September 9, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
225 
position required. In the case of large blooms of the Queen type, 
which might be injured by the stems of other plants while growing 
together in the group, it is better to remove the former to other 
structures. If small span roofed houses are at hand for growing 
Primulas and other greenhouse plants the stage is a capital position 
to place a few plants of Chrysanthemums without much interfering 
with the regular occupants, first taking out the stakes and tying the 
stems to the rafters of the roof in such a manner that the flowers 
will hang down. In such a position the petals develope evenly in 
their proper places, incurving at the same time in the best possiblo 
manner. Blooms treated in this way do not require nearly so much 
dressing as those do grown under ordinary circumstances. They 
can also be retarded better in this way than when growing in a 
mass, for the reason that the sun does not shine so fully on the 
centre of the blooms, which in many instances causes them to open 
quicker and reflex much sooner than when in a downward position. 
The daily trouble, too, of shading is dispensed with to a great ex¬ 
tent, as it is seldom that shade is required when the plants are 
grown in this manner. Failing the position named, a vinery in 
which the foliage has fallen from the Vines answers well. Place 
the plants near the front of the house, tying the stems to the wires, 
hanging the blooms down in the same manner. All incurved blooms 
require dressing to a greater or less extent. I have heard people 
remark that such and such flowers in stands had not been dressed, 
as they were varieties that did not require any assistance, growing 
so well in form that nothing can improve them. This is a mis¬ 
take. No flower which I have at any time staged for competition 
ever failed to go through the dresser’s hands ; even those of the 
Bundle type and Princess of Wales, which develope flowers so evenly 
in a natural way, require some of their florets arranging before they 
can be termed perfect examples. When some varieties—the Queen 
family for instance—are about three parts open, it will be seen that 
there may be too many florets in the centre to expand fully for 
want of space ; in such cases remove with the medium-sized forceps 
a few over, say, a space of half an inch in diameter, quite in the 
centre of the bloom, scraping the base quite clean ; this allows the 
adjoining florets to grow into a much larger size and incurve natu¬ 
rally towards the centre, and thus the bloom assumes the desired 
form. 
Blooms which require dressing should be cut with a stem 
G inches longer than the tube in which the flowers are to be placed, 
the extra length of stem being required for the operator to draw 
the bloom down into the tube. Select tubes of the size required 
for each specimen so that the flange is not seen ; cut off the leaves 
from the stem, slip the stem through the tube, bringing the latter 
close up, but not pressing on the petals at first; then take the 
flower in the left hand, and with the longest forceps as shown on 
fig. 19, page 132, take out any florets, one at a time, that are 
damaged or out of place. It is useless to allow such to remain, or 
any that are too stiff to incurve. The centre of a bloom will some¬ 
times show a cavity known as an “ eye.” The common cause of 
this defect is “ taking ” the buds at a time not best suited to 
the variety, generally too late. Such blooms are not easy to 
dress. The short yellow quill-like florets, commonly known as 
“ seed petals,” which form in the centre, must be removed with 
the medium-sized forceps. The next thing to do is to draw the bloom 
down in the tube ; this reduces in some instances the depth a 
little ; however, this is necessary to gain the globose form so much 
desired. It is extremely difficult to say how far each bloom requires 
to be pulled down to the tube ; the operator must be guided in this 
by the variety and the solidity of the bloom. The tube should 
hold the petals in their place, those in the centre incline towards 
the middle of the bloom, so that no “eye’’will be visible. The 
flower stem is best fixed in the tube by means of small pieces of 
cork cut wedge-shaped. These are best soaked in water before 
using, rendering them softer and more easy to push into their 
places with the thumb. As the cork and stem are in the water con¬ 
tained in the cup the cork swells and remains tight in its place, but 
is easily withdrawn by the forceps should necessity require its 
being taken out. Some growers use plugs of wood to secure the 
stems in the tube, but I think they are too hard and likely to cause 
injury to the stems of some weak-growing varieties, likewise they 
cannot be so easily placed in or taken out of the tube ; also that 
more time is taken up by preparing them than do the cork stops. 
When all the details which appertain to dressing the blooms, 
and which I have endeavoured to explain, are completed, the 
arrangement of the petals should be the next consideration. The 
accompanying engraving, fig. 30, shows a bloom of Jeanne d’Arc 
necessarily reduced, the full size being 5 inches in diameter and 
4i inches deep ; this represents an incurved bloom about two-thirds 
dressed, the remaining part rough, and is thus sketched as a guide 
to beginners. The top or centre of the bloom is the correct place 
to commence dressing. If the florets there show an inclination to 
reflex, then, holding the flower in the left hand and with the small 
forceps in the right, veiy gently draw the jaws up the edges of the 
florets from the base to the point. If this is done with care and 
good judgment the centre will be quite filled and the bloom a model 
of regularity. Great care must be exercised in applying the 
forceps, or the florets will be bruised. This may not show at once, 
but the marks maybe too visible by-and-by,an 1 spoil the appearance 
of the flower. 
My remarks on dressing have been confined to the incurved 
family, because well-grown examples of other types—viz., Japanese, 
Reflexed, and Anemones require no dressing beyond the removal of 
a badly placed floret, as for instance several flat florets may appear 
in the disc of an Anemone bloom, or an irregular-shaped ray or 
guard floret may protrude unduly ; in both instances they must be 
removed, thus rendering the blooms neat and symmetrical. Some 
Japanese varieties are rather addicted to showing an “ eye ; such 
an unsightly object must be removed, first pulling out the “ seed 
petals, “then turning the bloom upside down, and by giving it a severe 
shake the florets next to the centre will generally fall into the 
place of the abortions previously removed. Well-grown retlexed 
varieties require no dressing beyond the removal of any long 
irregular florets that detract from the neat appearance ot the 
blooms. 
A GOOD BLOOM. 
There is much misunderstanding amongst growers of Chrysan¬ 
themums, especially young one , as to what qualities constitute a 
Fig. 80.— Dressing Chrysanthemums. 
good bloom. Having had considerable experience, I will give 
what, in my opinion, is required in a bloom before it can be called 
a representative specimen. It is a fault amongst young growers 
(and some old ones too) to imagine that mere size is the desideratum 
to aim at. Size I grant is the first object a cultivator has in view, 
but it must be accompanied by other good points in a Chrysanthemum 
before it can rank as a first-rate specimen. I will state the several 
qualities of an incurved bloom as I think they ough o ‘ ' , 
—namely, size, depth, solidity, breadth of petal, foim, nis > 
ness, and lastly colour. In some localities, owing to atmospher ical 
conditions, such as dry pure air and strong soil, the colour of t e 
flowers is much deeper and richer than it is m other district 
the light is less intense, as it is in the vicinity of large towns low 
damp situations, and light sandy soils I prefer to measure and 
compare all blooms when they are dressed and arranged in t 
stands. Under other conditions, such as when growing on 
plants or before being dressed, they are deceptive. AH 
being dressed are smaller, especially m depth, always 
manipulation of the petals has taken place. y * g ^ 
reduced somewhat by cupping, notably those > ‘ ~ t e 
The diameter of a dressed representative bloom of tje Queen yp 
should not be less than 5 inches nor its depth leu ® 
the blooms are often larger, but the size mentioned may be considered 
to indicate good average specimens. Then takeHeroofStoke 
Newington as a typical medium-shaped bloom ; this should 
