November  2,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
385 
supplies  at  short  intervals  of  some  such  liquid  as  the  drainings  from 
stables  diluted  to  a  safe  strength.  Alternate  this  with  soot  water  or  a 
solution  of  guano,  as  well  as  sprinklings  of  chemical  manures.  House 
a'portion  of  the  plants  early  in  October,  leaving  some  of  the  latest  a 
week  or  two  longer  with  protection  in  order  to  retard  them  for 
producing  a  later  display.  A  cool,  airy  house  is  the  best  place  for 
them,  placing  them  where  they  can  receive  abundant  light.  Fire  heat 
must  be  employed  occasionally  to  exclude  damp,  and  if  necessary  to 
accelerate  the  opening  of  the  blooms. — Practice. 
OVERGROWN  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Not  a  few  very  fine  varieties  of  Chrysanthemums  are  spoiled  by 
being  overgrown.  I  do  not  mean  that  they  are  produced  too  large, 
but  that  what  goes  by  the  name  of  “good  culture”  has  the  opposite 
effect  to  which  it  is  intended.  This  thought  occurred  to  me  in 
inspecting  two  collections  recently;  the  first  where  the  plants  are 
grown  especially  to  produce  show  blooms,  the  other  where  the  culti¬ 
vator  desired  large  flowers,  it  is  true,  but  had  taken  no  special  pains 
to  obtain  them.  Yet  here,  on  comparatively  weakly-looking  plants, 
I  saw  some  really  magnificent  blooms  of  the  Japanese  variety  Lady 
Byron.  They  were  large  in  width,  of  extra  depth,  full,  and  beautifully 
pure.  Australian  Gold  of  lovely  form  was  seen  under  the  same 
conditions.  The  long  florets  were  built  up  catherine-wheel  fashion  to 
the  centre,  and  finished  a  noble  loose  ball  form  quite  7  inches  wide 
and  as  deep.  This  light  yellow  sort  has  always  been  a  favourite  of 
mine,  but  as  usually  seen  it  is  wide,  ragged,  and  ungainly,  the  nature 
of  it  in  the  collections  where  no  stint  of  labour  and  so  on  have  been 
spared  to  produce  it  in  good  form. 
This  is  only  one  instance  which  goes  to  prove  that  a  goodly  number 
of  Chrysanthemum  flowers  become  contracted  instead  of  highly 
developed  through  receiving  so  much  in  the  way  of  stimulants  and 
rich  soils.  It  is  a  subject  that  will  be  reverted  to  after  the  flowering 
season  is  over;  meantime  I  would  ask  interested  growers  of  this 
favoured  flower  to  take  notes,  which  may  be  valuable,  for  only  by  a 
study  of  individual  varieties  can  one  prevent  troubles  and  disappoint¬ 
ments. — Specialist. 
FRENCH  RAISERS  OF  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
To  French  hybridisers  Chrysanthemum  lovers  on  this  side  have 
been  and  are  much  indebted.  They  have  indeed  revolutionised 
the  Japanese  flower  especially,  and  have  been  the  means  of  producing 
several  exceedingly  rich  varieties  that  we  value  so  highly  to-day.  A 
few  years  back  Delaux  was  the  name  most  noted  in  regard  to  ne  w 
flowers  ;  then  came  Calvat.  This  raiser  produced  the  white  Madame 
•Carnot,  which  is  still  the  ideal  of  a  beautiful  type.  Of  this  noted 
raiser  we  would  not  like  to  say  he  is  “  played  out”  in  the  matter  of 
sending  us  choice  new  varieties  ;  but  it  does  seem  either  that  others  are 
effecting  much  greater  improvements,  or  that  his  are  not  equal  to  former 
■novelties.  One  thing  is  certain,  he  introduces  too  many. 
Thirty  new  ones  in  a  year  must  necessarily  mean  considerable 
weeding  out.  Take  the  set  of  last  year.  Le  Grand  Dragon  and  Marie 
Calvat  are  probably  the  best.  These  are  really  fine,  handsome  flowers, 
yet  just  a  little  inconstant;  and  with  regard  to  the  latter,  we  fear  many 
will  fail  with  it  on  account  of  early  formed  buds  refusing  to  open  well. 
The  same  may  be  written  of  the  former,  although,  when  in  good  form, 
it  is  large  in  size  and  rich  in  colouring.  They  are  both  strong,  easy 
growers,  and  valuable  for  the  supply  of  a  quantity  of  cut  flowers. 
What  we  want  to  note,  however,  is  that  two  is  a  small  proportion  of 
thirty.  We  tried  them  all.  Most  of  them  are  indifferent  whites  and 
washed-out  lilacs — anything  but  advances  upon  existing  varieties. 
One — Madame  Rene  Salomon — is  a  fine  colour,  a  rich  brown  crimson. 
This  is  really  promising.  It  is  apt  to  burn  if  the  sun  be  allowed  to 
reach  it,  otherwise  there  is  no  difficulty  in  the  culture.  M.  Fatzer  and 
Secretaire  Rivoire,  two  yellow  shaded  blooms  of  the  same  set,  may  also 
be  mentioned  as  promising. 
We  say  above  only  two  varieties,  and  had  for  the  moment  for¬ 
gotten  a  third,  namely  General  Paquie.  It  is  rather  early  to  bloom, 
hence  it  had  missed  our  thoughts.  This  is  an  excellent  variety,  per¬ 
haps  the  best  of  the  raiser’s  set  for  last  year.  Full  and  striking,  with 
a  graceful  form  like  that  of  Madame  Carnot,  also  large ;  it  gives 
shades  of  bronze  and  yellow  at  once  rich  and  distinct.  This  is  an 
easily  grown  and  free-flowering  sort,  with  a  good  branching  habit  if 
■cultivated  for  a  quantity  of  bloom.  Of  this  year’s  novelties  of 
M.  Calvat,  M.  H.  Martinet  is  distinctly  promising.  In  shades  of 
•colour  it  takes  after  that  fine  crimson  and  gold  variety,  E.  Molyneux, 
and  is  full  and  handsome.  It  also  has  a  sturdy  habit  of  growth. 
Madame  Lucie  Recoura  is  a  variety  with  well-shaped  drooping  florets 
of  an  amaranth  colour,  like  the  rich  shade  of  Pride  of  Madford.  It 
exhibits  less  of  the  back  tint,  a  fault  of  the  latter,  and  may  be  there¬ 
fore  named  as  worth  remembering.  Calvat  1899  gives  blooms  of 
much  richness  in  its  shades  of  mauve  and  light  yellow. 
Mons.  Auguste  Nonin  is  a  comparatively  new  raiser  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  but  we  are  more  than  pleased  with  his  early  productions, 
and  shall  watch  with  keen  interest  any  others  from  the  same  source. 
Madame  Gabriel  Debrie  is  a  magnificent  new  Chrysanthemum, 
superb  in  shape  and  rich  in  colour.  This  has  been  grown  a  year  or 
two,  but  is  little  known.  It  may  be  described  as  malmaison  colour, 
and  is  especially  bright.  The  texture  of  the  florets  is  of  rare  quality. 
The  flower  is  very  deep  and  wide,  and  of  loose  incurving  shape.  A 
sturdy  grower  and  of  easy  culture,  we  know  few  varieties  which 
possess  such  attractions  as  this,  and  all  cultivators  should  add  it  to 
their  collections.  President  Lemaire  is  another  from  the  same  raiser. 
This  is  of  first-rate  qualities.  The  blooms  are  not  unlike  those  of 
a  handsome  Chrysanthemum  discarded  by  many  because  of  its 
difficult  culture.  We  refer  to  Beauty  of  Castlewood.  Crimson  and 
gold  reverse  with  an  inclination  to  incurve  describe  its  form  and 
colour.  This  new  one  is  very  free  and  dwarf. 
Madame  F.  Daupias,  creamy  white,  has  full,  handsome,  drooping- 
shaped  blooms  of  great  size  and  beauty.  This  is  said  to  be  a  seedling 
from  Madame  Carnot,  and  it  certainly  resembles  that  variety  somewhat, 
except  that  it  is  dwarfer  in  growth  and  less  likely  to  produce  badly 
formed  blooms.  Others  of  the  raiser  named  are  promising,  but 
these  three  will  do  much  to  make  the  name  of  M.  Nonin  famous  when 
they  are  in  general  cultivation  in  this  country. — Experto  Crede. 
G.  II.  KERSLAKE,  JUN. 
This  new  variety  is  a  white  one,  and  is  a  welcome  addition  to  a 
long  list  of  that  colour.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  so  dwarf  and 
sturdy.  It  has  long,  flat,  narrow  drooping  florets,  and  is  full  to  the 
centre,  besides  being  of  comely  shape.  This  should  be  an  ideal 
variety  for  a  bush  plant,  and  the  flower  stems  being  stiff  make  it 
valuable  also  for  the  supply  of  cut  blooms  in  quantity. — S. 
HIGHGATE  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SOCIETY. 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Floral  Committee  of  this  Society  first- 
class  certificates  were  awarded  to  Mrs.  A.  Jones  (Jap),  seedling  from 
E.  Molyneux,  exhibited  by  Mr.  A.  Jones,  gardener  to  Miss  Wyburn, 
Hadley  Manor,  Barnet ;  also  to  Mrs.  J.  J.  Tilley  (Jap),  exhibited  by 
Messrs.  H.  Cannell  &  Sons.  Madame  Lucie  Recoura,  exhibited 
by  the  same  firm,  the  Committee  desired  to  see  again.  The  next 
meeting  of  the  Floral  Committee  is  November  2nd,  at  3  p.m.,  at  the 
Northfield  Hall,  Highgate. — W.  E.  Boyce. 
MONKHAMS,  WOODFORD. 
The  Essex  growers  seem  to  be  determined  to  reach  the  top  of  the 
tree  in  the  culture  of  the  Chrysanthemum,  for  quite  a  number  of 
exhibitors  have  cropped  up  during  the  past  four  years.  Mr.  R. 
Kenyon,  gardener  to  A.  F.  Hdls,  Esq.,  Woodford  Green,  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  who  have  engage!  in  the  flower  warfare,  and 
who  has  an  idea  that  Chrysanthemums  can  be  grown  in  Essex  as 
good  as  in  any  other  county,  and  this  opinion  is  shared  by  his 
employer,  who  takes  great  interest  in  the  flowers  and  their  appearance 
on  the  boards. 
About  450  plants  are  grown  for  exhibition  blooms,  though  there 
appears  to  be  more  in  the  splendid  orchard  house  where  they  are 
arranged.  On  my  inquiring  if  the  number  would  not  stretch  a  bit, 
as  it  will  in  most  collections,  Mr.  Kenyon  quickly  disposed  of  my 
doubts  by  counting  a  rowdown  the  house  and  performing  the  little  multi¬ 
plication  table  necessary.  The  plants  are  arranged  in  two  huge  banks, 
with  the  path  down  the  centre.  The  collection  at  once  gave  evidence 
of  the  improvement  in  habit  of  the  new  varieties,  most  of  which  were 
sturdy  strong  plants  that  contrasted  favourably  with  the  10-footers 
of  a  few  years  ago. 
Tne  new  varieties  that  were  developing  at  the  time  of  my  visit 
were  Mrs.  W.  Seward,  a  grand  colour ;  Helen  Shrimpton,  The  Won¬ 
derful,  Mrs.  Coombs,  Henry  Weeks,  Amy  Easall,  Lord  Ludlow, 
Lionel  Humphrey,  R.  Hooper  Pearson,  H.  J.  Jones,  Mr.  A.  II. 
Barratt,  J.  R.  Upton,  Madaline  Davis,  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Hall,  a  mag¬ 
nificent  bronze  not  unlike  Mrs.  J.  W.  Barks,  but  an  improvement  on 
that  variety.  Many  other  novelties  will  now  be  opening,  while  of  the 
older  varieties  Soleil  d’Octobre  was  truly  grand,  with  blooms  as  large 
as  any  of  the  exhibition  varieties.  (I  wonder  why  the  N.C.S.  certi¬ 
ficated  it  as  a  decorative  variety  ?)  Chatsworth,  the  Carnot  family, 
Tatiana,  M.  Chenon  de  Leche,  Autumn  Glory,  Mad.  Desblanc,  Le 
Grand  Dragon,  and  Mutual  Friend  were  all  excellent. 
I  do  not  doubt  for  a  moment  but  that  they  will  give  a  good 
account  of  themselves  and  their  grower  at  the  forthcoming  shows. 
Mr.  Kenyon  is  already  well  known  as  a  successful  exhibitor  at  the 
Aquarium,  Brighton,  Stratford,  and  other  shows,  and  if  one  mxy 
judge  from  the  blooms  as  they  are  developing,  the  Chrysanthemum 
showers  will  find  him  a  hard  nut  to  crack. — J.  B.  R. 
AT  WALTHAMSTOW. 
The  number  of  Chrysanthemum  specialists  appears  to  be  rapidly 
on  the  increase.  Year  by  year  the  trade  growers  keep  forging  ahead, 
and  if  we  may  judge  by  their  plants  and  their  exhibits,  they  appear 
to  be  well  able  to  hold  their  own. 
