January 29, 189L. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
91 
C, Punnets. —In weighing Mushrooms a pound weight is placed on 
one side of the scale, an empty punnet in the dish on the other, then 
Mushrooms with their stalks on as pulled are added till a balance is 
arrived at. This is quite fair, for the punnet only weighs a trifle, and 
is worth more than that trifle to purchasers in the conveyance and 
■delivery of the Mushrooms without their being again “ handled,” and 
the punnets are not returned. They are simply sold in with the produce, 
and so cheaply that purchaser’s find no fault. Any soil adhering to the 
roots is shaken off before weighing, but the stems are not cut, or the 
juiciness and flavour would not be long retained ; in that respect, and 
it is of prime importance to consumers, the plan suits them, and it suits 
producers for another reason which is not very obscure. 
7. General Piformation, — I have endeavoured to give a little infor¬ 
mation under the different headings, and am willing to give more on any 
points that may be definitely stated. On page 09 of the book reference 
is made to a grower of Mushrooms near Liverpool, but whether he grows 
them still I am not aTale to say, and should not think it likely there are 
many persons who grow Mushrooms on a large scale, with manure so 
wet and heavy that two tons can be delivered in a one-horse cart. 
After striving, with very much pleasure to meet the requirements of 
■^‘Enquirer,” I shall perhaps anticipate others in stating that copies of 
the sixth edition of the criticised work can still be had from the office 
of this Journal, post free for Is. 2d., and all readers have full liberty to 
find as much fault as they like with what it contains. I have no reason 
to modify my statement that Mushrooms, well grown, are more profit¬ 
able than any other vegetable crop grown in this country, and all the 
failures that occur are either the result of unsuitable manure, mis- 
inanagement, accident, or weak spawn.] 
CHEVSANTHEilUJr FANNY BOIJCHARLAT. 
This 1 find one of the best varieties for late work. This week I 
have cut some fine fresh blooms for wreath making, and the plants are 
of good dwarf habit, retaining their foliage better than many of the 
late varieties. Boule de Neige is also a good variety, but Fanny 
Boucharlat is fully three weeks later grown under the same conditions, 
and if thinned freely we can secure blooms of large size. What 
■coloured varieties are good for January blooming ?—W. J. I. 
Measuring Chrysanthemums. 
Mr. ThOmas Card, Bulland, Antony, Devonport, sends for our 
inspection an appliance he has made for measuring the diameter and 
depth of Chrysanthemum blooms. It consists of a circular plate with 
two slits in it, one for the stem of the flower for determining its 
diameter, the other for the measure for showing its depth, and as both 
the plate and standard are marked like a measuring rule, the dimensions 
of blooms are ascertained with exactitude. The appliance is fanciful, 
■no doubt, yet well made and effectual for the purpose in question. 
Chrysanthemums for Christmas. 
If Mr. Haslam has not already Chrysanthemum Boule de Neige I 
would advise him to procure it without delay, as according to my ex¬ 
perience it is the most useful white Chrysanthemum for Christmas 
decoration. It cannot exactly be described as a reflexed of the larger 
size, or indeed as a Pompon, but it is intermediate between the two. It 
has a dwarf habit, keeping its foliage well, and also being a profuse 
fiowerer. I cultivate it in G-inch pots, in which size it succeeds 
admirably. The habit is naturally rather bushy, but we keep it pinched 
up to the first or second week in July. Ethel we also grow for the 
•same purpose, but in larger pots, and not so closely pinched. Virginale, 
an Anemone Pompon, is also a very late variety, only just now com¬ 
mencing to open its bloom. It is not a free fiowerer, which is against 
it. This season we restricted the root space to G-inch pots with better 
results.—A. Young, Ahherleij Gardens, Stourport. 
Late Chrysanthemums. 
I lately saw in the Smithfield Market, Manchester, blooms of a 
variety which is a reflexed sport from Princess Teck, being pure white, 
having none of the blush tint of its parent. For this reason the variety 
in question will be extremely valuable when it becomes more generally 
known ; at present the stock remains in the hands of one man, who 
purposes growing 15,000 plants during the coming season. Being 
ceflexed the flowers are more valuable for wreaths than incurved blooms. 
This variety blooms early in December, and can be had until the middle 
of February by working the plants in succession. Three cuttings are 
placed in a 3-inch pot, from this they are transferred to one 5 inches in 
diameter, and finally into a 7-inch one, in which they flower, each 
pot carrying from fifteen to eighteen blooms. The side buds are removed 
to concentrate the energy of the plant into the selected buds. By this 
method of culture good plants in pots can be had as well as cut flowers, 
as this variety does not grow tall. 
Chrysanthemum Coppellia, belongs to the Japanese reflexed section, 
ia capital for producing late flowers, the blooms are compact, thoroughly 
reflexed, the colour blush or white, tinted with rose. Jasper Pozain.— 
This Japanese kind is excellent for producing late flowers. The colour 
of the blooms from terminals is a faint blush. At this time of the year 
I think this colour particularly pleasing, certainly it is to the ladies. 
—E. M. 
Bush Chrysanthemums at Trentham. 
Although Chrysanthemums are largely cultivated at Trentham for 
the production of blooms for exhibition, this is not the only manner in 
which they are there grown. Mr. Blair finds that cultivated in “ bush ” 
form they are extremely useful, not only for supplying abundance of 
cut blooms for the vases in the house during the Chrysanthemum season, 
but for late decoration of the conservatory bush plants are extremely 
useful. In the second week in January many plants were still in fine 
condition, and all the leading varieties are tried as they come out. I 
thought a note w’ould prove useful to some who patronise this method 
of culture and who desire to know how the newer varieties behave 
under this mode of culture. I jotted down a few of the best then in 
bloom as well as others which had previously been tested. 
The style of the plants differs somewhat from those grown by others. 
Instead of repeatedly pinching the points of the young shoots they are 
topped twice, the first time at 3 inches high, and again when the shoots 
are about 8 inches long. After this the shoots are allowed to grow 
freely. Some of the plants run up G feet high, according to the 
variety of course. As a rule they carry three dozen blooms. The small 
side buds are removed, which concentrates the strength of the plants in 
the.central flower on each shoot. The plants are well supplied with 
moisture, especially during the summer. 
The following varieties were good for the latest supply of blooms. 
Admiral Sir T. Symonds, single yellow ; some of the flowers of this 
variety were barely developed, the colour bright yellow being especially 
showy. America, another single variety, blush white, being valuable for 
late use. Sunflower, Swanley White, C. Orchard, Roseum Superbum, 
and Mons. Elliott. Other sorts in favour are Madame Rose Owen, 
Maiden’s Blush, Don Quixotte, Soliel Levant, Puritan, Amy Furze, 
Mdlle. Blanche Pigny, George Daniels, Mdlle. Louise Leroy, J. Thorpe, 
junr., and Triomphe de Auzin, the two latter belonging to the Anemone 
section. Soeur Dorothde Souille, Japanese Anemone, being an especial 
favourite for this style of growth.—E. M. 
Chrysanthemum Culture in America. 
The United States horticulturists have taken up the Chrysanthemum 
with great spirit, and judging from what we see in the illustrations in 
the American Florist, and what we read, that our American friends are 
scarcely behind us in growing plants. In the American Florist of 
November 27th, in the report of the Chrysanthemum Show at Washing¬ 
ton, U.S. A., one plant of W. H. Lincoln is described as having “some 
300 bright canary yellow blooms, varying in diameter from 3 to 5 inches, 
the plant covering an area of not less than 13 feet in circumference.” 
Another correspondent in a very readable article on new Chrysanthe¬ 
mums seen at Mr. Louis Siebreche’s nursery, writes—“ Among yellows 
Mr. S. regards W. H. Lincoln as the very finest in the market. The 
flowers are very large, full double, high in the middle, of a pure deep 
yellow, bolt upright, and on stiff stems.” The same writer remarks that 
Mr. Siebrecht had very handsome blooms of Mrs. Alpheus Hardy from 
plants struck in June. Referring to this variety for a moment, I saw 
three or four fine blooms in the collection at the Edgbaston Botanical 
Gardens, and I notice that Mr. J. Aplin gives favourable experience of 
this variety in the Journal of December 25th. I think this variety has 
not been seen at its best yet, and I know of growers who had condemned 
it intending now to give it another trial. I fear it underwent terribly 
hard propagation before being sent out. Other “ostrich plumed” 
varieties are before us. Louis Boehmer is well spoken of in the 
American gardening papers, and reference is made to its promising to 
become a standard sort on account of its robust habit of growth. This 
variety is evidently becoming popular in America. Another new 
variety of ostrich plume is announced as being grown at Montreal, but 
does not seem to be named yet. It is described as of a deep yellow 
colour, and of about the same size as Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, but more 
globular in form and decidedly more hairy. New varieties raised in 
America are now very numerous, and many of these find their way to 
us, and many acquisitions will be found amongst them. Many of your 
readers will remember Mr. John Thorpe, who many years ago was a 
partner in the firm of Messrs. Bell & Thorpe at Stratford-on-Avon, and 
on the dissolution of the firm Mr. Thorpe went to New York, and soon 
became well known in the States as a practical horticulturist. He now 
takes a very active interest in all horticultural matters, and his name 
crops up here, there, and everywhere in connection with horticulture. 
He is one of the Chrysanthemum growers, and so great is the interest 
taken in the Chrysanthemum now in the United States, that in three 
numbers of the American Florist reports of fifty Chrysanthemum shows 
and displays in as many different cities and places are given, and many 
of these places are many hundreds of miles apart. Mr. James Laing 
of the Forest Hill Nurseries was in America in the height of the Chrys¬ 
anthemum season, and his experience, if he would kindly give it, would 
be of great interest to all Chrysanthemum growers and horticulturists 
generally.—D. S. H. 
The Hull Chrysanthemum Society. 
The annual meeting of the Hull and East Riding Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Society was held at the Station Hotel, Hull, on Monday evening, 
2Gth inst., Mr. Geo. Bohn, Vice-Chairman, in the chair. The report 
showed that the Exhibition of the Society held in November last 
