JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 23, 1685. 
by. 
should be ■well trenched (indeed this is not lost on any crop), 
and heavily manured, and with good plants the individual 
blooms should he as large as a crown piece ; this is not an 
extraordinary size, however, as I have had them in quantity 
of similar size in somewhat stony ground, but which had been 
well manured previously. 
The Potentillas are quite hardy—no frost will harm them 
in the least, and when out of flower they are not unlike the 
Strawberry in their silver tufts of leaves. From amongst the 
leaves issue the numerous flower stems, which usually attain 
a height of 2 feet, rather below than above, and consequently 
are of a serviceable size, and being of compact habit there is 
no trouble experienced in this direction. One point in favour 
of them is their adaptability for towns or smoky districts, and 
for this purpose these plants, and also German Irises, are 
very useful; in fact, I know none bettor suited than these 
two groups, and being so readily increased (the Irises espe¬ 
cially so), it is surprising they do not find a home in many of 
our public parks and gardens. "While the Potentillas are not 
so readily increased by division as many hardy plants, they 
have the good qualities of being free seeders, so that a stock 
may soon be raised in this way, all of which may be sufficiently 
good for the shrubbery border if they do not attain perfection 
from a florist’s point of view. Seeds sown in early spring 
produce plants that will, if placed out m beds when sufficiently 
large to handle, make good strong flowering plants for next 
year. The other modes of propagating them is by division, 
and also by means of cuttings. The latter will be best car¬ 
ried out in the following manner: At the present time the 
growths from large plants will be numerous, and as it will 
not be prudent to lift the plants now they are coming into 
flower, the only alternative is to remove the soil from around 
the collar of the plant, so as to bare the upper portion of the 
somewhat woody rootstock, and then strip off with a heel at¬ 
tached as many as may be deemed prudent, so as not to 
sacrifice too many flowers. Insert these in sandy soil, with¬ 
out further preparation, in a somewhat shady position, and 
cover with a handlight; in about three weeks the majority 
will have formed roots. I have, it may be well to remark, a 
strong dislike to the knife in propagating many hardy plants, 
for many failures are traceable to this alone, and in many 
instances which have come under my notice the portions 
which would have emitted roots freest and earliest have been 
cut off, and so it is with Potentillas. Phloxes, Pentstemons, 
Sunflowers, and similar plants having softwooded stems, 
root most readily from soft, sappy cuttings. 
It may not be unreasonable to assume that if the progress 
among these plants continue, that they will ere long be as 
double as are many Persian Ranunculus at the present time, 
not that being so would make them any more beautiful than 
now—rather the reverse, since that portion of the flower 
which can easily be seen and admired now would be hidden 
from view. I will briefly enumerate some of the most dis¬ 
tinct varieties, and will take the singles first. Of these there 
is none more striking, more profuse, or beautiful than P. 
formosa, which produces in the wildest profusion its bright 
cherry-red blossoms, a most telling plant in the rock garden. 
Others are Hopwoodiana, Smoutti, and Russelliana, with 
various other forms. The best doubles and semi-doubles will 
be found among the following: California, Chromatella, and 
Vase d’Or are yellow seifs, and all very fine. Aurantiaca 
is a good orange ; Dr. Andre, golden yellow suffused with 
vermilion; Hamlet, very dark crimson, very fine; Louis 
Van Houtte, deep crimson, this is best dark variety ; Yelours 
Pourpre, deep blood crimson, very large; Due de Nassau, 
chestnut red, suffused with yellow ; Cameleon, scarlet striped 
purple and yellow; Versicolor fl.-pl., a very pleasing flaked 
variety ; Madame Rouillard, soft velvety scarlet, shaded and 
edged with amber; Le Dante, yellow suffused with red, fine 
shape; "William Rollisson, mahogany suffused with orange, 
very free ; Victor Lemoine, bright vermilion, striped yellow. 
To these varieties many more may be added equally good 
and attractive, and all deserving of culture ; at present they 
are evidently very little known, or they would be more fre¬ 
quently seen in gardens, for they will rank among the most 
popular of hardy decorative plants.— J. H. E. 
OVERCROPPING. 
How ranch fruit a tree can bear without injury is still in 
many respects an unsettled question. That there is a limit to a 
tree’s endurance none can doubt, yet few can state definitely 
where the line can be drawn. Some trees constitutionally strong 
can bear heavier crops than those with a weaker constitution, 
other things being equal, but it has been frequently observed 
that stunted trees assume a more fruitful habit than their 
healthier neighbours. If these were allowed to perfect their 
fruit the evil of overcropping would soon be apparent in failing 
health and premature decay, but the cases are rare, owing to 
climatal and other influences in which overcropping alone has 
killed a tree. 
If we study overcropping we find that the nature of the tree 
causes it to put forth all its energies in fruit-bearing, and as the 
crop i 3 heavy or light, so the tree is weakened more or less. 
Now if there is no suitable nourishment applied to the tree to 
recruit its weakened strength it is certain that its vitality will be 
impaired, and the result will be inferior fruit m lessened quan¬ 
tities. If instead of this neglect the tree had_ been sustained 
according to its requirements it would have continued as fruitful 
a 3 before. Our imperfect knowledge of the vegetable kingdom 
will not allow us to go so far as this, but a judicious method of 
cultivation will attain satisfactory results. . 
Partial failures in Grape-growing are more frequently attri¬ 
buted to this cause than any other, and with a certain degree of 
truth, but in many cases the Vine is overcropped simply because 
it is underfed. It is no exceptional case in which Yine borders 
are made with the greatest care, and Vines are planted where for 
a time they give satisfaction. But in the course of years un¬ 
finished berries and cases of shanking are the rule, and after the 
border has been examined to see whether the drainage is right, 
the cause is put down to overcropping. This induces a thorough 
overhaul, fresh soil is added to the border, and in the course of 
two years the Vines have improved wonderfully. Now this may 
have been the best way to act under the circumstances, but it 
could have been avoided by judicious nourishment in the first 
place. The fact that the Vines did improve showed plainly that 
weakness was the cause of their unsatisfactory condition. 
Perhaps the Peach tree illustrates this reasoning more clearly 
than any other. Examine one carrying a full crop but im¬ 
perfectly sustained, and it will be seen that in endeavouring to 
fulfil its mission the leaves turn a yellowish hue, and many of 
the fruits ripen prematurely, while the buds show poor prospects 
for another season. Turn to another carrying an equal crop 
but properly nourished; there the leaves have a deep green coloui 
and the fruit ripens perfectly, the buds giving promise of a 
favourable crop next year. Overcropping is not to be judged so 
much by the quantity of fruit on a tree as by the assistance 
given to perfect that crop. In all cases it is the same. Whatever 
elements a plant extracts from the ground must be supplied 
again, or it will deteriorate in value, and in the constituents 
necessary for the proper sustenance of plant life. J. 
MacDonald. 
THE HISTORY OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
(Continved from page 3.) 
It has been shown that the Chrysanthemum had rapidly risen in 
the estimation of the public, and was fast taking its place as a 
popular favourite in England. The next thing that will occur to the 
mind of the inquiring reader will be to know what progress it was 
making in France, to a countryman of which its first introduction 
was due. 
A twelvemonth after Mons. Blanchard’s importation it was cul¬ 
tivated in the Jardin des Plantes, where, notwithstanding what may 
he stated to the contrary, it received almost as little attention as the 
Chelsea variety did in this country in 1764, and nearly shared a 
similar fate. Thirty-six years after the old purple reached the shores 
of France, the only French author who has interested himself suffi¬ 
ciently in this plant as to write a distinct treatise on it asserts that 
there were but a very limited number known (according to Mr. Salter 
only fifteen kinds in 1822), and these of no particular merit either in 
form or colour, the best being of a dull lilac colour or of a doubtful 
yellow. 
Few French florists at that period troubled themselves about its 
culture, and we may therefore assume that to us English people 
belongs the credit of first appreciating the value of the Chiysanthe- 
