December 13, 1883 . ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
515 
varieties. I think -when this grand Pea becomes more known it will be 
a general favourite.—A. Stevens, Holywell Park. 
CLASSIFICATION OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Mr. Castle’s remarks in last week’s Journal respecting the classifi¬ 
cation of the Chrysanthemum will, no doubt, open up a little discussion, 
aud many will be inclined to ask, Why is classification necessary, and 
what purpose will it serve? I cannot see that it will be of any benefit 
for exhibition purposes, as I much doubt that ever we shall get the types 
eo distinct in character as to be able to offer prizes for the different 
sections, as is the case with the Carnation or Tulip. Still, it will serve 
one good purpose if we can come to some little understanding as to the 
terms to be used in describing the many fantastic forms and characters 
of the Japanese section. It will enable the trade growers to more fully 
explain and define to what type any new introduction may belong. 
Nothing varies more than the public taste, and I think the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum varies sufficient to suit all tastes—one of the reasons it obtains 
«uch a hold on the public favour. The incurved section I should certainly 
not attempt to sub-divide, and I should be sorry to see Barbara or Mrs. 
Haliburton left out, although Lady Talfourd is usually so quilly that her 
presence does not enhance the merits of a good stand of incurved blooms. 
As regards the Japanese, the plan adopted by Mr. Castle is certainly the 
only one that is likely at all to answer the purpose of defining the 
sections, and with a little addition may be made most useful and answer 
all purposes, although the Japanese Chrysanthemums vary so much 
under different cultivation that it will be sometimes eligible for one 
section and sometimes another. An early flower of M. Ardene, for 
instance, would be so quilly as to be entitled to be included in section 2, 
while the floret of a later flower would be as flat as a Fair Maid of 
Guernsey, and would be eligible for section 1. To the three sections 
named should be added a fourth—to include those with incurved petals, 
Japanese — viz., Comte de Germiny, Chang, Japonaise, Madame C. 
Audiguier, Grandiflorum, &c. They are certainly of a different type to 
the ordinary flat-petalled varieties. — C. Orchard, Coovibc Warren, 
Kingston-on-Thames. 
SIX MONTHS IN A VINERY. 
March 24th. — The 18th opened with a sharp frost, Ihe thermo¬ 
meter at 4 feet from the ground registering 24°, and that on the grass 
16°. The sun rose brightly, and air was given to the vinery at 
7.45. At 10.30 clouds being visible on the windward side, the 
air was reduced, and a little later it was taken off altogether. The 
temperature had risen to 75°, and we kept it up as well as we could 
by moving the lire a little. This was one of our red letter days, for 
the well-known sweet perfume told that a flower had opened. A 
little hunting revealed its whereabouts, and before night there were 
two or three more open. 
The next day (19th) brought a still severer frost, the minimum 
thermometer registering 20°, aud the one on the grass 5° lower. The 
■morning was foggy, and no air was required till ten o’clock, when a 
little blue sky became visible, and soon after the sun shone brightly. 
VYe closed at one o’clock with a temperature of 85°, and the heat kept 
up fairly well till dark. We decided on raising the nrnimum 
temperature from 60° to 65°, and lowering the maximum sun heat 
from 95° to 90°. The day temperature aimed at without sun is about 
70°. Written directions are given to this effect, but circumstances 
followed which rendered it difficult to act up to the letter of this, as 
will be shown further on. 
The 20th brought a change. The thermometer had only descended 
to 31° during the night, but the ground was covered with 2 inches 
of snow. This was followed by rain with a south-west wind, and we 
fondly hoped that winter had departed. 
But the 21st was worse than ever. There was no frost, the lowest 
point reached was 33°, but the wind had returned to the east, and 
there was no sunshine. With rather hard firing we could not at any 
time of the day got our temperature up nearer than 5° of the regula¬ 
tion point. It was a difficult matter, too, to keep the atmosphere of 
the house sufficiently moist. Water was sprinkled about five or six 
times during the day over the boards and the hot-water pipes and the 
walls were freely syringed, making almost a vapour bath for the 
leaves and flowers, for above all things we must prevent any drooping 
of the organs of which the flowers are composed. I remember being 
threatened with a very long holiday some years ago for spilling a 
little water in a house when the Vines were in flower, as that was 
supposed to be fatal to fertilisation, but men’s knowledge and ideas 
have changed since then. 
The 22nd was a bitterly cold day outside. The wind was in the 
fast and it blew half a hurricane, but the sun shone for a few minutes 
at a time. By 2 p.m. our temperature had risen to 70°, and we 
managed to keep it up to that figure for two or three hours. The 
damping and steaming were repeated. 
On the 23rd we had a return of frost, our thermometer registered 
24° and 21°. The wind was still in the east and it blew hard. Our 
vinery was down to 55° at 6 a.m., but the sun rose brightly, and by 
keeping the house closed and firing rather hard it reached 80° at noon 
and 88° at 2 p.m. At five o’clock it had only fallen to 80° ; at 7 p.m. 
it was 70° ; and at nine it just reached the regulation point of 65°. 
Altogether, considering it has been freezing hard all day in the shade, 
and a strong east wind has been blowing, we are very well satisfied 
with our day’s work. The damping and steaming were again 
repeated. 
To-day (24th) opened with the sharpest frost we have had this 
year ; we registered 16° and 11° respectively. Happily the wind was 
still, and although outdoor vegetation must have suffered considerably 
our houses were not so badly off as they had been on many other 
occasions. It was a little hazy at first, but the sun quickly gained the 
mastery, and we gave air at 8 a.m. This was the first time since the 
19.h. The roof being pretty well covered with foliage now, the sun 
has not so much power on the house as it had a few days ago, so that 
less ventilation suffices. We now opened only three lights about 
2 inches, and they were closed again at 2 p.m. with a temperature of 
87°, and it kept as high as 80° till five o’clock. 
The wind shifted to the west once to-day and seemed to promise 
better things, but it has not remained there. We damped down 
heavily in the morning and again at 2 p.m. The dose will be repeated 
again before 9 p.m. We do not damp down while the ventilators are 
open unless it is for the purpose of cooling the air ; it is of no use as 
far as keeping the atmosphere of the house humid is concerned 
when there is 50° or 60° difference between internal and external 
temperature, for Ihe moisture is quickly gone through the openings, 
and we might as well try to make humid the air of the whole country. 
—Wm. Taylor. 
A MODEL FORCING HOUSE. 
Mr. Bardney’s description of this structure on page 490 is 
interesting, but there is to me something tantalising in the want of 
information on one critical point—as to how the small intermediate 
rafters or roof-bars are supported at the eaves, where the eaves plate 
would ordinarily be. Otherwise the building is not extraordinary ; and 
though it is said that it reflects “ the greatest credit upon both the builder 
and its owner,” I think the designer ought to have the first share, and 
the gardener who consents to such an innovation the second share, after 
which the fortunate owner who pays for it may take what is left. The 
builder, unless he be the designer, is nowhere in the matter, as he merely 
builds “to order,” and presumably is fairly remunerated for his work. 
1 shall take a note of this house as being an approach to what I suggested 
some time back—namely, a description of the best kind of house for 
a particular purpose by a competent authority. Though, as I have said, 
it is not an extraordinary building, being but a modification of the so- 
called curvilinear roofs with straight lines, it is an innovation by its 
abolishing the gardener’s dearly beloved pet side lights, with their heavy 
framing, which for years I have vainly tried to induce the fraternity to 
do without. At the same time the necessity or advisability of such a 
height as 4 feet for brick wall, with at least 4 inches more of woodwork 
up to the glass line, is not at all evident, as the beds are usually only 
2 feet G inches high. 
The weak point of this house will prove to be the junction of the roof 
and sloping side glass. The rafters 5 feet apart are said to be “ not 
heavy,” and are secured by angle irons, but the three lighter ones between 
can only be joined together at the bottom in a very slight manner, and 
the pressure of wind and driving rain or the weight of a heavy fall of 
snow will try this part considerably in a year or two. If there was a 
slight connecting plate or rail to receive the foot of the roof and the tops 
of the front bars it would be an improvement, and the 2 inches of light 
it would intercept would not be worth consideration. 
I wonder some of your able contributors have not yet discovered that 
the equivalent of what is gained by endeavouring to secure one object 
is often 'lost in another direction equally important. For instance, to 
obtain light you often lose heat by the adoption of wide panes of glass 
and the use of slight timbers, which the pressure of wind causes to bend, 
and so there is admitted double the amount of cold air at each lap that 
would be possible if the glass was narrower and the roof more rigid. I 
cannot say that such is, or will be, the case in this roof (or in the 
“ vinery of the future,” page 494), as there are said to be only two laps 
down the roof, but the lower one must admit more air than three ordinary 
laps would, though possibly not more than would be admitted all round 
the side lights. The obstruction of light caused by two or three light 
bars of wood in every 10 feet is imaginary, as the white paint on them 
reflects as much as the density of the wood obstructs, while a 12-inch 
pane will be 50 per cent, more rigid than one 15 inches wide, and will 
not admit anything like half the amount of cold driving wind at its 
laps. 
The formation of a gutter in the wall plate is a mistake, as the best 
wood the world produces will crack there in a few summer’s suns, and 
other disadvantages will show themselves in such a length in stormy 
weather.—B. W. Warhurst. 
Storing Gladioli. —In the last issue of the Journal “ D., Deal," says, 
on this subject, when referring in some seasonable observations to florists 
flowers—“I should like to ask ‘ W. J. M. ’ who recently detailed his 
