494 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  29,  1900. 
Gustave  Heury  is  favoured,  and  some  remarkable  blossoms  were 
staged. 
The  finest  incurved  variety  was  Duchess  of  Fife.  It  is  a  white 
of  wonderful  build.  So,  too,  is  the  yellow  C.  H.  Curtis  especially 
deep  and  well  formed.  A  little  known  yellow  is  Mrs.  Gerald 
Williams.  This  has  broader  petals  than  the  last  named,  and  is  even 
more  handsome  in  build.  Ma  Perlection  is  a  pretty  white,  but 
Chrysantheme  Bruant,  although  large,  borders  too  much  on  to  the 
Japanese.  Yvonne  Desblanc  is  an  attractive  white  flower,  and  Mrs. 
li.  C.  Kingston,  tinted  white,  is  a  noble  form.  There  is  nothing  very 
bright  about  the  incurved  stands,  the  bronzy  Globe  d’Or  excepting ; 
that  is  apart  from  the  whites  and  the  yellows.  Hanwell  Glory, 
somewhat  duller,  is  however  a  capital  bronze  flower.  Topaze  Orientale 
was  well  exhibited,  and  is  gradually  becoming  a  favourite  with  all 
who  like  the  incurved  type. 
It  seems  to  us  that  most  of  the  other  sections  of  Chrysanthemums 
are  dwarfed  by  the  Japanese  and  incurved,  at  least  as  exhibition 
flowers;  and  however  wefl  grown  they  may  be,  the  Anemones, 
Pompons  and  reflexed  arrest  only  scant  attention.  The  singles  are 
pretty.  Among  those  noted  were  Earlswood  Beauty,  Earlswocd 
Glory  and  Purity.  Eose  Pink  is  a  charming  shade  of  rose,  and 
Victoria,  primrose,  is  a  good  type.  Miss_  Mary  Anderson  and  Miss 
Annie  Holden  are  perfect  in  their  way;  Framfield  Beauty  is  a  fine 
crimson,  and  Rev.  W.  E.  Remfrey  a  purple  crimson  not  yet  surpassed. 
— Specialist. 
Ryecroft  Nursery. 
^Though  the  rush  of  the  Chrysanthemum  season  may  now  be 
regarded  as  practically  over,  the  time  is  still  opportune  for  a  few  notes 
on  the  collection  grown  by  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones  at  Ryecroft  Nursery, 
Hither  Green.  Preparations  will  now  be  commencing  for  next  season’s 
exhibitions,  and  lists  will  be  in  process  of  compilation.  Needless  to 
say  this  grower  has  amongst  his  immense  stock  plants  of  all  the 
well  known  standard  varieties,  while  he  makes  strenuous  efforts  to 
keep  in  the  front  line  with  novelties. 
Tne  display  at  Ryecroft  this  season  differs  slightly  from  its  pre¬ 
decessors,  inasmuch  as  there  does  not  appear  to  be  such  a  large  number 
of  plants  cultivated  for  the  production  of  what  are  termed  exhibition 
blooms.  Then,  too,  the  arrangement  in  the  largest  span-roofed  house 
Avas  changed,  and  instead  of  the  familiar  undulating  banks  with  a 
winding  path  we  found  a  straight  central  walk  with  the  plants  on  each 
side.  The  interest  of  the  collection  did  not  suffer,  and  the  mind  of 
the  visitor  was  not  so  much  engrossed  in  examining  the  splendid 
flowers  as  to  neglect  to  observe  the  excellence  of  the  plants.  These 
for  health  and  cleanliness  could  not  be  surpassed,  and  the  cuttings 
they  throw  should  have  such  a  strong  constitution  as  to  insure,  with 
proper  care,  excellent  flowers  in  the  following  season.  For  stock 
purposes,  it  is  worthy  of  note,  Mr.  Jones  has  several  thousands  of 
plants  in  his  nursery  near  Lewisham  Junction  Station.  These  comprise 
all  the  leading  varieties,  and  it  would  be  obviously  impossible  to  get 
cuttings  of  a  healthier  nature  than  those  produced  by  these  hardily 
grown  outdoor  plants.  When  our  visit  was  paid  just  prior  to  the 
great  N.C.S.  Show  there  were  thousands  of  flowers  of  fine  quality  on 
the  plants  in  this  nursery. 
Returning  to  the  plants  in  the  enormous  collection  at  Ryecroft,  we 
propose  naming  a  few  of  the  more  modern  varieties,  leaving  out  those 
which  are  familiar  to  everyone.  Those  who  have  visited  the  collection 
will,  of  course,  in  estimating  the  value  of  the  novelties,  have  made 
due  allowance  for  the  conditions  under  which  the  flowers  have  been 
produced  :  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  blooms  equal  in  size  and 
richness  of  colour  to  those  grown  in  the  country  can  be  had  at 
Lewisham.  It  may  safely  be  asserted,  however,  that  a  variety  which 
does  well  at  Ryecroft  will  luxuriate  under  more  favourable  climatic 
conditions.  Some  of  the  blooms  noted,  though  not  of  the  largest  siz ', 
were  of  capital  colour,  and  they  were,  as  a  rule,  pirticularly  refined. 
Mr.  Jones  and  his  grower,  Mr.  Lionel  Humphrey,  may  be  congratulated 
upon  the  results  of  their  united  efforts. 
We  may  commence  with  Madame  B.  Fray,  a  rich  rose  coloured 
Japanese  of  decided  promise.  A  very  attractive  incurved  Japanese  is 
seen  in  Mr.  A.  G.  Miller,  of  which  the  colour  is  silvery  rose.  Mr.  S. 
Fryett,  which  received  an  award  of  merit  from  the  Floral  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  on  October  23rd,  will  be  welcomed 
for  its  colour — purple  amaranth.  Edwin  Smith  is  a  reflexed 
Japanese  of  bright  crimson  colour  that  shows  the  golden  buff  reverse 
in  a  rather  effective  manner.  A  chaste  and  beautiful  variety  is  Mrs. 
J.  C.  Neville  :  the  slightly  hirsute  florets  are  white  with  the  smallest 
suspicion  of  soft  rose.  Edith  Shrimpton,  pure  white,  ought  to  become 
popular,  as  also  should  May  Neville,  deep  rosy  red  with  a  yellow 
reverse.  Better  known  varieties  that  were  noted  as  being  in  first  rate 
condition  were  Mrs.  White  Popham,  Mrs.  A.  Tate,  the  bronze  Etoile 
de  Lyon,  Edith  Pilkington,  Miss  Alice  Byron,  Lionel  Humphrey, 
Mdlle.  Gabrielle  Debrie,  Hairy  Wonder,  Jane  Molyneux,  H.  J.  Jones, 
Sir  Herbert  Kitchener,  Vicar  of  Leatherhead,  and  the  brilliant 
E.  Hooper  PearsoUk 
Chrysanthemuma  round  Bradford. 
The  September  prospects  of  a  good  season  were  amply  fulfilled. 
The  displays  in  the  public  parks  of  the  city  were  very  good.  The 
favourite.  Lister  Park,  has  a  very  ornamental  conservatory — a  light 
airy  structure,  erected  on  the  best  principle  by  one  of  the  leading 
horticultural  builders  four  years  ago,  and  eminently  fitted  for  the 
display  of  Chrysanthemums.  Mr.  H.  Lander,  the  superintendent, 
takes  infinite  pains  with  the  arrangement  of  his  plants.  No  pretence 
ot  naming  the  whole  of  the  varieties  can  be  made,  but  a  few  of  the 
best  may  be  specialised.  Viviand  Morel  and  Chas.  Davis,  Mrs.  Ritson 
and  Lady  Hanham,  Madame  Gustave  Henry,  Mutual  Friend,  Lady 
Byron,  Phoebus,  Oceana,  and  N.C  S.  Jubilee  were  excellent.  The 
Parks  Committee  throws  the  conservatory  open  to  the  public  during 
Saturday  and  Sunday,  thus  giving  everyone  an  opportunity  to  inspect 
the  display. 
Bankfield,  Bingley,  is  regarded  in  the  district  as  the  Mecca  of  the 
Chrysanthemum  fraternity,  and  has  for  many  \ears  upheld  the 
reputation  of  the  local  growers.  The  veteran  Mr.  Midgley  has  won 
several  cups,  and  has  this  year  annexed  for  the  third  time  the  open 
10-guinea  challenge  cup.  With  Mr.  W.  Daniels,  Dewsbury  Park,  the 
eminent  North  of  England  judge,  as  a  companion,  I  visited  tl.e 
collection  prior  to  the  show,  and  found  heavy  flowers  full  of  substance 
and  colour.  The  selection  of  the  best  may  include  Viviand  Morel, 
beautifully  coloured;  Eva  Knowles,  Lady  Ridgway,  Hero  of  Omdui- 
man.  Miss  Nellie  Pockett,  splendid;  Lady  Hanham,  Chis.  Davis, 
Mrs.  Barkley,  Reginald  Godfrey,  Swanley  Giant,  Mrs.  T.  Carrington, 
N.C.S.  Jubilee,  Phoebus,  Edith  Tabor,  Mrs.  White  Popham,  Lord 
Salisbury,  a  richly  coloured  novelty ;  the  Hon.  W.  F.  D.  Smith, 
Madame  Carnot,  and  sports. 
Mr.  John  Whittingham,  Canal  House,  Shipley,  grows 
Chrysanthemums  under  difficulties,  for  his  garden  is  close  by  the 
^Leeds  and  Liverpool  Canal,  and  the  gasworks  are  in  close  proximity. 
Not  daunted  by  these  surroundings,  Mr.  Wittingham  has  with  care  and 
perseverance  produced  some  grand  flowers.  One  cannot  help  admiring 
the  untiring  labour  and  patience  with  which  some  of  our  amateurs 
tend  their  plants  under  most  adverse  circumstances ;  it  is  a  labour  of 
love,  for  nothing  is  spared.  Here,  for  instance,  are  half  a  dozen  new 
varieties  which  must  have  cost  at  least  7s.  6d.  each  in  the  early  spring. 
They  include  Janet  Lady  Clark,  a  monster  flower  of  rich  purple 
colour  ;  Miss  E.  Pilkington,  a  grand  yellow  ;  Madame  R.  Cadbury, 
a  deep  weighty  flower,  ivory  white;  Lady  Francis  Osborne,  a  very 
massive  flower,  well  built  up ;  Lord  Salisbury,  a  magnificent  flower, 
yellow  slightly  tinged  with  purple  ;  and  Florence  Mo'yneux,  a  very 
promising  pure  white.  Notable  amongst  older  varieties  were  Henry 
Weeks,  Mrs.  W.  Seward,  Mr.  T.  Carrington,  Miss  Nellie  Pockett,  Lady 
Hanham,  exceedingly  good;  President  Nonin  and  Mrs.  White  Popham. 
The  incurved  seciiou  was  represented  by  good  examples  of  Hanwell 
Glory,  Mrs.  R.  C.  Kingston,  and  Madame  Ferlat.  Mr.  Whittingham 
is  not  alone  a  good  Chrysanthemum  grower,  but  one  of  our  most 
successful  growers  and  exhibitors  of  Cactus  Dahlias  and  Asters. — 
R.  Eichel,  Bingley. 
Finsbury  Park. 
Of  the  several  Chrysanthemum  shows  that  are  annually  provided 
in  the  London  parks  that  at  Finsbury  has  always  been  considered  one 
of  the  very  best.  It  has  been  distinguished,  not  for  the  immense 
number  of  plants  grown,  bnt  for  the  excellence  of  the  individual 
plants.  This  year  proves  no”  exception  to  the  rule,  for  the  plants 
carried  flowers  of  first  size — some  so  good,  in  fact,  as  to  have  been  fit 
for  the  exhibition  board — and  of  the  clearest  and  richest  colour.  It  is 
apparent  that  Mr.  Melville,  the  superintendent,  is  fully  alive  to  the 
reputation  enjoyed  by  the  park  under  his  charge,  and  that  he  will  do 
all  that  can  be  done  to  maintain  it  with  Chrysanthemums  in  the 
autumn  and  other  features  at  various  periods  of  the  year.  The 
autumn  piece  de  resistance  attracts  visitors  from  all  the  surrounding 
districts  as  well  as  from  more  distant  quarters  who  have  heard,  and, 
becoming  interested,  have  wisely  decided  to  judge  for  themselves. 
The  structure  in  which  the  plants  are  arranged  is  certainly  not 
worthy  of  them,  but  the  best  that  was  possible  under  the  circum¬ 
stances  has  been  done  to  insure  an  attractive  display.  It  is  not 
sufficiently  wide  to  afford  scope  for  an  artistic  arrangement  of 
winding  walks  and  mounds  of  plants,  and  it  is  somewhat  too  wide 
for  the  single  bank  system  that  is  in  vogue,  as  the  distance  from  the 
path  to  the  back  flowers  is  so  great  as  to  render  their  good  qualities 
difficult  of  appreciation  simply  because  they  cannot  be  properly  seen. 
However,  the  plants  and  the  flowers  evidently  enjoy  the  conditions 
under  which  they  are  growing,  and  this  must  be  regarded  as  a  point 
of  primary  importance.  The  bank  is  composed  of  plants  varying  in 
stature  from  just  over  3  feet  to  some  6  or  7  feet,  hence  slopes 
effectively  from  back  to  front,  and  a  fair  allowance  is  at  command  of 
the  stage  for  effecting  undulations  in  the  surface  in  preference  to  having 
the  flowers  on  about  as  dead  a  level  as  a  billiard  board. 
A  novel  feature  that  would  arrest  the  attention  of  everyone 
entering  the  house  was  a  large  mass  of  the  primrose  coloured 
