December 24, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
557 
and we have never seen any to surpass them, with some others before 
us, as the work of a gardener.] 
ICE HEAPS. 
I SEE at page 513, December 10th, of the Journal, mention made of 
an ice heap. When I went to Kilkerran House, Maybole, Ayrshire, on 
the 30th September, 1860, there was a heap of ice that had been made 
in December, 1859. Very little was used out of it in 1860, and it served 
us all 1861, and I never saw a finer lot ot ice. The place selected for the 
stack was close to the stable yard, an open space amongst some large 
trees, gently sloping towards the north. The first thing done was to put 
a fence about 5 feet high, made of strong posts, and covered with slabs 
from the sawmills, all round. As far as I can remember the one 
under notice would be about 25 feet. We then paved the centre 
to within 2 feet of the fence, keeping the pavement a little higher 
than the surrounding ground. On this pavement we built the ice, 
making the edges with large pieces, and breaking what is put into the 
c&ntre into small pieces. It was built straight up till as high as the fence, 
then the head was formed the same as a haystack, then filling the 2 feet 
between the fence and ice with wood sawdust, till the top of fence was 
reached; we then covered the head of the stack with Spruce branches, and 
over these about 2 feet of sawdust was placed, taking care always to keep 
it as white as possible on the top, so that the sun’s rays will not penetrate 
it.— W. Wilson, Kingsknoroes, Galashiels. 
I THOUGHT the following note might be of use to some of your 
readers who have to do with the storing of ice. I have not had any ex¬ 
perience in this branch of the gardener’s duty myself, but my late father 
had in his time a fair amount. Some years ago he told me that he had 
just made an ice stack, but instead of breaking the ice in the usual way, 
he had it marked out in convenient sized slabs. Some men were then put 
to work with handsaws, sawing along the lines. The slabs were then got 
oil the water, put into carts, and taken to the place of stacking, and 
piled one upon another. He said there was a saving of time and labour, 
and the ice kept well, also that it was not difficult to cut with a saw. The 
ice was a good thickness.—T. S. 
SANDRINGHAM WHITE CELERY. 
Mr. McIndoe at page 514 of your Journal describes the above Celery as 
his “ Alpha and Omega." I can fully endorse what he has said iu its 
favour, and will add that it is the best frost and wet-proof Celery I have 
ever tried. This being a moist and mild climate a few degrees of frost 
destroy most other kinds, so we depend upon Sandringham White for our 
general supply. 
I think that White Plume will have but a short life. The thought of 
having good white crisp Celery without earthing was too good to be true. 
—W. 0., Fota, Cork. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND THEIR CULTURE. 
( Continued, from page 545.) 
BEST TIME FOR STRIKING THE CUTTINGS. 
Opinions differ considerably as to when the cuttings ought to be 
struck. Some growers find one time the best, and some another. 
My experience is that there is no hard-and-fast line to follow in 
this matter, because it occasionally happens that cuttings of some 
varieties cannot be had when desired, so stubborn are the plants in 
producing them. As Chrysanthemums are grown for various pur¬ 
poses, and as all cultivators do not grow the plants for the same 
end, it will be better to state the best time to propagate for each 
system of cultivation. This I will endeavour to explain. Having 
made this phase in the cultivation of Chrysanthemums a special 
study, I am certain the times named are the best for the various 
purposes indicated ; but, as above suggested, it is not absolutely 
necessary to carry out the work at the exact time mentioned in all 
cases. 
In growing the plants for the production of cut blooms for 
exhibition, any time after about the 10th of December till, say, the 
same date in January is the best period for propagation ; but when 
the cuttings can be had the former date is preferable, as more time 
is then allowed for steady growth in a cool temperature, and 
growths thus produced have the best possible chance of becoming 
solid through the proper maturation of the tissues of the plants. 
Some growers prefer to strike the cuttings in bottom heat in 
February and March, but plants treated in this manner are never so 
good for the production of such high-class blooms as are afforded by 
plants raised earlier, for the reason that time will not allow of their 
proper development during the various stages of growth. The 
wood of late-struck plants never ripens thoroughly, which is a 
decided disadvantage much felt by growers in the extreme north of 
England. Another objection to late propagation is the space re¬ 
quired to preserve the old plants for the production of cuttings for 
two months longer than is necessary when early propagation is 
adopted, as the space required for the cuttings is obviously much 
less than is needed for accommodating the old plants, and at that 
time of the year space is valuable. Nor can the cuttings be pre¬ 
served in such a good state as they are two months earlier, as they 
are sure to become drawn and weakened, and in this condition they 
sustain a greater check in being severed from the parent plants ; 
and checks in any form and at any time are certainly detrimental to 
the welfare of the plants. 
Some growers strike Chrysanthemum cuttings in November. 
This I consider too soon, as plants raised so early are liable to give 
trouble in April and May by insisting on the production of bloom 
buds instead of growth shoots. This is a source of great annoy¬ 
ance—particularly to growers in the south of England. When the 
plants do this nothing short of cutting them down to near the soil 
will check their premature blooming, and often the growths made 
after this cutting down are useless through the same cause—a pro¬ 
duction of flowering instead of growth shoots. Some varieties are 
more liable to this than others, but the evil is mainly induced by 
the too early progagation of the plants. Growers in the north are 
not troubled nearly so much with this precocity as those in the 
south, because the seasons being earlier the plants grow so much 
faster during March and April than they do in the north ; there¬ 
fore it is wise for growers resident in the north to propagate as 
near the first-named date (December 10th) as possible, always com¬ 
mencing with the weakest-growing varieties (of which Lady 
Hardinge and Criterion are examples), as these require a longer 
season of growth than the more robust kinds, of which Prince 
Alfred is an instance. 
Some growers say that late propagation reduces the height of 
the plants. This is correct in some instances, but it is generally at 
the expense of the blooms. To insure these in the highest possible 
condition height is essential. I have not yet seen—save in quite an 
exceptional case or two, through some unaccountable reason— 
blooms of the same quality produced on dwarf plants as upon those 
grown in what I will term a more natural manner in regard to the 
relative heights attained under the two systems. Let it be clearly 
understood I am speaking in a general sense of those varieties 
which are naturally tall, and not those which are habitually dwarfer 
under any system of treatment ; therefore I contend that to pro¬ 
duce blooms of the highest class the plants must be treated some¬ 
what in a natural way of growth. 
For trained specimen plants of all shapes to attain a large size 
the early part of December is the best for propagation, as it is 
quite necessary that the plants have a long season of growth, which 
cannot be had by striking cuttings late. The production of prema- 
