38 Annals of Horticidinre. 



centers of the principal flowers just unrolling, will last in an 

 ordinary living room in good condition from two to four 

 weeks, with not nearly so much care as would be required 

 to keep cut flowers one half this time ; a single plant, or a group 

 is more effective than an equally costly arrangement of blos- 

 soms. The autumn shows have demonstrated how kindly 

 chrysanthemums blend with most foliage plants, palms, ferns,, 

 cycads, ficus, etc. Where such a collection is kept, nothing 

 better can be found to add to the interest of flowers during 

 the fall and early winter months, and no better background 

 could be desired to exhibit at its best the plant under consid- 

 eration. It may be doubtful if a great demand will arise 

 for flowering plants for these purposes, but the effort to intro- 

 duce them is worth considering ; the result cannot be deter- 

 • mined until they are marketed in larger quantities and in bet- 

 ter condition than they have yet appeared. 



'' One good feature of this season's shows has been the 

 more uniform excellence of the cut flowers ; last year, there 

 were a few growers who staged specimens far above the aver- 

 age ; this year, there has been greater equality in this respect, 

 and for large and well colored flowers, the rank and file of 

 the gardeners have taken up the running, and pushed the 

 leaders hard. The size of the blooms is immense, and is 

 largely owing to the fact that for cut-flowers the plants are 

 grown in beds, sometimes made on the floor of the house, 

 where the piping allows this arrangement, sometimes on 

 benches where carnations or other things can follow. More 

 even conditions of moisture are by this method obtained and 

 richer soil and more liquid manure are used. When possible, 

 the glass is removed during the summer months. A plant 

 carries from one to four flowers, and it is hardly necessary to 

 say that disbudding is required. Another noteworthy point 

 is, that many of the older sorts hold their own against the 

 more recent introductions ; Jardindes Plantes and Fair Maid 

 of Guernsey are good examples of this. Mrs. C. H. 

 Wheeler, Cullingfordi, Edwin Molyneux, Comte de Ger- 

 miny, Grandiflorum, are also successful competitors against 

 the newcomers and the Neesima is one likely to keep its 

 place for sometime. It takes a little time to get the knack of 

 doing one's best with a new variety, so we cannot fairly make 

 comparisons as yet with last year's seedlings. Mrs. Alpheus 



