March 26, 1898. 



GA RDENERS MA GA ZINE. 



195 



NEW ARTIC 



SYON LONG W 



Michaelmas Daisies. 



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MANY and long have been the discussions held at various times upon the 

 * biect of artificial selection as practised by the horticulturist and agri- 

 culturist In one sense artificial selection is akin to natural selection, in- 

 much as it results in a survival of the fittest-the fittest for the purpose in 

 vlcvv In maintaining true stocks of their specialities our nurserymen 

 and seedsmen have recourse to the most rigid selection, for unless this 

 were done there would be more or less reversion to the original types. 

 This selection entails a large expenditure of time and money, but of 

 course it pays in the end, both the seller and the buyer. In the case of 

 root crops, the process of selection is carried on, year by year, by those 

 who have reputations at stake ; but here the intervening and rejuvenating 



process is brought about by seed sowing. 

 Some potatos, however, have been produced 

 by the selection of tubers until a variety 

 distinct from the original has been fixed. 

 Seedlings are, in the case of potatos, most 

 in vogue because of their vigour. With 

 the tuberous rooted or Jerusalem artichoke 

 (Helianthus tuberosiis\ there is very little 

 opportunity, in this country at least, for either 

 increase or differentiation by means of seed- 

 lings, as this seHom flowers and still more 

 rarely seeds in the United Kingdom. Pro- 

 pagation has, however, been provided for by 

 means of underground and swollen stems, 

 generally known as tubers, which form the 

 vegetable so dear to many. Until recent 

 years little selection had taken place among 

 artichokes, and the crop was usually rele- 



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I WAS rather surprised to read in a recent issue that " Lux " does not 



approve of the extended cultivation of early-flowering chrysanthemums, 



thinking that these will not find favour with the public. I was not 



thinking so much of the general public when penning my few notes as of 



gardeners in a similar position to the celebrated 11 Peter " and myself, and 

 by sending to our editor early in the year I thought it would give those 

 who might be induced to grow them an opportunity to obtain what I 

 know to be really good and useful varieties. I must apologise for having 

 "worried" even one of the readers of the Gardeners' Magazine, 



and particularly so distinguished a one, but I really cannot conceive a 

 gentleman with such truly enthusiastic gardening proclivities as " Lux," 

 having once seen well-grown bushes of Ivy Stark and Mdlle. Marie 

 Masse, for instance, in their September beauty, being disposed to bestow 

 anything but praise on their charm and usefulness in the garden. Perhaps 

 "Peter" has not yet grown any but the dull-coloured and inartistic 

 varieties for his master, and so opportunities have been lacking for the 

 appreciation of those which I feel justified in recommending for either 

 large or small gardens. I shall be very pleased, if I may be allowed, to 

 post just a few rooted cuttings to our editor for him to forward to the 

 " Luxian" garden, where, I am -confident, they will flourish, and please 

 also, and by their appeals next September for increased cultivation they 

 will restore the good understanding which, I am sorry to learn, is slightly 



strained between us at present. 



I am quite in accord with all the good that may be said of the 

 Michaelmas daisies, and it was rather a coincidence that we were plant- 

 ing a border of some eighty varieties on the same day which gave the 

 invite from " Lux" in the Magazine, to urge the claims of these useful 

 and charming flowers. These perennial asters are so easily grown and 

 readily increased that for a few shillings a splendid selection may be 

 purchased and grown by anyone who has room for autumn flowers. 

 The height of the plants varies from one foot to six or seven feet, 



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gated to some out-of-the-way, overshadowed accor di n g to the variety and condition of the soil in which they are 

 part of the garden. In fact, the artichoke p i ante d. The habit of growth, too, is varied ; in some it is extremely 

 an d^ horseradish were grown jvh ere nothing light, spreading, and graceful; in others, close and compact, forming 



. j ... j 4. dense heads, while some are quite erect and others pendulous. 



They form quite an interesting feature in a garden if given a border 

 entirely to themselves, where a collection of varieties may be planted in 

 informal arrangement and their respective merits easily compared. In 

 such a border the aim should not be to obtain as much uniformity as 

 possible by planting all the tall varieties in a back row and the dwarf 

 ones in the front, but rather allow the most dense in habit of the tall 

 ones to occupy the back of the border, and the very light and graceful 

 tall ones, like Aster kevis Chapmani, may be planted well forward 

 amongst less tall ones. Then, such a fine spreading head as Coombe 

 Fishacre makes must not be too closely surrounded by other plants, as 

 half the effect of this is destroyed by anything like crowding. The colours 

 are not difficult to deal with, as they are mostly shades of lavender and 

 blue with some white and one or too rosy coloured sorts. In mixed 

 borders of herbaceous plants they help to keep up a display until late 

 'autumn, and for cutting nothing is so useful for large vases, as the long, 

 branching stems need no special arrangement ; simply cut two or three 

 and place them in the vase just as they come from the plants, and nothing 

 can improve them. The employment of the best and most showy varie- 

 ties in large groups amongst shrubs is, perhaps, the most charming of 

 all arrangements, especially for distant effect. In large gardens where 

 many positions can be found for planting in this way, it is, perhaps, best 

 to avoid repeating a variety, but to have only one large group of each of 

 the best The effect of a group of some two dozen or more plants of 



would succeed, and received but scant atten- 

 tion. 



Two firms have taken in hand the im- 

 provement of artichoke tubers, with the 

 result that two white varieties have been 

 introducted to cultivation, and have become 

 popular. One of these, Sutton's White, has 

 fine round tubers, with white skin, the other, 

 Vilmorin's White, has tubers of decidedly 

 elongated shape. From the year of its intro- 

 duction to commerce the first-named was 



Mr. 



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cultivated at the Syon Gardens by 

 George Wythes, and by growing the crop in 

 open position, and on ground that had 

 been well manured for the previous crop, fine 

 tubers resulted. Then, by •careful selection, 

 rounder tubers were produced, and in a few 

 years a potato-like type, with shallow eyes, 

 was fixed, and proved a material advance on 

 the original form. The elongated artichoke, 

 known as Vilmorin's White, was similarly 

 cultivated, but instead of selecting from round 

 tubers, the inclination of the variety to pro- 

 duce elongated tubers was assisted, and only 



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those tubers showing great length' and sub- Ella disposed amongst thinly planted shrubs, or planted en masse in the 



* foreground of a shrubbery at the end of some natural vista is most beautiful, 



and helps to sustain the interest of thegarden when most of the border plants 

 are past their best. It is important, in order to ensure the best results, 

 to plant where a sheltering background lends its influence, because the 

 colours are mostly pale, and need a dark contrast to emphasise them ; if 

 planted in the open much of their charm is lost. . 



Annual replanting and division, with a liberal dressing of manure to 

 the soil, will be found the most satisfactory management. If the plants 

 are not divided, the numerous growths at the base must be well thinned, 



stance were selected each season for plant- 

 ing. After several years of such rigid selec- 

 tion Mr. Wythes has obtained a remarkably 

 distinct artichoke, white skinned and white 

 fleshed, often measuring twelve inches in 

 length, and of good thickness. This new 

 variety, Syon Long White, yields abundant 

 crops, and the tubers are almost devoid of 

 those warty excresences so plentiful on the 

 old artichoke, and which necessitated thick 



peeling, and consequent waste, 



when 



to ensure a 

 the table. 



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shapely appearance wnen upon 

 The eyes are also very superficial, and when 

 cooked the tubers have a distinct and 

 pleasant flavour. The very largest may be 

 cooked and served like salsify, when they 

 are much appreciated ; or they may be 

 peeled and cut into two or more pieces if 

 preferred. Mr. Wythes states that this new 

 form is as vigorous as could be desired, and 

 as hardy as the old dark-skinned type. Con- 

 sequently it is best to leave the tubers in the 

 ground until needed for use, placing some 

 dry litter over the crop, or a portion of it, in 

 the winter, to prevent hard frosts causing any difficulty in lifting. The 

 accompanying illustration represents Syon Long White artichoke on a 

 much reduced scale, but it afford our readers an opportunity of appre- 

 ciating what Mr. Wythes has accomplished as the result of several 

 years of careful selection towards a particular ideal. The variety now 

 comes true every year, so that it is what florists would termed "fixed. ,! 

 Mr. Wythes has in other directions done excellent work in the improve- 

 ment of vegetables, but in no sense have the results been associated with 



a greater degree of interest than with the improvement of the Jerusalem 

 artichoke. 



W Long Wh 

 Artichoke. 



fLaueSvS together of " the growths in 



lying tmw Ve the aim to preserve the free .and natural habit, and 

 tying. 1 u loop ng each of the main branches to a 



s^uXe which ma n y e be Entirely nidSen by the plant A good selection 

 ^ferindud Jin the following, and it will suffice to give just the 

 21 ™ F 11 a and Harper Crewe are about six feet high ; Coombe Fish- 

 acre A Chapmani, A P cordifolms Diana, A. cordifolius elegans, Maia 

 Anoilo ' SnowflaS A. Shorti, A. versicolor, and A. vimeneus, each 

 between Kd five feet ; A. acris, A. amellus, A. densus, A tevyatus, 

 A ericoides elegans, and A. vimineus nana are less than three feet in 

 height These by no means exhaust all the good ones, but the list 

 embraces the best, and also those named give a succession of blossom 

 from early September until the end of October Plants are easily raised 

 from seeds, and a very large proportion of good types may be obtained 

 from carefully saved seed. I saw a large bed of seedlings from A 

 amellus in Mr Davis's nursery at Framfield last autumn, and considerable 

 variation was noticeable both in colour and time of flowering. Cuttings 

 rooted in spring make capital dwarf plants, and by this means, when it 

 is desirable the height of various sorts may be reduced to provide any 



spec 



allowed to grow naturally will produce the best effect. 



Park 



W. H. Lees. 



