Why is it that many refined people of ample means make their homes so attractive in winter as well as in summer that they choose to live in them the year round, in preference to having a city home for the colder months, while other country places become as desolate as bits of Sahara on the approach of winter ? The whole credit may be given to the art of horticulture. This has made the homes attractive and encouraged attention to other arts and created a society that would not perhaps be bound by the claims of horticulture alone. Of such a character is Short Hills, N. J., and our objective point was the nurseries of Pitcher & Manda, which was merely the natural outgrowth of James R. Pitcher's great love of gardening and of his extensive private collections,clustered around a beautiful, hospitable country home, already described in these pages in years gone by.

The occasion of this visit was a special exhibition of chrysanthemums in November. The advent of the Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, of which this is the home, last season, was the most prominent outburst in favor of this popular flower that has yet occurred, and has done more to attract the public attention than any other one thing, and together with the frequent public exhibitions has resulted in creating a sentiment amounting to a craze. The developments have been no less in the size of the flower than in the variety and blending of colors. Black and blue have, we believe, yet failed to respond to the hybridizer's magic wand, but of white, yellow, cream, straw, bronze, purple, pink, etc., with all intermediate shapes and grades there is no end, a bright vivid scarlet perhaps being the most limited and hard to obtain.

Passing through the palm and orchid houses we came to the entrance of the chrysanthemum house, where a grand display met our vision. As we wandered through and had about decided on a certain variety as meeting our "ideal," it was only to change our mind at the next step and go on repeating it till the circuit of the house was made.

The Mrs. Alpheus Hardy was blooming in all her glory in this, her naturalized home. We were surprised to learn that the great bed of plants that filled the centre of the large house with plume-like flowers was from cuttings made in June.

Among the thousands that excited our attention and admiration we noted the following as conspicuous for their size and beauty. Of course out of respect to Mrs. Hardy she must head the list of white ones. She was shown in profusion and the largest blooms, 4 to 6 inches in diameter, their incurved petals covered with their fine delicate hairy pubescence, were decidedly unique.

Mrs. Geo. Glenny, creamy white, very full and double.

Robt. Craig, creamy, full double, resembling a paeony.

Sam. Houston, Sunnyside and Snowball, very large and fine.

Belle Pointevine, double, 3 inches in diameter, incurved.

Mad. Louis Percy, large and fine, white.

Adirondac, large, full double, white with center yellow; fine.

Alaska, large, very full, center yellow.

Narragansett, large, very full, center yellow.

Moonstone, large, semi-double, white, yellow center.

Shasta, fringed double, reflexed, odd and fine.

Puritan, large, double, incurved, white and pink.

Mrs. Frank Thomson, large, white and pink ; excellent.

Mrs. Tattler, large, white and pink; fine.

Lillian B. Bird, delicate cream and pink, double and full.

J. Collins, pink and bronze, large, full, double.

Hero of Stoke Newington, large, beautiful blush pink. Tubiflorum, petals fine, pink and white.

Chas. S. Ware, large, semi-double, pink.

Rubrum Striatum, large and fine, petals striped with red.

M. Delaux, fringed, large, light magenta.

Chas. Delmas, Luzon and Coquette; amber, fine.

Wick Fils and Lady Mathison, double, brick red.

President Hyde, large, double, yellow.

Cloth of Gold, double, yellow.

Wm. A. Lincoln, very large, yellow.

Edward Molyneaux, fine, Mrs. Wheeler type, crimson and bronze.

Golden Queen of England, large, creamy yellow.

Peter the Great, large double, full, yellow.

La Fortine, large, bright crimson red.

Ramona, large double, yellow and pale amber.

Sachem, petals and flower large, orange.

Brazen Shield, large, wide petals, yellow, fine.

Monad nock, curled or tubular, yellow, loose.

Grandiflorum, large double, yellow.

Brahma, medium, full, double, yellow and red.

Jno. Webster, medium, full, double, yellow and red.

M. Alex. Hugier, tubular, pink and yellow.

Cortez, yellow and amber, large and fine.

Bras Rouge, crimson and yellow.

Jno. Thorpe, solferino.

Refulgence, solferino, aster flowered.

Tacoma, canary yellow, semi double, large.

Golden Empress of India, double, straw colored, fine.

Mrs. And. Carnegie, large, incurved, yellow and bronze.

Although we are told that this is the off season for orchids, it is hard to think so from the splendor of the hanks that greet us as we enter each house devoted to their culture and yet when we observe how few of the thousands of plants are now showing flowers, it helps us to a realization of what they must be later on.

The beauty of the exotics so entertain visitors that the glory of the hardy perennials and other garden plants is not always remembered, especially at this season of the year. Over a thousand species are already here, and with the facilities for collecting and the skill in propagation at the command of the proprietors, it is safe to say that there is not much worth having in this climate but what may be found here.

Perhaps a better idea of the stock may be had by the statement that the thousands of orchids are valued at $250,000. The cypripediums alone num-ber over 400 species and varieties. The exotics are provided for in twenty glass houses, while the hardy stock already has ten acres of land devoted to it and there are nearly 400 that can be made available as occasion requires. Among the thousands of perennials are many obtained from rare botanical collections, and hybrids of wondrous beauty that have never before been available in commercial establishments. When these are known they cannot fail to give an impetus to those most desirable forms of gardening, the "wild garden" and the cultivation of hardy perennials in beds and borders.

The following day we visited Castlewood, in Llewellyn Park, Orange, the residence of T. H. Spaulding. Here another surprise awaited us ; two houses full, many show plants grown with that special object in view, and they were truly magnificent, showing the possible perfection to which chrysanthemums can be grown. There were not only a few, but scores of plants 2 to 4 feet high with heads 2 feet across and one solid mass of blooms of all colors, shades and shapes, besides thousands of smaller plants. We noted the following as among the best and most conspicuous:

St. Michael, yellow, 2 inches in diameter, small centre, fine. L. Canning, white, lance-leaved.

Miss Alice Barr, crimson, large and fine, yellow centre.

Yeddo, yellow, free bloomer, fine petals.

Mollie, yellow and amber, very fine.

Fanny Black, light purple, similar style to Alice Barr.

Ada Spaulding, full blush white, creamy centre; nothing finer.

Singerly, purple and crimson, fine and showy, flower medium.

Kioto, yellow, incurved, full flower.

H. Cannell, yellow, incurved, fine.

E. W. Clark, red purple, large.

Mrs. Pratt, white, double, very good.

Theodora, pink, large ray-like, yellow centre.

Miss Esmeralda, dark crimson, Wheeler type in form.

W. W. Coles, dark salmon, fine.

M. Pankosan, amber and pink, large, full imbricated centre.

Llewellyn, unique, narrow curled petals, large flower.

Mrs. Bullock, very full, white, a perfect half globe.

Lillian B. Bird, fine, delicate blush, tubular, fine flower, 4 to 5 inches.

Violet Rose, pink, flat, full center, fine,

Cullingfordii, dark crimson.

Delie, large bronze.

Mrs. Langtry, large white.

Mrs. Tattler, blush rose, very full peony-like flower.

Grandiflorum, large, yellow, petals incurved like a large lily bulb.

Mons. Bernard, reddish purple, large, flat, center incurved.

Mrs. Howell, crimson and gold, yellow centre.

Owen 79, pure white, full, "double as a dahlia"

Mrs. S. Coleman, yellowish blush, slightly incurved.

Mrs. W. Waterer, very dark crimson, loose, full, incurved center.

Sarah Owen, yellow, pink striped, globe flower, full and fine.

BronzeJardin, full, incurved.

Garnet, crimson and pink, yellow centre.

Mad. Ed. Rae, very full, pink and red, petals rolled.

Rubra Superba, pink, amber, yellow center.

Claude Frallo, red, pink and white.

Golden Lace, yellow, fringed.

Wm. Holbum, dark red and amber, very full.

Golden Dragon, pure yellow, large loose flower.

H. Lincoln, large, full, deep yellow.

Gilmour, pink and white, unique.

Sunnyside, white, petals tipped with green.

Modjeska, bronze, yellow, full, fine.

Seedling 556, very large, of the Carnegie type.

Cynthie, very dark purple.

Leopard, spotted white on pink petals.

L. Everment, fine quilled, lilac. J. G. Blaine, very dark crimson, fine. Prince Karl, purple. Frank, blush pink, late.

Every time we came to a plant of Ada Spaulding we involuntarily stopped to admire its mass of beautiful blush blooms and compare them to a partially opened paeony. While above we give a list as large as the first, there are hundreds of others not mentioned, many of which are doubtless equally desirable, showing the truly wonderful progress. Two Who Are Not Experts.