Kovember 25, 1838. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
489 
to be taken indoors ; they are then placed in an intermediate tem¬ 
perature, prior to being arranged in the forcing house, which, as I 
have stated, is a Melon house, and having bottom heat pipes for the 
beds. On the boards over the pipes we place narrow frames, which 
are nearly filled with cocoa-nut fibre, in which the pots are plunged 
up to the rim. Some loose moss is then shaken over the crowns, so 
that they are completely covered, and which is allowed to remain 
on them until the growths and flower spikes have pushed up 
through it. The frame is kept closed to this time, and the moss 
moist, when air is given and gradually increased until they are 
ready for being taken out of the frame, when they are placed on 
shelves well up to the light and slightly sprinkled with the syringe 
two or three times a day, which assists the development of foliage 
and flower spikes. 
Our first plants last year were placed in heat on November 
23rd, and there were some in flower on December 14th, and a few 
days before Christmas we had the whole finely flowered, many of 
the spikes having from ten to fourteen flowers of good size. We 
place about twelve or fourteen crowns in a 48-size pot, and the 
majority of them flower in the manner described. I think anyone 
having a house such as is used for Cucumber or Melon growing 
•with bottom heat pipes may, if they procure good plump 
crowns, be able to have them in flower at the end of December 
•or at the new year if they are treated in the way I have mentioned. 
Anyone not having suitable frames would find large boxes covered 
with glass quite as useful.—S. T. C. 
HARDY PLANTS FOR CUTTING. 
Will you kindly assist me with your advice as to what would 
be the best herbaceous plants for me to obtain now ? I want those 
that would yield plenty of flowers for cutting purposes. They are 
used here largely for house decoration, and we require flowers with 
long stems, such as Michaelmas Daisies, Gladioli, and Delphiniums, 
Phloxes, or such like ; the brighter and more striking the colours 
the better. I should be much obliged if you would name annuals 
for spring sowing of the same description. I have grown many 
different sorts, mostly shorter kinds. I want to make my list up of 
some more suitable for the purposes mentioned.—W. B., Sussex. 
[The following are all good cutting plants and the colours safe 
to please most people. White flowers are always most sought after, 
and of these any, or the whole of the following, are suitable. 
White Flowers .—Achillea Ptarmica fl.-pl., Allium neapolitanum, 
Anemone Honorine Jobert, Galtoniacandicans, Eupatorium fragrans, 
Campanula persicifolia alba fl.-pl., C. urticiefolia alba fl.-pl., Chrys¬ 
anthemum Leucanthemum, C. maximum, C. serotinum, C. Madame 
Desgranges, C. Mrs. Cullingford, C. La Yierge, Hesperis matronalis 
alba plena, tall variety; Iris florentina, I. germanica alba, Lilium 
candidum, L. longiflorum, L. speciosum album, Lychnis vespertina 
fl.-pl., Malva moschata alba, Narcissus incomparabilis, N. poetieu3 
ornatus, poeticus, and p. fl.-pl., best variety ; Phloxes Lady Napier, 
Miss Robertson, and Bridesmaid, Spiraea Aruncus, S. Ulmaria fl.-pl., 
•Gladiolus Shakespeare and The Bride, Dahlias White Aster, Mr. 
Tait, and Henry Partick, Carnations White Clove, Gloire de Nancy, 
Comtesse de Paris, Comte de Chambord, The Bride, Yirgo, &c. ; 
Pinks Mrs. Sinkins, Mrs. Welsh, white Foxgloves, Convallaria 
polygonatum. 
Yellow Flowers .—Achillea aegyptiaca, Adonis vernalis, Alstroe- 
meria aurantiaca, Coreopsis lanceolata, Chrysanthemums Precocity, 
Golden Fleece, George Wermig, and Mrs. Burrell, Doronicum austri- 
acum, D. Pardalianches, Tulipa sylvestris, Gaillardia vars., Harpa- 
lium rigidum, Helenium pumilum, Helianthus multiflorus fl -pi., 
Hemerocallis flava, Iris Pseudacorus, Narcissus in great variety, 
Lilium excelsum, L. croceum, Papaver nudicaule, Solidago cana¬ 
densis and Short! ; Trollius asiaticus, yellow Dutch Tulips, Dahlias 
Mrs. Stancombe, Canary, and Mrs. Hawkins, Carnations Pride of 
Penshurst, R. H. Elliot, Mrs. Reynolds Hole, &c., Gladiolus Alsace, 
Lafayette, and Pactole. 
Those with red shades are Carnations in variety, Gladiolus 
'brenchleyensia, Grand Rouge, Le Phare, Legouve, Flamboyant, 
Horace Yernet, Arabi Pasha, Montaigne, and Meyerbeer, Phlox 
coccinea, Dahlias Juarezi, Comet, Chilwell Beauty, Glare of the 
Garden, Lilium tigrinum splendens, L. fl.-pl. umbellatum, Thun- 
bergianum, Tritoma Uvaria, Papaver bracteatum, Schizostylis 
•coccinea, various Tulips, Lychnis chalcedonica fl.-pl., Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Toreador, Roi des Precoces, and Salvia fulgens. 
Of blue flowers, which are not numerous, we have Delphiniums, 
easily raised from seed, Agapanthus umbellatus, Salvia patens, 
Erigeron speciosum, Stenactis speciosa, Polemonium Richardsoni, 
Scabiosa caucasiea, Eryngium amethystinum, and Geranium pra- 
tense fl.-pl. 
Flowers of rose and pink shades are Anemone japonica, 
Achillea rosea, Dielytra spectabilis, Phlox Malame Mossent, 
M. Grahame, Carnation Mary Morris, Princess Mathilde, Feodora 
Miss Joliffe, and perhaps the pink Malmaison ; Gladiolus Eugene 
Souchet, Fra Diavolo, Teresita, Orphee, Phoenix. Other necessary 
flowers are Asters, such as turbinellus, elegans, Novae Anglise, Novi 
Belgii, Amellus bessarabicus, versicolor, ericoides All the Pyre- 
thrums are suitable ; Gladiolus Lemoinei and Andre Chenier are 
very fine ; also G. Penelope Amiti(, M. Ad. Brongniart, Psyche, 
Hesperide, Diamant, Ne Plus Ultra, and Gandavensis should be 
grown. Monarda didyma, Convallaria Polygonatum, Foxgloves, 
Polygonum Sachalinense, Iris ruthenica for foliage, Spanish Iris, also 
German Iris, any herbaceous Paeonies, and Thalictrum minus. 
Good tall-growing annuals and biennials are white and purple 
Sweet Sultan, Scabious, Salpiglossis, Branching Larkspur, Corn¬ 
flower, Corn Marigold, CEnothera Lamarckiana, Quilled Asters, 
white Pieony Aster, Veitch’s Miniature Sunflower, single Zinnias, 
Nicotiana affinis, single African Marigolds, Humea elegans, 
Gaillardias, Sweet Williams, Canterbury Bells, and Poppies in 
great variety.] 
CHRYSANTHEMUM PRINCESS OF WALES. 
I AGREE with Mr. Molyneux’s remarks, page 149, respecting the 
above variety, and I consider no stand of incurved blooms complete 
without it and Mrs. Heale. The beautiful form of these varieties when 
well grown claims a place in the middle row of any stand, and now we 
have Violet Tomlin, a purple rose-coloured sport from Princess of 
Wales, which (with the exception of Refulgens) I consider the brightest 
coloured of all the incurved. It requires the same good treatment as its 
parent. I hear, too, we are to have another one added to the family, a 
yellow sport from Mrs. Heale. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM CONFERENCE. 
I was much pleased to read the account of the Conference held at 
Sheffield on November 16th and 17th, and, like many other lovers of the 
“ Autumn Queen,” would like to have been present; but that in my case 
was impossible. I would now suggest that another Conference be held 
in the afternoon on the date of the National Chrysanthemum Society’s 
annual dinner, if it could be so arranged, as then it would give members 
from a distance an opportunity of attending both the Conference and 
dinner. No paper is required in my opinion, but a further discussion on 
those read at Sheffield by Mr. Tunnington and Mr. Molyneux,— 
J. Doughty, Angley Paris, Gardens, Cranbrools. 
THE SEASON. 
Now that the Chr 3 ’santhemum season is so far advanced it might be 
interesting to compare a few notes as to the success or failure we have 
met with this season. As far as my own observations are concerned, I 
have to report almost a complete failure, which has been brought about 
by damping, and which by report appears to be very general this season 
throughout the country. Those that appear to have suffered most are the 
large blooms, or more properly speaking, those that have been grown on the 
single-stem system for exhibition. But those that have been grown simply 
for decoration and cutting have escaped with very little loss. This 
damping I have no doubt has caused much anxiety, especially to those 
whose plants have been so full of promise, and the cause seems wrapped in 
mystery. As far as my own experience is concerned and the observations 
I have taken, I feel convinced’that it is through the injudicious supply 
of water and over-feeding, especially after the buds have been taken, 
for it should be remembered that when the buds are swelling the plants 
do not require so much water as when they are in full growth, aud I 
think if we were more careful in examining each plant aud attending 
to its wants individually instead of pouring water and stimulants into 
it wholesale, it would be time well spent, and we should hear less of 
failures through damping. Of course the seasons must be taken into 
account, and there are times when damping is comparatively unknown 
to us, but the present season has been an exception. The growth of the 
plants has been everything that could possibly be desired, but with so 
little sunshine it has been next to impossible for them to ripen their 
wood thoroughly. Consequently the wood and foliage has been full of 
sap. Therefore, although the buds were at first so full of promise and 
held forth great expectations, the result is anything but satisfactory, and 
I would strongly advise all to be more careful in the supply of water 
and stimulants at the stage before mentioned. But some may say, “ You 
cannot give Chrysanthemums too much ” (and I have had it said to me 
too) ; but even if this should be the case in regard to plants growing 
naturally, I would draw attention to the fact that when plants are only 
carrying three or four blooms they cannot stand so much feeding, as 
there is not so much for the roots to support, and the grave consequence 
is the roots are surely poisoned, and when the time comes that we expect 
to ste good returns for our labour, we see (and in some instances when 
only one or two florets have expanded) they begin to decay. Then we 
