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HORTICULTURF. 



November 27, 1909 



A TALK ON THE CHRYSANTHE- 

 MUM. 



Abstract of the remarks by W. H Waite 

 before the Horticultural Society of New 

 York. 



Mr. Waite explained that on account 

 of being busy with ilower shows and 

 ilmilar matters, he had been able to 

 prepare only a few rambling notes. 

 He described the different sections of 

 the chrj'santhemum, as follows, show- 

 ing examples of e-ath class: 



Section 1 True incurved.— This 

 class is not seen so much In this 

 country, as the flowers are not quiie 

 large enough to suit the demand here, 

 but is very prominent in all exhibi- 

 tions in England. The flowers have 

 strap-shaped petals, curving regularly 

 inward, and forming, when mature, an 

 even spherical outline. A very good 

 example of this section is the old 

 varietv Major Bonaffon. 



Section 2. Japanese varieties.— 

 This is the section to which belong the 

 large varieties having long, loose pet- 

 als, which sometimes are intertwined, 

 as in the variety Nellie Pookett; and 

 sometimes long and straight, as in F. 

 S. Vallis. All the large varieties go 

 into this section: in fact, the varia- 

 tions are so many that it has been 

 found necessary to subdivide this sec- 

 tion into two groups, known as the 

 Japanese incurved and the Japanese 

 reflexed. Good examples of the for- 

 mer are Col. D. Appleton and Merza, 

 and of the Japanese reflexed, Mrs. 

 Knox. Here the petals turn back hori- 

 zontally and droop down toward the 

 «tem. 



Section 3. Reflexed.— This section 

 Is entirely opposite to the incurved, 

 In that the petals recurve from the 

 centre of the flower to its base. Pew 

 of this section are grown in this coun- 

 try today. 



Section 4. Anemone varieties.— The 

 flowers in this section have broad 

 strap-shaped ray petals, which stand 

 out stiffly and horizontally, forming a 

 regular collar to the numerous disc 

 florets of the centre. The variety Garza 

 is the most common example of this, 

 and makes a beautiful plant in any 

 form; it is also a splendid cut flower. 



Section 5. Japanese anemones. — 

 This section is similar to the previous 

 one, the centres being much the same. 

 The ray florets show considerable va- 

 riability, in some being long and 

 drooping, while in others they are 

 curiously twisted. 



Section 6. Pompons. — Here belong 

 the really hardy varieties of the gar- 

 dens. The heads vary from flat to 

 spherical, having very short erect or 

 reflexed petals, which in some varie- 

 ties are fringed and toothed. These 

 are most desirable plants and really 

 everybody's flower. There are some 

 beautiful varieties and their names are 

 legion. They are perfectly hardy, easy 

 to cultivate, and should be in every 

 garden. 



Section 7. Pompon anemones. — As 

 the name indicates, this section re- 

 sembles the anemone section in hav- 

 ing the disc florets quilled and the ray 

 florets flat, which are short as in the 

 pompons. 



Section 8. Single-flowered.— This 

 fvcction, in my opinion, contains some 

 of the most beautiful flowers. It is 

 only a few years since we have taken 

 to them in this country, but they are 

 "becoming more popular every year. 



HARDY ASTER "ANNIE." 



Pekennial Aster "Annie" 



This profuse blooming new variety 

 adds one more to the list of hardy 

 asters now recognized as indispensa- 

 ble for the late fall garden. Long 

 after all other hardy herbaceous ma- 

 terial has finished its work for the 



season these sturdy "Michaelmas 

 Daisies" flaunt their clouds of bloom 

 undismayed by November's frosts. 

 The picture shows a single plant 

 blooming in the Farquhar nurseries, 

 which last spring was in a 214-in. 

 pot. 



Characteristic of this section is the 

 daisy-like flower, having a single row, 

 or sometimes two or three rows, of ray 

 flowers. No single should have more 

 than three rows of such flowers. Com- 

 mercial varieties should have more 

 than one row, tor in packing some of 

 them are sure to be bruised or broken, 

 and in the forms with a single row 

 this damage makes the flower worth- 

 less; if there are two rows, the flower 

 is not so liable to damage, and if one 

 or two of the ray flowers are damaged 

 they can be removed. 



There are great possibilities in the 

 cultivation from seed of the flowers 

 from this section, treating them as half 

 hardy annuals. A friend of mine pro- 

 cured a packet of seed last March, 

 sowing the seed in the greenhouse at 

 the time of starting his other half- 

 hardy annuals. In due time they were 

 transplanted, and when large enough 

 transferT,->d to the herbaceous border. 

 Tbey grew remarkably well, and from 

 September up to quite recently they 

 were the most beautiful plants in the 

 garden. They were low and bushy, 

 thus not requiring staking, and were 

 a mass of blooms, every one a differ- 

 ent color. When these early hardy 

 singles become better known, I predict 

 that they will be the most popular an- 

 nual grown. They come into flower at 

 the proper time of the year, just when 

 other annuals and herbaceous plants 

 are on the wane. These single chrys- 

 anthemums also make beautiful ob- 

 jects when grown in pots, either as 

 specimens or for cut flowers. 



Section 9. Spidery and fantastic va- 

 rieties. — The members of this section 



are merely curiosities. A comparison 

 of the varieties Golden Shower and 

 F. S Vallis shows the variability and 

 possibilities of the genus. 



KILLARNEY DROPPING LEAVES. 



I would like a few suggestions in 

 the management of Killarney roses. 

 We have had no trouble in producing 

 the very best plants, cutting flowers 

 with 1% to 3V^ ft. stem, disbudding 

 so that the first crop lasted from 

 Aug. 24 to Nov. 1st. A fair amount 

 of young growth is coming on and 

 still the old leaves are hardening and 

 falling, out of all proportion to the 

 good of the plants. The soil has 

 been kept reasonably moist: syring- 

 ing about once a week; night tem- 

 perature about 60 degrees: feeding 

 was done in small doses when the 

 crop was on. If you know of anyone 

 able and willing to give any pointers 

 on this subject kindly let me know 

 through HORTICULTURE, 



New York. J. P. A. 



J. P. A. need not be unduly alarmed 

 about his Killarney's dropping their 

 leaves if they are otherwise doing 

 as well as he says. It is character- 

 istic of this variety to shed their old 

 leaves, especially in dark weather. 

 The best remedy seems to be to feed 

 liberally and to keep them producing 

 new leaves so fast that they can well 

 spare any old ones they lose. Of 

 course between crops a little extra 

 care in watering is necessary but 

 they should never be allowed to be- 

 come dry. 



Montrose, Mass. E. HOLMES. 



