March 10, 1906 



horticulture: 



283 



Haemanthus 



H.EMANTHUS M1RAUI1.IS 



Haemanthus diadema, is a fine salmon-red umbel, 

 with a diameter of nearly 9 inches, with very ample 

 foliage, forming a plan! of a very elegant aspect. Haa- 

 manthus Fascinator, has splendid heavy foliage, and a 

 beautiful bright red umbel. Haemanthus mirabilis car- 

 ries a dense umbel of a fine orange red, and is still in 

 full bloom with me, and attracting widespread notice, 

 being such an uncommon flower at this season, as the 

 above photograph will show. They were first introduced 

 from the Belgian Congo States and introduced to the 

 trade by Lueien Linden of Ghent. These charming 

 plants, admirable in their elegance and luxuriance of 

 flowers, grow under the constant shade of the great 

 equatorial forest, in small groups of four or five, in 

 very light soil, composed of sand and vegetable debris. 

 The temperature in these regions ranges from 15 

 degrees to 20 degrees C. ami a refreshing coolness reigns 

 which offers a contrast to the heat of the open land. 

 Thus it is certain that these plants would do well in a 

 temperate house, that shade is necessary to them, and 

 that they should be grown in a very light soil. During 

 the dry season the plants are at rest, hence after bloom- 

 ing they should he encouraged to rest by giving them 

 a diminished supply of water. 



(T^V^^. 



Chrysanthemums for Exhibition 



It is now time for fhoso who grow chrysanthemums 

 for exhibition to he getting their cuttings put in the 

 propagating bench. While we can get good flowers 

 from some varieties propagated in April or May the 

 lirM of March is none too early for most varieties, 

 especially such varieties a.- Merza that arc of a 

 dwarf, slow-growing habit. Plants started into growth 

 now will make a stocky short-jointed growth which is 

 much preferable to that made by plants started in hot 

 weather and will well repay the little extra care, in 

 the quality of their bloom when the flowering season 

 comes. 



As to varieties to grow, this must be left to the 

 grower himself as nearly every one has his own fancy 

 and should know the varieties that will do best with 

 him. There are so many sterling varieties on the mar- 

 ket now of an almost equal shade of color and size that 

 it is pretty hard to decide which is which. I append a 

 list of 35 varieties the past record of which puts them in 

 the front rank as exhibition flowers. 



Yellow: Cheltohi. Col. Appleton, Mrs. William Duck- 

 ham, F. S. Vallis', Mrs. E. Thirkell, Mrs. William 

 Knox. The first four for long stems and the last two 

 for the short vase class. The last-named is a new one 

 being introduced this season and will be sure to make 

 good in a collection. It is of the Carnot type and a 

 fine free grower. 



White: Merza, Guy Hamilton, Mrs. D. Y. West, 

 Ben Wells, Timothy Eaton, Nellie Pockett. 



Pink : William Duckham, F. 0. Cobbold, Leila 

 Filkins, Mrs. Geo. Mileham, W. A. Etherhigton, F. 

 Richardson. 



Red : Mrs. Henry Partridge, John Shrimpton, Lord 

 Hopeton, S. T. Wright, Maynel, Harry Barnes, H. J. 

 Jones. The first named is being introduced this season, 

 and in my opinion is one of the finest ever put on the 

 market; a good free grower with fine stem and foliage 

 and does not burn as most reds do. Those in need of a 

 good red should get Mrs. H. Partridge. 



Other colors: John Fraser, Ethel Fitzroy, Mrs. J. 

 A. Miller, Mrs. Thos. Lee, Mrs. Carrington, Mrs. Chas. 

 Longley, Donald McLeod, W. R. Church. Mrs. Geo. 

 Ilaume and Mrs. John E. Dunne. The last two are 

 new, both of them good, easy doers. Mrs. Geo. Haume 

 is a salmon buff. Mrs. John E. Dunne in color is very 

 distinct; might lie called old rose. This is certainly an 

 acquisition for the exhibition tables. 



Pot plants that are intended for exhibition should by 

 this time be getting established in 5-inch pots. Do not 

 let them get pot bound; keep shifting them right along 

 as fast as they will need it from one size to another 

 until they get into their flowering size. If they get pot 

 hound at this stage they will surely send up flowering 

 shoots and that means very much smaller plants than 

 they would have been if the conditions had been differ- 

 ent. Pinch regularly ; as soon as the tip of the shoot 

 can he caught between the forefinger and thumb is 

 the time to do it. not when the shoot gets four or five 

 inches long when shoot has become woody and hard 

 and takes a much longer time to make a new break. 



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