Prass  and  Mdlle.  Th^i&se  Rey  were  noted  and 
being  well  worthy  of  mention.  Mdlle.  Elise  Dordan,  a  pretty  Pompon,  is 
pleasingly  conspicuous  and  a  great  favourite  with  visitors,  who  are  not 
long  in  choosing  out  a  few  and  terming  them  favourites. 
Included  in  the  yellows  were  noticed  good  examples  of  Sunflower, 
one  of  the  best  of  its  class  ;  Col.  W.  B.  Smith,  a  great  favourite ;  and 
Madame  lEdouard  Rey,  an  incurved  Japanese  of  splendid  proportions 
and  form  with  soft  yellow  shade.  Bronzes  are  also  represented  in 
quantity  and  variety,  amongst  others  being  that  fine  incurved,  Baron 
Hirsch  ;  Gloire  du  Rocher,  with  its  large  orange  amber  flowers  and 
strong  sturdy  habit.  Vice-President  Calvat  is  very  good  at  Battersea, 
having  large  bronze  flowers  and  vigorous  habit.  Very  attractive  are 
examples  of  Puritan,  fine  large  blooms  with  long  slightly  incurved  petals 
and  white,  as  the  name  implies,  though  as  the  flower  develops  it  acquires 
a  slight  lilac  tint.  Though  the  majority  of  the  plants  are  grown  for 
producing  large  blooms,  there  are  many  dwarf  decorative  specimens 
along  the  front,  and  amongst  these  Bouquet  des  Dames  is  very  effective 
with  its  pure  white  flowers.  Viscountess  Hambledon,  a  handsome 
incurved  Jap  with  blooms  of  blush  pink  is  also  effective,  forming  a 
pleasing  contrast  to  its  neighbour,  William  Tricker.  A  large  handsome 
flower  is  President  Borel,  of  bright  carmine  rose  with  yellow  reverse, 
and  as  seen  in  this  collection  is  exceptionally  fine.  Lack  of  space 
forbids  the  mention  of  but  a  few  of  the  most  attractive  in  this  large 
public  show,  which  includes,  in  addition  to  those  already  enumerated. 
Condor,  International,  Mrs.  Walters,  G,  W.  Childs,  Ami  Hoste,  J.  R. 
Pearson,  John  Shrimpton,  and  many  others.  Large  numbers  of  people 
are  daily  visiting  the  exhibition,  and  judging  from  casual  remarks 
dropped  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  beautiful  flowers  are  much  appre¬ 
ciated.  Can  we  wonder  at  the  popularity  of  the  autumn  queen, 
knowing  as  we  do  the  great  amount  of  pleasure  they  bring,  even  to 
the  masses  of  London  1 
Oldfield  Nurseries,  Altrincham. 
A  VISIT  to  Messrs.  Clibran’s  at  Chrysanthemum  time  is  particularly 
interesting.  This  firm  has  for  many  years  made  the  cultivation  of  the 
“  Queen  of  Autumn  ”  one  of  their  leading  specialities,  and  the  announce¬ 
ment  of  the  opening  of  their  annual  display  is  gladly  hailed  by  all  the 
leading  growers  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Their  collection  is  most 
complete,  and  it  would  be  difficult  for  anyone  not  acquainted  with 
their  nurseries  to  form  an  idea  of  its  magnitude.  Several  thousand 
plants  are  grown  solely  for  the  production  of  large  blooms,  and  in 
addition  the  early  flowering,  single  and  Pompons,  occupy  a  considerable 
amount  of  space.  The  leading  novelties  of  last  season  are  very  numerous, 
but  space  will  only  allow  for  a  few  names.  Amongst  the  Japanese, 
Madame  Carnot,  Madame  Ad.  Moulin,  Col.  C.  T.  Browne  (beautiful 
blood  red  seedling  from  Mrs,  F.  Jameson,  just  opening),  Mrs.  C.  E.  Shea, 
Mrs.  E.  S.  Trafford  (rosy  buff  sport  from  Wm.  Tricker),  A.  H,  Fewkes, 
King  of  Chrysanthemums  (an  enormous  full  deep  bloom  of  the  Molyneux 
type),  H.  L.  Sunderbruck  (yellow),  and  Inter-Ocean  were  excellent  in 
every  way.  Eiderdown  and  Hairy  Wonder  were  very  conspicuous, 
Calvat’s  new  set  of  last  season,  thirty-five  varieties  in  all,  are  being 
tested,  but  only  one  or  two  of  them  were  fully  open  at  the  time  of  my 
visit. 
Messrs.  Clibran  have  several  new  seedlings  of  their  own  raising* 
amongst  which  three  were  selected — viz. ,  Lord  Lisburne,  a  magnificent 
Japanese  variety  of  sterling  merit,  the  result  of  a  cross  between  G.  C. 
Schwabe  and  Edwin  Molyneux.  The  colour  is  rich  orange  red  with 
clear  yellow  reverse,  petals  broad  and  irregularly  incurved  and  reflexed, 
forming  a  massive  globular-shaped  bloom.  It  is  totally  distinct  from 
all  others  in  colour,  and  will  undoubtedly  find  its  way  into  all  the  best 
collections  and  exhibition  stands.  Col.  Page,  a  Japanese  reflexed  variety, 
colour  rich  buttercup  yellow,  with  a  distinct  bronzy  red  centre,  flower 
large  and  well  formed.  Lady  Dartmouth,  a  beautiful  true  incurved 
variety,  creamy  white,  the  points  of  the  petals  being  distinctly  tipped 
with  primrose  yellow,  faultless  in  form,  plant  dwarf,  and  a  good  grower. 
The  above  were  a  few  of  the  many  good  things  noted,  and  visitors  cannot 
fail  to  be  pleased  with  so  excellent  a  collection. — A  Visitor. 
