JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  25,  1902. 
they  are  considered  to  be  identical.  Madame  Durandel,  I  be¬ 
lieve.  is  the  same  as  that  introduced  from  France  several  seasons 
since  as  Durandel. — W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth. 
compensate  well.  They  are  always  on  the  look-out  for  really 
good  late  varieties  that  ai'e  of  sturdy  habit  with  good  foliage 
and  bright  decided  colours. — J.  B.  R. 
Miss  Alice  Byron. 
I  think  this  variety  proved  one  of  the  surprises  of  the  past 
exhibition  season,  for,  although  most  growers  have  admired  it, 
I  guess  few  of  them  a  year  ago  would  have  advocated  its  growth 
as  a  first-class  exhibition  variety — nearly  all  our  growers  were 
of  opinion  that  it  was' too  small  for  the  boards.  Now  I  note 
that  it  secured  twenty-one  votes  in  Mr.  Ed.  Molyneux’s  excellent 
analysis,  published  December  18,  while  the-  highest  number 
recorded  is  twenty-seven.  This  speaks  well  of  it  for  next  year  s 
culture.  I  shall  expect  to  see  it  higher  still  in  the  list  next 
year.  Now,  apart  from  its  exhibition  qualities,  it  will  be  known 
pretty  generally  in  the  future  as  a  capital  white  for  cut  flowers 
or  decorative  plants  in  the  month  of  December,  for  it.  comes 
most  kindly  on  the  terminals,  and  I  have  a  few  really  good  plants 
of  it  for  Christmas  decoration. — B.  R. 
New  Forms  Wanted.  , 
I  had  hoped  (writes  R.  Dean  in  an  American  contemporary) 
the  Plant  Breeding  and  Hybridisation  Conference,  recently  held 
in  New  York,  would  have  been  the  means  of  developing  some  new 
suggestions  in  the  direction  of  obtaining  new  breaks  in  C  hrys- 
anthemums.  We  make  but  little  advance  with  the  flower 
except  in  the  direction  of  size.  New  types  of  Roses  and  Begonias 
are  forthcoming;  the  Chrysanthemum  appears  to  be  practically 
barren  in  this  respect.  I  can  foresee  the  time  when  there  will 
be  a  revolt  of  popular  liking  for  these  huge  blooms,  and  when 
the  first  indications  of  this  appear,  experts  should  be  prepared 
to  put  forward  some  other  type  or  section  of  bloqms,  so  that 
there  may  be  secured  a  transference  and  not  a  loss  of  popular 
favour  and  support.  One  new  variety  is,  after  all,  so  much  like 
another  that  the  cry  may  soon  be  started :  “  Who  will  give  us 
something  new  ?  ” 
Christmas  Chrysanthemums. 
Happy  is  the  man  with  a  good  display  of  Chrysanthemums  in 
his  conservatory  at  this  season;  and  disappointed  is  he  who  has 
to  depend  upon  smaller  subjects  for  a  display.  The  latter  may 
be  had  in  good  variety,  but  they  do  not  give  the  bold  effect  pro¬ 
duced  by  a  varied  assortment  of  “  Mums.”  But  it  is  useless 
bemoaning  our  fate,  for  after  all  it  is  the  growers’  own  fault; 
for  there  are  plenty  of  good  varieties  for  the  purpose,  and  they 
do  not  require  the  elaborate  attention  necessarily  bestowed  upon 
the  exhibition  varieties.  Then,  again,  we  can  grow  them  to 
any  size  we  like;  it  is  merely  a  detail  of  cultivation.  Where 
large  plants  are  desired,  the  cuttings  may  be  inserted  in 
January  or  February;  while  for  small  pots,  such  as  Sin  and  bin, 
April  or  May  will  be  quite  soon  enough.  Four  or  five  cuttings 
should  be  rooted  in  pots  for  large  work,  and  they  will  make 
grand  plants  in  No.  16  pots.  Their  cultural  requirements  are 
precisely  the  same  as  for  the  general  stock,  but  it  is  a  sine-  qua 
non  that  they  must  grow  to  the  terminal  buds.  The  latter  may 
be  disbudded  or  left  in  sprays  at  the  wish  of  the  grower,  though 
some  varieties  are  better  disbudded,  and  others  vice  versa. 
When  housing  care  should  be  taken  to  give  the  plants  elbow 
room,  so  as  to  avoid  mildew  and  damping  of  the  foliage.  Natu¬ 
rally  they  will  not  require  much  fire  heat,  only  sufficient  to  keep 
out  the  frost.  Very  little  feeding  should  be  resorted  to,  or  it 
is  inclined  to  make  the  blooms  thin  in  petal,  which  is  very  much 
against  their  keeping  properties. 
This  season  most  of  the  naturally  grown  plants  are-later  than 
usual,  but  the  following  varieties  are  good  just  now: — Niveus, 
the  well-known  white,  later  than  usual ;  its  yellow  companion, 
Pride  of  Ryecroft ;  Framfieid  Pink,  a  good  sturdy  variety; 
Western  King,  white,  very  good  this  season;  Lord  Brook, 
bronze,  rather  tall,  but  otherwise  good  ;  Mabel  Morgan  I  have 
for  the  first  time,  and  I  am  under  the  impression  it  will  make 
a  grand  yellow  for  Christmas ;  Miss  Alice  Byron,  white,  will  be 
largely  grown  for  late  work  when  better  known;  R.  Hooper 
Pearson,  a  rich  yellow ;  Mrs.  C.  Bown,  a  glorious  white  for 
December,  with  a  nice  short  growth ;  Mcllle.  Therese  Panckoucke, 
white,  very  free,  but  a  tall  grower;  Matt.  Hodgson,  a  bronzy 
red;  Madame  A.  Rousseau,  pink,  very  free  flowering;  Tucks- 
wood  White,  another  good  white;  Putney  George,  red,  and  a 
short  grower  ;  Major  Plumbe,  beautiful  yellow,  though  too  tall; 
L.  Canning,  dwarf  white,  well  known ;  Guy  Hamilton,  ivory 
white,  dwarf,  and  very  free.  The  new  white  pompon  Lula  is 
very  beautiful  just  now,  and  promises  well.  Col.  T.  C.  Bourne, 
deep  red,  dwarf;  Georgina  Pitcher,  yellow,  rather  tall;  and 
Mrs.  A.  Tate,  bronzy  red. 
It  will  be  seen  that  there  are  most  whites  and  yellows, 
while  there  is  more  or  less  of  a  famine  in  the  red  forms.  I 
often  wonder  why  our  raisers  do  not  attempt  to  produce  some 
really  good  novelties  in  the  late  kinds.  Surely  it  would  pay  to 
do  so,  for  the  demand  from  the  large  market  growers  would 
bronzy  yellow' ,  extra  large,  grand  exhibition  variety,  best  on  late 
crown  buds.’  I  furnish  you  this  information  with  the  hope  that 
all  parties  cataloguing  this  Chrysanthemum  may  adopt  the 
correct  name,  and  thus  avoid  confusion. 
“  ELMER  D.  SMITH. 
“  P.S. — W.  Wells  and  Co.,  England,  catalogue  this  variety  as 
Mrs.  E.  Thirkell.  Brunning  and  Sons  handle  all  the  Pockett 
novelties  [as  do  Messrs.  Wells  and  Co. — Ed.  Journal  of  Horti¬ 
culture ■],  and  are  likely  correct.  E.  D.  S.” 
Chrysanthemum  Mrs.  E.  Thurxell. 
Writing  to  the  Editor  of  the  “  Florists’  Exchange,”  the  under¬ 
signed  says  :  “  I  noticed  the  account  of  a  Chrysanthemum  in  many 
of  the  trade  papers,  which  is  attracting  considerable!  attention 
as  an  exhibition  variety.  There  were  two  blooms  shown  at 
Chicago,  under  the  name  of  Madame  Thirkall.  Being  interested 
in  all  new-comers,  and  desiring  to  know  of  the  origin  of  this 
one,  I  have,  after  some  searching,  been  able  to  locate  the  variety. 
The  correct  name  is  Mrs.  E.  Thurkell ;  it  is  one  of  Mr.  Thos. 
Pockett’s  seedlings.  Herewith  I  append  a  description,  as  given 
in  the  catalogue  of  G.  Brunning  and  Sons,  who  are  noted  Aus¬ 
tralian  raisers:  ‘  Mrs.  E.  Thurkell,  very  deep  yellow,  late  flowers, 
MORDECAI  CUBITT  COOKE,  M.A.,  LL.D.,  V.M.H 
Dr.  M.  C.  Cooke  is  one  of  the  most  useful  members  of  the 
Scientific  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  and 
in  recognition  of  his  unfailing  assistance  in  matters  of  plant 
disease  brought  before  that  body,  and  also  in  honour  of  his  pro¬ 
longed  labours  in  the  field  of  Cryptogamic  Botany  at  Kew,  the 
Council  of  the  R.H.S.  have  bestowed  on  him  the  Victoria  Medal 
of  Honour.  The  main  points  in  Dr.  Cooke’s  most  interesting 
career  are  summarised  in  that  useful  publication  entitled  “  Who’s 
Who,”  from  which  we  learn  that  the  latest  Victorian  Medallist 
was  born  so  long  ago  as  1825,  on  July  12,  at  Horning,  in  Norfolk. 
His  parents  kept  the  village  general  shop,  such  as  is  usual  in 
country  villages.  As  a  lad,  Mordecai  C.  Cooke  attended  the 
village  school  till  nine  years  of  age;  thence  was  educated  by  an 
uncle,  a  Dissenting  minister.  He  was  elected  an  Honorary  M.A. 
of  St.  Lawrence  University,  U.S.A.,  in  1879,  and  M.A.  of  Yale. 
U.S.,  three  years  later.  However,  lie  had  qualified  in  various 
branches  of  business  before  these  honours  were  gained.  In  his 
youth  he  had  been  apprenticed  to  the  wholesale  drapery  trade, 
then  he  became  an  usher  in  a  boys?  school,  anon  a  lawyer’s  clerk, 
and  for  nine  years  a  certificated  teacher  in  a  National  school. 
In  the  year  1860  he  was  appointed  to  the  India  Museum,  London, 
and  later  was  transferred  to  Kew  Gardens,  where,  as  we  have 
stated,  his  time  was  largely  devoted  to  Cryptogamia.  Dr.  Cooke’s 
chief  publication  is  his  “Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Fungi” 
(1895),  but  he  is  author  of  forty  other  botanical  works.  He  is  an 
Associate  of  the  Linnean  Society,  and  a  member  of  many  other 
■scientific  bodies. 
