50 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July ’.8, 1889. 
When plants are grown on what 1 call the high pressure system, for 
such it is, and blooms of exhibition quality are produced, the constitu¬ 
tion of the plant is enfeebled, its whole energy is concentrated into 
the building up of wood and the development of a fine bloom. The 
result is that cuttings are in many cases very sparingly produced, and 
often then they are only of the most puny description. A change of 
cuttings is a decided advantage, not for the mere sake of a change, 
for no advantage would be gained by having cuttings from a friend 
who had subjected his plants to the same high-class cultivation. The 
cuttings obtained should be from plants that are grown for ordinary 
decoration, grown well, but not on the exhibition principle. Plants 
grown for decoration generally yield plenty of cuttings, and those if 
well looked after usually grow stronger and make better plants during 
the season than the weak cuttings that have often to be depended upon 
from plants that have been grown strongly for some years. 
EARLY STRIKING—THE MAY BUD. 
What advantage is gained by early striking is a question well worth 
the consideration of every grower, and one that must be duly con¬ 
sidered if we are to get the right sort of bud at the proper time. If 
early striking possesses advantages of such importance as some 
growers maintain, I have failed to perceive them ; but on the other 
hand I have been able to note the disadvantages that attend such a 
course of treatment. By early striking the cuttings are “hanging 
about,” ani their small stems gradually become hard, the result of this 
treatment being only too visible in May by the production of a flower 
bud. If the cutting is a good one to commence with, and the plants 
produce a bud in May, it is due to a check in some stage of gtowth. 
Cuttings propagated from plants that have been too long under what I 
have termed the “ high pressure system of cultivation,” show this bud 
generally towards the middle of May. 1 may say in passing that my 
plants, or at any rate a portion of them, are showing this year earlier 
than they usually do—namely, the first week in June, and from what I 
have seen with other cultivators the same sort of ear’y bud formation is 
common with all. We do not apprehend much difficulty Dom this, as 
our plants are in good condition at the roots. Although it checks the 
plants for a time most probably these plants will not show another 
bud until August, or what I may term the proper time for securing 
the buds. 
TAKING THE BUDS. 
I do not care to take any before 20th August, except a few that are 
known to be la^e varieties. The plan we adopt is to take the points 
out of the plants when we observe too early bud formation taking 
place. In some cases three or four good breaks will be observed a few 
inches down the stem of the plants, and when this occurs we remove 
the top of the plants down to those breaks, which somewhat reduces the 
height of the plants. We have always topped some of the plants of 
the same family in May, and allowed others to grow in a natural way. 
This results in the buds being produced at different times. If cuttings 
have been rooted at the time advised, and grown without a check, 
those not stopped will usually grow on one stem till the middle of 
July. This is what we term the July bud. This bud is no use for 
producing flowers for exhibition. It is the growths that spring from 
the base of this bud that produce the best flowers. You will by this 
treatment that is, topping some in May and allowing others to grow 
on in a natural way—have a better chance of getting the right timed 
bud. It is not unusual to see blooms produced by this topping process 
of quite a different character on the same plant. The cultivator is sure 
to hit the mark with some of them. Some will show a bud early in 
July. Those should have their shoots removed by degrees. 
THE SECOND JOURNEY. 
About the middle of the month the who e of these plants will re¬ 
quire attention, as I have found this the best time to put them in whal 
1 will call their second journey. This is done by removing all the 
shoots that are not required to carry a flower ; at the same time examine 
those that have not actually shown their buds. In some cases small 
growths will be showing from the axils of the leaves ; any plants that 
show these laterals should have the point of the plant removed at once 
as by so doing quite a fortnight will be saved. This is the time tc 
throw all the vigour possible into the plant. If left to take its own 
course it would come too early on the one hand or too late to run on to 
get a bud other than a terminal, which is useless in the north for ex- 
hibition purposes unless the season proved an exceptionally fine one, 
whilst in the sunny south it would make a good bloom. If the plant is 
in irood condition at its roots, and is well furnished with foliage, it 
will produce another crown bud, intermediate between the crown°and 
the lateral The leaves on the stem of this bud follow up so close to 
the flower that when expanded the guard petals rest upon the foliage, 
inis is the bud I always find produces the bloom possessing all the 
qualities a first-class flower should have, and such as will make the 
cultivator’s heart rejoice when he comes to cut the flower. I have 
adopted this plan for years, and have always found it a good one Thi« 
especially applies to the incurved section ; at the same time I mav 
name some of the Japanese that can begot to the proper time better 
by this stopping process—viz., R. Brocklebank, Meg Merrilies. Boule 
d Or, lellow Dragon, Val d’Andorre, Gloriosum, Belle Paule, Grandi- 
i rU ^vf^ lr Ma , ld of Guernsey, Baron de Prailly, Triompbe de la Rue 
ties Chalets, and many others. If those plants are pinched at intervals 
v-n? 1 ' 6 e °.^ un *il the middle of June there will be less 
difficu ty in securing a bud that will expand with freedom ; if not 
topped they are liable to show too early, and only produce coarse hard- 
centred buds. If this bud should prove worthless the 6hoot on which 
it was produced is lost, as the next bud will be too late to be of any 
service. It has long been understood that Eve and Mabel Ward re,- 
quiie topping to get them to produce a bud at the proper time, which 
is quite true, but I go further than this, and top some of each variety 
that we grow. 
AUGUST BUDS. 
Some plants will show buds too early in August. In this case you 
must use a little judgment. We allow the small growths that spring 
from the base of the bud to extend for a time. They must not, how¬ 
ever, be allowed to grow to the extent of robbing the bud too much, or 
you will lose it, but pinch one part of a shoot one day and so on just 
sufficient to ease the bud. I am now speaking of the top shoots. 
Those lower down the stem can be left to take care of themselves until 
you can perceive the bud swelling, and it has attained the size of a 
large pea ; even then do not remove all the shoots at once, but by 
degrees. There is another matter worth noticing in some of the strong 
growing Japanese, especially when they show rather early. A strap leaf 
will appear on the stem of the bud ; this leaf will sometimes grow to 
the extent of robbing the bud so much as to spoil it, therefore this 
leaf should be gradually removed. Another little matter : as soon 
as we have secured the bud we supply (once or twice a week 
if the weather is hot) some tobacco powder from a puff to the 
points and buds of the plants, I think this a great preventive 
against the attack of yellow thrips, which are always lurking about 
at this time, and often destroy the bud whilst in an embryo state. 
This cannot readily be perceived at the time, but it is too often the 
cause of deformed flowers when the blooms expand. 
FEEDING THE PLANTS. 
When last with you I omitted one important ingredient from the 
compost I advised you to use—viz., charcoal. That sold by nurserymen 
is excellent, but for years we have been in the habit of preparing our- 
own from the refuse that remains after the Pea stakes are dressed, the 
branches that blow from trees, and any prunings that we are able to col¬ 
lect ; a 10-inch potful of this is used to each barrowful of soil. Thi3 
keeps the soil open and in a healthy condition, an important matter if 
the plants are to root with freedom. If a sound compost is used very 
little feeding will be needed before the close of June ; in fact, up to the 
20th no feeding has been done. We then commence giving the plants 
weak liquid manure once a week from the farmyard. 
TOP DRE3SING. 
At the end of the first week in July we top-dress the plants by 
filling up the space that was left in the pots when the plants were placed' 
in their flowering size. The material we use is the same that I advise 
for the first potting. Feeding by the aid of liquid should be discon¬ 
tinued for a fortnight or so, while the roots take possession of the new 
soil. We again top-dress in September, and this time we have to exceed 
the limit of the pots. The pots are filled level full of soil, the same as-- 
we use for potting. We then get about a bushel of fresh cowdung, and 
add to this a peck of night soil, or the same quantity of fowls’ or pigeons' 
dung, and as much dry soil as wi 1, when well mixed together, make the- 
whole about the consistency of mortar. We then get two old brick¬ 
layers’ trowels—large knives will do just as well—and commence to> 
form a rim on the outer edge of the pot, and about an inch or so on the- 
soil inside the pot. The rim will then be 1J inch or a little more 
through, and if it is made about l£ inch high, will hold sufficient wateir 
for the plant. It is not only necessary to enable the cultivator to water 
the plants properly, but it is also acts as a good stimulant to them, for- 
the water and autumn rains carry down to the roots the fertilising in¬ 
gredients that it contains. Feeding by the aid of liquid from the farm¬ 
yard should be carried out carefully and judiciously, a3 very often 
autumn rains keep the soil too wet for the well-being of the plants, and 
applications of liquid cannot be given them without adding to the evil 
over which we have no control. By rich top-dressings the plants are. 
largely independent of the water pot. I think I told you in autumn 
last how valuable I bad found the liquid from an undrained closet. Thia- 
we use at intervals of two or three days. For instance, we water with 
liquid from the farm, then give clear water for two days, then resort to- 
that from the closet, when the next application is required. Another- 
good liquid, and one that the Chrysanthemum enjoys, is made from the 
following : A bushel of cow or sheep manure and one peck each of soot 
and lime, mixed together, tied up in a sack and placed in a hogshead off 
rain water. If the bag is squeezed and knocked about in the tank the 
liquid will be fit for use in about two days, and it should be diluted 
with three parts of water, increasing the quantity of liquid as it 
becomes necessary to fill up the tub. Hen and pigeon manure tied up ic> 
the same way make an excellent stimulant. 
SOOT AND CHEMICAL MANURES. 
During wet weather, when stimulants in the form of liquid cannot? 
be administered without the risk of saturating the soil, soot may be 
sprinkled on the surface. It acts quickly, and imparts to the foliage a 
fine dark hue. We have tried the majority of artificial manures that? 
are sold in the market, such as Clay’s, Beeson’s, Standen’s, Amies’, and 
Thompson’s ; perhaps the last is as good as any of them. We apply 
these on the same principle as the soot during showery weather, and no 
doubt occasional applications of these patent manures, used with care-, 
promote activity at the roots. At the same time I wish it to be under- 
