September 23, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
271 
is pleasurab’e to spend, an hour or two with them in their extensive and 
■well appointed establishment.—J. 
NATURALLY GROWN CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Treatment op Plants Grown for the Production of Exhibition 
Blooms a Short Time Previous to the Shows. 
TBy J. Doughty, Angley Park. Cranbrook. Read at the National Chrysanthemum 
Society’s Conference, September nth, 1839.] 
In consequence of the varying conditions under which Chrysanthe¬ 
mums are grown owing to the difference in the practice of cultivators 
and in the climatic conditions of districts, it is somewhat difficult in 
referring to the treatment naturally grown plants for the production 
of exhibition blooms should receive to fix upon a starting point. Much, 
as the majority of you are aware, depends upon the strength of the 
plants, the firmness of the wood, and the treatment they have hitherto 
received. 
Speaking as a southern grower, we will suppose that the plants 
have been well cultivated and are now strong and healthy. We will 
also assume that the wood is well solidified, and that they have their 
buds in various stages of development. At the outset I will call your 
attention to a matter of the greatest importance, and that is the appli¬ 
cation of a rich top dressing. We top-dress our plants at the end of 
July or early in August, a space of about 2 inches being left at the 
final potting for this purpose. About an inch of the material to be 
used is placed upon the surface of the pots and pressed down rather 
firmly, the application bping made when the soil in the pots is mode¬ 
rately dry, so that it does not work into a paste. The mixture used for 
top-dressing consists of one part of loam, one part of decayed manure, 
a small quantity of old mortar, and a sprinkling of bone-meal. For 
some time afterwards the plants are watered with a can, to which a rose 
is affixed to avoid the risk of the top dressing being washed out of its 
place, or, indeed, being greatly disturbed. Whatever feeding the plants 
may have had previous to this surface dressing should be continued 
afterwards, as the top dressing has no immediate effect unless a 
fertiliser of quick action be added to it. But the addition of manure 
that will act rapidly I do not think absolutely necessary, although I 
used it previous to last year. Now if the surface material be examined 
about three or four weeks after its application, strong healthy roots will 
be found working their way through it, and when the time arrives for 
housing the plants the surface will be seen to be more or less covered 
with these healthy, vigorous feeders. In my opinion nothing can be of 
greater assistance in the taking up of supplies of food so essential to the 
plants during the development of the buds than these newly formed 
fibrous roots. This may at first appear to have but little bearing upon 
the future treatment of the plants. I have, however, explained this to 
show the condition the plants must be in as regards root action. 
Having, then, secured plenty of newly formed rootlets for the taking up 
of the food, we now feed chiefly with Clay’s fertiliser and Thomson’s 
Vine manure. These we use alternately, at intervals of about eight 
days, but in this matter we are guided by the state of the weather. 
If prolonged dull wet weather sets in the manures must be used more 
sparingly, so as not to cause too quick a growth, or the flower stems 
will be weak and the blooms lacking in substance. We use both 
manures at the rate of about 1 oz. to each plant of the strongest grow¬ 
ing varieties, such as Fair Maid of Guernsey, Grandiflorum, Maiden’s 
Blush, Princess of Wales and its sports, and the Queen family. The 
latter I consider the greatest feeders of $11. In the case of weaker 
growing varieties, such as Meg Merrilies, Criterion, Jeanne Delaux, 
Lady Hardinge, and Mrs. W. Shipman, we use the manure more 
sparingly, about three-quarters of an ounce to each plant being a very 
suitable quantity. 
This rate of feeding is continued after the formation of the flower 
buds, with an occasional watering with liquid manure from the cesspool, 
as an occasional change of food is, I believe, very beneficial to them. 
The water used is previously placed in a large tub standing in the open, 
fully exposed to atmospheric influences ; hence it is maintained at a 
somewhat similar temperature to that of the soil about the roots. As a 
still further assistance to the plants a bag containing soot is placed in 
this tub. This bag is refilled with soot about once a fortnight, as the 
goodness is found to be washed out of the soot in about that period. 
The plants are fed in this way until the blooms commence to expand, 
when all feeding ceases, excepting when the bloom is late. Then a little 
sulphate of ammonia is applied. But I do not advise the use of the 
sulphate excepting for the purpose of assisting in bringing forward late 
varieties, as it tends to shorten the durability of the blooms after their 
expansion. 
Mildew is a most troublesome disease, and generally makes its 
appearance with us early in September. Sometimes it attacks the plants 
earlier, and this season they were attacked at the end of August. We 
are situated in a low-lying spot, and consequently the Chrysanthemums 
are more subject to its attacks than are those grown in gardens occupy¬ 
ing a higher and drier situation. On its first appearance every plant is 
dusted with flowers of sulphur, usually early in the morning when the 
leaves are wet with dew, as the sulphur will then adhere to the under 
surface. This is a very important point, as the rain cannot remove it 
from the under surface as it does from the upper surface. We seldom 
have to repeat its application, and I have not on any occasion since 
adopting this practice been troubled with mildew after housing the 
plants. Black fly is very troublesome with us every season about this 
time. To eradicate this pest we dust with tobacco powder immediately 
it makes its appearance. Also after the plants are housed and before the 
blooms commence expanding we fumigate slightly two or three times to 
free the plants from aphis that may remain. 
Much depends upon the time the plants are housed, especially the 
late varieties. As to the time of flowering I do not care so much 
whether such varieties as Boule d’Or or Grandiflorum and the like, form 
their buds early in August or at the end of the month. Their blooms 
can be expanded by the middle of November. Last season I took 
Boule d’Or buds on September 1st, and Grandiflorum buds on Septem¬ 
ber 8th, and exhibited them both in good form on November 12th. 
These, with such varieties as Princess of Teck and its sports, Barbara, 
and Thunberg, should be housed earlier, and placed in a favourable 
position. The above varieties, with others correspondingly late, are 
placed on the side stages of the greenhouse immediately over the hot- 
water pipes, and by means of large flower pots are raised as near to the 
glass as possible. These receive a little sulphate of ammonia twice a 
week, and when the solar influences are not favourable a little artificial 
heat must be applied. The cultivator must use his own judgment as to 
the time of housing his plants, taking into consideration the locality in 
which he resides and the state of the buds (whether late or early), and 
also what means at his command for coaching them. These are im¬ 
portant points which will repay a little study, and certainly cannot 
be ignored by those who would achieve success in a close competition. 
Having stated how our late varieties are treated, I will allude to the 
general collection. The earliest varieties, which require very little fire 
heat— i.e., only sufficient to maintain a dry atmosphere, are placed in an 
early vinery ; and those that are naturally a little later are arranged 
upon the centre stage of the greenhouse. All are raised as near to the 
glass as possible by means of planks laid upon drain pipes placed in an 
upright position upon the stage. The plants are placed upon the plat¬ 
form thus provided, the tallest plants being arranged at the back and 
the dwarf ones towards the front. The plants nearest the front are 
raised by means of various sized flower pots, so that when all is complete 
they form a very sharp slope to the south. By this arrangement the 
upper growth of every plant receives a full share of light and air—a 
matter of great importance if good blooms are expected. Again, every 
bud can be seen when the cultivator is standing in front of them, so 
that should they require attention a plant or two can easily be removed 
for that purpose. 
I will not occupy your time in alluding to dressing the blooms, as 
most growers will have acquired that art from practice and from the 
directions so well given in Mr. Molyneux’s eminently practical book. 
But, in conclusion, I should like to draw your attention to one further 
important point, and that is arranging the colours on the exhibition 
board. I have noticed scores of stands arranged with sometimes as 
many as four, and even six, blooms of a bronze or other dark shade 
placed together. This is not as it should be, for by a judicious inter¬ 
mingling of the light and dark shades of colour each bloom will add to 
the effect of its neighbour, and consequently to the attractions of the 
exhibition table. It may also make all the difference between a first or 
second place in a close competition. 
NORTH VERSUS SOUTH. 
May I venture to invite an expression of opinion from Chrysan¬ 
themum growers upon the following suggestion ? Could not a special 
class be provided in the Exhibition held in November at the Aquarium, 
with a duplicate class in the provincial Show in the north, as an equal 
test for northern and southern growers ? Thus :—Say twenty-four 
incurved and twenty-four Japanese blooms (distinct) to be exhibited at 
both Shows, the one entry being sufficient for both Exhibitions. The 
class should be judged in the south, and points awarded ; later on the 
same class, by the same exhibitors, should be judged by the same Judges 
in the north, and points awarded. The exhibitor obtaining the highest 
total number of points should then be the admitted national champion for 
that particular year, and the prize awarded. No greater test, in my 
opinion, could possibly be made of a grower’s ability, not only to produce 
quality, but in timing his blooms.— John Doughty, Angley Park 
Gardens. 
A PECULIAR CHRYSANTHEMUM BLOOM. 
I ENCLOSE a bloom or rather bud of Chrysanthemum Lady Lawrence. 
I have four plants side by side, each plant with three buds on. The buds 
on two of the plants are in the same state as this ; a third plant rather 
more backward is looking as though it may go off in the same eccentric 
manner, while the fourth, more backward still, looks all right. 
I have no other variety with such a curious malformation ; it there¬ 
fore appears to me that Lady Lawrence is liable to it, and more espe¬ 
cially the earlier buds. You will observe the stem has made a very long 
growth after the bud was fixed, and the leaflets on the side of the stem 
are peculiar. 
I shall be glad if anyone can tell me the cause, or probable cause, of 
