July SO, 1851 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
85 
system. Mr. Udale when at Shirecliffe commenced the practice of 
topping a few of the later and tall growing Japanese the secmi season 
that he grew flowers for exhibition, and was so far satisfied with the re¬ 
sult! that each year afterwards whilst he remained there he extended it 
to more and more varieties. I know that his opinions on the subject 
now are as strongly as ever in favour of the practice. I think it is a 
question which should be taken in conjunction with the following. 
Timing the Blooms. 
Every exhibitor knows what an important subject is the latter and 
how much depends thereon, and it is as an invaluable aid to success in this 
that topping at the right date becomes so important and valuable. It is 
not possible to lay down rules as to what are the best dates for topping 
each variety, so much depends upon collateral circumstances, such as the 
district, the weather, and the condition of the plants. Undoubtedly 
•-& few of the latest varieties, such as Boule d’Or, L. Canning, Mrs. Irving 
Clarke, and others may advisedly be topped about the last week in May, 
others at different dates in June according to their respective earliness, 
whilst those midseason varieties which are likely to be in about the 
right time from the natural break are best never topped at all. I will 
•conclude my remarks upon this to the exhibitor, the most important of 
all modes of Chrysanthemum culture, by giving a list of what I consider 
are the best fifty Japanese and the best thirty incurved varieties for 
^exhibition. 
Japanese (fifty).—Avalanche, Beauty of Castlewood, Eynsford 
White, Etoile de Lyon, W. W. Coles, Mrs. A. H. Neve, W. H. Lincoln, 
Puritan, Stanstead White, Edwin Molyneux, Mrs. Wheeler, Sunflower, 
Volunteer, Mrs. Irving Clarke, Mrs. Falconer Jameson, Madame Baco, 
‘Boule d’Or, Jeanne Dfilaux, Carew Underwood, Comtesse de Beauregard, 
L. Canning, Criterion, Thomas Stevenson, Madame John Laing, Sarah 
■Owen, Japonais, Lady T. Lawrence, Mr. H. Cannell, Ralph Brocklebank, 
Improved, Meg Merrilies, M. Bernard, M. Burnet, Marguerite Marrouch, 
Gloriosum, Comte de G-erminy, Madame C. Audiguier, Belle Paule, 
Condor, Mons. Astorg, Mons. Freeman, Mrs. Frank Thompson, Mdlle. 
Lacroix, Annie Clibranj Mrs. J. Wright, Maiden’s Blush, Elaine, Val 
•d’Andorre, Stanstead Surprise, Mdlle. Blanche Pigny, and Fair Maid of 
Guernsey. 
Incurved (thirty).—John Lambert, Lord Alcester, Empress of India, 
•Queen of England, Golden Empress, John Doughty, Miss Haggas, 
Princess of Wales, John Salter, Violet Tomlin, Mrs. Heale, Alfred 
Halter, Lord Wolseley, Prince Alfred, Mrs. S. Coleman, Princess Beatrice, 
Lady Dorothy, Mr. Bunn, Beauty of Hull, Barbara, Hero of Stoke 
Newington, Princess Teck, Mrs. Norman Davis, Refulgence, Lady 
Hardinge, Jardin des Plantes, Empress Eugenie, Nil Desperandum, 
.Alfred Lyne, and Charles Gibson. 
Specimen Plants. 
The cultivation of specimen plants is a subject I need not, I think, 
dwell long upon. It is one which is certainly not held in much favour 
by exhibitors generally. There are now, I believe, few growers of them 
in or around Sheffield, and there are still fewer in or around Leicester ; 
in fact, I do not know of one in that district, consequently no c’as3 is 
made, or prize offered, for them in the Leicester Chrysanthemum 
■Society’s schedule. Even those who would like to grow them find that 
they entail the expenditure of too much time and attention, and when 
the time arrives that it is necessary to house them, they take up too 
much valuable space to allow of the’r being made profitable. Their 
•great value in filling and suitably furnishing the show tent cannot bo 
denied, but it is seldom a show committee can see its way to offer such 
prizes for them as would reimburse the cultivator for the cost of their 
production. A dozen of the best varieties for trained specimens are— 
Bouquet Fait, Hiver Fleuri, Coquette de Castille, Massalia, La Nyrnphe, 
Peter the Great, Madame Bertier Rendatler, Fleur de Marie, Jardin des 
Plantes, Mrs. Rundle, George Glenny, and Mrs. Dixon. 
Late Plants. 
Much more remunerative than the culture of trained specimens is 
that of cultivating plants specially for the production of late blooms. 
The demand for good flowers at Christmastide and for a few subsequent 
-weeks is each year greatly increasing, consequently the prices then to be 
•obtained for them are satisfactory, the demand always being in excess of 
the supply. The difficulties attending their production at this season 
are not great, and the time and attention required in their culture is 
very small when compared with that required for trained specimens. 
Insert the cuttings any time in April, or not later than the first week in 
May. They should be stopped not more than twice, once when about 
"6 inches high, and again when the breaks are about 4 inches in length, 
be potted on as required, and be placed in their largest pots about the 
-end of June. If large specimens are required three plants may be placed 
in a 10-inch pot, otherwise 9-inch pots are quite sufficiently large. Grow 
them in pots throughout the season. I am in favour of planting out 
some midseason varieties, to be lifted and flowered at midseason, when 
•quantities of cut flowers are required, but this practice will not be found 
to answer well in the production of plants to flower in December and 
January. 
The check and reaction necessitated in lifting the plants before the 
advent of severe frosts would either bring them into flower earlier than 
desirable, or spoil their chances of flowering at all satisfactorily. Place 
them in a cool portion of the garden, where they are not much shaded 
by trees, but where they have the sun directly upon them for a portion 
only of the day. Of course care and attention will be required in 
watering and staking, same as for the others, but they will not need 
such copious supplies of liquid manure as is being given to thoee for 
proiucing exhibition flowers. Weak liquid manure given once a fort¬ 
night through August and once per week in September is as much 
feeding as they require, or as is beneficial to them. 
Towards the end of September, at about the time the others are 
housed, place these in front of a south wall, or at least in a position 
fully exposed to the sun, and where they may readily receive a slight 
protection in case of frosty nights. The best possible protection is a 
light tiffany covering, so arranged as that it can be drawn over them at 
night and removed during the day. In such case they will be best to 
remain outside until the second week in November, unless unusually 
sharp frosts set in sooner. They should be all strictly disbudded, leaving 
one bud only to each branch, as at Christmas and afterwards one good 
flower will (even more so than in November) be found of more value 
than a bunch of inferior ones. The operation of taking the buds ought 
to be performed at about the time they are housed—early in November. 
When housed they will require all the light possible, with free ventila¬ 
tion ; also care to avoid a f tack3 from mildew, an occasional syringing 
on a bright dry morning with a solution of softsoap and sulphur I have 
found best for this, both as preventive and cure. At Barkby Hall, 
near to where I reside, the gardener, Mr. Lansdell, grows Chrysanthe¬ 
mums well, as standards, for exhibition blooms and in other ways. 
All through last December the large conservatory there was finely 
decorated with some twenty p’ants grown and treated as above, each 
FIG; 13.— ME. W. Iv. WOODCOCK. 
plant being a beautiful bush about 2 feet through, and carrying twelve 
to twenty flowers, large and deep, equal to many seen on the exhibition 
table. 
The varieties best suited for this work are all the Teck family. 
Miss Marechaux (a good white incurved, much grown in trade establish¬ 
ments for January flowers), Sarnia, Ethel, Yellow Ethel or Mrs H. J. 
Jones, Mr. II. Cannell, L. Canning, Thunberg, Putney George, and 
Princess Blanche. The last named is, I believe, the latest variety in 
cultivation, very dwarf and compact in growth, and altogether a most 
excellent useful white Japanese. 
Just a few words in conclusion re planting out of midseason 
varieties in May specially for lifting to provide cut flowers in November. 
I am quite sure it is a mode of culture deserving to be more generally 
adopted ; especially does this plan answer well where the plants can be 
hous°d without a necessity for potting them. Mr. Angus, who is now 
proprietor of the Carlton Hotel, one of the be3t commercial houses in 
Leicester, but formerly head gardener at Warter Priory, recently told 
me that his principal supply of cut flowers was produced by plants so 
grown, and flowered in Cucumber and Melon houses, his plan being 
that when housing time came he would put two or three men to the 
work, one being inside with a spade making holes, and planting them, a3 
others lifted them and carried them in, with all the ball which would 
lift with them. He said those plants flagged but little and flowered 
amazingly, giving little trouble from first to last. In potting them the 
ball has necessarily to be reduced by more than one-half, of course with 
the loss of the best feeding roots. The plant has then to practical'y 
start afresh, and before it can sufficiently recover to do so it inevitably 
loses a considerable portion of foliage. Although Chrysanthemums so 
quickly suffer if neglected in watering when grown in pots, it is 
surprising the amount of drying they will endure when planted out. I 
never water mine except at the last, when they are cut round prepara¬ 
tory to lifting ; and although I have seen them flagging and drooping 
almost to the ground during hot drying days, they would recover their 
stiffness at night, and be apparently no worse for the drying they had 
received. Almost any varieties answer to this rough and ready treat¬ 
ment, but the best to grow thus are those which are most useful when 
cut, such as the Rundle family, Mdlle. Lacroix and its sports, Mons. 
Astorg, also an English raised seedling named Old Gold, raised by 
