iSyi.] ABOUT THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 3G7 



plunged, and the system recommended by the great champion grower, 

 then " Teetotaller's " arguments must fall to the ground, as he seems 

 convinced that nothing remains to be said on sensational culture after 

 Mr Hignett. If plants are plunged in June, and lifted by the middle 

 of August, do they not save the risk of having their roots burned 1 

 and is there not plenty of time to ripen their roots with the medium 

 heat of an autumn sun 1 But, if I mistake not, " Teetotaller " thinks 

 we bury our pots, instead of plunging them, for he says the plunged 

 plants have not the least possible chance either of sun or air. I, for 

 my part, do not suppose all the roots to be at the bottom of the pots, 

 nor yet that they are cemented in the ground so as to be air-tight. 

 As regards the comparison drawn between Chrysanthemums and 

 Heaths, I think their treatment is so different that it is useless to 

 comment upon it; and, judging from the description of '' Teetotaller's " 

 wood (with little pith), one would be inclined to fancy that adminis- 

 tering stimulants is wasteful. I had almost forgotten the 5J-inch in 

 diameter blooms. Something must, of course, be done to produce 

 these. I am referred by " Teetotaller " to the ' Journal of Horticul- 

 ture' for January 1871, in which Mr Castle says that potting has 

 little to do with the time of flowering. Mr Castle's opinion, as that 

 of one individual, is of course worth something ; but what says the 

 same writer (in the same article) on the subject of liquid manure 1 

 His opinion is that it creates a tendency to an undue circulation of 

 the sap, causing the plants to make more wood than is necessary, 

 without gi\^ng any addition in size to the flowers ; whilst by giving it 

 when the buds need additional stimulus, it improves them very much. 

 "We now come to the matter of insects ; and, so far as I am aware, the 

 Chrysanthemum sails pretty clear : a few flies and mildew can be easily 

 disposed of. Who wouldn't vote for the non-plunging system to 

 prevent mildew "? Eacts are no doubt stubborn things, but facts are 

 against some of us in the present instance, but whom, the readers of 

 the 'Gardener' will be best able to judge. In concluding my few 

 remarks, I may state that what first induced me to comment upon 

 " Teetotaller's " article was the too frequent belief of so many young 

 men that to go southwards is hazardous without a great amount of 

 experience. Such an idea is simply absurd, because, except in the 

 mere matter of a few specimen plants in the neighbourhood of large 

 towns, the Scotch training is more a general one than the English, 

 and upon the whole more efficient, at least such is my conviction, 

 after a Little experience of both ; and I think I might invite " Tee- 

 totaller's " inspection of Chrysanthemum - grooving from Ilford to 

 Scotland (the neighbourhood of Liverpool excepted), and to designate 

 the difference would be a puzzle. However, the north- country 



