January 20, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 45 
Sarnia, Gloire de Toulouse, Fulgore, La Nymphe, Madame Le- 
rr.oine, Bouquet Fait, Hero of Magdala, Dr. Masters, and Grandi- 
f ora, Brecta superba. Amongst the Pompons a few of those known 
as Anemone Pompons should be grown ; these are very useful for 
cutting. Some of the best are Madame Montels, Marie Stuart, 
Jean Hachette, Antonius, Dick Turpin, and Perle. Of the 
ordinary Pompons the most suitable are Cedo Nulli, Mdlle. 
Marthe, President, Golden Circle, Bob, and Bijou de 1’Horticul¬ 
ture. Besides these I intend to have many early-flowering varie¬ 
ties both out of doors for border decoration and in pots for flower¬ 
ing in October. Little Bob, Madame Peceval, Fred Pel6, Pr4cocitd, 
Illustration, and a pure white one, of which I do not know the 
name, are distinct and good. These are enough to begin with. 
In commencing the cultivation of the Chrysanthemum I would 
advise purchasing the stock as cuttings. Order from three to 
] six cuttings of each variety in the large-flowering and Japanese 
sections ; the Pompons according to the number you may require 
to grow. The cost will be merely nominal, and every cutting is, 
under ordinarily good treatment, sure to root. I prefer placing 
the cuttings in sufficient heat for them to require regular watering, 
which consequently induces quick rooting ; after roots are formed 
the young plants are better kept cool. We propagate a large 
number of a few good varieties for the production of flowers ; 
they are struck in March, and after being rooted are placed on 
ashes in a cold frame until planted out in the kitchen garden, 
where they remain until October. The cuttings for culture in 
pots should be placed singly in small pots. At the beginning of 
/pril shift the plants into 5-inch pots and keep them cool. The 
plants will thrive well in these pots until they are finally potted 
in the beginning or middle of June. They will, however, require 
liquid manure to render them healthy and vigorous. I tried various 
sizes of pots this past season, and have found three plants in a 
pot 13 inches in diameter are the most satisfactory in foliage and 
blooms. The large pots are also easier to manage with respect to 
supplying water. 
The Chrysanthemum will grow in almost any soil, but I prefer 
a strong loam with a third of manure composed of equal parts of 
cow and horse dung rubbed down fine ; soot and bone dust may 
also be added. Good drainage is required for large pots, and the 
soil cannot be rendered too firm. It must be remembered that 
the firmer the soil is the finer will be the roots, and the better the 
quality of the blooms. When the whole plants are in their flowering 
pots arrange them in a position that is not too sunny ; place stakes 
to each growth, and tie loosely. I am not particular about rub¬ 
bing off side growths, as they furnish us with a good supply of 
flowers for cutting. As the soil is filled with roots supply liquid 
manure every time the plants require it. Watch for the terminal 
bud, and rub off all with the exception of that one. From the 
middle to the end of October the plants must be housed. The 
chief point to keep in view is to keep the buds near the glass ; 
when they have opened the plants can be arranged for effect. 
The only enemies the Chrysanthemum has to contend with are a 
species of aphis that may be destroyed by repeated applications of 
tobacco powder, and a maggot which some seasons is very destruc¬ 
tive, but may be killed by squeezing it between the finger and 
thumb. Towards autumn mildew attacks the foliage ; slight 
dustings of sulphur is the antidote for this. 
Pompons require pinching about three times, and the shoots 
tied out: with a few stakes these make very useful decorative 
plants for conservatories. Most of our plants have been stripped 
for church decorations, but we have dozens of plants of Fair Maid 
of Guernsey which have not yet opened a bloom, besides numbers 
of Julie Lagravere and others now at their best. These were all 
planted out in the kitchen garden, lifted in October, and placed 
in a cool well-ventilated house, where they have received abun¬ 
dance of water at the roots.—It. P. Brotherston. 
MUSHROOMS. 
It will be admitted that the successful growth of Mushrooms 
is an accidental circumstance with most people. Why this is so 
I shall not stop now to inquire, but it will be readily understood 
by many who are interested in their culture. We rarely see them 
in the market or in the shops unless it be during the short 
season that they are found in the meadows and pastures—their 
natural home ; and here its uncertainty is made manifest, for 
while in one autumnal period they are declared to be in plenty, 
another there is none, and in many pastures they may at all 
times be looked for in vain. I am led to these remarks by having 
seen so recently as Friday, the 24th December, some really fine 
solid Mushrooms growing in the open air—that is, with no other 
protection than some small handglasses afford, and with an old 
piece of mat thrown over these when the Mushrooms appear. 
My neighbour’s garden has a large mound of scoria from the 
furnaces of his mills, which has acc unulated until it is now 
several feet high ; in front of this on the sunny side is a narrow 
uneven strip of ground not more than a land yard in extent. It 
was well manured and broken up in the springtime, salading was 
grown there afterwards, and then the same plot of ground was 
planted with Veitch’s Giant Cauliflower, and which speedily grew 
to a large size. Before the planting of these Cauliflowers, how¬ 
ever, it is right to say, my friend said he had by him probably a 
bushel of Mushroom spawn which had been lying by unused for 
perhaps three years. He broke this up, scattered it upon the 
ground. It was then pointed in with a digging fork ; the Cauli¬ 
flowers were planted, and before these were cleared from the 
ground Mushrooms began to appear, and have continued so to do 
with more or less abundance to this hour. A few days ago my 
neighbour said to me, “ I have taken to Exeter again this morning 
another fine lot of Mushrooms, and there are more coming now.” 
From this small spot of ground, and by this means, he has 
gathered considerably over half a hundredweight of prime Mush¬ 
rooms, and latterly, as is well known, their value ranks high— 
Is. per lb., to put it at a low average quotation ; some idea, there¬ 
fore, of his success maybe easily gained. —James Enstone, Wear, 
near Exeter. 
Some time ago I read an inquiry in the Journal as to how 
Mushrooms can be established in pastures, and in reference to 
that the following remarks may not be devoid of interest. One 
field here has this year produced such great numbers of Mush¬ 
rooms, and so many people came to gather them early in the 
morning, that the farmer had to stop the practice, as the Oats 
were greatly injured. This abundance was attributed to salt 
having been strewn over the land with the corn, which seems all 
that is required here to induce the growth of Mushrooms, I have 
seen salt strewn on meadow land with the same result, especially 
where cattle graze. About Lent seems the best time to strew it 
over pastures. The manure of cattle greatly increases the number 
of the Mushrooms, but I cannot understand their appearing in a 
field where only a slight dressing of manure was placed as usually 
used by farmers for killing wireworms. I have seen the same 
result when Saintfoin that had been down nine or ten years was 
broken up, salt being employed for fear of wireworm. I would 
advise gardeners to try the experiment in parks where cattle are 
kept. Perhaps some of your able contributors can enlighten us 
as to Mushrooms coming on arable lands where they have not 
been seen for years, and where no manure has been placed.— 
Henry GAlton. 
P.S.—I intend to try salt round our clumps next year. 
I WISH to add my testimony to that of Mr. Thomson as to 
the value of sawdust for a propagating and plunging material. 
Palms and other stove plants plunged in it soon root-out and 
enjoy it. I wish also to state another valuable use we make of 
it. "Sawdust about here has for several years been very much 
employed as bedding for horses. Two years ago I found in the 
manure from such bedding after lying in a heap a short time, 
what appeared a good Mushroom spawn ; and as we had difficulty 
in procuring sufficient droppings for making Mushroom beds, I 
determined to try a bed of sawdust manure, and fully made up 
my mind for a good crop of bad fungus, but to my agreeable 
surprise it turned out the best bed of Mushrooms that we have 
had for years. Since then I have used nothing else when I wish 
to make up a bed. I have the manure fresh, make the lower 
part of the bed, then screen part of the sawdust out of the re¬ 
mainder of the manure, and add about 2 inches of the screened 
droppings on the top of the bed, make it thoroughly firm, then 
insert the spawn, soil it over, smooth the surface with the back of 
a spade, and in a month or five weeks I have a fine crop of strong 
brown-capped Mushrooms. I had insufficient spawn last spring, 
and after making a bed neglected to spawn it, as we had such a 
large crop on hand. In a few weeks the Mushrooms began appear¬ 
ing ; I then soiled it over, and had as large a crop from that bed 
as any of the others, but of a smaller size. Possibly the above 
information will be of some service to your readers. — John 
Woollam. 
Australian Wild Flowers.— The Sydney Mommy Herald 
of November 4th, says :—“ Miss Marianne North, who came to these 
colonies to paint specimens of Australian wild flowers, has, so far 
as this colony is concerned, completed the agreeable task which 
her combined admiration for nature and art constrained her to 
execute. During her stay Miss North travelled through the 
district of Illawarra, visited Camden Park, and also the resi¬ 
dences of several families in the Blue Mountains and other 
