November 7, ]908 



HORTICULTURE 



601 



Early Flowering Chrysanthemums 



Mr. Brown takes me to task in your last week's num- 

 ber for contradicting myself in regard to English early- 

 flowering chrysanthemums, the difference being between 

 my statement at a lecture in Boston a year and a half 

 ago and my recent notes in the Florists' Eeview. 



If Mr. Brown will read my notes of September 24th 

 over again carefully he will find that I was not referring 

 to the early-flowering varieties as that term is generally 

 used, but to a new strain of early-flowering single va- 

 rieties that Mr. Wells has on trial at present. If Mr. 

 Brown will read my original notes again he will find 

 that I first spoke of the early-flowering varieties mean- 

 ing the double kinds and gave a list of the kinds that 

 were in flower at that date, and then I passed on to the 

 following paragraph. 



"Early singles were represented also by many thou- 

 sands of plants, a batch of seedlings being quite distinct. 

 I do not think that these singles would flower so early 

 with us, nor as a matter of fact do we want them, since 

 we have no call for stock till the end of September, but 

 1 do not see why they should not be largely planted as 

 border plants to flower outside when the early frosts 

 have caught many of the tender bedding plants." That 

 is the paragraph, Mr. Editor, and in the language of 

 Patrick Henry, "If that be treason make the most of 

 it." 



To elaborate on this paragraph I would say that Mr. 

 Wells has a new strain of early singles that are not yet 

 on the market and it is to these singles that I was re- 

 ferring as possible useful border plants for us. Pos- 

 sibly my statements may not appear so contradictory 

 with this explanation. 



I see no reason to change my statement made before 

 the Gardeners' and Florists' Club that the early-flower- 

 ing double varieties are comparatively useless with us, 

 judging from my own experience. It does not of course 

 necessarily follow that because a plant will not do in 

 New Jersey it will not do in Massachusetts, but it very 

 frequently follows, nevertheless. My experience in this 

 respect is similar to the experience of other importers 

 who dropped them after one trial. 



A recent note from W. N. Craig of North Easton 

 mentions that he has had some splendid plants this sea- 

 son and that they were in ahead of any other chrys*- 

 anthemums. I was veiy pleased to note this because 

 if they will come they will be warmly welcomed, but to 

 say that they will succeed all over the country, in the 

 light of the knowledge we have, is too sweeping. 



Personally I think that our hope for the future lies 

 more in seedlings bred here from the early-flowering 

 types than in importations. An instance of this is seen 

 in Golden Glow which has made good all over the coun- 

 try as an August or September-flowering chrysanthe- 

 mum. One of the parents of this variety was Carrie, 

 an early-flowering English variety. By getting a start 

 of native styles we may eventually 'be successful. 



Some growers who got a very early bud on Golden 

 Glow found that the flower wilted, as the stem got so 

 hard that the water could not pass up through it so that 

 Golden Glow has its limitations as regards earliness in 

 different localities. It is entirely a question of climate 

 as I see it ; where the sun is so hot that the plants get 

 hidebound success is impossible. 



I am entirely in sympathy with all the good words 

 Mr. Brown says in favor of the early-flowering kinds, 

 but when he speaks of the profit to be derived from their 



culture it is another story. Their usefulness is unques- 

 tioned, but there is not much money to be made on 

 chrysanthemums before the end of September or early 

 October. I cannot see how a market can be created in 

 the large cities before the residents get back from the 

 country, and most country florists find asters and such 

 stock ample for the limited call they have at that sea- 

 son. Personally I am looking for a flood of Golden 

 Glow next fall and the market to be glutted right from 

 the first and I can only hope that I may be wrong in 

 my surmise. 



Madison. N. J. 



Seasonable Requirements of the 

 Ornamental Evergreens 



The summer and, so far, the autumn of 1908 have 

 been noticeable for the absence of good soaking rains; 

 we have not even had the heavy thunderstorms — except 

 very locally — that are usual. High temperature and 

 drouth are the conditions under which red spider and 

 thrips luxuriate. I do not remember a season when 

 these pests have been so abundant as they have this 

 year among the deciduous trees. The oaks seem to 

 have suffered most. It is, however, more particularly 

 to the ornamental evergreen class that attention is di- 

 rected, such as Eetinispora, Thuja, etc. These mostly 

 have a mass of somewhat fine fibrous roots, not far 

 below the surface, and comparatively close to the base. 

 Where attention to watering and mulching has not been 

 given these have suffered from the drouth, aided by the 

 red spider. Under these adverse conditions this class of 

 plants can not pass through the winter unscathed. Just 

 so soon as the ground is frozen solid, moisture is not 

 available to the roots to supply the plant with that used 

 by transpiration, which through the mass of leafage 

 and the young twiggy wood during bright sunshine, 

 often accompanied by keen drying winds, is much 

 greater than is generally supposed. Thousands of this 

 class of plants are ruined from this cause alone. 



The rational means of preventing this loss is to be 

 quite sure that the ground is thoroughly soaked, before 

 freezing takes place, and then heavily mulched with 

 any material except manure. The sap in this class of 

 plants is not nearly so dormant in the winter season 

 as it is often supposed to be. Evaporation takes place 

 quite copiously sometimes, especially toward the spring 

 while the ground is yet frozen solid, sometimes deeper 

 than the roots of the plants extend. This loss from 

 evaporation must be supplied to the plants from the 

 roots by osmosis and unless conditions are such that this 

 can take place the plants must suffer, hence it so often 

 happens that plants which have passed through the 

 winter succumb at this season. Plants when in the 

 nursery rows shelter each other to a very considerable 

 extent and snow remains longer among them by reason 

 of the shade; it is where they are planted out singly or 

 in small groups that the greatest harm is done, and 

 this could be reduced to a minimum, if not entirely 

 prevented by the simple precautions herein suggested. 



Baltimore, Md. 



/K^ 



