September 2, 1886. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
199 
Selection of early kitchen Apples.—Keswick Codlin, York¬ 
shire Beauty, Duchess of Oldenburgh, and Worcester Pearmain. 
EARLY PLUMS. 
A siliceous or calcareous soil is best for Plums. Tn deep 
loams they make strong and late growth, which does not ripen, 
and the trees are liable to attacks of gumming and die back. 
They are most profitable on the limestone or oolitic formations. 
Early Rivers.—Yery good, hardy, and a great bearer. Very 
heavy fruit, first rate. 
Czar (Rivers).—Large, an early Prince Euglebert, great 
cropper, and never cracks. This -is a valuable addition, one of 
the very bes". 
Sultan (Rivers).—Rot so large as Czar and round, resembling 
an Orleans, but deeper coloured and very much earlier. A 
capital sort. 
Gisborne’s.—Smallish, yellow, a great bearer, and does well 
in the north. 
Pershore.—Looks like a small Magnum Bonum, hardy, and 
good bearer; yellow, fine sub-acid flavour. Capital culinary and 
preserving sort. 
Those are kitchen and preserving Plums of merit in the order 
of their placing. 
DESSERT PLUMS. 
Early Favourite (Rivers).—This is tender and requires a wall 
with a south aspect, on which it ripens from the middle of 
July to August. 
Oullins Golden.—Large, greenish yellow, first rate A 
strong grower, hardy and free cropper, doing well even in the 
north. 
Perdrigon Violet Hatif.—Purple, medium sized, hardy, and 
very productive. 
Early Blue.—Medium sized, a great bearer, and hardy. 
De Montfort.—Purple, medium sized, a good Plum, but not 
over-hardy. Similar remarks a.pply to Early or July Green 
Gage. 
Denniston’s Superb.—Greenish yellow, large, and good 
bearer. 
Early dessert market Plums are scarce. Oullins Golden, 
Perdrigon Violet Hatif, and Denniston’s Superb are best for 
growing as standards. 
Plums as standards are admirably adapted for garden as 
distinguished from orchard culture. They readily admit of crop¬ 
ping between, their roots not being so soon injured as those of 
the Pear and Apple. They appear to relish a certain amount of 
mutilation of the roots in digging for other crops, only it is not 
practised too near the stems of the trees, and evidently has the 
same beneficial effect as root-pi - uning, increasing the number of 
active feeders for transmitting the increased food supplies which 
generally accompanies root-pruning in the shape of mulching 
and digging in the manure supplied ostensibly for other crops, 
but actually mainly appropriated by the Plums.— Utilitarian’ 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND THEIR CULTURE. 
(Continued from page 177.) 
KEEPING THE BLOOMS. 
One of the best qualities which Chrysanthemums possess is the 
long time the blooms remain fresh either growing on the plants or 
in a cut state ; still, much to the disappointment of many growers 
for exhibition, they often fail to keep long enough. In most 
seasons a large number of fine blooms are rendered useless through 
the too early development of some of the varieties for a particular 
date ; and unfortunately these usually include the finest examples. 
This is more often the case in the south of England than in the 
north. The greatest trouble growers situated in the northern 
counties have to contend against in most seasons is the non-develop¬ 
ment of the flowers in time for the shows. By judicious manage¬ 
ment blooms can be kept in good condition a considerable time. 
Those possessing thedarkest shadesof colour—namely, the chestnuts, 
bronzes, and the deepest lilacs—retain their freshness the shortest 
period, while the primrose shades, the whites and the yellows, con¬ 
tinue the longest in good condition. Some growers cut the blooms 
when expanded, and strive to keep them a long time by placing 
them in dark closets in rooms, but I have found that in no case 
will they keep sufficiently fresh for exhibition longer than eight days, 
and this in only a very few instances. Peter the Great is one of 
the best varieties for keeping. To have blooms in the best possible 
condition on any given date four days previous is quite soon enough 
to cut them. If cut earlier the florets lose their necessary solidity, 
and in consequence are not so large as they otherwise would be : 
this is particularly noticeable a the Japanese section. When cut 
the flowers should be perfectly developed just at the time they are 
quite at their best, and before they lose their freshness. The com¬ 
mencement of decay can best be ascertained by feeling the lower 
florets, which should be crisp and solid, not soft and flabby. When 
this occurs the white varieties will soon assume a pink tinge, and in 
some other varieties a faint brownness in the bottom florets points 
to waning beauty ; therefore when the centre of a flower is fully 
developed and the lower florets fresh the blooms will be right, and 
should be cut with a long stem—say 9 or 12 inches, so that a small 
portion can be cut off every day ; place it in a bottle previously filled 
with water, amongst which a little salt has been mixed—say, three- 
quarters of a teaspoonful to three half pints of water. It matters 
not whether the water be hard or soft. Place the blooms in a cool 
slightly darkened room having a dry atmosphere ; this is the manner 
in which I have found them keep the best in a cut state, but 
I prefer to allow them to remain on the plants until required, or at 
least two days before, when they may be cut with safety and treated 
in the manner above described. 
When it is seen that a flower is likely to be too early, growing 
as it is in the coolest house and protected from sun ; the moment 
it is at its best remove the plant to some cool structure which can 
be partly darkened, and where air can be admitted freely. A potting 
shed having a northern aspect, Mushroom house not in use, a large 
air barn, coach house, in fact any place having the necessary require¬ 
ments—viz., coolness, dry atmosphere, and partly excluded light, 
will be suitable. No more water must be given to the roots than is 
absolutely required to prevent the leaves and flowers flagging - 
Simply enough to retain freshness suffices, as at this period of the 
plant’s existence the functions are torpid, and the work as regards 
the development of blooms completed. Sometimes a week and 
even more will elapse before the plant requires water, particularly 
if the soil is of a retentive character. The pot when sounded in 
the orthodox manner may ring clearly ; still the soil may be moist 
enough. The best indication of water being required is by examin¬ 
ing the leaves, and if they are in the least soft and devoid of fresh¬ 
ness then apply clean enough water to soak the soil through, and 
give no more till the leaves again feel limp. The water which 
drains from the pot should be at once dried up to prevent damping. 
Should any signs of this occur at once remove such damaged florets, 
which only serve to contaminate others near them. Flowers man¬ 
aged in this manner will keep fresh and in good condition for ten 
or twelve days, sometimes longer. 
PREPARING FOR SHOWS. 
The old adage of “ a good beginning making a good ending ” is 
very applicable to this subject. A systematic method of preparation 
for a show greatly assists an exhibitor in having all ready by the 
appointed time to start, particularly if he has a long distance to 
travel. Some time previous to the date of the show he knows what 
classes to enter in, and makes his preparations accordingly as to the 
numbei of trays and boxes required. The first necessity in arrang¬ 
ing the flowers is a light and perfectly clean room. It often 
happens that the potting shed is the best available place, the 
benches being the right height, and generally there is plenty of 
light coming in at the right place—the front windows. This 
materially assists in arranging the colours harmoniously. Thoroughly 
sweep the benches, and if at all dusty wash them down ; remove 
any cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, or anything else which by 
accident might fall and do damage to any of the blooms that might 
unfortunately be underneath. A little forethought in this will be 
an advantage. Next spread out the trays on the tables ; if for 
twenty-four blooms two trays, each one holding twelve, will be 
required ; place them ready to receive the flowers allotted to them 
in their special classes, having small adhesive labels fastened on the 
front of the tray denoting which class each belongs to—as for 
example, “ 24 Incurved, Cup Class,” or ditto Japanese, and so on 
till all the trays are ticketed. Any of the attendants can then see 
at a glance where to place or take from any individual bloom which 
it is necessary to remove, without running here and there asking 
questions and causing confusion at a time when that is least 
required. To some people all these details may appear trivial, but 
when something over 100 blooms have to be prepared for one 
show, and these by a certain time, allowing for a long journey 
by road and a much longer one by rail, and the time being neces¬ 
sarily cut as short as possible foi having them quite fresh, small details 
must be attended to, method adopted, and forethought exercised, 
or the work cannot be done satisfactorily. The notices which 
were fastened on to each tray are taken off when the stands are 
staged at the show. When the blooms are all arranged in the 
stands packing should commence. This is often done in a careless 
manner, but I would impress upon young beginners the necessity 
and advantage gained by care in this matter. Never think a few 
minutes wasted which are spent in properly securing the blooms in 
safe quarters ; more than once have I seen the first prize lost through 
