416 



JOURNAL OP HORTICDLTUBE AND COTTAGE OABDENEE. 



I JuM U, 1877. 



rightly too; for it cinnot be denied that the style in favour at 

 shows is the best that can be conceived for showing the floral 

 effect of snch a leggy plant as the Chrysanthemum oS to the 

 best advantage. I do not acimire the fashion except in so far 

 as it is a clever expedient to attain a desirable end— viz., the 

 dwarfing of a natural ungainly plant in such a manner as to 

 render it better adapted to some purposes of decoration, for 

 which its habit otherwise is totally unfit when it is grown to 

 anything like its natural size. But the majority of gardeners, 

 whether they may admire the result of tying into rigid and 

 geometric forms or not, -will be precluded from indulging in 

 the taste by its being far too tedious and time-oonanming to 

 be attainable. Those only who have practised the art can 

 conceive of the trouble and labour of growing and training 

 Chrysanthemums for exhibition, and few employers would be 

 disposed to allow the labour necessary to grow and train them 

 as they are done for this purpose ; so that the enthusiast who 

 aims at high honours at the shows must make up his mind to 

 sacrifice much of his leisure time to his object. But while the 

 Chrysanthemum may be manipulated so as to assume almost 

 any shape, and can be lowered in stature so as to bring the 

 whole of the flowers under the eye when the plants are placed 

 on an ordinary greenhouse or conservatory stage, something 

 more is desirable than the attainment of this by the process of 

 tying-in or down. This is only requisite in the case of large 

 specimen plants ; and as these can only be grown in pots that 

 are too large for many of the necessities of table and room 

 decoration, something neater, less bulky, and handy is a de- 

 sideratum that can only be attained by another and decidedly 

 more scientific way. 



The practice of striking cuttings throughout the summer 

 months, and of layering the flowerirg stems after they have 

 commenced breaking to form the flower heads, if carefully and 

 skilfully done, enables the gardener to have flowering plants 

 in autumn and winter of the most compact and handy sizes, 

 varying from G to 18 inches in height. I have never practised 

 the layering method, and shall not, therefore, venture to ex- 

 press an opinion on its merits as compared with those of the 

 method of striking cuttings of the extremities of the flowering 

 stems at different periods throughout the summer and autumn 

 months ; but I am perfectly satisfied that the usefulness of 

 the Chrysanthemum may be greatly enhanced by the general 

 adoption of either plan. Its season may be prolonged, and it 

 can be adapted to a variety of purposes for which when grown 

 in the ordinary way it is unsuitable. 



In order to succeed perfectly with the dwarfing of the Chry- 

 santhemum by means of striking the tops of the stems after 

 they have advanced nearly or quite to the branching stage 

 preparatory to setting the flower heads, two considerations 

 are of the utmost importance. The first consideration is to 

 have the plants in a very vigorous state, well fed, and growing 

 freely ; and the second is to be prepared with a sweet mild 

 hotbed in which to strike the cuttings. To grow plants that 

 will flower freely at the height of about 18 inches or 2 feet 

 a batch of cuttings may be put-in in the latter end of May or 

 the beginning of June ; but this is an entirely different thing 

 to that which is obtained by striking cuttings off the ex- 

 tremities of the flowering stems two months later in the season. 

 The cuttings for the former may be taken at pleasure either 

 from the extremities of the growing stems or from suckers 

 proceeding from the base of stems, or from the roots ; but in 

 the latter it is essential that they ba taken from the tops, and 

 also that there should be some determination towards flower- 

 ing in the plants before they are taken. Whether the cuttings 

 should be grown singly in pots or several together is a con- 

 sideration to be determined chiefly by the period at which 

 they are put in. If they are inserted in July (and two batches, 

 one in the first week and another in the third week, may be 

 put in then), they are better done singly; but if done later 

 than this it is better to put several cuttings together in one 

 pot, the cutting pot being chosen as small as possible in order 

 that when struck the plants may receive a good shift into a 

 compost of concentrated richness. The cuttings require to be 

 propagated in the ordinary way, choosing always the strongest. 

 Not a leaf should be removed from the base that can be re- 

 tained in preparing them for insertion in the soil. A good 

 many more cuttings than may be wanted to grow-on should be 

 put-in in each batch ; all do not turn out equally promising, 

 and only the best or most vigorous should begrown-on. They 

 root quickly, and while they will not bear being kept very close 

 while they are callusing and forming roots, neither will they 

 endure much ventilation or any exposure to sunlight. When 



rooted gradually inure them to more air and light ; but as a 

 good deal of the success depends on the management at this 

 stage, it is requisite to be very careful not to begin hardening- 

 ofl too early. There should be no time lost in potting them 

 on aftpr they are well rooted, and it is better done before they 

 are fully hardened off, because they will more freely strike into 

 the new soil while being kept a little close than after they are 

 placed in a fuller exposure to light and air. The compost 

 should be very rich, but at the same time open and light. 

 It matters little of what it is composed if it ia highly nutritive 

 and, at the same time, sweet and porous. 



In the case of the July batches two shifts from the cutting 

 pot may be necessary if the first shift is a small one ; but it is 

 better, I think, to give only one shift, deciding first what 

 size of pots are best for the object in view. Those of S^-inoh 

 and 6J-inch diameter will be found quite sufficient to develope 

 well-furnished and well-flowered plants in from the July and 

 August batches, but those struck in June will require more 

 pot room. Close attention will be required in watering the 

 plants, especially after they have filled their pots with roots, 

 and liquid manure may be frequently applied with great 

 bsnefit. Till the beginning of September they should not be 

 placed in the full blaze of the midday sun, nor should they 

 be shaded from it by any artificial means ; but if placed where 

 they may have the morning and afternoon sun they will escape 

 the liability to scorching at both root and top which would 

 otherwise occur, no matter how well they are attended to in 

 regard to watering. But from September till the time they 

 are taken indoors they should be freely exposed to light and 

 sheltered from heavy and continuous rains. — W. S. 



PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGY. 



FoBTv-FivE years ago when the history of " blights " was 

 indeed dark — notwithstanding the labours of those giants of 

 entomology Kirby and Spence — "Ecsticus" wrote: — "I main- 

 tain that there can hardly be a greater service performed to 

 horti- and agri-culturists than by pointing out to them the 

 nature and habits of their insect enemies." Since then the 

 honoured names of Curtis, Newman, Westwood, and Murray 

 stand forward amongst those who have done, or are doing, good 

 service to the country by directing attention to the histories 

 and remedies of the insect pests which yearly cause it a heavy 

 loss ; but still the subject requires to be more borne out by the 

 public at large, for the words of Edward Newman remain aa 

 true as when he wrote them. Agriculturists know only too 

 well the difliculties and losses, but it is only occasionally they 

 have the time and special knowledge requisite to work out the 

 observations how best to meet them ; and entomologists, though 

 acquainted with the history of the insects themselves, are often 

 unacquainted practically with the working of the prescribed 

 remedies, which are necessarily not adapted for the exigencies 

 of each special case. To do good both must work together. 

 Unless the cause of disease is known prevention is impossible 

 and cure impracticable, and, besides the history of the insect, 

 we need returns of the amount of its presence or absence under 

 various circumstances to know which is the predisposing or 

 counteracting one. 



" The progress of every science depends upon the discovery 

 of facts, which may be called scientific practice, and upon 

 the conclusions deduced from them — that is, on theory and 

 practice. They may be compared to the army and diplomacy 

 in statecraft. Diplomacy wages no actual warfare, but is not 

 seldom the cause of it : and the soldiers have to make experi- 

 ment after experiment, to marshal facts against facts, until it 

 appears which side is the stronger." So writea Professor Max 

 von Pettenkofer in the current number of the ' Contemporary 

 Review ;' and with that axiom in view, our aim now is to de- 

 velope and weld together the soldiers and diplomatists of agri- 

 cultural entomology. With this view a pamphlet has recently 

 been printed, accompanied by ruled and columned sheets for 

 the purpose of recording monthly observations on certain 

 selected insects, for the most part remarkable for the injury 

 they cause to our common crops. For convenience of observers 

 the sheets are accompanied by short but popular descriptions 

 and dearly-drawn figures of the insect pests, which it is hoped 

 may save all difficulties in ascertaining what insect is intended, 

 and guard against consequent errors. Thus it is now hoped 

 to obtain a general series of observations through the country, 

 which, if followed up even partially, cannot fail to be of ser- 

 vice ; their object ia to arrive at cause and effect as influenced 

 by various conditions of locality, weather, soil, and more espe- 



