862 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 22, 188*. 
Earthworms — Mildew. — Earthworms in the pots are 
another troublesome pest, especially where the extra precaution 
has not been taken to grow the plants on boards or tiles through¬ 
out the summer. These disturb the roots and cause the flowers 
to be thin and weak. A good nob of fresh unslacked lime put 
into a two-gallon watering can and left to settle will make suffi¬ 
cient lime water for a good number of plants, which is the best 
thing to use to kill the worms in the pots. Mildew will appear 
more especially on high-fed plants. The best remedy is sulphur, 
which should be dusted over at the first sign of it. Some varie¬ 
ties seem more susceptible to this than others. Yal d’Andorre 
of the Japanese, and Triomphe du Nord, and also Dick Turpin 
amongst the Pompons, are the only varieties that have given me 
any trouble this season. 
New Varieties. —Of the new varieties it is yet too early to 
speak, but I shall be much mistaken if there are not some good 
additions as to colour and size in the Japanese class. Madame 
de Sevin is very promising, and I think will be a good addition. 
Trizon is a good colour, but I am afraid too small for exhibition. 
Cullingfordi is unfolding well with me, and 1 shall be disap- 
ointed if it does not come large enough to be included in the 
apanese section, it is such a grand crimson colour. Then John 
Laing promises well for a good deep flower and a good colour, 
but like Mons. Mousillac, rather short in the petal. My 
favourite amongst the comparatively new varieties is Mons. 
Henri Jacotot, and I shall be surprised indeed if after this 
season it does not become a general favourite. It is a grand 
colour, crimson, of good size, and very certain. Of the others 
more anon as the season gets on.—C. Orchard, Coombe 
Warren. 
Chrysanthemums and the Frost. —Like “J. L. B.” I, 
too, had been waiting to read accounts of the damage done to 
Chrysanthemum by the frost of September 27th before I recorded 
its effects, which I regret to say are serious, for the majority of 
the plants are more or less injured according to the stage the 
bud was in. Not expecting the temperature to fall to 24°, as it 
stood at 35° at eleven o’clock on Saturday night, I had only 
housed the earliest plants showing colour, when on Sunday 
morning a sight met my eyes I shall never forget. To have seen 
in September Chrysanthemums blackened by one night’s frost, 
especially in the case of the Pompons, also Meg Merrilees and 
Peter the Great (Japanese). Scarcely a tiower of the Pompons 
will open, they look as though they had been near a fire and got 
scorched. The large varieties are now showing the effects, since 
they have been housed a fortnight. Many of the crown buds are 
quite decayed; others are attempting to force out a few outside 
petals, but the centres are gone; some had the footstalks injured 
and, becoming soft, the buds hung down. In the case of Princess 
Teck and Meg Merrilees the buds were killed, so that I have cut 
the plants down together with many others. 
They were all arranged in rows 3 feet apart on a piece of 
ground covered thickly with ashes in a situation open to the 
south, east, and partly to the north-east, sheltered on other 
sides by the plant houses, it being the only vacant space available 
here for the purpose. The district is low and damp. Dahlias, 
Pelargoniums, and all other tender plants shared the same fate. 
—A. A., Mitcham. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society’s Annual Meeting.— 
The annual general meeting of this Society was held at the Old Four 
Swans Inn, Bishopsgate Street, on Monday, the 19th inst., when 
there were over thirty members present, Mr. E. Sanderson presiding. 
The minutes of the last general meeting were read by the Hon. 
Secretary, Mr. Wm. Holmes, the Society then proceeding to elect 
new subscribers and transact other business. It was stated that there 
are now over 290 members, and that sixteen provincial societies have 
become affiliated with the National, medals having been supplied to 
those who desired them. The Secretary read a letter from one 
correspondent in which it was proposed that the National Society 
should form a list of competent judges for Chrysanthemum shows 
and recommend them in rotation to such societies as required their 
services. No action was, however, taken in the matter. A sub¬ 
committee was then appointed to frame rules for the guidance of the 
Floral Committee. Mr. Wm. Holmes referred to the proposal that 
classes for late Grapes should be provided at the Show of late 
Chrysanthemums in January, and stated that the Society’s funds 
would not admit of prizes being offered for the purpose named, but 
that he would be pleased to co-operate with all who are interested m 
he matter if a special fund could be raised. The meeting concluded 
with the usual votes of thanks to Mr. E. Sanderson, Mr. Wm. 
Holmes, and Mr. Ballantine. 
Chrysanthemum Societies. —The Lambeth Amateur Society 
will hold their Show in the Hawkstone Hall, Westminster Road, 
November 3rd and 4th, and a satisfactory display is expected, 
though the date is somewhat early. Yeovil Show takes place on 
November 17th ; Havant, November 5th and 6th ; Walton, No¬ 
vember 12th ; and Wimbledon, November 17th. The schedules 
including the usual prizes. 
London Exhibitions. —The Exhibitions at the Inner Temple 
and Finsbury Park are now open to the public, but are not yet at 
their best. A week of fine weather will, however, make much 
difference. 
CUTTING DOWN APPLE AND PEAR TREES. 
It is known, and the fact is sometimes acted upon, that by cutting 
down old Grape Vines young ones are produced from the old stumps, which 
yield much better crops than could be obtained previous to this 6urgical 
treatment. It does not seem to be so generally known that the same 
operation may be advantageously carried out on old worn-out Pear and 
Apple trees to renew the vigour and bearing qualities of the tree. I 
have seen old trees with gnarled and knotted stumps, which for years 
has been fruitless, or occasionally so far fertile as to bear a few fruits of 
the poorest quality, after having been cut over send up strong, healthy, 
and fruitful growths, which bore large crops of the best quality. One of 
the Apples most subject to canker in the garden here is Cellini, yet I 
have cut a tree of this in the most robust health, which previous to this 
treatment was, to all intents and purposes, entirely worthless. We have a 
Pear tree which was apparently in robust health, yet year after year failed 
to set a fruit; by the simple process of cutting down a portion of the 
branches and the fresh young growth resulting therefrom, has for several 
years hack regularly borne crops. In this case it was not necessary to 
cut every branch, and we find that by an occasional judicious cuttting out 
of the main worn-out branches in bush Apple trees, that the few strong 
young growths thus encouraged impart a fresh vigour and fruitfulness to 
the whole tree. We have a curious commentary supplied just now, by a 
tree treated in the above manner, of the failure of grafting another variety 
onto a worn-out tree to do more than secure that object for a time. The 
scion is of the variety Hoary Morning, which having become rather worn- 
out had some of the branches cut well down to the base of the stem. 
Instead, however, of the same sort coming away, the result has been 
strong shoots of a later dessert variety of very heavy cropping proclivi¬ 
ties. Of course there can be no objection to grafting good varieties on 
to poor ones, but I have no doubt that in this case, as so very often 
happens, the closely pruned branches had become comparatively barren, 
therefore condemned, and another sort forthwith grafted on to it. If 
the branches Rad been cut down and not grafted the tree would have 
been carrying large crops much quicker than it was possible for it to do 
when grafted. 
Root-pruning has become a common practice as a means of restoring 
old trees to fruitfulness. Now, while it would be wrong to condemn this 
practice as unnecessary in all cases, at the same time no doubt much un¬ 
necessary labour is expended in carrying out this work in a scientific 
manner, keeping the greater part of the outdoor staff employed during the 
be-t portion of the winter months with results by no means commensurate 
to the outlay, when a judicious thinning-out of some of the main growth 
aid the encouragement of young ones to replace, would have secured the 
end in view much more effectually and cheaply. 
As there is no better time than the present to operate in the direction, 
and for the reason indicated, those who have trees either of Apples or 
Pears in an unsatisfactory condition would do worse than experiment a 
little in cutting down. I am perfectly certain from my own experience, 
and from what I have seon elsewhere, that there exists no cheaper, quicker, 
or more effective means of securing fruitful healthy trees than this one. 
If a garden is well drained and produces good vegetables there is no 
reason why it should not also produce good hardy fruits, provided plenty 
of vigour is kept in the trees by a systematic production of young growths 
following the removal of that which is exhausted and therefore barren, 
— B. 
NYMPELE A DAUBENIANA. 
It would be impossible to say too much in praise of this neat and 
beautiful Water Lily. Among all the Nymphseas here none have 
been admired more this season than this one. Often we have had 
seven fully expanded blooms on a plant, the largest measuring from 
7 to 8 inches. It is a most persistent and free-blooming variety, 
being in flower from May to October. The colour of the petals is 
a sort of creamy white suffused with violet, the centre is orange, and 
the stamens also are orange tipped with violet. It has a most 
deliciously fragrant perfume, which it is quite impossible to describe. 
It is the sweetest of all the Nymphseas. It may be easily cultivated 
in an ordinary stove provided it gets a moderate amount of light, and 
the temperature of the water is maintained at 70° or 75°. A tub 
from 2 to 3 feet wide and 12 or 15 inches deep is quite sufficient for 
its requirements. Place about 2 inches of crocks on the bottom of 
the tub, and on these about 8 inches of good loam mixed with a 
little decayed well-seasoned cow manure. In planting care should be 
taken not to bury the crown of the plant too deep. Warm fresh 
water should be added to the tub three or four times a week. It 
