306 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  20,  1898- 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS  AT  THE  ROYAL  AQUARIUM. 
Having  paid  a  very  brief  visit  to  the  excellent  October  exhibition 
of  the  N.C.S.  held  at  the  Aquarium,  Westminster,  I  noted  some  of  the 
most  attractive  and  newest  varieties,  and  append  the  names  of  a 
number  selected  from  the  various  exhibits.  Ab  may  be  seen  from  the 
reports  in  the  horticultural  papers,  the  large  Japanese  varieties 
predominated,  even  so  far  as  to  exclude  the  usually  representative 
collections  of  the  early  outdoor  flowering  varieties.  There  were  some 
of  the  latter  exhibited,  including  many  new  varieties.  In  one  display 
they  simply  served  as  a  groundwork  and  a  fringe  of  cut  blooms  to  set 
off  the  larger  flowering  varieties  in  pots.  The  plants  in  all  cases  were 
remarkably  dwarf  and  sturdy,  as  well  as  carrying  good  blooms,  and 
represented  high-class  culture. 
As  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  interest  centres  most  in  the  large 
flowering  Japanese  varieties  I  will  commence  with  them,  first  remarking 
that  many  of  the  exhibited  favourites  of  previous  years  were  included 
in  the  various  exhibits.  Edwin  Molyneux,  for  instance,  was  splendidly 
shown,  also  Mrs.  C.  H.  Payne,  Madame  Gustave  Henri,  Elthorne 
Beauty,  Emily  Silsbury,  Mutual  Friend,  and  Oceana. 
Soleil  d’Octobre,  which  last  year  was  shown  in  fine  sprays  as  a 
rich  canary  coloured  decorative  variety,  this  season  appears  as  a  deep, 
full  exhibition  bloom,  equal  to  many  of  the  best  which  can  be  had  in 
the  middle  of  October.  It  is  a  doubly  useful  variety,  coming  so  good 
when  grown  specially  for  exhibition  or  to  furnish  sprays  of  bloom  with 
long  stems.  N.C.S  Jubilee,  one  of  last  year’s  novelties,  was  well 
shown.  The  flowers  were  full,  richly  coloured,  the  petals  being  broad, 
pale  mauve,  with  a  silvery  reverse.  Melusine  is  new,  and  has  long 
drooping  petals,  light  rose  striped  lilac  with  deep  shaded  centre. 
Ella  Curtis  is  a  pale  yellow,  with  broad  petals,  curving  and  recurving, 
but  some  blooms  showed  bad  ceutres. 
President  Nonin,  a  chamois  yellow,  reverse  of  petals  straw  colour, 
produces  good  flowers  7  inches  in  diameter.  Miss  Nellie  Pockett,  one 
of  the  new  Australian  varieties,  creamy  white,  was  pure  and  good 
in  colour.  The  petals  were  narrow,  curly,  long,  and  drooping.  Robt. 
Powell,  a  Japanese  incurved,  had  excellent  flowers,  reddish  chestnut 
in  colour  with  a  golden  reverse  ;  petals  broad.  Le  Grand  Dragon  is  a 
rich  yellow  full  flower  with  long  drooping  petals ;  an  exceedingly  good 
variety.  Topaze  Orientale  is  a  pale  yellow  with  recurving  petals,  deep 
yellow  in  the  centre.  M.  Aug.  de  Lacvivier,  yellow  and  bronze,  yellow 
reverse,  is  an  incurving  Japanese. 
Parachute,  old  rose,  carmine,  and  salmon  centre,  is  of  medium  size 
only,  but  very  attractive.  Mrs.  Tom  Barton  is  a  splendid  new  variety 
which  promises  well;  deep  silvery  purple.  Rayonante  is  a  large,  novel, 
and  attractive  flower  of  a  style  familiar  in  Lilian  B.  Bird.  The  colour 
is  better  than  in  that  variety.  It  is  pale  rose,  with  narrow,  long,  and 
spreading  florets.  Mrs.  M.  Grant  is  a  primrose  yellow  with  drooping 
and  incurving  petals,  large  flowers  on  good  dwarf  plants.  Mrs.  G.  A. 
Haines,  another  deep  rich  yellow,  has  curly  and  incurving  petals  ;  fairly 
large  flower.  Mr.  A.  Barrett  has  streaky  red  petals,  drooping  and 
incurving ;  medium  sized  flower.  Mrs.  J.  P.  Bryce,  colour  bronze, 
yellow  reverse,  has  incurving  florets,  and  is  a  fine  flower.  Eastman 
Bell,  a  sport  from  President  Borel,  promises  to  be  good.  The  colour 
is  a  deep  reddish  bronze  with  yellow  reverse  broad  petals ;  incurving 
full  flower.  Wm.  Towers,  primrose  yellow  with  rather  narrow  partly 
fluted  petals,  makes  a  fine  flower.  Mons.  Fatzer  is  a  good  yellow  with 
broad  incurving  petals,  large,  fine  flower.  Lady  Isabel,  an  incurving 
blush  white,  is  a  moderately  large  flower.  Madame  Fortune  has  narrow 
forked  petals  bronze  and  yellow  ;  large  and  fine  blooms. 
Madame  Philippe  Rivoire  is  a  splendid  creamy  white,  having  long 
drooping  petals,  the  centre  incurving  and  tinged  with  yellow.  Autumn 
Glory  has  large  blooms,  rosy  pink  in  colour,  with  loose  long  petals. 
Lady  Ellen  Clarke  may  be  described  as  a  white  Mrs.  C.  H.  Payne. 
The  blooms  are  large,  the  incurving  petals  short  and  narrow  in  the  centre, 
where  they  are  tinged  green  and  yellow.  Souvenir  de  Madame 
F.  Rosette,  a  deep  purple  flower  with  a  silvery  reverse ;  broad  florets, 
incurving  centres;  fine  flower.  Lord  Wellington  is  a  deep  bronzy 
yellow  variety  with  bronze  reverse ;  broad  incurving  petals ;  splendid 
blooms.  Madame  Paladine,  a  large  curly  petalled  variety,  is  silvery 
white.  The  blooms  are  large.  General  Paque  is  a  large  spreading 
flower,  of  a  rich  bronze  and  yellow  colour,  and  regularly  drooping 
petals.  Madame  La  Colonel  Germer  Durand  is  an  extremely  pretty 
and  large  flower;  white,  with  purple  streaks.  Amitdde  L’Agriculture 
Nouvelle  is  another  charming  variety,  yellow  with  crimson  streaks. 
M.  Piquemal  de  Roseville  is  reddish  bronze  with  yellow  reverse,  petals 
incurving ;  very  full  flower.  Souvenir  de  Molines  is  a  large  flower 
closely  packed  with  petals,  deep  yellow  and  bronze.  Lady  Byron 
is  a  white  incurving  flower,  with  greenish  yellow  centre.  Chatsworth 
has  silvery  white  rosy  tinted  streaked  flowers,  with  incurving  and 
drooping  petals. 
The  following  seedling  varieties  of  1898  appeared  to  be  promising. 
Alfred  Richardson,  white,  narrow  florets,  long  and  drooping  ;  Kate 
Howard,  white,  broad  florets  curled,  fine  full  bold  flower  with  plenty 
of  centre  to  develop,  rather  green;  Mrs.  Ghas.  Madden  was  very 
similar  in  style,  but  slightly  different  in  the  shade  of  white ;  Laurai 
Howard  had  broad  petals,  deep  flower  with  good  centre.  This  variety 
is  also  white.  A  new  incurved  variety  named  Lord  Coleridge  was  a 
grand  rich  yellow,  with  good  shaped  blooms. 
A  group  of  one  variety  is  very  attractive.  Such  was  that  composed  of 
Mrs.  Wingfield,  a  beautiful  rosy  pink  reflexed  variety.  The  plants  were 
dwarf,  not  more  than  2  feet  high,  in  6  and  7-inch  pots.  It  may  be  of 
interest  also  to  note  that  several  very  dwarf  plants  of  Ryecroft  Glory 
were  to  be  seen.  They  were  in  5-inch  pots,  and  had  been  disbudded 
instead  of  allowing  all  buds  to  develop. 
Bunches  of  free  flowering  early  varieties,  produced  on  outdoor 
plants,  were  most  interesting  as  serving  to  show  what  useful  material 
may  be  grown  in  this  manner.  Some  of  the  best  were  Bronze  Bride, 
light  red  fluted  petals,  yellow  tipped ;  Jules  Mary,  dark  rich  crimson, 
good  ;  Mr.  Silby,  small  but  good  Pompon,  violet  rose ;  Madame  Zephir 
Lionnett,  bronze  and  yellow ;  Bouquet  Fait,  pretty  crimson  bronze ; 
Jeanne  Vuillermet,  dark  crimson ;  Madame  Carmeaux,  rose  and  white  ; 
Madame  Liger  Ligneau,  primrose,  good-sized  flowers;  M.  Max 
Dufosse,  fine,  large,  narrow  petalled,  dark  crimson ;  Golden  Fleece, 
rich  yellow ;  Strathmeath,  pink  ;  Madame  E.  Lefort,  Pompon,  yeflowr 
and  bronze;  Chateau  St.  Victor,  rich  purple;  De  La  Guille,  yellow 
and  bronze;  and  Nellie  Brown,  red  and  orange,  a  sport  from  Ryecrofb 
Glory. — E.  D.  S. 
SUMMER  AND  WINTER  RAIN. 
Autumn  Flowers. 
Your  reference  to  the  deficiency  of  rainfall,  on  page  266,  during- 
September,  furnishes  food  for  contemplation,  and  reminds  of  the  difficulties 
a  gardener  has  to  contend  with  during  a  long  rainless  period.  Last 
month,  according  to  that  renowned  scientist  and  observer,  Mr.  G.  J. 
Symons,  was  the  “driest  September  in  forty  years.”  This,  doubtless, 
will  strike  many  persons  with  astonishment,  but  our  deficiency  of  moisture, 
by  which  vegetation  in  all  its  various  forms  obtains  sustenance,  is  even 
more  significant  when  viewed  over  a  longer  period. 
I  am  speaking  from  memory,  but  have  always  understood  that 
25  inches  may  be  considered  a  lair  yearly  average  rainfall  round  about 
London,  the  eastern,  and  midland  counties,  while  in  many  other  parts  of 
England,  especially  in  the  west  and  north,  the  downfall  is  considerably 
greater,  in  fact  in  the  Lake  district  it  more  than  doubles  the  amount 
quoted  for  London. 
The  following  is  the  return  registered  here  for  the  past  twelve  months*- 
commencing  with  October,  1897,  and  concluding  with  September,  1898» 
and  it  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  the  drought,  by  which  vegetation  is 
now  suffering  so  badly,  is  caused  by  a  deficiency  of  rain  spreading  over 
the  whole  period  of  the  twelve  months,  rather  than  from  the  shortness  of 
the  past'few  months  ;  for  in  my  opinion  it  is  as  necessary  for  moisture  to 
be  carried  into  the  soil  either  in  the  form  of  rain  or  snow  during  tho 
winter  months,  when  there  is  less  evaporation,  as  it  is  during  the  hot 
summer  months,  and  its  beneficial  influence  is  then  more  lastingly  felt. 
A  Year’s  Rainfall  in  Victoria  Park,  London. 
1897 
October  contributed  on 
i  6  days  ... 
... 
... 
... 
...  0-43 
November 
)1 
10 
... 
... 
... 
...  1-01 
December 
1898 
11 
14 
11 
... 
... 
... 
...  1-99- 
January 
11 
6 
11  ••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  0-56 
February 
11 
♦  1  ... 
... 
... 
... 
...  0-85 
March 
i  J 
9 
••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  0-73 
April 
11 
10 
1)  •• 
... 
... 
... 
...  M0 
May 
7* 
18 
>1  ••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  1-89 
Juno 
11 
11 
11  ••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  U20 
July 
>1 
t! 
11  ••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  0-78 
August 
11 
8 
?  1  ••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  0'90 
September 
n 
4 
11  ••• 
... 
... 
... 
...  0-38 
11  82 
Thus  with  me  the  total  amount  is  a  trifle  under  12  inches,  or  not  half  tho 
amount  that  it  is  usually  our  lot  to  receive.  During  seven  of  the  twelve 
months  the  downfall  did  not  reach  1  inch.  January,  February,  July, 
August,  and  September  were  the  driest  months  of  the  present  year,  while 
April,  May,  and  June  were  our  wettest — and  good  for  us  it  was  so, 
otherwise  I  fear  our  markets  would  have  run  very  short  in  the  supply  of 
green  vegetables,  while  Mangolds  and  Swedes  must  have  of  necessity 
been  scarce  also  for  winter  food  on  farms.  The  first  six  months — October,. 
1897,  to  March,  1898,  inclusive — furnished  5‘57  inches  ;  the  second  six 
months,  April  to  September,  6*25  ;  thus  in  each  half-year  the  amounts 
recorded  were  nearly  equal  in  proportions. 
Large  Hollies  and  other  shrubs  have  on  our  light  sandy  soil  suffered 
considerably.  Where  we  have  been  able  to  convey  water  to  the  flower 
beds  we  are  now  rewarded  with  such  a  blaze  of  bloom  that  I  should  think 
was  never  before  witnessed  so  late  in  the  season  in  our  smoky  atmosphere. 
Usually  the  summer  bedding  plants  are  over  early  in  September,  but 
while  I  write,  12th  October,  we  are  as  gay  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine. 
Begonias  in  variety.  Heliotropes,  Fuchsias,  Lantanas,  Phlox  Drummondi, 
Marguerites,  and  even  “  Geraniums,”  with  a  multitude  of  allied  plants, 
are  in  full  beauty,  thus  clearly  to  my  mind  showing  that  in  a  smoky 
atmosphere,  when  the  weather  is  heavy,  the  soot  and  gases  fall  to  the 
