56 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  21,  19C4. 
Chrysanthemums  :  October  to  January. 
If  W.  D.  Whittaker,  page  12,  wishes  to  know  the  best 
varieties  for  exhibition,  he  cannot  do  better  than  select  those 
with  the  highest  number  of  votes  in  the  last  audit.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  he  wishes  to  grow  from  six  to  nine  specimen 
blooms  on  a  plant  of  robust  habit,  for  commercial  purposes,  he 
will  find  the  following  list  a  good  one.  I  need  hardly  say  that 
to  obtain  the  best  results  the  plants  must  be  well  grown  from 
an  early  start.  But  I  have  traced  the  failure  of  a  great  number 
of  earlv  struck  plants  to  a  want  of  fresh  air  in  bad  weather. 
VARIETIES  FOR  OCTOBER  FLOWERING.— Soleil  d’Oc- 
tobre,  yellow  ;  Bronze  Soleil  d’Octobrc;  Madame  Gustave  Henry, 
white:  Lily  Mountford,  rose  and  white;  Lady  Ridgway,  salmon 
buff;  Henrv  Weeks,  crimson:  and  IMrs.  Goombes,  pink. 
FOR  NOVEMBER.— Mrs.  G.  Mileham,  rosy  mauve;  F.  S. 
Vallis,  canary  yellow:  Miss  Elsie  Fulton,  white;  Mrs.  Green¬ 
field,  yellow:  W.  Duckham,  lovely  shade  of  mauve;  Godfrey’s 
King,  crimson;  Mrs.  J.  (*.  Neville,  white;  Bessie  Godfrey,  light 
A'ellow  ;  and  Pride  of  Madford,  crimson  cerise. 
FOR  DECEMBER  AND  JANUARY.— Mrs.  Barkley,  light 
ro.sy  mauve;  Gen.  Hutton,  bronzy  yellow,  rather  tall ;  Madame 
Ad.  Chatin,  creamy  white:  Madame  Cadburv,  Avhitest  of  all; 
Marquise  Venosta,  reddish  purple:  Miss  A.  Byron,  white: 
Matthew  Hodgson  and  Colonel  T.  Ch  Bourne,  both  crimson,  of 
which  the  first-named  is  the  latest;  and  J.  R.  Upton,  deep 
yellow. 
I  pre.sume  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  mention  such  well-known 
cut  flower  sorts  as  Phoebus.  Niveus,  Lord  Brooke,  Western  King, 
Framfield  Pink,  d:c.,  which  are  still  indispensable  for  that 
purpose.  Mrs.  Weeks,  white :  Mr.s.  Bryant,  rose  pink ;  and 
Ethel  Fitzroy,  deep  amber,  give  late  specimen  blooms  of  the 
large.st  size  and  splendid  colour,  but  are  rather  tall.  Australie* 
is  another  tall  one  that,  if  cut  back  in  May,  will  give  good 
specimen  blooms,  rich  in  colour,  at  Christmas. — R.  Barnes. 
- - 
Seed  Catalogues,  Spring,  1904. 
The  nurserymen’s  seed  catalogues  are  now  in  the  liands  of 
gardeners.  A  few  of  these  we  hereunder  briefly  review,  taking  the 
names  alphabetically. 
Baer  and  Sons,  King  Street,  Covent  Garden,  London,  produce  a 
neat  catalogue  in  white  covers.  Illustrations  are  present,  but  they 
are  small  and  not  numerous.  The  publication  is  arranged  alpha¬ 
betically  to  facilitate  ready  reference.  On  page  22  is  given  some 
useful,  practical  hints  on  the  raising  of  flower  seeds.  A  fine  list  of 
novelties  and  specialities  for  1904  will  be  found  on  pages  23-33,  while 
in  the  body  of  catalogue  only  the  best  and  most  useful  of  kitchen  and 
flower  garden  seeds  are  described.  A  list  of  the  best  gardening  books 
is  given  on  pages  114-116. 
“  Baker’s,”  nurserymen,  seedsmen,  and  bulb-importers,  Wolver¬ 
hampton,  is  a  new  name  in  the  horticultural  trade,  and  business  has 
been  entered  on  in  an  enterprising  manner.  A  view  of  the  glass 
houses  is  furnished  in  the  catalogue,  together  with  one  of  a  drive, 
and  another  of  Chrysanthemums.  Collections  of  seeds  are  offered  at 
various  prices. 
Bull  and  8ons,  of  Chelsea,  have  a  number  of  novelties  to  offer, 
and  perhaps  the  most  interesting  is  their  Ten-week  Stock,  White 
Excelsior.  For  florists’  decorative  purposes  it  would  seem  to  promise 
well. 
Carter  and  Co.,  of  High  Holborn,  London,  have  undoubtedly  a 
magnificently  illustrated  catalogue,  containing,  along  with  the  beautiful 
half-tone  blocks,  twelve  coloured  plates.  For  two  or  three  years 
Messrs.  Carter  and  Co.  have  employed  colour  printing  in  their 
catalogue,  and  they  spare  no  expense  or  labour  to  make  it  the  best 
possible  in  this  respect.  One  of  the  staff  makes  photographic  technique 
hi.s  business,  and  we  have  seen  him  in  bis  studio  at  Forest  Hill 
surrounded  by  dozens  of  photographs  in  all  sizes  and  stages  of 
preparation,  both  for  the  farm  and  the  garden  seed  catalogues.  Thick 
art  paper  is  used  in  the  publication  before  us.  Culinary  Peas  are  a 
great  speciality  with  Messrs.  Carter,  and  Sweet  Peas  also  figure 
prominentl3^  Gloxinias.  Cinerarias,  and  Primulas,  amongst  other 
floral  subjects,  are  given  the  prominence  they  deserve.  The  making 
of  lawns  from  seeds  may  also  be  noted  as  a  feature  of  considerable 
interest  here. 
Clibrans,  of  10  and  12,  Market  Street,  Manchester,  are  strong  in 
herbaceous  Calceolarias  (of  which  they  give  a  coloured  plate),  these 
being  one  of  the  subjects  in  which  the  firm  speeiallj'  pride  themselves. 
Pansies,  Mimuli,  and  Begonias  are  prominent,  and  any  novelty  or 
specialty  throughout  the  pages  is  marked  by  an  index-hand.  The  very 
complete  illustrated  selection  of  insect  destroyers,  appliances,  and 
garden  sundries,  make  the  concluding  pages  valuable  for  reference. 
Wm.  Cutbush  and  Son,  Highgatc,  London,  are  enormously  strong 
in  novelties,  floral  and  vegetable.  It  must  suffice  to  say  that  they  arc 
all  grou])ed  in  one  section  on  pink  paper,  and  that  no  less  than  forty- 
four  of  these  novelties  are  here  figured. 
Dickson  and  Robinson,  Manchester,  staged  sixty-seven  varieties 
of  Lettuces  at  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  on 
September  15,  last  year.  The  display  had  been  photogi’aphed,  and 
this  has  in  turn  been  reproduced  in  the  catalogue. 
Dobbie  and  Co.,  Rothesay,  are  strong  in  florists’  flowers, 
particularly  those  cultivated  for  show  in  the  North.  Their  selections 
of  Zinnias,  double  African  and  French  Marigolds,  Antirrhinums. 
Tropffiolums,  Sweet  Peas,  Marguerite  Carnations,  Fuchsias,  and 
Dahlias  are  very  choice,  and  represent  the  finest  tv'pes.  Potatoes, 
too,  are  catalogued  fittingly  for  this  leading  Scottish  house. 
Dicksons,  of  Chester,  make  a  special  feature  of  Gladioli,  th.e 
various  hybrid  sections  extending  in  detail  over  three  full  pages. 
Potatoes,  in  the  vegetable  portion,  are  amply  enumerated. 
.John  Forbes,  Hawick,  Scotland,  brings  forward  his  strain  of  East 
Lothian  Stocks  in  the  following  colours :  Crirason-seaidet,  purple, 
white,  and  rose,  with  white  Wallflower  leaved,  and  crimson  Wallflower¬ 
leaved.  Asters,  dwarf  annual,  appear  also  to  be  particularised. 
In  .John  K.  King  and  Sons’  catalogue  (Coggleshall,  Essex),  a 
richly  coloured  plate  of  Sweet  Peas  is  included,  as  well  as  illustrations 
of  four  new  culinary  Peas  in  colour.  Select  lists  of  varieties  of 
Sweet  Peas,  placed  under  colour,  are  given.  Asters  are  a  feature,  and 
Potatoes  occupy  four  pages. 
William  Paul  and  Son,  Waltham  Cross,  Herts,  sensibly  place 
all  novelties  by  themselves  (as  do  some  of  the  other  nurserjunen),  so 
that  those  on  the  look-out  for  new  varieties  have  no  trouble  in  finding 
them.  The  “Waltham”  collections  of  floAver  seeds  will  suit  the 
means  of  villa  and  smaller  amateur  gardeners. 
Stuart  and  Mein,  of  Kelso,  announce  the  dates  of  their 
popular  vegetable  competitions.  The  champion  Cabbage  competition 
(for  customers  only),  for  which  seven  guineas  in  cash  prizes  are  given, 
will  take  place  on  May  26th,  1905  ;  the  Lyon  Leek  competition,  Avith 
£5  cash  prizes,  has  been  settled  for  November  11th,  this  year,  AA’hen 
the  results  Avill  be  published  in  three  amateur  gardening  papers.  The 
seed  catalogue  before  us  gives  full  particulars  of  these  competitions. 
Sutton  and  Sons,  of  Reading,  issue  a  sumptuous  publication,  in 
which  Peas  and  Beans  occupy  the  earlier  pages,  and  Potatoes  (Avith  a 
cploured  illustration  of  the  ncAv  late  A’ariety,  Sutton’s  Discovery) 
follow  in  due  order.  The  Potato  section  extends  to  ten  pages  (or 
eleven  Avith  the  plat.e),  and  is  made  exceptionally  interesting  by  the 
very  finely  produced  illustrations,  Avhich  are  large.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  praise  the  beauty  of  the  many  illustrations  in  this 
catalogue,  they  are  Avell  knoAvn  ;  nor  is  it  necessary  to  say  more  than 
that  Primulas,  Cyclamens,  Cinerarias,  SAveet  Peas,  Calceolarias,  and 
other  very  popular  subjects  are  conspicuous  features. 
Toogood  and  Sons,  Southampton,  present  a  catalogue  of  general 
interest,  althougli  no  one  feature  stands  out  above  its  neighbours. 
James  Veitch  and  Sons,  Ltd.,  of  Chelsea,  send  out  their 
handsome  seed  catalogue  in  real  Avood  covers — being  the  thinnest 
shaving  from  stems  of  (doubtless)  Cryptomeria  japonica,  Avhere  Avood 
is  largely  used  in  this  direct  fashion.  With  the  gold  lettering  the 
cover  looks  handsome  indeed,  and  must  have  interested  and  puzzled 
mail}’.  Amaryllis  (or  Hippeastrum)  seedlings  are  specially  offered 
here,  .and  a  coloured  plate  of  Scliizanthus  Avisetonensis  appears. 
Their  renoAvned  strain  of  Streptoearpus,  their  large-floAvered  Petunias, 
Lobelia  tenuior  (neAv),  and  Polyantha  Cinerarias  are  each  prominently 
figured.  The  Potato  section  occupies  tAvo-and-a-half  pages,  Avhilc 
Peas  and  Beans  run  to  nearly  ten. 
Robert  Veitch  and  Son,  Exeter,  include  Kcebia  seoparia,  that 
interesting  half-hardy  annual,  and  their  vegetable  portion  includes  a 
number  of  their  OAvn  noA'elties. 
Thomas  S.  Ware,  Ltd.,  Feltham,  Middlesex,  combine  seeds  and 
tuberous  Begonias,  Lilies,  Gladioli,  &c., in  their  spring  catalogue.  For 
the  Begonia  section  alone  this  catalogue  will  be  in  general  demand, 
and  its  pages  are  briglit  Avith  illustrations. 
In  Webb  and  Sons’  publication  (from  Wordsley,  Stourbridge)  avo 
note  the  folloAving  subjects  .occupying  leading  positions  in  the  pages  : 
Cinerarias.  Primulas,  Calceolarias,  Cyclamens,  Carnations,  annual 
Asters,  and  Begonias.  Potatoes  have  ten  pages.  Avhile  vieAvs  of  the 
Kinver  seed  farms  appear.  Collections  of  A’egetable  seeds  are  offered 
from  2s.  6d.  up  to  ten  guineas. 
B.  S.  Williams  and  Son,  Upper  HolloAvay,  London,  di-aAv  atten¬ 
tion  to  their  laAvn  seeds  and  their  special  strain  of  China  Primulas, 
fringed  and  eA'en- edged. 
Geonoma  Pynaertiana. 
There  is  a  nice  specimen  of  this  vei'y  handsome  Palm  in  the 
GlasgoAv  Botanic  Garden,  Avhich  is  Avorth  looking  at  by  tho.se  near 
the  city  Avho  are  fond  of  plants.  It  is  one  of  the  Malayan  species, 
and  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  the  genus  to  AA’hich  it  belongs, 
Avith  its  fine  glabrous  leaves  Avith  prominent  midribs,  and  ranging 
from  2tft  long  by  nearly  Ift  broad  upAiards.  It  is  all  the  more 
interesting  seeing  that  it  fs  a  plant  about  Avhich  there  seems  some 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  its  name.  According  to  some  of  high 
authority,  it  is  not  a  Geonoma  at  all,  but  an  Iguanara,  and  they 
think  that  the  proper  name  is  I.  Speranskyana.  Whatever  its 
true  name,  it  is  a  fine  stoA’c  plant,  none  the  les,s  valuable  from  its 
moderate  groAvth,  handsome  as  it  i.s. — A. 
