434 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Chrysanthemums or Dahlias it is quite different. With the former 

 I have already dealt ; in the case of the latter, plants produced from 

 pot roots, early or late-struck cuttings, even although receiving equal 

 treatment at the place of trial, will most probably flower weeks apart. 

 This was observed in the great trial at Duffryn, where many sorts were 

 not in flower at the date of inspection, or did not bloom at all. The 

 lesson to be learned from this is that plants for trial should be received 

 in one season, and any necessary notes for future guidance taken. In 

 the succeeding spring every variety would be propagated under equal 

 conditions, and may I also suggest that the plants should be grown as 

 far as may be possible in batches of similar shades of colour ? This 

 arrangement has been successful in my own experience, and is a great 

 convenience to everyone. As the Early-flowering Chrysanthemum is 

 a popular garden plant which has to exist on ordinary soils, it will be 

 quite in keeping with its usefulness if trials are carried out, as at Wisley, 

 on the ordinary soil, and not, as many trials are, on specially prepared 

 material, which must give a sort of artificial character to the test and 

 prove misleading to growers under ordinary conditions. 



The Royal Horticultural Society has not, I fear, a very strong hold 

 in Scotland, and I am not sure that the Society has a great following in 

 the northern portion of Great Britain as things exist. I should like 

 to see it more popular there, and many years ago I advocated the 

 advisability of closer association with northern growers. I think that 

 this now powerful Society should consider whether anything can be 

 done to establish a trial ground on a limited scale in some part of the 

 North. The neighbourhood of Edinburgh would be a good centre, and 

 soil of a good natural character, requiring no great outlay to put it in 

 order, could easily be obtained. In such a place duplicates of many 

 of the Southern trials could be made at comparatively little expense. 

 Potatos, for example, are tested by authorities in various parts of the 

 country before they can be certified as fit for general cultivation, and 

 the same rule holds good as to other vegetables and flowers. In the 

 meantime it is quite impossible for the North of England Horti- 

 cultural Society or any of the Scottish Horticultural bodies to take 

 up the work, through lack of funds. I commend the idea to the 

 Council. 



