August 2, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
91 
Except the earliest varieties it will be, in ordinary seasons, safe to 
take the buds of Chrysanthemums towards the end of the first week in 
August, and if they are crown buds so much the better. From the 7th 
to the end of August, then, the work should be completed, taking the 
late sorts first, leaving the earlies, especially the Mrs. Eundle type, un-til 
the last. 
The method of taking the buds is deserving of attention. It is a 
question if injury has not been done to many flowers by the operator 
searching into the points of the shoots, crushing the leaves, and injuring 
the flower stem by removing the incipient growths from the crown 
buds and the superfluous buds round the terminals too soon. The 
slightest injury to the stem of the bud taken, or the bud itself, results 
in a malformed flower. 
In taking crown buds great care and judgment are required. The 
shoots formed around the bud, which, as before said, are usually three 
in number, should not be removed until an inch in length, then remov¬ 
ing two only at the first, leaving the other shoot for a week, or some¬ 
times a fortnight, according to the strength of the bud, the object 
being not to remove this shoot until the bud is as large as a small 
Pea. By this time it will be easy to discern whether the bud is well 
formed or not; and if not, the bud should be removed, allowing the 
shoot that was left of the three to extend and produce a terminal bud > 
This is a safe plan for beginners, and old practitioners need no instruc¬ 
tions. When terminal buds are taken a steady hand is required in 
removing the small buds that are formed round the central one that 
is intended to produce a flower. A very small sharp-pointed penknife 
should be used, but not too soon, or the stem invariably becomes 
crippled, causing the bud to curl, and consequently the flower does 
not come to maturity. A good time for taking buds is early in the 
morning before the dew has dried from the plants. When removing 
them the stem of the plant should not be touched with the knife, but 
leave, if possible, a portion of the stem of the flower attaching to it. 
It is quite as well to leave some of the back shoots until the buds 
attain a good size, which will be about three weeks after they are 
taken. Then all should be removed to throw all possible strength into 
the bud for producing the flower. 
The subject is by no means exhausted, and any information on 
special points and varieties communicated by old growers cannot fail 
to be acceptable to those young cultivators who are endeavouring to 
become proficient in the production of this grand autumn flower. 
THE COLOURING OF GRAPES. 
Eably Grapes are ripe and eaten, raidseason fruit is now in, but ti c 
autumn and winter supplies are yet to ripen and colour ; and as all who 
aim at the highest excellence are anxious to put on the thickest bloom 
on the finished fruit the experience of some of your more successful 
contributors on two opposite practices may be of service. I am told 
that one grower, the intense colour of whose black Grapes is the admira¬ 
tion of all who see them, puts himself to much trouble to keep the air of his 
vineries moist while the Grapes are finishing, and that shading is resorted 
to in sunny weather. Now in most calendars and in the best books a 
dry atmosphere is recommended. The grower in question does not live 
in either an arid or sunny locality, but in one inclining to the opposite, 
and it is not a question of mitigating extreme dryness or excessive 
sunshine. 
But it is only the black Grapes that are thus brought to perfection. 
White Grapes are never of the golden tint we wish to see. Not far off in 
the same locality is another grower, by no means even a fair one, whose 
black Grapes are never more than rusty, but (and this point is worth 
noticing) his inferior Muscats—inferior, that is, as a crop and in bunch 
and berry—are generally beautifully golden. He practises extreme dry¬ 
ness. Now we have personally always had the finest-coloured blacks in 
wet almost sunless seasons, but the worst whites. When dryness and 
bright sunshine prevailed the whites were better and the blacks worse. 
Suoshine and dryness spoil black Grapes, shade and moistness white. 
If this be so, then the dry air and borders aimed at in flubbing black 
Grapes is a mistake, and the sooner this is understood the better. 
Personally we have found it so. Even in a damp dull climate the 
attempt to secure dry air we have found not good for black Grapes, and 
we suppose it must be worse in dry climates. But what do the majority 
say ? Messrs. Thomson, Johnstone, Mclndoe, Dickson, Taylor, and 
others too numerous to mention could doubtless throw some light on 
the matter.— Dunedin. 
THE HERBACEOUS BORDER. 
On page 5 of this volume your able correspondent, Mr. 
Abbey, enumerates a list of some flowering plants suitable for 
the herbaceous border. I think it has been generally acknow¬ 
ledged in your columns that this part of the garden has been 
much neglected during the last twelve or fifteen years, the 
geometric and showy style of bedding having replaced it, but 
there are not wanting many signs that herbaceous pi nts will 
be sought after quite as much as in years gone by. It is quite 
certain that Pelargoniums and carpet beds, good though they 
are, will not supply cut flowers for decoration and bouquets, 
and many of our nurserymen, notably Mr. Ware of the Hale 
Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, deserve great praise in their 
endeavour to keep and collect these old occupants of the 
garden. To Mr. Abbey’s list I would like to name a few 
others that no gardener, if he has them, need regret having 
planted. 
Chelone barbata .—This grows 3 or 4 feet in height, having 
numerous Pentstemon-like spikes of bloom of a reddish-orange 
colour, very suitable for cutting, and is easily raised from seed 
or division in the spring. 
Acanthus candelabrum .—A very handsome plant with dark 
green shining foliage, the spikes of pink flowers rising well 
above the foliage. Even if the plant were flowerless it would 
be worth a place in any garden on account of its handsome 
foliage. 
(Enothera macrocarpa, (E. fruticosa .—These two North 
American plants are well worth a place in the herbaceous 
border on account of their continuous flowering. Although 
both have yellow flowers they are very distinct. The first- 
named has a dwarf procumbent habit, and should be planted 
near the edge or in the front row. The towers of it are large 
and of a beautiful primrose colour. It is often called the 
Evening Primrose. (E. fruticosa grows 2 feet high or more, 
and the flowers are produced more abundantly. Both these 
kinds are very suitable for the rock garden. 
Veratrum nigrum, often called Black Hellebore, but quite 
distinct from the Hellebore family. It is a very conspicuous 
and unique plant, the spike of nearly black flowers rising 3 to 
6 feet high. A good soil and open position suits it best, and 
good isolated clumps of it on the grass look very well. 
Aconitum versicolor. —Very much the habit and style of 
A. napellus, but the flowers are showy and pretty, of a blue 
and white colour, the white predominating. A good middle or 
back-row plant. 
Coreopsis lanceolata. —A good hardy perennial, growing 2 feet 
high or more; large yellow Daisy-looking flowers, very accep¬ 
table for cutting on account of their long stalks. Should be 
