JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  16,  1899. 
426 
J.  Doughty,  and  Ma  Perfection.  Amongst  the  Japanese  were  some 
excellent  flowers  of  Lady  Hanham,  very  richly  coloured;  Mutual 
Friend,  Charles  Davis,  very  good  ;  Lady  Byron,  Pride  of  Exmouth, 
M.  Louise  Remy ;  excellent  flowers  of  Edith  Tabor,  J.  Chamberlain, 
Eva  Knowles,  C.  Harman  Payne,  Madame  Gustave  Henry,  Mrs.  R. 
Jones,  H.  H.  Spencer,  Richard  Dean,  and  Lady  Ridgway.  A  new 
Australian  variety,  Nellie  Pockett,  is  worth  mentioning ;  the  flowers 
are  of  a  good  white,  and  fine  for  exhibition ;  the  plant  is  not  a  tall 
grower,  and  easy  to  manage.  A  few  good  flowers  of  Anemones  Mrs. 
Caterer  and  W.  W.  Astor  were  conspicuous  in  the  group.  The 
early  vinery  and  Peach  house  are  filled  with  serviceable  bush  plants, 
half  disbudded,  for  succession.  In  the  late  vinery  were  some  tempting 
bunches  of  Black  Alicante,  well  berried  and  grandly  coloured. 
AN  ARDENT  AMATEUR. 
Mr.  Thomas  Bird  is  an  enthusiastic  amateur  grower  and  exhibitor. 
His  vocation  confines  him  for  eight  hours  in  a  signal  box  close  to  a 
tunnel  in  a  smoky  suburb,  and  he  is  therefore  delighted  when  his 
work  is  done  and  he  can  find  recreation  amongst  his  Mums.  There 
are  few  working  amateurs  who  have  such  an  all  round  knowledge  of 
Chrysanthemums  as  Mr.  Bird,  and  the  intelligent  way  his  plants  are 
grown  leaves  no  doubt  that  there  is  a  man  at  work  with  more  than 
ordinary  knowledge  of  gardening.  The  garden  is  an  allotment  plot 
on  the  Shipley  and  Thackley  Road,  Windhill,  where  several  good 
growers  have  greenhouses.  Mr.  Bird’s  house  is  a  commodious  span- 
roof,  specia'ly  built  for  Chrysanthemums.  The  plan  s  are  nicely 
arranged,  so  that  they  can  be  attended  to  with  watering  and  still  present 
a  pleasing  effect  to  the  e^  e. 
Amongst  the  incurved  several  very  good  ones  were  noted,  including 
Topaze  Orientals,  very  fine  indeed  ;  Mrs.  N.  Molyneux,  Ma  Perfection, 
Madame  Ferlat,  Mrs.  R.  C.  Kingston,  Lady  Isobel,  Miss  Violet  Foster, 
Miss  D.  Foster,  C.  S.  Bates,  Duchess  of  Fife,  Ernest  Cannell,  excellent ; 
and  Globe  d’Or.  The  Japanese  are  very  good  also,  and  are  sure  to 
give  a  good  account  of  themselves  at  this  week’s  shows.  Amongst 
the  newer  ones  we  noted  Mrs.  H.  Weeks  and  Nellie  Pockett,  two  of 
the  best  whites  in  the  collection,  with  fine  florets  and  good  habit ; 
Lord  Boston,  Mrs.  T.  A.  Compton,  Ella  Curtis,  beautiful  flowers  ;  Mrs. 
J.  Lewis,  Mrs.  White  Popham,  Madame  G.  Bruant,  Mons.  Chenon  de 
Leche,  Mrs.  Mating  Graut,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Palmer,  and  Lady  Ellen 
Clark.  A  feature  which  pleased  me  very  much  was  to  see  a  large 
number  of  tops  in  7-inch  pots  carrying  fine  flowers,  and  I  took  the 
names  of  two  particular  plants — namely,  Mons.  Chenon  de  Leche 
and  Nellie  Pocket,  which  were  excellent. 
Mr.  Bird  has  been  employed  by  the  Midland  Railway  Company  as 
a  signalman  for  thirty  years,  and  assures  me  that  he  never  had  an 
accident  with  the  line,  thanks  to  having  a  healthy  hobby  which  keeps 
his  head  clear.  Every  success  to  him  at  the  forthcoming  shows. 
BANKFIELD,  BINGLEY. 
The  veteran  grower  of  the  district,  Mr.  Midgley,  is  making  a  fair 
bid  to  win  the  open  challenge  cup  of  the  Bradford  Chrysanthemum 
Society  for  the  third  time.  He  has  put  his  whole  energy  into  his  plants 
this  year,  and  whoever  beats  him  has  to  bring  some  superb  flowers, 
for  there  are  few  growers  who  can  equal  Mr.  Midgley  in  the  culture 
of  the  Japanese.  The  display  in  the  conservatory  at  Bankfield  is 
very  fine,  and,  as  in  former  years,  many  admirers  call  daily  to 
criticise  the  chances  of  the  flowers.  It  is  a  matter  of  difficulty  to 
select  the  best  twenty-four  varieties  for  the  cup  class  from  such  an 
excellent  collection.  Amongst  the  best  Japauese  may  be  noted 
President  Nonin,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Palmer,  Marie  Calvat,  Lady  Ellen  Clark, 
Lady  Byron,  Melusine,  one  of  Calvat’s  new  ones  ;  Purple  Emperor, 
N.C.S.  Jubilee,  an  excellent  flower,  withjvery  broad  florets  ;  Chatsworth, 
a  new  Australian  variety;  Madame  G.  Bruant,  Phoebus,  Mrs.  Weeks, 
very  fine  ;  Master  II.  Tucker,  Mons.  Hoste,  a  well  built  flower  ;  Mrs. 
White  Popham,  Mutual  Friend,  Mons.  Chenon  de  Lechd,  Queen  of 
Portugal,  one  of  the  best  (Mr.  Midgley  has  not  grown  this  variety 
before,  and  he  finds  the  plant  is  a  good  grower  for  the  locality,  and 
the  flower  speaks  for  itself);  Lady  Northcote,  Master  T.  Carrington, 
President  Bevan,  one  of  Calvat’s  latest,  exceedingly  fine ;  Modesto, 
Graphic,  very  fine;  Eva  Knowles,  Mrs.  J.  Lewis,  and  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Barks,  the  sport  from  Edith  Tabor. 
The  incurved  varieties  were  represented  by  fine  examples  of  Ernest 
Cannell,  Dorothy  Foster,  Chrysanthemiste  Bruant,  resembling  in 
colour  the  old  variety  Barbara,  but  much  larger  in  size  ;  Lady  Isobel, 
Duchess  of  Fife,  Mdlle.  Lucie  Faure  are  very  promising,  while 
Charles  Curtis  and  Ma  Perfection  are  sure  to  count  well.  Mrs.  N. 
Molyneux,  Rose  Owen,  Countess  of  Warwick  are  very  good.  Amongst 
the  Anemone  flowered  varieties  may  be  noted  W.  W.  Astor,  Mrs. 
Caterer,  a  beautiful  shaped  flower  of  great  substance,  perfect  in  every 
respect ;  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  Owen’s  Perfection  and  Robin  Adair. 
The  season  has  been  fairly  favourable  for  the  Chrysanthemum  in 
and  near  Bradford,  and  there  is  every  probability  that  some  keen 
competition  will  take  place  at  the  forthcoming  show  on  the  17th 
and  18  th.— R.  E. 
Recent  Weather  in  London.— On  Saturday,  after  a  most  pleasant 
morning,  with  a  rising  wind,  we  had  several  drenching  showers,  which 
fell  at  intervals  throughout  the  evening.  Since  the  time  indicated  the 
weather  has  been  very  pleasant,  but  decidedly  too  mild  to  be  quite 
seasonable.  On  Wednesday  morning  it  was  foggy. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  —  The  next  Fruit  and 
Floral  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  on 
Tuesday,  November  21st,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster, 
1  to  4  P.M.  A  lecture  on  “Fruit  Growing  in  South  Wales”  will  be 
given  at  three  o’clock  by  Mr.  J.  Basham,  F.R.H  S. 
-  Gardening  Appointments. — Mr.  W.  Bean,  late  of  Kirklees 
Park,  Brighouse,  under  Mr.  J.  Hodgson,  has  been  appointed  gardener  to 
J.  W.  Ashton,  Esq.,  Bransby  Lodge,  Yorks.  Mr.  John  Balmforth,  late 
head  gardener  at  Bishop’s  Court,  Isle  of  Man,  has  been  appointed  in  a 
similar  capacity  to  J.  Dewrance,  Esq.,  Cranmore  Place,  Chislehurst, 
Kent. 
— ■—  Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association. — At  a  well-attended 
meeting  of  the  above  Association,  held  on  Monday,  November  13th, 
nnder  the  presidency  of  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham,  Mr.  Lewis  Castle,  manager 
of  the  Duke  of  Bedford’s  experimental  fruit  farm,  Ridgmont,  gave  one 
of  the  most  interesting  lectures  of  the  present  session  on  hybridisation 
and  selection.  A  prolonged  discussion  followed,  at  the  conclusion  of 
which  Mr.  Castle  reviewed  the  principal  points,  and  was  accorded  a 
hearty  vote  of  thanks. — W.  L.  Deedman,  Hon.  Secretary. 
-  Monument  to  the  Late  Mons.  J.  Linden. — The  memorial 
erected  in  the  Leopold  Park,  Brussels,  in  honour  of  the  late  Mons.  Jean 
Linden,  was  inaugurated  on  the  5th  inst.,  in  the  presence  of  a  large 
gathering  of  horticulturists  and  the  members  of  the  family.  The  monu¬ 
ment  consists  of  a  bronze  bust  placed  on  a  granite  pedestal,  which  is 
decorated  with  Orchids.  It  is  placed  at  the  angle  of  the  esplanade  of  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  near  the  wall  which  encloses  the 
establishment  founded  by  this  botanist  and  carried  on  by  his  son,  Mr. 
Lucien  Linden. 
-  Solanum  integrifolium. — This  is  one  of  several  species 
worthy  of  cultivation  in  pots  for  the  sake  of  the  ornamental  fruit.  It 
grows  from  2  to  3  feet  in  height  when  planted  out  ;  when  grown  in  pots, 
though,  it  rarely  grows  more  than  foot  high.  The  fruit  resembles, 
to  a  great  extent,  that  of  a  thick-skinned,  deeply-ribbed  Tomato,  but  is 
not  fleshy  inside.  The  colour  is  red,  and  as  the  larger  fruits  are 
2  inches  across  and  fifteen  to  twenty,  and  sometimes  more,  are  pro¬ 
duced  on  plants  in  6-inch  pots,  a  pretty  effect  is  made.  They 
ripeu  about  the  end  of  September  and  keep  in  good  condition  until 
well  on  into  the  new  year.  In  addition  to  the  fru’t  the  leaves 
are  interesting.  They  are  ovate,  6  to  8  inches  long,  with  strong, 
upright  spines  half  an  inch  long,  thinly  distributed  along  the  principal 
veins  on  the  upper  surface.  By  sowing  seeds  in  heat  in  March  and 
growing  the  plant  indoors  until  June,  then  plunging  them  outside  until 
the  fruit  begins  to  colour,  and  by  well  feeding  alter  the  fruit  has  set 
little  trouble  will  be  found  in  its  cultivation. — W.  D. 
-  An  Irish  Garden. — The  gardens  situated  in  suburbs  of  Rath- 
mines  and  close  to  the  Dodder  are  very  attractive,  and  at  present  shrubs 
and  trees  form  the  chief  item.  The  grounds  were  originally  laid  out  by 
Mr.  Sheppard,  but  are  now  under  ihe  care  of  Mr.  Cranmer,  who  spares 
no  pains  to  beautify  them.  Along  the  walks  magnificent  specimens  of 
the  Weeping  Ash  and  Elm  are  dotted,  and  their  drooping  foliage  lends  a 
decided  charm.  Amongst  the  shrubs  are  fine  samples  of  Golden  Privet, 
Cotoneaster,  Escallonia  macrantha,  also  a  fine  plant  of  Piptanthus  nepal- 
ensis,  raised  by  Mr.  Cranmer  from  seed,  with  Clematis  and  Honeysuckles, 
Thorns,  both  double  and  single,  Cupressus,  Golden  Hollies,  Austrian 
Pines,  Copper  Beech,  Turkey  Oak,  and  Pyrus  aria.  In  the  centre  of  the 
grounds  a  dripping  pool  has  been  formed,  and  on  the  banks  are  the 
following  plants: — Irises,  Aubrietias,  Roses  in  variety,  Tropaeolums. 
Yuccas,  and  Polygonum  cuspidatum.  In  the  lake  are  Lilies  in  variety, 
and  on  the  edges  Cape  Pond  Weed  and  Cedrus  atlantica  abound.  When 
the  above  grounds  are  endowed  with  flower  beds,  an  alluring  retreat  will 
be  formed  that  will  be  immensely  appreciated  in  the  time  to  come. 
—A.  O’N. 
