444 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 507. 



pose, their singleness and pleasing colors. Unfortu- 

 nately, the plants have not seeded at Kew, but probably 

 they have done so in the nursery of Messrs. Vilmorin & Co. 

 in the south of France. The original China Aster is as 

 certain to find admirers as the single Dahlia and the single 

 Chrysanthemum. 



Chrysanthemum Nipponicum. — I recommended this new 

 Japanese Daisy last year as a pot-plant to flower in winter. 

 Some plants of it grown at Kew out-of-doors with the com- 

 mon Chrysanthemums have made compact bushes a foot 

 high and are now bearing erect daisy-like flowers with yellow 

 disc and white ray, each flower being three inches across. 



A Model Nursery. — The late Mr. Bause was one of the 

 most successful breeders and growers of indoor plants in 

 Europe. After having served some of the principal London 

 nurserymen he started a nursery for himself at Norwood, 

 near Sydenham, about fifteen years ago. He died two years 

 ago and his nursery is now controlled by his son, a young 

 man, but a worthy successor of his father. I saw his 

 nursery a few days ago and was so struck by the order, 

 cleanliness and first-class cultivation there that I venture 

 to call it a model of what a plant factory should be. The 

 plants grown are all tropical and the houses are span- 

 shaped, of various lengths, fifteen feet wide, the sides three 

 feet, the central ridge eight feet high. The stages are 

 formed of slates resting on iron battens and these are cov- 

 ered with a thin layer of cocoa-fibre or cinders. There is 

 a wide central, and two narrow side stages, the paths being 

 two feet wide. Seven rows of four-inch hot-water pipes 

 afford the necessary heat. The stages are packed with 

 plants of various sizes, all in the most perfect health, white 

 on the hot-water pipes are rows of shallow boxes contain- 

 ing Palm seeds. Mr. Bause's specialties are Cocos Wed- 

 delliana, Geonoma gracilis, Kentia Fosteriana, Phoenix 

 rupicola and Livistona Sinensis. Of each of these he sells 

 from ten to twenty thousand plants a year, mostly from 

 two to three feet in height. The cultivation is so excellent 

 that almost every Palm bears every leaf it has developed 

 from the seed to its present three, four or five year old con- 

 dition. " My customers would not stick to me if my plants 

 were not as perfect as I can make them," said Mr. Bause. 

 Dracaena terminalis and all the very best of the Dracaenas 

 of that section are grown in large numbers and in the most 

 perfect manner, every leaf as clean, well formed and richly 

 colored as possible. Mr. Bause, senior, raised nearly all 

 the best of these Dracaenas during the time when he was 

 manager to the General Horticultural Company. Crotons 

 are grown on an equally large scale and to the "same de- 

 gree of perfection. Caladiums are another specialty, Mr. 

 Bause having raised a large number of beautiful seedlings, 

 most of which have been sent out by Messrs. J. Veitch & 

 Sons. Nepenthes are grown suspended from the roof in 

 almost every house, perfect little plants in teak baskets, 

 each bearing perhaps half a dozen matured leaves, from 

 each of which hangs a large, well-colored pitcher. Mr. 

 Bause grows all the best sorts, including such rarities as 

 the true N. sanguinea, and even a plant or two of N. Rajah. 

 I asked what special manure was used. " None," said Mr. 

 Bause, "but we get the best soil we can and take special 

 care as to the water, shading and ventilation." This is one 

 of dozens of plant factories in the suburbs of London whose 

 special function it is to grow the best plants in the best 

 manner for the supply of the big nurseries. 



Londo 



W. Watson. 



Cultural Department. 



Carnation Notes. 



AA/E are now in the height of the Chrysanthemum sea- 

 ^* son, and while these are at their best Carnations and 

 other less showy flowers are liable to suffer some neglect. 

 But though Chrysanthemums are supreme for a few weeks, 

 Carnations, with proper attention, bloom satisfactorily during 

 the whole year. Chrysanthemums are unquestionably the 

 popular flower during part of October and November, but the 

 public soon grows weary of them, and Carnations are assuredly 



the Hower of the masses and are a close rival of the rose in 

 popularity. 



The weather this autumn has been remarkably clear and 

 warm and especially delightful during October. There have 

 been but light frosts up to this time, and summer-flowering 

 Carnations are still blooming quite freely, although these 

 tlowers, naturjlly, compare unfavorably with those now grow- 

 ing under glass. Few private places have special houses 

 devoted entirely to Carnations. Chrysanthemums usually 

 occupy some of the bench room at this time, and the tempera- 

 ture and atmospheric conditions have to be regulated to suit 

 them. No particular harm is done to Carnations so early in 

 the season by a slightly lower temperature ; the nights are not 

 yet sufficiently cool to render much fire-heat necessary, and as 

 the houses become well warmed during the day Carnations 

 open quite rapidly. The plants are now growing freely and 

 the flower-stems are appearing abundantly on all varieties. 

 No time should be lost in providing the plants with supports. 

 We formerly tied up the plants loosely to wire rods held in 

 position by wires drawn along the rows. While this system 

 produced a neat effect, it had disadvantages. Some varieties 

 of recumbent habit, like Daybreak, were difficult to tie, and 

 unless the lies were loosened from time to time as the plant 

 grew, many shoots near the centre became weak, spindling 

 and almost blanched. A Carnation support which will give 

 satisfaction to everybody has not yet been invented. All the 

 air and light possible should reach every part of the plants. 

 This is impossible when they are tied up in a bunch, as we too 

 often see them, with a piece of white twine or raffia. We have 

 just gone over our plants and cleaned them, and instead of 

 staking them up have cut up a quantity of small-mesh wire 

 netting (commonly called chicken wire) into strips eighteen 

 inches wide, doubled this into an acute arch, and stood it be- 

 tween the rows, which extend across the bench. This keeps 

 the plants from crowding each other and allows sunlight and 

 air to strike between the rows. Stretches of wire may be 

 drawn along the sides of the bench to hold up the shoots and 

 prevent them falling over. As the season advances and the 

 stronger stems appear stretches of white twine should be 

 drawn a few inches apart from each side of the bench and 

 crossed at right angles ; this will support the flowers. One 

 advantage of this system is that the pieces of netting can be 

 lifted out at any time when it is desired to stir the ground 

 lightly and clean the plants, and this method is also advan- 

 tageous in watering, as a hose can be passed inside of the 

 arched netting. As to neatness there can be no question, for 

 the plants practically hide the netting from view. 



Rust is still more or less prevalent, but it appears to give 

 less concern to growers than when it made its appearance a 

 few years ago. A moist atmosphere, crowded, unclean and 

 unsupported plants and uneven temperature will cause this 

 disease to spread rapidly. Overhead watering must be 

 avoided, since the water does injury by lodging in the axils 

 of the leaves, and washes off the bloom of the foliage pro- 

 vided by Nature as a protection against spores. On the other 

 hand, a comparatively dry atmosphere, careful watering and 

 ventilation, picking off dead, decaying and diseased leaves, 

 and keeping the house perfectly clean, with no rubbish thrown 

 under the benches, will all tend to keep rust in check. Some 

 growers find a dusting of air-slacked lime keeps rust from 

 spreading, and we have used this preventive with success. A 

 syringing with the arsenical solution on badly affected plants 

 once a week has proved beneficial. Probably the Carnation 

 which has rust in the most virulent form this year is the fine 

 yellow variety, Eldorado. It was attacked last year to some 

 extent, but not sufficiently to impair its flowering qualities. 

 This season our plants were so badly affected that we threw 

 them away, and the stock of other growers in this vicinity is 

 more rusty than usual. It is unfortunate that Eldorado should 

 be the victim of this disease, for it is the best yellow Carnation 

 we have ever grown. Such varieties as Buttercup, Louise 

 Poroch, Goldfinch and Bouton d'Or are not worthy to be in- 

 cluded in the same class with it. 



We are trying a few plants of the Mayor Pingree this season, 

 sent out last spring by John Breitmayer & Sons, Detroit, Michi- 

 gan. This proves to be a vigorous grower and throws up 

 wonderfully strong flower-stems. The flowers thus far pro- 

 duced are large and of fine form. This is a promising variety 

 which we shall watch with interest. William Scott, notwith- 

 standing all that has been written about its failing popularity 

 in the flower markets, is still planted as largely as ever by 

 growers in this section. The variety which is to supersede it 

 has yet to be introduced. Sorts like Edna Craig and Grace 

 Battles, which were widely boomed before being sent out, are 

 now never seen. Madame Diaz Albertine is almost altogether 



