243 
JOURx^AL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ ro, 891. 
soil, in which it grows vigoroasly, and when the roots are kept near the 
surface it does not canker. The extension system of pruning is what is 
required to produce fruit, what I call a pyramid without restriction. 
By allowing the young shoots to remain 18 inches long, with merely the 
point removed to induce some of the back eyes to grow as well as those 
near the point to form fruit spurs, a large tree is quickly obtained. Due 
regard should be paid to allowing ample space between the branches for 
the admission of sunlight and air, otherwise this freedom in extended 
growth is a mistake in the pruning operation. We used the last 
of the fruit of this variety on March 2nd, which were in capital 
condition for culinary purposes. As a market Apple Mere de Mhnage 
should take a high position. Its bright and taking colour, either 
in September or February, is equally good. Indeed, I cannot say too 
much in its favour as a free bearing and good keeping sort.—E. M. 
- The area under the administration of the Bengal Forest 
Department, according to its last Report, during 1889-90 consisted of 
5195 square miles of reserved forest, 2239 square miles of protected 
forests, and 4031 square miles of unclassed State forest and waste lands, 
aggregating 11,468 square miles, which is 5^ per cent, of the total area 
of the province—viz., 193,198 square miles. The forests are, however, 
confined to the districts bordering on the sea, the sub-Himalayan tracts 
and the plateau of Central India, so far as it stretches into Chota Nag- 
pore and Orissa. An area of 207 square miles was added to the reserves 
during the past year, and 25 square miles of protected forests in the 
Sunderbunds were farmed out for reclamation. The title of Govern¬ 
ment to existing reserves is being completed by a compliance with the 
requirements of the Act, and the inquiries incidental to these proceedings 
will also secure the record and protection of private easements. The 
special measures taken for the protection of forests from fires have been 
increasingly successful, 95 per cent, of the areas thus dealt with having 
escaped, in spite of the dryness of the season, against 72 9 per cent, in 
the previous year. 
The Chrysanthemum Analysis. 
The analy.sis of varieties shown during the last year as compiled by 
“ E. M., Bc/hh(imp4ea(l proves that cultivators arc paying far greater 
attention to the true incurved than to many others which are not what I 
call true in character. Take for instance such sorts as Beverley, Venus, 
White Venus. Prince of Wales, or even Mr. Bunn, not one of these can be 
compared with the more popular varieties of to-day, as, for instance, 
Miss M. A. Haggas, which has been singled out for distinction as head¬ 
ing the list in the incurved section. A true incurved bloom should have 
the points of its petals meet quite close in the centre, should not stand 
upright as in the case of Beverley, which neither belongs to this section 
nor to the reflexed type. The number of times (seventy-one) which 
Empress of India and Lord Alcester were staged in 1890 stamp these 
two as especial favourites. The latter in my opinion is at the present time 
the finest of all varieties in the incurved section ; more show blooms can 
be cut from the same number of plants than from any other sort in 
cultivation. In the incurved section some one variety appears to have 
a “ run ” at certain times, what is termed among.st growers a “Jeanne 
d'Arc year." Fur instance, this seison was a Priimess Beatrice year ; cer¬ 
tainly a good number to be found in first-rate condition. It cannot be 
classed as one of the best and certainly not one of the easiest to grow, 
but Lord Alcester appears to be in'fiuenced by neither weather nor 
popularity, keeping steadily on its way, as the s.aying goe.s. The once 
popular trio, the Bundle family, are very low down in the list. Com¬ 
petitors find that the blooms nowadays require not only form and 
quality, but size also. Take, for instance, Lady Slade, which'is extremely 
neat in the formation of the florats, but it lacks what is perhaps the 
most important ])oint of all in an incurved bloom—depth ; without this 
little sirceess may be expected. One variety which was much belauded 
before it was knovn ou this side of the Atlantic, but has turned out 
perhaps the worst failure of recent years, I refer to Ada Spaulding. 
Such expcuences as this will surely place growers on their guard before 
they devote time, money, and space to what has at p)reseat been useless 
as an incurved variety for the exhibition table. 
Your correspondent draws attention to Mr. Bunn being so indiffer¬ 
ently represeiPed, and I am not surpri-ei when it is emsidered that it 
is very early flowering, and in consequence must be grovn on the 
terminal bud to have it late enough for the shows, and then the blooms 
possess no depth. _ I might say this is a regretable fact, inasmuch as 
it is quite distinct in pohit of co'our, and as good yellows are scarce, in 
tlr.s section part'cularly, wt miss it from the stands. But the fault" is. 
as I have previously stated, its quality does not come up to the 
recognised standard of excellenc '. 
I do not know Avhy your correspondent should use the woi’d 
“ unfortunately ” in his remarks anent the manner in which the new 
incurved varieties are obtained, by the sporting of their p rent.s. For 
my part I fail to see why a Chiysantheinum in anjr section is not as good 
as being the result of a sport as a seedling. The only reason that can be 
put forward in favour of seedl ngs is that they give a wider range in 
character, such as habit of growth, formation of the bloom generally, 
and the florets. But even this is not nearly so noticeible in an incurved 
variety as in other sections, because the form of i curved blooms admits 
of so 1 ttle variation. As long as a variety is disthict in colour I fail 
to see why it is not as good as a seedling. If we secure an extended li.st 
of colours surely tin's is progress. There is a wide difference in that 
respect between Miss M. A. Haggas and its parent to please the most 
prejudiced person against sports. I know certain persons appear to have 
a strong objection to obtaining new varieties of Clirysanthemums from 
sports, why, I do not know. To my mind it makes little difference how 
they come as long as they are really distinct. 
In the list of Japanese varieties the retrogression of the older sorts is 
even mo-e striking. Take, for instance, two vaueties, M. Ardene and 
Bouquet Fait; the former was staged but once in 1890, and the latter 
not at all. I remember the furore caused by these when first placed 
before the public. The former I saw at Southampton in 1879, and I have 
an idea that Bouquet Fait was there too. I tbought these were lovely 
flowers, especially the latter in point of coloirr. It rc.allyis not that they 
have deteriorated so much, it is the wonderful progress made by others, 
mainly the result of seedlings raiseil in Japan, America, France, and 
elsewhere. 
I do think, though, that two variet'e.s, ildmc. C. Aud'guier and Belle 
Paule, have “ gone back ” in qualitj'. The last three yea’s a good bloom 
of either sort has been a rare occurrence. The fo-mer at its best is truly 
magnificent, but I do not deplore so much the loss of others besides these 
tw’o named, on account of their ungainLness in habit. It is varieties of 
the style of growth of Avalanche that we want to take the place of those 
named. The finest blooms that have ever been seen of the first of these 
came from plants 12 feet high. Now with recent introductions extremely 
fine blooms can be had from plants which grow 3 and 4 feet high. 
This surely is an advance in the section under notice. Varieties of the 
Elaine type are being discarded, they are thought too close in the 
arrangement of the florets ; the moderately loose petalkd sorts, such as 
Sunflower for instance, which are not “ sprawly ” in form, nor yet too 
close. 
In spite of the opposition there is to Etoilc de Lyon, this variety in 
conjunction with Sunflower takes premier honours in the list, and is only 
beaten by two others in the number of times staged last season. Opinions 
differ so much as to what constitutes quality in a Japanese Chrys- 
authemum that if Etoile de Lyon is objected to on account of the great 
breadth of its florets, and I believe it is, how comes it then that 
Empress of IncFa, for instance, in the incurved section is so highly 
thought of, this having the broadest florets of any in that section? 
AVhat appL'es in one case ought to in another. My opinion is that it is 
more a matter of taste than aught else as to what constitutes refinement, 
elegance, and beauty in a Japanese Chrysanthemum. The wonderful 
advance made in the Japanese .sec ion during the time named by your 
correspondent is probably due to the fact of this family being so 
much more easily increased by seedlmga than any other section.— 
E. Molyneux. 
EARLINESS OF RHUBARB. 
As this is a matter of some importance to many growers, and know¬ 
ing that not a few readers of the Journal of IJortindture are specially 
interested, I will give you my experience of one or two early varieties as 
set forth by their own showing on being pulled for the first time in 1891. 
This day, March 23rd, I begin with my old and favourite Hawkes’ 
Champagne; it measures inches from the colour at the base to the 
bottom of the leaf, with a circumference measurement in the centre of 
the stem of 3 inches; Yaxley Vicar’s Ehubarb, (i inches of stem (same 
measurement all through the varieties), with a circumference of 
3j inches ; Tobolsk, 5 inches of stem, with a circumference of 2 inches ; 
Chiswick Red, 4 inches of stem, with a circumference of 3 inches; 
Kershaw’s Paragon only just lifting the straw ; and 'Johnstone’s St. 
Martin only .slightly moving. As far as I am concerned this settles it 
with me as to which is the earliest Rhubarb, and as to quality none of 
the others can be mentioned in the same breath with Hawkes’ Cham- 
jiagne. I am told that Chiswick Red beats, for earliness, Hawkes’ 
Champagne in many places, notably about London. I do not dispute 
t'lis, and must therefore conclude that there is Hawkes’ and Hawkes’. 
Now I know that mine is the true variety, because I had it direct from 
Mr. Gilbert of Burghley, through whose kindness and generosity I had a 
good supply. Chiswick Red I know also to bo true, lecause through the 
kind influence of the Journal of Horticulture I had the true variety 
from Mr. Barron of the R.H.S. himself. Yaxley Vicar’s Rhubarb is very 
like in character to Chiswick Red, but it is slightly (not much) earlier, 
and this is also true, because it came to me directly from Yaxley. 
Tobolsk is characteristically true, and I have to thaidv “ Handy Andy,” 
near Limerick, for it. (Shy man, why will he not let his brother know 
who he is ?). But whatever its merits may be in Ireland it is not worth 
growing as a quantity-producing Rhubarb in comparison with other 
varieties. After all, I widi it to be distinctly understood that I do not 
