240 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AN D  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  12,  1896. 
Spring  Notes. 
At  this  season  of  the  year  all  the  Continental  and  American  raisers 
of  new  Chrysanthemums  are  busily  employed  in  sending  out  their  cata¬ 
logues  of  novelties  and  in  distributing  plants,  which  they  hope  will 
materially  add  to  their  reputations  in  the  coming  autumn.  Mons.  Ernest 
Cal  vat’s  catalogue  is  tastefully  printed,  and  contains  several  illustrations 
of  his  flowers  in  photogravure,  besides  a  plenteous  selection  of  extracts 
from  English,  French,  and  Colonial  newspapers  on  the  subject  of  his 
gains. 
Mons.  Sautel,  who  a  few  years  ago  bid  fair  to  occupy  a  foremost  position 
by  sending  out  some  incurved  varieties — viz.,  Madame  Mante,  Madame 
Darier,  Camille  F>.  Flammarion,  Madame  Frederic  Mistral,  and  some 
promising  hairy  varieties,  has  given  up  his  nursery,  and  will  probably 
not  continue  the  work.  Mons.  Hoste’s  nursery  at  Lyons  has  also  passed 
into  other  hands. 
Mons.  Simon  Ddlaux,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  of  the  French 
growers,  but  whose  seedlings  have  not,  as  a  rule,  made  much  of  a  mark 
in  Eugland  for  some  few  years  past,  is  sending  out  several  instalments 
of  dwarf  early  flowering  varieties,  besides  a  set  of  the  ordinary  large 
flowered  November  sorts.  He  has  nowadays  to  contend  with  a  vast 
amount  of  competition  from  his  fellow  countrymen  in  the  same  line  of 
business,  and  during  the  past  two  or  three  years  several  new  rivals  have 
appeared  on  the  scene.  The  present  season  forms  no  exception  to  the 
rule. 
Mons.  de  Reydellet,  once  almost  as  well  known  as  Mons.  Ddlaux,  still 
continues  the  work,  and  is  sending  out  twenty  new  seedlings  which  are 
s'ated  to  have  been  awarded  ten  silver  and  silver-gilt  medals  during  the 
past  season  at  Continental  shows.  A  very  long  time  has  elapsed  since 
we  had  anything  of  very  striking  merit  from  an  English  standpoint 
from  this  geniil  and  enthusiastic  cultivator. 
Many  of  these  continental  varieties  are  far  too  highly  priced  for 
ordinary  growers  to  purchase  them  as  a  matter  of  speculation,  and  the 
wonder  is  that  importers  on  this  side  of  the  Channel  introduce  as  many 
of  them  as  they  do.  Quoting  from  only  two  of  these  foreign  catalogues 
I  find  the  prices  asked  vary  from  12,  15,  20,  25,  to  even  30  francs  apiece 
for  small  rooted  cuttings. 
Manifold  and  diverse  are  the  vagaries  of  continental  Chrysanthemum 
nomenclature.  A  selection  at  random  comprises  such  queer  appellations 
as  Rachais,  Madame  Mdeus  de  Proli,  Eboris,  Aymard  de  Paul  des 
Heberts,  Juvem,  Fldgier,  Olbers,  Mygale  Messire  de  Guesclin,  and  Mr. 
Chanzenque.  It  would,  of  course,  be  a  strange  inconsistency  if  our 
continental  friends  did  not  treat  us  to  several  new  varieties  bearing  old 
names,  but  when  the  new  French  N.C.S.  undertakes,  as  we  all  hope  it 
will,  the  revision  of  nomenclature  they  will  be  able  to  reply  to  our  oft 
repeated  complaints  on  this  score. 
Turning  to  the  American  lists,  Mr.  Spaulding  announces  twenty-six 
novelties  of  his  own  and  others,  which  he  says  have  all  been  tested  two 
or  more  years.  He  gives  a  score  of  pretty  little  photo- engravings  of 
American  novelties  by  way  of  illustrating  their  merits.  Other  Americans 
who  join  in  the  work  are  the  well  known  veteran  grower  of  Philadelphia, 
Mr.  W.  K.  Harris,  one  of  the  earliest  American  seedliDg  growers  ;  Messrs. 
E  G.  Hill  &  Son,  Messrs.  Nathan  Smith  &  Son,  Messrs.  Dorner  &  Son, 
Mr.  J.  N.  May,  and  Messrs.  Pitcher  &  Manda. 
Chrysanthemum  literature  has  during  the  past  two  or  three  months 
received  several  additions,  the  treatises  by  Mr.  W.  Wells  and  Mr.  Owen 
being  first  in  the  field  in  the  cultural  department,  Mr.  H.  J.  JoneB’ 
beautiful  Chrysanthemum  Album,  with  its  thirty-six  large  photographic 
reproductions,  being  quite  a  unique  departure.  Another  book  just  to 
hand  from  Melbourne,  in  Australia,  shows  that  the  interest  in  the  popular 
flower  is  still  maintained  in  the  Colonies,  and  one  just  published  at 
Lyons  by  Messrs.  ChabanDe  &  Choulet  is  also  an  excellent  proof  that 
growers  in  France  will  soon  have  no  lack  of  advice  in  the  art  of 
producing  big  blooms  for  exhibition. 
Yet  another  is  promised.  Mons.  Anatole  Cordonnier,  a  well-known 
Chrysanthemum  enthusiast,  at  whose  house  Mr.  Edwin  Molyneux,  Mr- 
Harry  Laing,  and  I  were  generously  entertained  a  few  years  ago  when 
on  a  visit  to  Roubaix,  has  in  the  press  a  work  entitled  “  Le  Chrysantb^me 
&  grande  fleur.”  Those  who  know  this  gentleman  personally  will  1  e 
able  to  form  an  opinion  of  the  thoroughly  extensive  way  in  which  he 
will  handle  the  subject.  Mons.  Cordonnier  is  the  Secretary  of  the  newly 
constituted  Chrysanthemum  Society  at  Lille,  and  knows  more  about 
growing  the  Chrysanthemum  for  the  production  of  large  show  blooms 
than  mauy  of  his  fellow  countrymen. 
Ad  vices  from  New  Zealand  confirm  the  impresflon  that  there  is  no 
abatement  in  the  Chrysanthemum  fever  there.  One  correspondent 
alludes  to  the  plants  being  generally  in  a  very  promising  condition 
indeed,  and  says  the  prospects  of  the  season  next  April  are  better  than 
last  year.  Another  writer  grows  eloquent  on  the  appearance  of  his 
plants  the  last  week  in  January,  although  a  series  of  heavy  gales  has 
somewhat  damaged  them  by  breaking  their  tops.  Such  accidents 
however,  are  not  confined  to  Now  Zealand,  a  month  or  two  before  the 
flowering  season. 
Several  Australian  specialists  in  Chrysanthemums  now  issue 
catalogues  of  novelties,  although  they  are  necessarily  somewhat  behind 
us  in  point  of  time,  often  a  couple  of  seasons.  Mr.  S.  B.  Levick  of 
Sydney  has  an  extensive  and  up-to-date  collection  in  all  sections. 
Messrs.  Brunning  &  Sons  of  Melbourne  have  another.  In  colonial  raised 
varieties  I  notice  the  names  of  Fair  Maid  of  Adelaide,  Lady  Gormanston, 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Tibbs,  Pride  of  Launceston,  Miss  May  Fraser,  and  Robert 
Williams  ;  while  probably  several  others  with  unfamiliar  names,  such  as 
Fortunatus,  Mrs.  A.  Jacobs,  Mrs.  Crawford,  Mrs.  H.  Scott,  Mrs.  James 
Murphy,  and  Swanmore,  come  from  the  same  source. — C.  H.  P. 
English  Chrysanthemums. 
The  raising  of  new  varieties,  both  English  and  foreign,  has  become 
an  important  phase  of  the  Chrysanthemum  mania,  if  I  might  so  term 
it.  To  English  raisers  belong  much  credit  for  the  improvement  manifest 
in  many  of  the  varieties.  In  the  Japanese  section,  however,  what  are 
strictly  termed  English  Chrysanthemums  cannot  as  yet  compete  with 
those  raised  in  other  countries.  When  we  take  into  account  the 
individual  excellence  of  the  flowers  undoubtedly  the  lead  is  held  by 
French  raisers  at  the  present  time.  Many  varieties  raised  in  the  United 
Kingdom  are  no  doubt  the  result  of  seed  obtained  in  a  more  favourable 
climate.  Although  varieties  emanating  from  such  a  source  receive  at 
times  the  credit  of  being  English  raised,  it  is  a  claim  that  I  regard  as  a 
somewhat  dubious  one.  Take,  for  example,  those  two  charming  yellow 
flowered  varieties  Duchess  of  York  and  Edith  Tabor,  the  former  raised 
in  Scotland,  and  the  latter  in  Suffolk  ;  but  the  actual  seeds  were  not 
produced  there.  When  we  turn  to  other  sections  we  can  fairly  lay  claim 
to  have  done  more  than  any  other  country  in  raising  and  introducing 
varieties  of  improved  form.  Especially  may  we  quote  the  incurved, 
and  note  the  numerous  additions  that  have  been  made  from  time  to 
time.  The  great  increase  in  single  flowered  varieties  owes  much  to 
English  enterprise,  and  in  other  small  flowered  sections  an  increase  is 
noticeable  most  favourable  to  ourselves  as  raisers. 
A  few  notes  on  individual  kinds  will  be  interesting.  Passing  the 
older  ones  with  the  remark  that  Elaine  is  still  the  purest  white 
flowered  Chrysanthemum  in  cultivation.  The  year  1887  marked 
the  era  of  new  and  improved  types  of  Japanese  varieties.  The 
introduction  of  Avalanche  caused  quite  a  revolution  in  the  ideas  of 
cultivators.  As  an  amateur’s  flower  it  is  still  par  excellence , 
though  the  present  craze  for  large  blooms  has  rendered  this  variety 
useless  for  exhibition.  The  year  previous  Mr.  Laing  brought  out 
Stanstead  White,  which  has  received  more  awards  for  premier  bloom 
than  any  other,  and  is  still  one  of  the  best  of  Japanese  varieties  when  in 
perfect  condition.  Passing  to  more  recent-  times,  we  find  the  number 
of  English  raised  kinds  increasing,  thanks  to  the  enterprise  of  men  like 
Mr.  R.  Owen  and  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones  as  nurserymen.  To  the  former  belongs 
the  credit  of  introducing  Viscountess  Hambledon  in  1892,  which  is 
especially  well  grown  in  Scotland  as  an  exhibition  flower.  Robert 
Owen  also  owes  its  origin  to  the  same  source  in  the  same  year.  The 
Japanese  incurved  type  *of  bloom  is  thoroughly  represented  by  this 
