December 13, 15^93.] 



Garden and Forest. 



5' 



will find it for all prac-tical purposes the equal of that special 

 favorite. 



In order to get the full measure of pleasure and profit out 

 of the Prizetaker, it should have an early start and the rich, 

 well-prepared soil usually found in the home-garden, and the 

 beds should be made rather compact by rolling, tramping or 

 otherwise. Often the soil of the home-garden is too mellow 

 and loose for best results in Onion-growing. The plants may 

 be started in a box eighteen inches by nine, such as come to 

 grocers containing canned meats, being large enough for all 

 the plants needed for an average home-garden supply. Suc- 

 cess is almost insured if one has strong plants ready for putting 

 in open ground by the time when onion-growers usually sow 

 their seed, that is, as early in spring as soil and season will 

 permit. It takes from eight to ten weeks to grow the plants 

 to the desired size, which is from one-eighth to three-sixteenths 

 of an inch in diameter near the surface of the soil. I prefer 

 clear river sand to ordinary soils in which to grow the plants. 

 The box, about five inches deep, is filled up to within an inch 

 of the top, and the seed contained in a ten-cent paper, say one- 

 eighth of an ounce or rather more, is scattered evenly over the 

 well-watered surface, and a half-inch or so of clear sand is then 

 sifted over it. The box may be put into a warm kitchen win- 

 dow, an early hot-bed, or on a greenhouse bench, and the 

 plants cared for in the usual manner. Even if soil is used in 

 the boxes, I would at least put an inch of sand on top, as the 

 plants and their roots turn out much nicer in sand than in 

 even the best of soil ; but clear sand will need some extra ap- 

 plications of plant-foods. I usually water the plants from time 

 to time with the soap-suds from the wash-house, or with liquid- 

 manure, or else sprinkle a trifle of nitrate of soda, potash and 

 bone-superphosphate over each box. As I want to have my 

 plants ready for setting in open ground about the middle of 

 April, I usually sow the seed hv the middle of February, or 

 shortly after. There is little difficulty in raising the plants. A 

 box of the dimensions given has room for at least five hundred 

 fine plants, which, set in rows one foot apart and three inches 

 apart in the row, should give not less than three hundred 

 pounds or upward of five bushels of splendid bulbs. The 

 commercial grower might raise from eight hundred to one 

 thousand plants in one of the boxes, but for the home-garden 

 I would prefer the smaller number. It is very desirable to set 

 large plants as they seem to make larger onions in the end. 



Every amateur whom I can induce to make the suggested 

 trial with the Prizetaker will thank me, I am sure, for having 

 called his attention to the "new culture" of an ennobled " pa- 

 riali of the home-garden." 



La Salle, N. V. T. Greitier. 



Late-flowering Chrysanthemums. 



"Vl rHEN the Chrysanthemum shows are set down for the 

 * '' earlier part of November, the intending exhibitor, as he 

 examines the slowly expanding buds, often feels that he has 

 too many late varieties in his collection ; but when the last 

 third of the month rolls around he remarks on the great 

 scarcity of really fine sorts at his disposal ; the number of late 

 varieties is very limited and confined, with hardly an excep- 

 tion, to white and yellow in colors. 



Mrs. W. K. Harris, eagerly welcomed some five years ago 

 as a good late yellow, has been reluctantly discarded on ac- 

 count of its faulty constitution ; Dr. Covert, a very bright 

 golden-yellow, full and incurving, divides honors with Eva 

 Hoyte, another magnificent yellow Japanese ; neither of these 

 is of difficult management, though they require careful culti- 

 vation ; they will never be found in superabundance, because 

 of their rather slow production of root-suckers for propaga- 

 tion. Another superior late yellow is the great prize-taker of 

 the year, Challenge, an immense sphere of golden color, which 

 by December ist has become a pointed ball, if this description 

 may be allowed. All of these late yellows are possessed of 

 great keeping qualities, and by care in cutting and placing in 

 a dry cellar their floral sunshine may be enjoyed along with 

 the Christmas dinner. 



Besides these three fine yellows, there are three good white 

 varieties — the old Christmas Eve, of only medium size, but 

 graceful in growth and form ; Potter Palmer, which is really 

 an enlarged and improved L. Canning, very valuable, and not 

 so well known as it should be, and the queenly Flora Hill, 

 which is never to be forgotten when once seen in statuesque 

 perfection. It has been said that this variety is difficult to 

 grow, but any one who will study its requirements and wm 

 success with it, will find himself amply repaid for his trouble, 

 and it is really only a case of knowing how. 



Superior late red Chrysanthemums are Mrs. Andrew Car- 



negie, a gorgeous flower when well grown, but now seldom 

 seen, and O. P. Bassett, a king among crimsons, but a failure 

 except in the hands of an expert. 



Probably one reason why there are so few good late varie- 

 ties is tliat growers have not had patience to wait lor the 

 bloom of the last straggling seedlings, in their eagerness to 

 clear and reset their beds. And then, too, raisers of seedlings 

 have learned that a new variety must have the endorsement 

 of competent judges before the grower of to-day will accept 

 it, and these rear-guards of the floral procession arc too late 

 for the shows, and thus lose value in the estimate of their 

 propagators. Now that we have a National Chrysanthemum 

 Society, it should be practicable to have these late varieties 

 passed upon by the officers of the society and brought to recog- 

 nition if they are worthy of it. A few pre-eminently good late 

 varieties, covering a wider range of colors, and, es|jecially of 

 free growth, would be a valuable acquisition alike to amateurs 

 and commercial growers. 



Regarding red varieties, it is a noticeable peculiarity that, 

 with the exception of Cullingfordi, George W. Childs and 

 O. P. Bassett, nearly all, except the semi-double ones, turn 

 their dull sides outward and jealously hide their crimson 

 velvet from view, and the only way to compel this class to 

 show their true colors is to grow them in bush form ; this 

 great variance in the form of the flower, as seen in contrasting 

 the single-stem bloom with that of the spray, is one of the 

 most interesting facts to be noted in Chrysanthemum culture. 

 Good red varieties are not yet crowding each other for room. 

 Richmond, Ind. Sarah A. Hill. 



AXTHY good late Chrysanthemums are scarce is probably 

 *'' owing to the prevalent plan of holding exhibitions at 

 about the same time — that is, in mid-season. In selecting and 

 raising new varieties many fine kinds are discarded on ac- 

 count of their lateness, seeing that they do not develop in time 

 to be passed upon by the various committees. Some plan 

 ought to be devised by the National Chrysanthemum Society 

 of America for recognizing both very early and very late 

 varieties. 



I have recently visited many of the leading growers in the 

 vicinity of Boston with a view of learning what is grown for 

 late blooms. I find no specially late kinds are selected, ex- 

 cept in one instance, dependence being entirely upon late- 

 struck cuttings of ordinary varieties and some even of early 

 kinds. Those most commonly grown were Cullingfordi, Mrs. 

 Irving Clarke, Minnie Wanamaker, Moonlight, Mr. H. Can- 

 nell, Harry Widener, Mrs. Kimball and W. H. Lincoln. 



Really late varieties are White Cap, a very dwarf kind, with 

 folded ribbon-like petals, making a compact ball. This is a 

 very neat grower, and makes a good specimen. Gold-finder, 

 very much like the preceding, except that it is yellow instead 

 of white. Olga, pink, and always too late for the exhibitions. 

 The blooms are rather flat and incurved, but thecolor is good. 

 Mrs. Humphreys, a white, rather small, ideal bloom, with 

 straight flat petals, slightly incurved and very compact. It 

 also makes a good specimen plant. Wanlass, a new incurved 

 pink Japanese, which has never been sufficiently developed to 

 exhibit. It is a rather tall, but very even, grower, and will 

 probably be one of the very best late varieties for large cut 

 blooms. 



Eiderdown, another new variety which, also, has not been 

 in condition to exhibit at the regular shows. It has been aptly 

 stylec/ a white Kiota, very much resembling this lovely variety 

 in all out color. C. B. Whitnal, a very handsome incurved 

 crimson. It forms a very large and perfectly incurved bloom, 

 and is particularly valuable on account of its color, which is 

 scarce at any season. Mrs. Robert Craig, another white va- 

 riety, which is not as well known as it should be. It is a lovelv 

 incurved white of medium size, and may be kept until very 

 late. Mrs. F. L. Ames, better, as this season has proved, than 

 its originator claimed for it. Its late blooms are remarkably 

 good. It is an orange-yellow incurved Japanese, of great depth 

 and good constitution. May's White Gem and ^Irs. W. G. 

 Newitt, these have both proved late with me. A very hand- 

 some plant of each was left out of the exhibitions on account 

 of lateness. The latter is a particularly handsome variety, 

 not only as a specimen plant, but for single blooms. 



At one place I visited Emily Dorner, bronze incurved, S. C. 

 Burpee, bronze reflexed. and Eda Pr;t3, flesh pink, were late, 

 and considered very valuable, particularly on account of their 

 lovely colors. Syringa, pink, and its white sport, Moly Bawn, 

 are also both quite late, and although very beautiful are con- 

 sidered undesirable from a commercial point of view on ac- 

 count of its difficulty in packing them. The same also must 

 be said of Mrs. Isaac Price, yellow and very late, mucli like 



