NOVBUBBB 15, 1906. 



The Weekly Rorists^ Review* 



J7J3 



ent have read the valuable work from 

 the hands of W. Wells, the famous chrys- 

 anthemum expert of England. In this 

 book Mr. Wells endeavors to describe 

 the methods which have won him so 

 many prizes and so much honor before 

 the National Chrysanthemum Society of 

 England, yet after a study of this book, 

 with my mind entirely open to convic- 

 tion and with a desire to learn froqjj 

 him, it is exceedingly hard to find any 

 point of value in our part of the coun- 

 try. 



Some of the most able chrysanthemum 

 notes which have been published in the 

 United States in years are coming from 

 time to time from the pen of our hon- 

 ored member, Mr. Totty, yet there are 

 points in his notes which will scarcely 

 fit the ultra-dry atmospheric conditions 

 facing us in the central states. 



Mr. Wells very carefully directs his 

 reader to avoid overwatering as one 

 would avoid a serpent. In Indiana it is 

 extremely difBcuIt to overwator chrys- 

 anthemums when they are growing vig- 

 orously during the hot summer months. 

 Our greatest trouble lies in our benches 

 drying out at the bottom while we are 

 carefully watering on top, so we find 

 that to succeed in producing fine flowers 

 we must daily go to the bottom of our 

 benches to discover whether the water 

 is penetrating the depth of the bench. 

 Mr. Wells grows his magnificent exhi- 

 bition blooms in pots, sitting upon ce- 

 ment ledges out-of-doors. On the other 

 band, we of Indiana plant our chrysan- 

 themums in a bench constructed with a 

 view to "keeping their feet cold." 



We have become firmly convinced that 

 benches with too thorough drainage are 

 not the best benches for chrysanthemum 

 growing. Of course, we must always 

 avoid letting our soil become water- 

 logged, but it is di£Scult in our section 

 of the country, where the air in the 

 summer is intensely hot and dry, and 

 where evaporation from "foliage is ex- 

 . tremely rapid, it is almost impossible, 

 we think, to overwater chrysanthemums. 



Selection of Buds. 



The influence of climate upon the 

 selection of buds for obtaining the best 

 results with different varieties is a sub- 

 ject of the utmost interest. It is certain 

 that chrysanthemums do not act in this 

 country, at least in our section, in the 

 same manner as they do in England, or 

 even along our eastern coast. We are 

 convinced that it is much more difficult 

 to properly develop first crown buds in 

 our section of the country than in a 

 locality where the atmosphere is some- 

 what more humid. 



On the other hand, we have less excuse 

 for losing flowers from damping. The 

 English writers tell of their methods of 

 timing the buds. We have repeatedly 

 attempted to accomplish something of 

 this kind, but find that it is utterly 

 impossible to change the date of any 

 particular variety to any considerable 

 extent. The reason we assign is the 

 subject of this paper. 



When G)ntrol is Greatest. 



To explain more fully our view: 

 Where the weather is cool and much of 

 the time cloudy, the conditions for grow- 

 ing chrysanthemums are far more fully 

 under the control of the grower, and 

 he may, by studying individual varie- 

 ties, control his results. Where the at- 

 mosphere is dry and evaporation from 

 the foliage is rapid, chrysanthemums 

 grow and develop more in accordance 



E.Gtimey Hill. 



-A- 



with nature's laws and are less under 

 control of the operator. 



France and U. S. Alike. 



How often we have followed the di- 

 rections given by our English friends, 

 regarding , first crown buds, only to 

 see the result of our year 's work a great, 

 abnormal flower commonly known as 

 bullhead, instead of the beautiful bloom 

 as described in the catalogue. 



It is generally understood that the 

 French growers are unable to produce 

 flowers of size or color to compare with 

 those grown by many experts in Eng- 

 land. Also, in spite of the wonderful 

 blooms produced by prominent members 

 of this society in the east, we have 

 understood that they are somewhat be- 

 hind our English friends. 



Now, is it not entirely feasible that 

 conditions in France and the United 

 States, which we know are somewhat 

 alike as to climate, may prove the stum- 

 bling block! 



It has always seemed peculiar to us 

 that the varieties originating in France 

 are frequently beautiful upon the ter- 

 minal bud, while varieties which come 

 from England, as a class, are worthless 

 on this bud. It is certain that we get 

 by far the most beautiful color on our 

 terminals, while in England the use of a 

 terminal bud is exceptional. 



I am loathe to believe that the grow- 

 ers in this country are behind our Eng- 

 lish friends in ability; also, I would 

 not do credit to the west did I not say 

 that the men of the west are as well 

 able to grow fine flowers as those in the 

 east. It comes down to a question of 

 local conditions, and I am firmly con- 

 vinced that the climate is the most potent 

 factor of all. 



PRESIDENT DUCKHAM'S ADDRESS. 



In his address to the Chrysanthemum- 

 Society of America, at the Chicago 

 meeting, November 7, President Duck- 

 ham said in part: 



"Four years have passed since we 

 last met in Chicago, and the commercial 

 progress hereabout since then is per- 

 fectly staggering. I had an opportu- 

 nity of viewing some of it at the time 

 of the St. Louis fair, for I passed 

 through your great city at that time. 

 There seems no end to your development, 

 to the founding of new firms and to the 

 enlargement of old ones. 



"But I am^ot quite sure that the de- 

 velopment of a higher culture of the 

 chrysanthemum has quite kept step with 

 the commercial development. We have 

 seen a fine development in culture un- 

 doubtedly, but whether it is as large 

 as it ought to be is not quite clear in 

 my mind. We must do better, or in a 

 real sense we are not doing all that 

 might be done. 



"However that may be, it is per- 

 fectly certain that the growth of the 

 society in membership is disappointing. 

 I suggested in my message last year that 

 personal solicitation was the surest 

 method of increasing membership. I 

 am still of that opinion. There are far 

 too many growers, both amateur and 

 professional, who are not in this soci- 

 ety. We need a little more judicious 

 buttonholing. Will you let me -make 

 another suggestion? Would it not be 

 possible for us to impose on our ad- 

 mirable committees at Chicago, Cincin- 

 nati, Philadelphia, New York and Bos- 

 ton the slight additional burden of in- 

 creasing our membership listt I hope 

 you will not consider the suggestion in- 

 delicate. 





