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THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 31, 1898. 



Chrysanthemums for Exhibition. Notes from Ireland. 



With reference to Mr. Molyneux's suggestion of showing chrysan- 

 SEASONABLE WORK. themums in vases, it may be of interest if I state how these are staged 



May I, on the threshold of another year, suggest, through these pages, t the show of the Roya i Horticultural Society of Ireland, where this de. 



to those who are more or less timidly entering the field of competition 



parture has been a feature for the past two years. I believe it was Mr. H. 



to assure themselves at the commencement that success may be attained Crawford) of Mount Merrion, who offered the first prize in Dublin for 



in one way only, and that by patient, careful, plodding attention to the chrysantheraums stage d in vases, and, unless I am greatly mistaken, the 



wants of the plants constantly from the day when the stout, healthy donQr Qn that occasion was the winner. This season Mr. H. J. Jones 



cutting is put in till the full and perfect development of the bloom is kindl presented a silver-gilt medal in addition to the first cash prize 

 accomplished The certainty that there is no royal road to success ,n ' * Jh WQrdi f fc schedule for this dass • 



any of our labours is never more true than when applied to the growing ? y .1; ' ( , 8 ., • 



of exhibition chrysanthemums, and this fact is encouraging to the grower follows: "Three vases of chrysanthemum blooms, in three varieties, 



of limited resources, because he may know that in proportion to the three blooms of each ; stems to be not less than twelves inches above the 



thought and intelligent care which is bestowed on the plants, so great 

 will be the resultant satisfaction in " the time of the chrysanthemum." 



top of the vase. Only chrysanthemum foliage will be allowed. Vases 

 will be provided." The competition in this class was very keen. The 



From first to last it is the small and apparently trivial details which were arranged on an ob i ong table so that judges and visitors could 



are the most important, because these are the most likely to be neglected. . , ° . , - , * iL 



w. fl ILnW ZSLm. tn ™ w*ter. to renot. and so on but we inspect them at their ease on both sides. I quite agree with the writer 



We are sure to take cuttings, to give water, to repot, and so on, but we 

 must always do this knowing that it is requisite and expedient to the 

 well-being of the plant. No general treatment will answer, such as 

 watering to-day to prevent the plants drying to-morrow, or postpone- 

 ment of the repotting until it suits our convenience ; we must ever allow 

 the needs of the plant to dominate, and our own pleasure to submit in 

 full and loyal devotion to the 44 flower of autumn." It should by no 

 means be imagined that this self-abandonment is without reward till 

 the flowers unfold, for I feel sure that there is to all growers a vast 

 amount of pleasure derived from tending the healthy plants and respon- 

 sive growth throughout the season, in a measure almost equal to the 



satisfaction which the blooms themselves give, perhaps more. More, _ . 

 because in the flowering we have the consummation of our hopes as grown by themselves or their customers. 



quoted, that five large blooms in a vase would be too heavy an arrange- 

 ment, but as arranged in vases of three, as in Dublin, the effect is 



splendid. 



At the recent show of the Royal Dublin Society, held at Ball's Bridge, 

 Dublin, Messrs. Sutton and Sons, of Reading, had an interesting col- 

 lection of thirty-four varieties of disease-resisting potatos, representing 

 the following varieties introduced by the firm, viz. : Windsor Castle, 

 Reliance, Ideal, Triumph, Satisfaction, Supreme, Flour Ball, Ninetyfold, 

 Invincible, Ringleader, Abundance, and Magnum Bonum. A novel and 

 interesting feature on this stand was the panoramic views of flowers and 

 vegetables, illustrating the results obtained from Messrs. Sutton's seeds, 



Messrs. M. Saunders and Sons, Friars' Walk Nurseries, Cork, had 

 a stand of trees, fruit, shrubs, &c, which for excellence of arrangement 

 completely eclipsed their previous laudable effort at the chrysanthemum 

 that leads us to our ideals sooner or later, and we may be sure that very show ; the exhibit consisted of 150 dishes of apples and pears, perfect 



achieved, mingled, as doubtless will always be the case, with a few dis- 

 appointments, and so we commence again, our energy and determination 

 to excel whetted in proportion to our past reverses. This is the spirit 



few attain success who do not well deserve it. 



The anxiety to obtain all the advantage of an early start in propa- 

 gation prompts many people to be busy about their young stock during 

 the first week in December, or even earlier. There is no real advantage 

 in such a very early commencement, however, beyond the securing of 

 whatever good cuttings are then to be had. It is more important to pay 

 attention to the stools as soon as the plants are cut down, and give these 

 as light and airy a place as possible, removing all weak and overcrowd- 

 ing suckers, and thus encouraging, by every means, the sturdy and 

 short -jointed young growths from which the cuttings are to be taken. 

 Having disposed properly of the stocks, the place for the reception and 



in size and colour, and comprising the bulk of the varieties best suited 

 to Ireland. Fruit trees were splendidly clean specimens in the pink of 

 health ; forest trees, coniferae, shrubs, and palms completed this uniquely 

 arranged stand. 



Messrs. Hogg and Robertson, Mary Street, Dublin, had a stand on 

 somewhat similar lines to that of Messrs. Sutton. This firm's stand 

 was probably the best arrangement of the kind ever set up by an Irish 

 house, so we are evidently " forging ahead." Conspicuous on this stand 

 was the firm's new potato Champion 2nd, in both a raw and cooked 

 state. It is unquestionably a splendid cooker, with a heavy cropping 

 and disease-resisting reputation. Particularly interesting on this stand 



rooting of the cuttings must be made ready. The best position for this were the large number of seedling potatos on trial. 



work is on the side benches of a light and cool greenhouse, where cases 

 may be improvised, or handlights, or small frames arranged, with a base 

 of fine ashes or similar material, to conserve moisture beneath the 

 cutting pots. The tops of such frames must be covered with sheets of 

 tss, to keep a close atmosphere about the young cuttings, and prevent 



their flagging. With such convenience and a command of sufficient _ _ 



warmth to keep a temperature of not less than 40 degrees in severe xhe» were some sixty tttries in thTsdass. 



Potatos were numerously shown, some hundreds of dishes being 

 staged, and, judging from them, potatos must have been a superb crop 

 throughout Ireland 

 tion. The produce 



. They comprised all the leading varieties in cultiva- 

 staged in the " Foxford Cottiers' Competition," con- 

 sisting of farm and garden produce, was highly meritorious, mangolds 

 being the only weak point ; potatos, parsnips, and carrots were splendid. 



weather, with a rise to 50 degrees when possible, there will be little 

 difficulty in rooting the cuttings. 



Commence about the middle of December by taking those first which 

 are naturally late in producing their flower buds, following with mid- 

 season varieties and leaving those which are usually early to bloom 

 until the end of January before the cuttings are severed from the parent 

 stools. In this way we can assist a more uniform development of blooms, 

 and obtain them in best condition at a given time. Though it may be 

 wise to take a really good cutting of any variety of which stock is short, 

 even if it should be rooted later, there are a few sorts, and especially 

 those which are inclined to make buds early in the season, such 

 as Viviand Morel,(Charles Davis, and Lady Hanham, which are best pro- 

 pagated during February, because if rooted late the growth is not sub- 

 jected to the short days, but comes away more clean and rapidly under 

 the increasing sun power of spring months. 



The usual practice is to give each cutting a small " thumb " pot, for 

 the reason that when rooted and ready for repotting no appreciable dis- 

 turbance of the roots is necessary in the operation ; but, after all, there is 

 not much to be gained in this, and I am sure that cuttings rooted in 

 shallow pans or boxes, and lifted carefully with their roots intact, succeed 

 quite as well as those rooted singly in small pots. They may also be 

 placed near the edge of three or four-inch pots, but for preference the 

 boxes are most satisfactory ; cuttings placed in these at two inches apart 

 lift admirably when rooted, and are ready for three-inch pots. The soil 

 is not an elaborate mixture for propagating purposes, the most essential 

 quality being that it must contain plenty of sharp grit or sand, so that 

 water passes through freely, or there will be some loss through decay at 

 the base of the cutting. Readers will gather that-of the several means to 

 the end we cannot say that of those mentioned one is very superior to the 

 other, and circumstances will dictate just the details most suitable to each 

 particular case. The object is to secure stout, healthy cuttings, and treat 

 them so that in a temperature as indicated they form roots freely, and in 

 the space of about a month from the time they are inserted. As cuttings 

 are planted they should be well watered before being placed in their 

 cases, and, generally speaking, will not require further watering until 

 roots are formed. Daily attention will be required to remove any decay- 

 ing foliage, and, in case aphides should appear, to instantly destroy them ; 

 also when moisture condenses heavily on the glass covers this must be 

 removed. Shading may occasionally be needed/but only when the sun 

 is sufficiently bright to cause flagging of the leaves. 



frent P(trk Garaens. «r H . Lees. 



good, cauliflowers only 



In 



The collections of vegetables were very 

 being weak, while onions were decidedly the strongest point, 

 these collections some very fine tomatos were also staged. Mr. W. G. 

 Pirn, Mountmellick, was the principal prize-winner in this section of the 

 show, closely followed by Mr. J. S. Boyle, Knowhead, Coleraine. 



Looking through the houses at Lyons in this county the other day I 

 saw the finest specimen of Daphne rubra that has ever come under my 

 notice ; it was planted out at one end of a large house. The plant is five 

 feet high and four feet in diameter, and is in the best of health. A 

 brilliant feature in a large stove was an exceptionally well-flowered batch 

 of Plumbago rosea. One is so accustomed to seeing this so indifferently 

 grown and flowered, that I paused in surprise at this brilliant mass of 

 flower. Centropogon Lucyanus, too, was exceedingly well flowered. A 

 very fine batch of calanthes, also, was noticed, many spikes having 

 upwards of forty flowers on them. Ccelogynes in variety are very pro- 

 mising, also a fine sample of Dendrobium chrysanthum. In a pit I 

 noted the finest batch of cyclamen I have seen for the past four years, 

 the foliage was as luxuriant as vines, and covering a forest of flower buds. 

 They will be somewhat late in flowering, but why Mr. Rigg, the talented 

 gardener, does not get them in flower in November and exhibit them 

 passes my comprehension ; he should easily sweep the board. A 

 splendid assortment of Primula sinensis were coming into flower in 

 another house. The relics of the chrysanthemums gave a fair idea of 

 the brilliant show they had produced not long since. I do not remember at 

 any time seeing Ipomaea Horsfallice flowering in such profusion as it is 

 at Lyons ; Mr. Rigg attributes this to frequent pinching- A special 

 favourite with Mr. Rigg as a table plant is Clerodendron nutans, a plant 

 I was not previously acquainted with, and of which I came away with a 

 very high opinion. Carnations and violets are two striking features in 

 these well-kept gardens. At a more favourable season of the year I hope 

 to give you a detailed description of the grounds, &c, rich in choice 

 shrubs, trees, &c. 



The weather here continues very wet and windy, with every prospect 

 of a green Christmas. If this district is any criterion, holly berries will 

 be at a premium for the festive season, as every tree I have seen is com- 

 pletely destitute of berries. In conclusion permit me, Mr. Editor, to 

 congratulate you on your Christmas Number, which, in my humble 

 opinion, has completely eclipsed your former successful efforts in this 

 direction. 



Curragh Camp. 



R, WELLER. 



