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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTU  2  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  23,  1902. 
Pompon  Chrysanthemums. 
Pompon  and  Anemone  Pompon  varieties,  such  as  those  illus¬ 
trated  on  page  383,  are  well  suited  for  amateurs  or  small  growers, 
and  they  are  favourites  to  a  large  extent  with  market  men  and 
florists  on  account  of  their  neat  habit  of  growth  and  profusion 
of  bright  flowers.  They  stand  a  deal  of  knocking  about,  and  are 
useful  for  cutting  from.  Pompons  are  generally  very  much 
neglected  in  private  gardens,  where  their  several  merits  might 
win  for  them  more  appreciation  and  variety  of  employment. 
For  decorative  use  they  are  best  grown  as  bushes,  cuttings  being 
inserted  during  December  or  January,  and  the  plants  grown  on 
in  the  usual  manner,  but  confined  to  pots,  6in  in  size  at  the 
largest,  unless  a  dense  bush  is  desired.  Bush  plants  are  topped 
when  4in  high.  Those  intended  for  tall  bushes  should  have  three 
of  the  strongest  shoots  selected,  which  should  be  allowed  to 
extend,  retaining  all  side  shoots.  These  are  not  topped,  but 
are  allowed  to  throw  out  their  abundance  of  flowers.  As  tall 
bushes,  the  Pompons  are  exceedingly  attractive. 
Chrysanthemums  at  Cardiff. 
A  few  days  since,  in  response  to  an  invitation  from  Mr.  G. 
Williams  of  Manor  House,  Cardiff,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  looking 
over  the  very  up-to-date  collection  of  Japanese  Chrysanthemums 
grown  by  his  foreman,  Mr.  J.  Howe,  a  very  old  and  successful 
exhibitor  at  Cardiff  and  elsewhere.  I  found  a  very  well  grown 
and  uniform  lot,  comprising  over  800  plants,  which  amply  testi¬ 
fied  to  Mr.  Howe’s  skill  as  a  cultivator.  The  following  are  the 
chief  varieties  :  H.  E.  Hayman,  May  Vallis,  Mad.  P.  Radaelli, 
J.  C.  Nevile,  Mrs.  Emma  Fox,  very  dwarf;  Matthew  Smith,  in 
fine  form  ;  Lord  Salisbury,  Mafeking  Hero,  Miss  Alice  Byron, 
W.  Tt.  Church,  Lord  Ludlow,  grown  from  cuttings  struck  in 
February,  and  carrying  one  bloom  in  an  8in  pot ;  Mons. 
Ch.  de  Leche,  thirty  plants,  for  one  bloom  each,  in  8in  pots; 
Florence  Molyneux,  very  good;  Mrs.  Barkley,  twenty-four  grand 
plants;  Mrs.  J.  J.  Thorneycroft,  C.  J.  Salter,  splendid;  L. 
Mountford,  Nellie  Perkins,  Calvat’s  ’99,  Mrs.  Greenfield,  Rev. 
W.  Wilks,  Ben  Wells,  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Hettie  Dean,  Miss 
Ethel  Fitzroy,  very  promising;  Mrs.  T.  W.  Pockett,  one  of  the 
new  Australians ;  Godfrey’s  King,  a  regular  young  tree ;  Queen 
Alexandra,  Sensation,  nice  habit;  Exmouth  Crimson,  Godfrey’s 
Triumph,  another  tree;  Gen.  Hutton,  very  tall;  Masterpiece, 
Godfrey’s  Pride,  and  C.  Melnroy. 
The  whole  of  Godfrey’s  new  ones  are  conspicuous  for  their 
grand  habit  and  growth.  There  were  also  Hy.  Barnes,  a  rather 
tall  grower,  but  vigorous;  Mrs.  A.  Macdonald,  C.  Penfold,  W.  E. 
Vowden,  Mrs.  E.  Hummed,  Dr.  Pywell,  tall,  but  good  ;  Mr.  G. 
Lawrence,  Miss  Jarvis,  Mrs.  H.  Emmerton,  Mr.  R.  Clayton, 
C.  Jarvis,  and  a  fine  batch  of  Mad  Carnot,  and  its  sports  were 
noticeable  amongst  the  older  varieties. 
I  failed  to  find  any  trace  of  rust,  and  even  should  it  appear, 
I  don’t  think  it  could  do  much  harm  now  to  such  robust  plants. 
Mr.  Howe  was  busy  bud-taking,  and  I  am  looking  forward  to 
paying  him  another  visit-  when  they  are  in  bloom.  If  the  present 
promise  is  fulfilled,  a  journey  of  fifty  miles  should  be  worth 
undertaking  for  the  sight. 
A  few  days  afterwards  I  was  in  London  with  a  few  hours 
to  spare,  so  I  ran  down  to  Earlswood  and  paid  Mr.  Wells  a  visit, 
and  was  amply  repaid  for  the  journey.  I  had  not  time  to  make 
more  than  mental  notes,  but  some  of  those  made  a  lasting  impres¬ 
sion.  Mr.  Wells  has  a  most  promising  lot  of  Mr.  Pockett’s 
Australian  seedlings;  several  of  them  reminded  me  of  T.  Car¬ 
rington  and  Pride  of  Madford.  They  urere  all  under  number, 
but  HI  and  H2  made  lasting  impression,  as  did  Hy.  Barnes, 
Mrs.  T.  W.  Pockett,  Donald  McLeod,  which  Mr.  Molyneux 
mentioned  to  me  last  winter  as  a  good  one,  but  I  could  not  find 
it,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  not  yet  in  commerce. 
Ben  Wells  seems  to  be  a  favourite  from  the  number  grown. 
Mr.  Godfrey’s  new  varieties  were  all  in  fine  form  and  confirmed 
my  previous  opinion  of  them.  Mad.  Herewage,  and  its  parent 
Australia,  grow  to  a  great  height  here.  After  seeing  the  plants 
in  pots,  we  paid  a  visit  to  a  piece  of  land  adjoining  the  sewage 
farm,  where  Mr.  Wells  grows  the  early  flowering  varieties,  some 
of  which  were  in  bloom.  Goacher’s  Crimson  struck  me  as  being 
a  particularly  desirable  market  variety,  and  Parisiana  looked 
a  useful  white.  Mad.  Marie  Masse  and  its  sports  made  a  brave 
show.  *  :_ 
All  the  exhibition  varieties  are  also  planted  out  for  stock 
plants.  Mrs.  T.  W.  Pockett,  of  which  Mr.  Wells  had  a  large 
\rtch  growing  in  the  open,  looked  splendid,  and  is  worth  trying, 
but  not  at  lialf-a-guinea  a  plant.  Darkness  coming  on  compelled 
me  to  get  away,  and  doubtless  Mr.  Wells  was  thankful  that 
“the  pumping  process”  was  at  an  end. — A.  H. 
New  Town  Nurseries,  Bedford. 
A  visit  to  Mr.  Isaac  Godber,  who  is  a  grower  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  &c.,  for  market,  which  are  successfully  grown  in 
open  quarters.  These  remarks  are  confined  to  a  few  varieties  con¬ 
sidered  worthy  of  growing,  and  useful  for  early  market  and  mid¬ 
season  work.  First  comes  Madame  Marie  Masse,  the  earliest 
pink  flowering  variety  in  cultivation.  The  Masse  family  are  good 
for  free  and  early  flowering,  being  of  good  sturdy  habit  and 
requiring  no  stakes.  Crimson  Masse  is  a  bronze  crimson  sport 
from  Madame  Marie  Masse,  and  is  a  good  useful  variety.  Ralph 
Curtis  Improved  is  white,  or  creamy  white ;  it  is  a  sport  from 
Madame  Marie  Masse,  and  is  quite  distinct  from  Ralph  Curtis, 
being  much  more  vigorous  and  free.  Horace  Martin,  a  bronzy 
yellow,  is  early  and  a  good  traveller.  It  is  sure  to  supersede 
yellow  Madame  Desgranges  as  a  market  variety.  Its  habit  is 
good  and  free. 
Market  White  furnishes  a  grand  variety,  and  of  great  sub¬ 
stance  of  bloom ;  a  very  free  flowerer,  and  pure  white ;  Sep¬ 
tember  and  October.  Crimson  Masse  is  the  least  vigorous  of  the 
family ;  the  other  varieties,  the  pink  Madame  Marie  Masse,  the 
creamy  white  Ralph  Curtis  Improved,  and  the  yellow  Horace 
Martin,  are  all  exceptionally  vigorous  and  free.  The,  old  Madame 
Desgranges  (creamy  white)  and  the  yellow  or  Geo.  Wermig  variety 
are  still  grown  in  limited  quantities  at  New  Town  Nurseries, 
Bedford. 
Harvest  Home,  red,  tipped  with  gold,  is  a  very  distinct  variety, 
and  has  been  a  favourite  as  an  early  bloomer  for  several  years, 
but  its  popularity  with  market  growers  is  on  the  wane.  The 
blooms  are  best  cut  before  they  are  fully  open.  White  Quintus, 
a  pure  white  sport  from  O.  J.  Quintus,  has  a  good  habit  and  is  a 
free  flowerer.  The  blooms  were  just  opening  when  my  notes  were 
taken  in  early  October. 
Ryecroft  Glory  is  an  old  favourite  October  yellow,  its  habit  and 
vigour  being  all  that  could  be  desired.  Roi  de  Precoces,  a  bright 
velvety  crimson,  should  be  cut  before  fully  open  ;  it  is  good, 
vigorous,  and  free;  September  and  October.  Vice-President 
Hardy,  fiery  chestnut,  vigorous  habit,  a  striking  and  distinct 
variety ;  its  splendid  habit  makes  it  a  favourite  for  cut  flowers ; 
September  and  October.  Golden  Queen  of  the  Earlies,  a  deep 
yellow  sport  from  Queen  of  the  Earlies,  with  all  the  good  points 
of  its  parent,  comes  in  October. — G.  R.  A. 
- - 
A  FINE  LAPAGERIA. 
One  of  the  finest,  if  not  the  best,  of  these  choice  summer 
plants  I  have  seen  is  the  roof-trained  specimen  growing  in  a 
greenhouse  in  Colonel  Brymer's  garden,  near  Dorchester. 
Colonel  Brymer’s  name  has  been  familiarised  by  its  association 
with  choice  Orchids  for  years  past,  notably  Dendrobiums  and 
Cattleyas,  one  each  of  which  bears  his  name,  and  his  collection, 
of  these  plants,  together  with  hybrids  of4iis  own  raising,  is  likely 
to  be  handed  down  to  future  posterity.  Orchids  here  find  a 
congenial  home.  Many  fine  specimens  of  great  value  are  to  be 
seen  beside  quantities  of  smaller  growing  species.  The  raising 
of  Orchid  seedlings,  too,  would  seem  to  be  taken  up  with  zeal 
and  success,  judging  from  the  tiny  specks  on  flannel  seed-beds, 
and  others  ranging  in  differing  stages  to  that  of  the  matured 
specimen. 
The  object  of  this  note,  however,  is  not  Orchids,  but 
Lapagerias,  which  to  many  beside  myself  have  been  a  source  of 
admiration  by  reason  of  its  wealth  of  flower,  its  fine  form,  and 
deep  colour.  The  plant  occupies  a  corner  of  the  house  near  the 
back  Avail,  and  the  vigorous  shoots  rise  to  the  roof  above  and 
spread  along  its  entire  length  of  some  80ft  or  more.  The  picture 
displayed  is  a  striking  one,  for  floAvering  shoots  depend  from  the 
roof  with  such  profusion  and  regularity  that  the  Avhole  house 
seems  agloAv  with  colour.  Little  stone  weights  fixed  to  the  points 
of  the  shoots  as  they  begin  to  grow  in  spring  prevent  them  curling 
round  the  wires  or  rising  to  the  roof  glass  above,  and  though 
much  time  and  trouble  is  thus  entailed,  it.  is  more  than  repaid 
in  the  pleasing  character  which  their  drooping  trails  of  flowers 
convey. 
The  aspect  of  the  house  is  north,  with  a  lofty  wall  behind, 
AAThich  affords  shade  and  conditions  such  as  the  Lapageria  enjoy. 
Certainly  there  is  in  this  instance  an  embodiment  of  an  ideal 
equipment  for  the  groAvth  of  such  a  fickle  plant.  There  must  have 
been  many  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  these  chaste  and  wax¬ 
like  flowers  hanging  at  one  time,  and  how  long  it  had  been 
so,  or  to  Avhat  period  of  the  future  it  would  extend,  it  does  not 
voluntarily  occur  to  the  visitor  when  allowed  the  privilege  of  an 
inspection  of  such  a  fine,  natural  picture.  The  plant  itself  is  a 
living  compliment  to  the  gardener,  Mr.  Powell,  and  not  less  so 
to  his  foreman,  Mr.  Denny,  wTho  has  had  the  charge  of  it  for 
several  years,  much  to  his  own  and  employer’s  satisfaction. — W.  S. 
