April 11, J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
301 
—Another curiosity with the flowers crowded on a short spike, the sepals 
and petals dark green barred with dark brown, the lip densely furnished 
with long white filaments (botanical certificate). 
The Narcissus Committee also had a meeting subsequently, and in 
the afternoon Mr. F. W. Burbidge delivered a lecture on Daffodils. 
EVENING NOTES. 
Freely Bloomed Peach Trees. —The late Peach house atMarston 
is at the present time furnished with such a profusion of flowers that 
each individual tree forms, as it were, a picture in itself, and points 
clearly to the fact of the trees being well-conditioned, notwithstanding 
the unfavourable weather last year, and being, too, unprovided with any 
fire heat. The Peach house occupies a good position, having a south 
aspect, and is situate at the top of a somewhat sharply sloping garden, 
thus being favoured with a full share of that most indispensable agent 
in fruit culture—sunshine. A Green Gage Plum, trained on the back 
wall at one end of the house, is as remarkable in its flowering as the 
Peach trees themselves, long unshortened growths being furnished from 
end to end with freely bloomed spurs. It would be difficult to conceive 
a better display than this house produces, which is justly admired by 
all who see it. _ 
Christmas Roses. —In the same garden Christmas Roses have also 
bloomed with remarkable freedom ; in fact, I have never known them to 
continue blooming so freely before over so long a period. They are 
planted on a south border, and areVdisposed so as to allow of their being 
protected by narrow span frames during the winter months. They were in 
full bloom by Christmas, and as many as from six to ten dozen cou’d 
be gathered at one time, this continuing uninterruptedly from the above 
date until nearly the end of March. To meet the demands made upon 
him, Mr. Iggulden is extending their culture as fast as conveniences 
allow, and with this in view a small portion is annually divided, which 
with attention in the matter of watering after removal soon become re¬ 
established.—W. S., Frome. 
Tree Carnation Irma. —This is one of the best varieties and one 
of the freest to flower ; it is not so strongly scented as some, still it has 
sufficient fragrance to increase its value. In habit of growth it leaves 
nothing to be desired, tike many others, it has a tendency to split its 
calyx. When this occurs slit down the segments on the opposite side 
and tie a strand of soft matting round the bud. Pipings may be struck 
now, but plants to flower next winter ought to be established in small 
pots and shifted as required, or planted out towards the end of April 
and taken up and placed in pots the first week in October. 
Mrs. Sinkins Pink. —This is very useful to grow in pots, and may 
be had in bloom from the middle of March without much forcing. 
Small side growths taken from plants in flower strike root freely 
if dibbled into a light sandy soil in any convenient sized pot. The top 
of the pipings should be just beneath the top of the pot, then give water 
with a fine rose, lay a square of glass on the pot and place in a Cucumber 
frame and turn the glass daily. When rooted pot the plants into small 
60’s, gradually harden them, and plant out a foot apart each way. Lift 
and replace in the pots in October, and keep them in a cold frame during 
winter. I have some plants now in 32-size pots, struck last spring and 
treated as above, averaging thirty buds to a plant. I like the smooth- 
petalled variety the best.— S. J. A. 
Grubs in Cyclamens (p. 254).—I have known Cyclamen plants 
spoiled by the larvas or grubs of the Vine weevil (Otiorhynchus 
sulcatus) in a similar manner to that described by “ Handy Andy; ” 
they are also sometimes very destructive to Chinese Primulas and Zonal 
Pelargoniums by eating all the pith away from the stem below the 
surface of the soil. As they feed in such a secure position, quite safe 
from observation until the plant withers, there are no means of prevent¬ 
ing their ravages at this stage of their existence without injuring the 
plants, the eggs being most probably deposited by the perfect insect 
below the surface of the soil. The best plan, therefore, is to catch all 
the weevils during the early part of the summer before their eggs are 
laid. They are about the size of horse beans, of a dark brown colour, 
and feed on the leaves of Vines, Peaches, Camellias, &c., under glass. 
At the least disturbance they generally fall to the ground and feign 
death. I have noticed the maggots are more abundant when cocoa-nut 
refuse has been mixed with the potting soil.—W. H. Divers, Ketton 
Hall, Stamford. _ 
Gardeners’ Certificates. —Mr. Bishop does not appear very 
happy under Mr. Hugh Dale’s criticisms, page 108, and in his reply, 
page 272, is a little amusing when he accuses Mr. Dale of not having 
a trumpet to blow because his name is “ not in the Directory.” 
What a “ great discovery! ” I fail to see what interest a nurseryman can 
have other than in sending out good men, and certainly it would not 
be to his advantage to send an inferior man to fill an important 
vacancy. Has Mr. Bishop any experience with the practice of some of 
the leading nurserymen 1 Does not a gardener have to furnish the firm 
he applies to with a recommendation from his previous employers before 
being allowed to enter the nursery, or be placed on the register, as the 
case may be ? Should he be an inexperienced man, who is to blame 1 
Not the nurseryman surely, but the person who wrote his testimonials. 
Can Mr. Bishop say what has become of his old bothyites ? Some have, 
I am afraid, fallen into the position of groom, gardener, and man-of-all- 
work, through circumstances over which they had no control. Does he 
wish those old friends of his, trained in the same school, to have third- 
class certificates 1 I contend when a young man has a proper all-round 
training, let him be placed in whatever position he may, he is not likely 
to forget the work he learned in early life. Still that third-class certi¬ 
ficate would debar him from ever improving his lot. I think they may 
truly say, Save us from our friends.— East Kent. 
Fumigating.— I shall be glad if any readers who have tried the 
Lethorion cones, one of which has been illustrated in the Journal, will 
state their experience. I am told they are safe for plants and good for 
destroying insects. I should also like to hear something about the 
French invention, the Thanatophore, for distributing nicotine in the 
form of vapour. A foreman in a nursery says where it was used in a 
house the plants were not troubled with green fly for three months 
afterwards. I believe there was an article describing it with an 
illustration in the Journal.—A Youngster. 
“THE CHRYSANTHEMUM ANNUAL.” 
The issue of Mr. L. Castle’s work for the present year is not less 
interesting than its predecessors. It contains special chapters on various 
subjects by leading growers and authorities, papers read at conferences 
during 1888, and much other information. Mr. Addison’s “Notes on 
Novelties ” is one of the most useful contributions, and Mr. Harman 
Payne’s search for records of the existence of a blue Chrysanthemum 
shows how thorough his search has been. He concludes : — “ The reader 
is perhaps aware that the Japanese do not have pictures like us. The 
Kakemonos or hanging pictures which ornament their chambers stand 
in the place of the oil and water colour paintings of the western world. 
These Kakemonos represent all kinds of subjects, and not the least 
among them is the Chrysanthemum. They are executed with a fidelity 
to Nature in form and colour that is more apparent as the eye becomes 
accustomed to the art, and if one has anywhere to look for truthful 
representations of either birds, beasts, fishes, fruit, or flowers, it is to a 
collection of Kakemonos that he must go. As space is valuable I ajn 
constrained to say that until I see a blue Chrysanthemum depicted in 
a Kakemono, no amount of speculation is likely to lead me to think it 
exists. Out of 700 to 800 of these works of art which I have seen during 
the past fifteen months, there has not been a single instance among the 
Chrysanthemum pictures comprised in that number where anything like 
a blue variety has been figured. I consider, therefore, that the blue 
Chrysanthemum exists only in the imagination of the Japanese potter, 
for had it been otherwise, the artist, properly so called, would have 
furnished us with some examples in the work of art where Nature is 
most thoroughly portrayed—the Kakemono.” 
SCOTTISH CENTENARY EXHIBITION. 
We find from a preliminary schedule to hand that a great Inter¬ 
national Chrysanthemum Centenary Exhibition is to be held in Edin¬ 
burgh on November 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. It is under the auspices of 
the Scottish Horticultural Association and the presidency of the Duke 
of Buccleuch. Amongst the prizes offered we notice the Buccleuch 
medal, value five guineas, for eight plants. A challenge cup is also 
offered for Scottish gardeners and amateurs only, with prizes of 
five guineas, £3, and £1 10s., also similar prizes for twenty-four 
blooms. We notice also a City of Edinburgh^ cup for ^ forty-eight 
Japanese blooms, with money prizes of £12, £5, and £3. _ Medals 
open to all are offered for premier blooms of Japanese and incurved 
Chrysanthemums, and a silver medal for the best “ pot of Chrys¬ 
anthemums,'’ which we presume means a specimen plant. It is 
not clear whether the cut bloom classes generally are open or confined 
to growers over the border, but presumably the latter is the case. The 
schedule does not, however, appear to be complete, and we await a 
revised version. It will be noticed the date is the same as that of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society’s provincial Show at Hull. 
COOL TREATMENT FOR ROOTED CHRYSANTHEMUM CUTTINGS. 
I recently received five dozen rooted Chrysanthemum cuttings^— 
solendid healthy plants with bushy mops of roots—from a noted Kentish 
grower. The majority of them were newer varieties, many not yet in 
commerce. These I potted, and the remainder I planted at the base of 
a south wall in a border specially prepared for them, for as you are 
aware I am a great advocate for growing Chrysanthemums, when practi¬ 
cable, in such positions. The potted plants I returned to frames on a 
very mild hotbed until the roots began to move in the pots, keeping them 
close, except for a short time to change the impure air, in the morning 
and evening according to the orthodox system. I cannot call it 
“coddling,” but it is very remarkable that the plants I placed out in 
the open air at the foot of the wall, and dewed over occasionally with 
soft rain water, commenced growth soonest; in fact, never flagged 
