108 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 4, 1892. 
Skirving ; third, Mr. J. Keen with W. Skirving; fourth, Mr. Douglas 
with Sarah Payne. Purple flakes.—First, Mr. J. Keen with George 
Melville ; second, Mr. C. Phillips with James Douglas ; third, Mr. 
Rowan with George Melville; fourth, Mr. F. Nutt with the same; 
fifth, Mr. Douglas with Mrs. Douglas. Scarlet flakes. — First, Mr. 
Douglas with Matador ; second, Mr. R. Sydenham with Henry CannellJ; 
third and fourth, Mr. Rowan with Sportsman ; fifth, Mr. Douglas with 
Alisemond. Rose flakes.—First, Mr. J. Lakin with Sybil; second Mr. 
C. Turner with Lady Mary Currie ; third, Mr. Hooper with Mr. G. 
Cooling ; fourth (no name), with Thalia ; fifth, Mr. Blick with Thalia. 
The premier Carnation in the Show was a remarkably fine bloom of 
Dr. Hogg, scarlet bizarre, shown by Mr. C. Turner. The flower was 
richly coloured. 
In the classes for Picotees, single blooms, the following awards were 
made :—Heavy red edge : first and second, Mr. J. Douglas, with an 
unnamed seedling. Light red edge: first, Mr. C. Turner, with 
Thomas William ; second, Mr. H. W. Headland with Souvenir of H. 
Headland. Heavy purple edge: first, Mr. J. Douglas, with Muriel; second, 
Mr. J. J. Keen, with Amy Robsart. Light purple edge : first, Mr. H. W. 
Headland, with Pride of Leyton ; second, Mr. J. Lakin, with Miss Lakin. 
Heavy rose edge : first, Mr. Keen, with Mrs. Sharpe ; second, Mr. Nutt, 
with the same ; third, Mr. Keen, with Mrs. Sharpe. Light rose edge : 
first and fourth, Mr. J. Douglas ; second, Mr. H. W. Headland ; third 
and fifth, Mr. Keen, all with Liddington’s Favourite. Yellow 
grounds : first, Mr. C. Turner, with Countess of Jersey ; second, Mr. 
Henwood ; third, seedling, the name of the exhibitor was not given ; 
fourth, Mr. Nutt, with Almira, and fifth with Agnes Chambers. The 
premier Picotee, as mentioned in our last issue, was a beautiful bloom of 
Favourite, light rose edge, in one of Mr. Douglas’s stands. 
Seedlings were fairly numerous and prizes and certificates of merit 
were awarded to the following :—Homer, crimson bizarre, from Mr. J. 
Douglas, a large flower, bright in colour ; Atrato, purple flaked (Douglas), 
remarkable for its deep tint of bright purple ; Ganymede (Douglas) 
heavy red edged Picotee ; Melpomene, medium rose edge Picotee, very 
good ; Desdemona (Douglas) light rose edge Picotee, distinct; Eurydice 
(Douglas) a well-coloured yellow ground ; Zeno (Douglas) a medium 
red-edged Picotee ; and Lady Wantage, a large white self of fine quality 
from Mr. William Badcock, Reading. 
Chrysanthemums at Swanmore Park. 
There have been logicians holding the quaint position that he who 
would breed fat oxen should himself be fat. Without at all contesting 
or favouring this contention, there can be no doubt whatever but that 
the gardener who sets up as a critic of Chrysanthemums should know 
very much that is practical and authoritative concerning them. Mr. 
Edwin Molyneux is a Chrysanthemum critic, and a somewhat severe as 
well as distinguished one. He has attained to that high position through 
the exercise of much patience, industry, and skill, having first become 
a champion grower and exhibitor, then a distinguished judge, and 
to this latter function he now adds that of being one of the most capable 
of critics. I can hardly say of him that, having won for himself the 
highest honours Chrysanthemum exhibiting offered, he did, Alexander- 
like, weep that there were no other worlds to conquer, for on the contrarv 
he seems to have been amply, nay, even almost more than satisfied 
with his honours, and, retiring from active competition, left the exhibi¬ 
tion area open for other competitors to, if they will, achieve similar 
results. 
But it would be indeed a tremendous mistake were anyone to 
assume that, because now no longer a Chrysanthemum competitor, 
the hero of Swanmore Park was no longer a grower. The reverse is 
the case. Mr. Molyneux grows more plants than ever, and grows them 
wonderfully well also. There is one secret of the great success 
which attended Mr. Molyneux exhibiting a few years since as to which 
he does not attempt to detract one item of merit. It is, that as Swanmore 
Park lies some 400 feet above the sea level, and is situate on an open 
breezy district where the atmosphere is naturally much drier than it is 
in lower localities, conditions favourable to the production of hard 
mature summer growth is found, which does not always exist else¬ 
where, and thus it happens that many varieties are at Swanmore much 
dwarfer than sometimes is the case; the joints are short, the wood hard 
and sturdy, and the leafage thick and leathery. But apart from this 
climatic advantage, there is the undoubted fact remaining that only the 
closest and keenest watchfulness and observation enable a grower to 
understand fully the needs or requirements of each variety, for Chrys¬ 
anthemums are wonderfully varied in that respect, and let the natural 
advantages of a position be what they may, only the closest attention 
can discover what treatment each variety may require. In all these 
matters Mr. Molyneux is a master, hence the value of his criticisms. 
I was all the more interested in seeing the Swanmore collection of 
plants, because I have heard it suggested that one reason why the 
gardener there bad retired from the competition field was owing to some 
loss of cultural skill. To show how groundless was the suggestion I 
would aver that it would be very difficult indeed for any Chrysanthemum 
grower at the present moment to exhibit superior plants to those 
now growing at Swanmore. I found first a grand lot of the taller 
varieties standing on each side of a long garden walk, where they were 
much sheltered from rough winds by trees and hedges. This walk is 
about 180 feet long, and on each side standing on boards were 
about 150 plants. In some cases 10-inch pots were carrying two plants, 
and remarkably well were they doing' in such companionsliip. Indeed 
the practice seems to be a specially desirable one. On another path 
was a large number, perhaps 150 more, and then in an enclosed yard 
having a very hard ash bottom or floor I found standing in rows, 
4 feet apart, all the dwarfer varieties including Pompons. There 
were in all about 860 plants, for I counted them for my own satis¬ 
faction, and whilst all the best older sorts are grown for comparison, so 
also are there found very many of the best novelties, including some 
direct from New Zealand. The latter have not been previously grown 
in this country, and with respect to their merits Mr. Molyneux will 
doubtless enlighten the readers of the Journal in due time. 
In many cases buds had already been taken ; in others they were 
just developing, and perhaps there is no matter after all in relation to 
the production of fine Chrysanthemum flowers, that is of such 
importance as is the taking of the buds at the proper moment. Not 
every grower perhaps adopts the precaution of placing on the soil in the 
pots and just before the plant stem a piece of potsherd on which the 
water is poured ; this prevents washing out the soil, as is so often 
the case when watering is done recklessly, and certainly when over 
800 plants have to be watered in hot dry weather there is little time for 
the exercise of much discretion. An occasional pinch of Thomson’s 
manure had already been given to the plants, but stimulants are not 
applied lavishly, and certainly not with a free hand until the buds have 
more largely developed. Enough has been said to show that, now more 
critic than competitor, Mr. Molyneux has at his disposal ample materials 
for criticism and judgment ; and also, that in no sense has his hand lost 
its cunning. Swanmore Park lies in no one’s way. Everyone who 
visits the place must go there on purpose, hence not so many see the 
beautiful gardens as wish. I have found few gardens, even far more 
pretentious, that better repay a visit.—A. Dean. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
July 26th. 
Scientific Committee.— Present: Mr. Morris (in the chair), Mr. 
McLachlan, Mr. Michael, Prof. Green, Prof. Church, and Rev. G. 
Henslow, (Hon. Sec.) ; visitor, Dr. W. C. Williamson. 
Termes at La Rochelle. —Mr. McLachlan having previously stated at 
the meeting held on June 21st, that the species in question was a native 
of the Old World alone, though Mr. Warburton is still under the 
impression that it was introduced to La Rochelle from America; he 
added the following observations :—“ Termes was first noticed at La 
Rochelle about 1798, and was supposed to have been introduced from 
St. Domingo, with which place there was much trade at that time. 
This erroneous idea evidently still exists at La Rochelle as a tradition, 
having been handed down from generation to generation. A much more 
probable explanation has been suggested, namely, that it was introduced 
into La Rochelle with firewood from Landes where it is very abundant. 
Termes lucifugus has never been found in any part of North or South 
America, or in the Vv est Indies. In geographical distribution it is 
essentially circum-Mediterranean, but extends into Spain, Portugal, and 
as far north as La Rochelle. I possess the insect from several localities 
on the European coasts of the Mediterranean, and also from Egypt and 
Algeria.” 
Dianthus Attached by Fungus. —Mr. Massee reported upon the 
specimens sent to the last meeting by Rev. C. W. Dodd, as follows :— 
“ 'The fungus is Helminthosporium exasperatum, Berh. and Br., and is 
present in various stages of development. As to whether this fungus is 
the cause of the disease or not it is impossible to say without experi¬ 
menting on healthy plants. This I am now doing, and will report later. 
I may add that Helminthosporium has been shown to be the cause of 
disease in other cases.” 
Bouillie Bordelaise, Cause of its Failure. —The following communi¬ 
cation was received from Dr. Russell :—“ I send you now the result of 
my examination of the bouillie bordelaise used at Chiswick. Mr. 
Barron, I find, took 7 lbs. of sulphate of copper and 10 lbs. of quicklime ; 
he slaked the lime in 10 quarts of water and dissolved the copper sulphate 
in 7 quarts of water, and afterwards diluted these liquids so as to make 
the total quantity up to 100 quarts. The clear solution from the lime 
was added to the sulphate of copper solution, and the precipitate allowed 
to settle. The Tomatoes were syringed with the clear liquid. The effect 
has been disastrous, the stems and leaves having in every case been 
burnt, and the lower leaves had to be removed. Some of the same 
solution falling also on Vine leaves produced red spots (burns). Now 
this solution, prepared as above described, was simply a dilute solution 
of sulphate of copper, containing about one ounce of sulphate of copper 
in the gallon; so that the whole of the process for preparing the 
solution was entirely useless, and the product, viz., the hydrated oxide of 
copper thrown down by the lime, was allowed to settle and was not 
used ; in fact, if you had taken an ounce of copper sulphate and dissolved 
it in a gallon of water you would have got a solution of exactly the same 
kind as the one which was used. In the letter from M. Cornu, which 
you have sent me, I see it is stated that this hydrated oxide of copper is 
