July 15. 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
87 
plan advised. Trimming off the old leaves is different from 
removing all indiscriminately. One is beneficial when done early 
and judiciously, the other is injurious at any time. 
REMOVING RUNNERS. 
Removing runners early has a tendency to induce a super¬ 
abundance of foliage, but after the fruit is set and swelling 
there is no danger of the runners interfering with the foliage 
only injuriously by obstructing light, so that they should be 
removed, and the sap so liberated will be diverted toward the 
swelling of the fruits. No runners should be allowed to remain 
on a plant after it has formed a joint or bud. Out off all at 
this stage up to the fruit setting, and afterwards through the 
season as soon as they show, never allowing them to pass the 
bud state of the runner plant. All beyond this is so much taken 
from the soil against the permanent plant, as the runner is fed 
entirely by the parent until after it has commenced forming 
roots, and the series of runners that follow are fed by the mother 
plant, so that they are a great strain upon the resources of the 
parent, especially when they are not in a medium favourable to 
their producing roots on their own account. We very often see 
plants with two or three joints of runners without a single root 
on any of them, and these take as much support from the soil as 
the parent and reduce its vigour proportionately.—G. Abbey. 
(To be continued.) 
MULCHING. 
Peas and Beans will be considerably benefited by having a dressing of 
half-decayed manure 4 inches thick laid on as a means of conserving the 
moisture at the roots as well as stimulating growth. The mulching 
should be put on as soon as the rows of Peas and Beans are earthed up, 
and the former staked ; after which, in the event of the weather being dry 
at the time, a good watering should be given. Fruit trees, such as 
Peaches, Cherries Apricots, &c, will abo yield better results by having 
a few inches thick of manure laid on the surface of the soil immediately 
over the roots—say to the extent of 4 or 5 feet from the base of the trees. 
Beds containing Pelargoniums, Calceolaria", Stock", and Asters may, by 
the application of a few inches thick of short manure, be furnished in a 
little more than half the time the plants would otherwise require to cover 
the surface of ihe beds with flowering shoots. A good mulching of short 
dung laid on between ranks of Raspberries will also be productive of the 
most satisfact <ry results ; more especially is this the case during a dry 
season.—H. W. Ward. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND THEIR CULTURE. 
( Continued from, page 505 last vol.) 
ADVANTAGES OF RIPE WOOD. 
Many growers of Chrysanthemums fail in their desire to 
produce perfect blooms by not paying sufficient attention to 
ripening the wood of the plants. Undoubtedly the thorough 
maturation of the wood has a material effect on the development 
of the flowers. This is more apparent in the Incurved section than 
in the Japanese family, as in the former case depth and solidity of 
blooms are essential points, and they cannot be had from unripe 
wood, therefore let me impress upon the inexperienced cultivator 
the importance of this phase of Chrysanthemum culture. Ul- 
ripened branches will produce flowers large enough in diameter, but 
they lack depth and form. The greatest of all faults is not making 
the soil firm enough, particularly at the last potting. Under such 
conditions the roots ramble quickly into the soft soil, and the 
growths are soft correspondingly and devoid of that hard wood¬ 
like character that is so desirable. Using soil of too rich a nature, 
and the excessive application of stimulants, such as nitrate of soda, 
induce an undesirable luxuriance of growth. This may be pleasing 
to those who do not thoroughly understand its nature, but it is, 
nevertheless, deceptive, for the tisgues are not solidified. Over¬ 
crowding the plants is another common source of badly ripened wood ; 
the stems under such conditions grow weakly, and the leaves are 
imperfect. A free circulation of air amongst the plants, with their 
full exposure to the sun, all day if possible, contribute powerfully to 
substantial growth. If the plants are arranged and tied out as 
shown on page 460, the evil referred to will be averted. By the 
time the plants are in bloom the wood should cut almost as hard 
as a piece of Oak, and the colour of the bark should be rich brown 
in colour, with a rough uneven surface. Tbe leaves of such 
plants assume toward September a bronzy appearance, though 
some varieties indicate this character more clearly than others. 
I repeat, then, that the difference between wood thoroughly 
ripened and that which is unripe is that blooms from plants (all 
other things considered) of the former designation are always much 
deeper in the growth of the florets and firmer in “ build,” as it is 
called ; while those from unripe growths are large in diameter, 
devoid of depth, and contain a number of ill-shapen florets—in some 
instances without any semblance of incurving in the proper manner. 
The way to have thoroughly ripened plants is to pot and arrange 
as has been previously advised. Pay regular attention to their 
summer treatment of watering and regulating the shoots, and feed 
them as I will direct in a future issue. There is no such thing as 
growing the plants very strong and ripening them suddenly, so to 
speak ; the growths must be built up gradually as produced in all 
their stages from the time the cuttings are taken till the flowers 
expand. 
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN GROWERS. 
It has often been said that gardeners in the southern countie 8 
of England cannot grow Chrysanthemums so well as those in the 
north, and misunderstanding has arisen in consequence. Many 
people aver that the climate is not so favourable in the south as it 
is in the north, but except in one respect it is a mistake. I will 
endeavour to point out the advantages and the disadvantages of 
both districts. Until quite recently Chrysanthemums have not 
been seen in perfection farther north than the neighbourhood of 
Liverpool. Growers in that district have held their own, and have 
been regarded as the champions of England. Certainly some of the 
finest blooms have been shown from gardens in that neighbour¬ 
hood. The cause of the fame which has been so deservedly earned 
by Liverpool gardeners must be looked for in another direction— 
viz., the thorough mastering of all details connected with the 
growth of the plant. Fifteen years ago Chrysanthemums were 
well grown by Liverpool men, therefore successors to the gardeners 
of that date have been imbued with an ardent desire to emulate 
their predecessors and perpetuate the fame of the district. Still, 
attention has been given to all the requirements of the Chrysan¬ 
themum. This thorough study of the plant has placed the gardeners 
of Liverpool in their present position. It has been truly said that 
nowhere are specimen blooms grown with such a breadth of florets 
as the incurved blooms from that locality. The advantages they 
possess over their southern brethren are these—the season not 
being quite so early as in the south, consequently they are able to 
secure crown buds at a later period, and this is the only natural 
advantage they have. Until the last six years it cannot be said 
that growers around London and farther south stood any chance 
with the Liverpool men in general competition, but the fine blooms 
brought to Kingston by Mr. W. Tunnington and the late Mr. 
F. Faulkner induced London gardeners to emulate their northern 
brethren, and well have they benefited by the lesson taught them, 
for southern growers are now able to hold their own in friendly 
rivalry with their northern brethren. The disadvantages which 
southern gardeners labour under is the too early development of the 
growths in many instances, owing to the hot weather occurring during 
the months of April and May in some seasons. These premature 
growths do not produce the desired flower buds at the best time. 
Many times when the proper buds are retained which produce the 
largest and best flowers they are too early for the shows, ani 
cannot be retarded so easily in the south as they can in the north , 
therefore, much to the disappointment of the cultivator, smaller 
blooms have to be staged which cannot possess a good chance of 
competing successfully with the larger ones produced from buds 
“ taken” at a better time.—E. Molyneux. 
SUCCESSFUL TOMATO CULTURE. 
The best Tomatoes in pots I have yet seen are in the Peach house 
at Apsford, near Frome, the residence of A. G. Hayman, Esq. They are 
growing in 12-inch pots, and have received since commencing to crop 
heavily a liberal top-dressing of loam and manure. The roots are con¬ 
fined to the pots, and the remarkable crops borne by each plant afford 
strong proof that they have received the best attention with plenty of 
water, varied with occasional supplies of farmyard liquid manure. Each 
plant has two leading stems which have never been stopped, only the side 
shoots being closely rubbed out. Some are growing up the front trellis 
and the remainder among the young Peach trees on the back wall. In 
height or length of stem they range from 6 feet to 8 feet, and are bearing 
clusters of fruit nearly the whole length, some being fully ripe and others 
just set. The varieties are Reading Perfection, large and handsome ; 
King Humbert and Trentham Fillba^ket, both cropping closely and bear¬ 
ing medium-sized and rather solid fiuit; Large R-d, one of the heaviest 
of croppers and of good quality ; and Stamfordian, rather coarse in this 
case. Judging from the size of the clusters of matured fruit, each 
plant will perfect from 16 lbs. to 20 lbs. weight of Tomatoes, and this, I 
think it will be conceded, is a remarkably good record, and very much to 
the credit of Mr. S. Andrews, the industrious gardener in charge of a 
generally pretty, and in summer especially most charming residence. I 
must not omit mentioning that the plants are syringed twice daily, or as 
often as the Peach trees, and this has largely contributed to the unusually 
perfect set of fruit. I may also add that I, too, have adopted this season 
for the first time the use of the syringe for setting the fruit, and also 
