348 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November 7, 18C7. 



attack upon the above-named variety, which, I need ecarcelv 

 say, has now become a popular favourite. 



Mr. W1II3 sayg, and I think most readers of the Journal who 

 liave grown this variety will say, most unjustly, that two or 

 three not days will mar its beauty, and make it useless as a 

 Deaoing plant. How far such a condemnatory statement is 

 true as regards its habit in this locality will be judged by my 

 fnend s disinterested remark to me—" That had Mr. Wills said 

 mat a few hot days considerably improve it, his statement 

 would have been correct." 



Luna has long since become public property, so that I have 

 now no personal interest in proclaiming its merits beyond that 

 of havmg introduced it to the public, but I feel bound in 

 defence of the truth to contradict such a statement as that put 



alSort ""-''• '■ '■"^"^^^°' ''"""""" ^"'■■'^■^^■'■' 



PROPAGATING MRS. POLLOCK 

 PELARGONIUM. 



Notwithstanding the unfavourable predictions of not a few 

 time has proved that Mrs. Pollock Pelargonium may now be 

 fuliy depended on to do its part towards the embellishment of 

 the flower garden. This being so, it is of some importance to 

 know by what method of treatment it can be had in the greatest 

 perfection. This appears the more necessary when we reflect 

 tbat even yet some find they cannot have plants of it so good 

 as they would hke. 



Mr. Luckhurst, in a late number of the Journal, recommended 

 autumn propagation of this Pelargonium, while, as he states 

 m a contemporary it is advised to defer doing so till spring' 

 ti,tf */'?' H*' '*', ''''vantages ; still, I must say I have found 

 that the best results attend spring propagation. 



In my experience cuttings in spring strike more freely and 

 with more certainty than in autumn: when potted they grow 

 more vigorously, and continue to do so after being planted out 

 While advocating spring propagation, I am not to be con- 

 sidered as altogether despising or even much depreciatin" 

 autumn propagation. Where a speedy increase of stock is the 

 object, I believe it to be the best. Cuttings can be had from 

 plants in the beds from June till October, and such will strike 

 root with a tolerable degree of certainty ; with me, however, the 

 percentage of loss has always been greater in autumn than 

 spring. Autumn propagation is effected at the expense of the 

 nii^i?!, ' r ^"'=l^,''ecome enfeebled by the amputating pro- 

 cesses they have undergone, and present a pitiable appearance 

 as compared with that which they would have exhibited had 

 the knife been withheld. I would say, if autumn propagation 

 be resorted to at all, let only such shoots be taken as have a 

 tendency to crowd the whole; so doing rather adds to than 

 detracts from the appearance of the bed. Such close cutting- 

 where "'''''^"''^' practises would not bo tolerated every- 



Another fault I have to autumn-struck cuttings of Mrs. 

 1 olJock IS the tendency such have to become leggy and lose 

 their under leaves. No doubt this can be remedied so far if 

 tne cuttings are struck early and have their points pinched out 

 so as to have side shoots established before winter This 

 Sn^bT' f "?"' ^'?^^^ S^iven, is not always practicable.' 

 W« nf^ff P ""'I ?°, being planted out fail to resist the 



ZnU m' T^i^^^l r ^'^" "' "^t°=Ky" spring-struck 

 plants._ Mr Luckhurst, however, surmounts this difiiculty 

 i.y taking off the tops of his autumn-struck plants, leaving 

 these so many naked stumps. This he does when the roots 



T^r« T." ""^'i™- ^'^^'y ^'- Luckhurst must either be 

 mdifferent to, or forgetful of, the reciprocity between roots and 



rntlp;.- T^ '"'"^'' °^^" '° "^'^ '"'^°°^'- separate such 



coimection. Leaves are essential for the proper elaboration 

 Of the sap : hence I never like to entirely denude the plants of 

 their fohage, but allow a second shoot to push forth previous 

 to separating the cuttings ; thus, the check to the roots is re- 

 duced to the mmimum. I have frequently seen plants decapi- 

 tated in such a way as Mr. Luckhurst practises, but I have al- 

 most invariably found them become unhealthy and sometimes 

 even succumb. 



For wintering the plants lifted from the flower-beds I much 

 £otf ^ P°f ^'""^ °° a shelf near the glass in an intermediate 

 ,«! ^ ' •.".• "" ^^f absence of such a house I would, without 

 ^y hesitation or fear of injury, place them in a similar position 

 in the stove or any other warm house. This may be contrary 

 to what IB recommended by so good an authority as Mr. Wills 



and, viewed theoretically, may be somewhat incorrect. Never- 

 theless, I have turned out plants of Mrs. PoUock and others of 

 the same class from the stove and warm pits uninjured, or in 

 any way constitutionally impaired. 



At Tester, the seat of the Marquis of Tweedale, some years 

 ago, when most gardeners were eager to swell the number of 

 their plants of Mrs. Pollock to a dozen, Mr. Shearer could 

 count his by hundreds. I know much of his success was attri- 

 buted to the high temperature in which he kept his plants. 

 Uittings taken from plants wintered in a growing temperature 

 strike more freely than others taken from plants wintered m a 

 cold house. I do not say that a continued exposure to a high 

 temperature is otherwise than injurious to such plants ; but 

 they will submit to it for two or three months and be benefited 

 thereby. The gradual transition in spring from a warm tempe- 

 rature to_ the flower garden enables them to withstand the 

 change without any bad results. 



When Mrs. Pollock is planted out in beds or borders, it is 

 more upon the markings or brightness of the foliage than the 

 flowers that we depend for effect : hence it is desirable to know 

 m what situations and what soils the best results are to be 

 obtained. I consider that only a moderately rich soil and an 

 open situation, fully exposed to the sun's rays, are the cssen- 

 I tials necessary for the production of bright well-defined mark- 

 f lugs in the foliage. I have found that very rich soil caused 

 the colours to become dull and indistinct ; while, on the other 

 hand, very poor soil gave a stunted growth, and, although the 

 eaves were well marked, such were small, and the plants 

 had not a healthy appearance. Although differing somewhat 

 from Mr. Luckhurst as to the management of Mrs. Pollock Pelar- 

 gonium, still I must congratulate him on his success with it. 

 Meantime, at the risk of being called by him a " retrogres- 

 sionist," I must follow in the wake of that party. Further 

 experience or advice may win me over to the other side. At 

 present I partly adopt its principles ; but, viewing the two 

 systems m all their bearings, I unhesitatingly give the pre- 

 ference to spring propagation over that taking place in autumn. 

 J. A., Jl allliousc Gardens. 



Under the above headmg, page 275, Mr. Luckhurst makes 

 some observations on the advice given in a contemporary not 

 I to attempt the propagation of Mrs. Pollock in the autumn Of 

 course, he thinks such advice a step in the wrong direction. 

 Not having seen the article in question, I am unable to form 

 an opinion as to its merits or otherwise, but from the small 

 portion he quotes, three very excellent reasons are advanced 

 against autumn propagation, especially by those of your readers 

 whose accommodation is limited. 1st, The plants are less 

 hkely to die if not propagated from in the autumn • 2ud They 

 would take up less room; and 3rd, They would be ornamental 

 during the winter. 



Without doubt the object of most persons is to increase their 

 stock as quickly as possible. I quite agree with Mr. Luckhurst 

 m this observation, but this laudable desire is one of the prin- 

 cipal causes of failure. 



Mr. Luckhurst says the cuttings are made as soon as the 

 chief beauty of the garden is over. This expression is too 

 vague and is calculated to mislead. I think it would have 

 been more satisfactory had he given the dates when he took off 

 his cuttings, and also when he potted his old plants, say for 

 the present year. Does he consider the chief beauty of the 

 garden over by the middle of August ? or shall I say a month 

 later? No, that could not be, for the chief beauty was not 

 over then. Probably the first week in October was meant, 

 which would coincide with what actually took place ; the chief 

 beauty was gone then. 



If it is the middle of August Mr. Luckhurst means, I should 

 not hesitate to say that there would be a fair chance of success 

 with both cuttings and old plants if managed with ordinary care 

 and attention ; but if this is the date he means, I think it very 

 probable that there would be some inquiry as to the sanity of any 

 one stumping a bed or beds of Mrs. Pollock just about the time 

 that the plants had arrived at their best; and it would require 

 a man with a stronger resolution than mine, although not of 

 the weakest, were I confident of the success of evei-y cutting 

 put in, to sturap-in the plants in a bed in the middle of Sep- 

 tember ; but I should expect to lose from fifty to seventy-five 

 per cent, under the best of management, both of the cuttings 

 and old plants, in addition to losing a splendid display through- 

 out the winter. I consider them as indispensable for in-door 

 decoration in winter as they are for out-door decoration in 

 summer. As for the third date mentioned— namely, October, 



