280 General Notices. 



Queen Victoria, Vesta, and Queen of the Belgians ; and yet they would be 

 almost useless where cut flowers were an object ; for the latter purpose he 

 recommended Goliah, Aristides, Queen of Gold, Beauty, and others of the 

 like habit. In growing a collection of chrysanthemums he observed a great 

 difference would be soon discovered in their time of flowering; he, there- 

 fore would advise discrimination between the early and late sorts, tlie latest 

 being generally tlie fastest and best, such as Perfection, Campistreraii, 

 Kingdom, and two colored incurve. It was necessary to pay attention to the 

 time of striking ; for instance, the late sorts should be struck in the autumn, 

 for if delayed till spring they were liable to prove abortive. For the propa- 

 gation of the medium sorts, such as Pilot, General Marien, Defiance, «fec., 

 the third week in March would be found the most suitable. For tlie early 

 sorts, such as Imperial, Queen, Princess Marie, the latter end of April was 

 preferable. He preferred cuttings to suckers, and placed them round the 

 edge of five-inch pots. The soil was not of much consequence, so that 

 there was enough of sand mixed with it and sufficient drainage. He placed 

 them in a close frame, with a little bottom heat ; when the cuttings were 

 struck he hardened them off, and shifted them in five-inch pots, protecting 

 them for a short time, then finally shifted them into the pots or place where 

 tliey were intended to bloom. Then was the time for the cultivator to deter- 

 mine the number of plants he intends growing. If intended for cut blooms, 

 regardless of height, habit, or appearance, the plants must be divested of all 

 side-shoots in tlieir early stages, and trained up in single stems, and not by 

 any means to stop them, and only one or two flowers on each stem ; all 

 superfluous buds to be removed in their early stages. For growing speci- 

 men plants in pots he shifted them at once into nine or eleven-inch pots ; the 

 soil equal parts of forest loam and well-rotted manure, with plenty of drain- 

 age. One or three plants in each pot, placed in a situation Vk'here they 

 could get all the sun and air possible, as this tends to keep tliem dwarf and 

 compact. As they advanced in growth he trained them so as to secure a 

 free circulation of air. Plunging tlie pots had a two-fold advantage, by 

 securing the roots from drought and preventing them from being blown over 

 by the wind. He strictly cautioned growers against keeping their plants 

 wet and soddened, as a loss of foliage would be the result, as would also be 

 the case if an opposite extreme were adopted. As soon as they showed 

 tlieir flower-buds he at once thinned them, leaving only the centre bloom — 

 that is, he stripped off all side-buds, that additional strengtli might be given 

 to the remaining buds, and give them, when expanded, uniform size. With 

 regard to liquid manures, Mr. H. had no doubt that to such a strong feeding 

 plant, if judiciously applied, liquid manure would be highly advantageous ; 

 but he thought it possible to grow the chrysanthemum too strong, thereby 

 causing the centre bloom to go " blind." To preserve the flowers in per- 

 fection, he said they must be protected not only from frost, but also from 

 rain, particularly from the sooty particle that always accompanies a London 

 rain. Mr. Croxford preferred cuttings from the best and strongest of the 

 suckers. Mr. Tant had taken cuttings from the best and strongest of the 

 suckers, and also from the stem of the old plant, with the same result. He 



