360 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 24, 1889, 
wanted to make the competition fairer is a restriction to the number of 
pots and sticks in them, say not more than forty or sixty pots with nut 
more than three sticks in each, for if the sticks are not restricted as well 
as the pots we should have those flat monsters so common at the shows 
of the late sorts. Not less than six sorts would give latitude enough for 
show and the exhibition of new sorts. The latter at this Show were 
Madame la Comtessa Foucher de Cariel, which obtained a certificate, 
and Grace Attick. I will not say more here about the first of these, as 
my own plants did not come early enough to form a fair estimate of 
them. I was able to show for the first time Golden Shah, Duchess of 
Fife, White Lady, Goldsmith, and Mr. Selly. Of the new sorts more 
further on. 
At the Show at the Aquarium, Westminster, on September 11th and 
12th, there was nothing so striking as last year. The groups were not 
so good as at the Crystal Palace. Messrs. Laing took first prize. Mr. 
J. R. Chard, Brunswick Nursery, Stoke Newington, London, was second. 
Mr. Stevens of Putney took third, and in his exhibit was a large lot of 
the new bronze sport of Precocity called Maud Pitcher. The only other 
remarkable exhibit 1 noticed were the blooms of Madame Desgrange 
exhibited by Mr. J. Blackburn, gardener to J. Scott, jun., Esq. of Elm- 
stead Grange, Chiselhurst, Kent. The petals of these flowers were so 
thick and stout that they looked like pieces of white kid, and were 
about the best I ever saw. Of course he had first prize. 
The next noteable incident of the season was the legal decision 
with regard to the claim to the name of the sport Mrs. Hawkins, which 
has already been referred to in this Journal. The first season the 
yellow sport of Madame Desgrange was made known I discovered about 
five other instances, and had five different names been given what con¬ 
fusion would have ensued. With regard to this new Mrs. Hawkins 
I may say that I have grown half a dozen plants, and the blooms were 
all darker than the old yellow one, G. Wermig, and this latter will be 
useless, for it is not nearly so good a yellow as the new one, So the 
three strains stand—Madame Desgrange, white ; Mrs. Burrell, primrose ; 
and Mrs. Hawkins, yellow, for I think no one will grow the old one if 
he can get the new. 
The new sorts of this season are good and show a great advance. 
The first is the Golden Shah, a seedling of last year, from seed 
grown by me here the season before, and raised at Mr. Ware, Hale 
Farm Nurseries. Tottenham, London. It is the finest early yellow 
Pompon yet raised. It is early, thus a plant inserted as a cutting 
April 25th was in full bloom August 25th. Another plant from a 
cutting inserted May 4th was in full flower September 4th, eighteen 
weeks and three days. It grows from 18 inches to 2 feet high, is of 
slender habit with spare foliage, forms an elegant plant, and flowers 
freely up to the middle and end of October by being struck late. The 
colour is a very deep bright yellow, and the flowers are 21 across, each 
borne on a fairly long stalk, making sprays for cutting of a most desir¬ 
able form, as well as adding much to the gracefulness of the plant’s 
appearance. 
Duchess of Fife is another from the same batch of seed grown and 
raised as the above. It is a beautiful white Pompon. The flowers very 
much resemble Madame Marthe in the late ones, but it is early and 
dwarf, being only 13 inches high, a stout bushy plant. The flowers are 
inches across, nearly globes, with short thick slightly incurved petals. 
It comes to perfection in a very short time, for a cutting inserted April 
6th was in full bloom August 25th, and another inserted April 30th was 
in bloom September the 4th. if I mistake not this will make a very 
popular small pot plant. It does well in a 48 or 32-size pot, and of 
course wants no stick. It is a real gem. 
Mr. Selly is another dwarf seedling from my own seed grown here. 
Tt is a blush white Pompon, very dwarf, a profuse bloomer, with the 
flowers all at the same level. A cutting put in on the 2nd of March 
was in full bloom on September Gth. It is a robust sort, only 21 inches 
high, with blooms Lj to 2 inches across, very flat in form. 
Martimas, a new sort of French origin, of most robust habit. An 
excellent grower, and should it ever sport white will probably be one of 
the most generally grown for cut flower purposes, as it seems to grow 
more flowers than almost if not quite any other sort, and they come out 
nearly all at the same time, enabling the plants to be cleared at one 
cutting. It grows 3 feet high on stout wood, bearing flowers in masses 
of a pink colour 2% to 3 inches across, which are reflexed, and w r as 
in full bloom September 2Gth. It is a really useful sort sort either for 
decoration or cut flowers. 
Capricine is a new French orange red Japanese sort, which blooms in 
October. It is very stout, requires no sticks, grows 30 inches high, with 
flowers 3 to 3£ inches across, which come out at different levels, so that 
all can expand without disbudding. 
October Beauty, imported from the United States, a useful outdoor 
sort, grows 28 inches high, stout enough to do without sticks, an ex¬ 
cellent grower. Flowers pink mauve reflexed, 3 inches across. 
Miss Lily Stevens is a beautiful little white Pompon with flowers 
over an inch across, the plant growing 2 feet high. Where a neat and 
unique small white flower is wanted this is one to fulfil the requirement. 
Blooms at the end of September. 
William Cobbett is a salmon coloured Japanese. Good variety, 
3 to 4 feet high, flowers 3 to inches across, blooms in October. 
In the French new ones sent over this spring as early we have been 
sadly deceived. I had fifteen of them, and up to this, 11th of October, 
only one has opened a flower— i.e., Madame la Comtesse Foucher de 
Careil they call a brilliant orange. It is a dwarf Japanese, rather a 
brighter colour than Capricine. It grows about 30 inches high, and the 
flowers seem to grow about 2 to 3 inches across. It has obtained a 
certificate, but I should be sorry to pronounce a judgment on it till 
next season, as this has not been a good one here. 
Grace Attick has proved itself to be the earliest of all Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, coming into bloom by the 1st of May, just a month earlier than 
our earliest one before—viz/, Nanum. It has gained a certificate, as 
well it may, for it is a most exceptional plant, not only in its earliness 
but in its profuse and long continued flowering. 
This season is marked by an increased appreciation of 0. J. Quintus 
as a producer of cut flowers, in which it has no rival for Japanese 
mauve blooms. It is an immense bearer of October flowers. It is a 
good after dark colour. 
A Conference of the National Chrysanthemum Society on early 
flowering sorts was held at the Aquarium, Westminster, on the first day 
of the early Show, when papers were read by Mr. J. Doughty and 
myself to a well-attended meeting of appreciative members, and a 
very useful discussion followed.—W. PiERCY, 89, Bcddnell Hoad, 
Forest mil, London , S.E. 
IPSWrCH SHOW. 
We are requested to state that the Ipswich Chrysanthemum Show 
will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, ths 5th and Gtbof Novem¬ 
ber, instead of the 7th and 8th, and schedules can be obtained from the 
Hon. Secretary, the Rev. Hugh Berners, Harkstead Rectory, Ipswich. 
RIPE GRAPES IN MARCH. 
I AM pleased that my friend and late pupil, Mr. W. Palmer, has been; 
so successful in the production of Grapes early in the season. My note 
is not intended as a criticism on what he has written on pages 306 and 
307, but to congratulate him for stating clearly his practice for the 
guidance of others. 
With regard to the eradication of red spider I observe that Mr. 
Palmer's recommendation to apply sulphur “ to the pipes ” is misprinted 
“ to the roots,” and the correction given was necessary to prevent any 
misapprehension arising on the subject. Red spider will in some cases 
disappear a'most at once after the border has been thoroughly soaked 
with water, but this does not appear to be effective when the spider has 
been encouraged by other causes than dryness. I have tried many 
means, but taking the matter generally I have found nothing more- 
effective than sponging the under side of the foliage directly the pest 
appears with sulphur and water in which a little softsoap has been 
dissolved. We invariably use a 3-inch potful in 3 gallons of water, and 
half an ounce of softsoap. This is the process when Grapes are hanging 
on the Vines. If they have been cleared off the Vines are thoroughly 
syringed with the same solution. The sulphur is allowed to remain on. 
the Vines three or four days. The weather must be bright, after which 
the Vines are thoroughly washed with clean water. This is the readiest 
method I have been able to discover of destroying red spider either on. 
plants that will bear full sunshine, Vines, Peaches, or Roses. 
I do not believe in having the roots of Vines in a dry medium at 
any time. I have long been of opinion that considerable harm is often 
done by acting contrary to Nature in this respect. Vines, Peaches,, 
Roses, and many other plants under glass during the period of rest are 
often too dry. The opposite is the case outside, and therefore I commend 
that part of the practice advocated by Mr. Palmer. The reason, how¬ 
ever, for the early watering of the border to “ induce root action before 
the Vines commence growing” is to me wide of the mark. Vine roots 
I am aware can be retained throughout the resting period in a perfectly 
fresh practica ly growing condition, but these are generally strong 
quill-like roots that eventually die back, and are much longer before 
they start again into growth than small fibres that have ripened thoroughly 
by the time the Vines are pruned. These fat roots can be induced to 
grow long before top growth is visible. This is brought about only by 
subjecting the roots to a higher temperature than that provided for the 
canes. 
It is an open question whether root activity preceding growth is an. 
advantage or the reverse to Vines. My experience has led me to the 
conclusion that it is unfavourable. It is an established fact that the 
Vine makes a considerable growth before its roots are called upon to 
furnish supplies. This being the case, root action preceding growth is 
not required, and only tends to upset, at least for the time being, the 
natural course the Vine would otherwise follow. It is simply reversing 
the natural order of things. 
I can well understand the Vines breaking in the irregular manner 
they appear to have done. Hard forcing in nearly all cases induces the 
most unripened shoots to first break into growth. I have invariably 
found that Vines subject to uphill work rarely show fruit freely from 
the eyes to which they have been pruned. It can scarcely be expected, 
for they enjoy, comparatively speaking, a limited season of rest. A 
complete season of rest, however limited it may be, is essential to the 
health and vigour of the Vines. Very often when they are forced very 
early they have not completed the one season’s work before they are 
forced again into growth. The system is an exhaustive one, and I should 
hesitate before subjecting a permanent vinery in good condition to such 
early forcing. My main reason is because such early forcing is unnecessary. 
Late Grapes can be had in excellent condition throughout March, April, 
and May, and I have kept them good until June. With the varieties 
Alicante, Lady Downe's, and Gros Colman, I fail to see why Vines 
need be forced to produce ripe Grapes before the first week in May ol 
the middle of the month at the earliest. 
