JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 9, 1890 
S2 
•was so fresh and floriferous as Lady Blanche. It is a Japanese variety 
■with medium-sized flattish blooms with slightly curved clear white 
florets. The plants were not topped at any time, and made natural 
breaks about 18 inches from the pot, and the terminal buds were thinned. 
After Christmas hundreds of blooms were as fresh as blooms could be, 
and were being cut and sold daily. Plants of the same character would 
have made many a gardener’s heart rejoice if he could have had them 
for cutting from during the festive season. Mr. Stevens regards this as 
by far the most useful late Chrysanthemum he has grown, and he 
thinks he has tried most of them. It is not an exhibition variety.— 
J. W. 
Kingston and Surbiton Chrysanthemum Society. 
Most persons will be pleased to hear that this Society, which may 
justly be termed the pioneer of large cut bloom classes and Chrysanthe¬ 
mum groups in the south of England, is in a much better financial posi¬ 
tion than could be said of it in 1888, when, owing to adverse 
circumstances the Committee were only able to show a balance on the 
right side of £1 183. lOd., whereas after the last Exhibition (1889), 
something over £G5 will be carried forward. This will enable the Com¬ 
mittee to improve their schedule of prizes somewhat, perhaps by 
adding to some of the prizes, and making other classes hitherto not 
included.—E. M. 
Chrysanthemum Boule de Neige. 
This variety is indispensable for blooming at Christmas. The 
blooms are borne in profusion on dwarf bush plants in 6 and 7-inch 
pots. This size pot is quite large enough, as it is not a tall grower. 
The flowers are of the purest white. 
Chrysanthemum Moonlight. 
The flowers from crown buds and terminals differ considerably in 
many varieties, but in no instance that I have noticed is this variable¬ 
ness more marked than in the case of the Japanese Moonlight. Those 
from crown buds are remarkably close, the florets incurving, so as to 
render the bloom almost as round as a ball, and it is not often they 
attain an exhibition size, solidity usually being outweighed by more bold 
open flowers. There is naturally very much less substance in the 
bloom obtained from terminals, but they are far more beautiful. We 
had a number of both kinds of blooms for Christmas, but the ter¬ 
minal flowers were the most valued. The outer florets of the latter 
are of good length and nearly straight, while the inner ones incurve 
prettily without being formal, and an elegant flower, such as ladies 
delight to wear, is the result. Moonlight is of rather straggling growth 
and not very floriferous, but it is one of the best for affording a few 
superior blooms towards midwinter.—W. I. 
FORCED LILY OF THE VALLEY. 
We send you a few spikes of our forced Lily of the Valley (Berlin 
crowns). They have been in great demand here the last fortnight 
along with Homan Hyacinths for dinner table decoration, and on mossy 
banks for a concert and a ball. They have been highly valued and 
admired. 
As other gardeners like myself have not a specially prepared pit 
with a hot-water tank to force this plant in, perhaps the plan we adopt 
may be worth a corner in your valued paper. A hotbed of leaves and 
stable litter was prepared, turning the material a few times to let off 
the rank heat. When making up the bed was well trodden, and a two- 
light frame put on. Previously the crowns were planted thickly and 
firmly in boxes 2 feet long, 15 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, stood on 
an outside border exposed to all weathers and frequently watered. On 
the 14th November we had the boxes placed in the hotbed (1000 
crowns), covering the crowns about 2 inches with old leaf soil. By the 
aid of a stick thrust in the bed we keep a careful watch daily, giving 
air when too hot, and covering the lights in cold weather. For a 
week the mats were kept on day and night, with a little ventilation to 
let off steam. When we saw the first blooms beginning to open, and 
taking advantage of a mild day, we shifted all the boxes to a light 
house having a temperature of 50° to 5.5°, and during two or three, 
sunny days it rose to 75°. Early changing from frame to house is 
important. The plants suffer a slight check taken from the bottom 
heat, the all-important aid to start dormant life into activity at this 
time of year, but the check is slight. I noticed the first flower die on 
a few early spikes, but the bulk showed no change, and we began 
cutting on the 18th of December foliage and flower as natural and 
developed as when growing outside in June. We filled twelve pots 
with crowns and placed them in the same bed, but strange to say they 
are a failure ; only two or three spikes came up in each pot, and I am 
positive we did not lose twenty crowns of the 1000 in boxes.—T. A. Todd, 
Sicndridge Park, Bromley, Kent. 
[The Lilies received are as fine as could be desired.] 
Good Vegetables. — I should like to add a few more to 
the list already given by “ J. L. B.” on page 554 in last volume. 
In Broccoli he left out Michaelmas White, which is very f.ar in advance 
of Walcheren, grows more compact, and is of better flavour. Cauli¬ 
flowers Sutton’s Favourite and Autumn Mammoth are two excellent 
Cauliflowers. Peas, Veitch’s Perfection, one of the oldest, but still one 
as a main crop it is very hard to surpass. Duke of Albany and Sutton’s 
Satisfaction are two good Peas ; Omega is good as a late variety. I 
gathered several dishes of them the last week in October. Of Potatoes, 
Sutton’s Seedling and Abundance are favourites.—W. F. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Remarks on Planting. —There is a right and a wrong way in 
doing anything connected with fruit culture, and too often the inex¬ 
perienced hit upon the latter much more readily than they do the 
former. Deep planting is the mistake most commonly made, and a 
very costly blunder it proves. It does sometimes do away with the 
necessity for stakes, but that is the only point in its favour, while there 
are several very important reasons why deep planting should be 
avoided. The most profitable trees and bushes are those kept rooting 
near the surface, but if the principal roots are buried deeply at the out¬ 
set nothing short of lifting and replanting will bring them to the desired 
position and cause the formation of the requisite root fibres. Roots 
have a natural tendency to strike downwards, and it is only by planting 
near the surface, occasional root-pruning when the trees are young, and 
mulchings of manure or leaf soil, that they can be prevented from 
getting to undesired depths. It should be borne in mind that in very 
many positions, and especially near garden walls, the original depth of 
soil is being constantly added to ; and it may be trees planted shallow at 
the outset may yet eventually have their collars far too deeply buried. 
Trenched soil in particular is apt to sink considerably and unevenly, and 
if in a moderately dry state at planting time this should be firmly 
trampled and made as level as possible. In any case it is advisable to 
plant slightly above the ordinary level, this being absolutely necessary 
where the land is naturally heavy, rich, and cold. In some few in¬ 
stances it may be a good plan to pave the intended site of a choice 
border, say just above the subsoil, with either a good layer of stones, 
brick ends, or mortar rubbish, this to a certain extent keeping the sur¬ 
face soil drier and warmer, and also checks a downward root-action. As 
a rule, however, there is little need for this, the better plan being to 
plant high and to favour the surface roots as much as possible later on. 
Ordinary garden soil, unless for some time previously occupied by fruit 
trees or bushes, usually suits young fruit trees better than a rich com¬ 
post, though fresh loam, turfy or otherwise, and burnt soil and rubbish, 
may often be added to the former with advantage, a good sprinkling of 
half-inch bones also acting beneficially for several years. Soil already 
exhausted of much of its fertility ought to be largely removed and a rich 
loamy compost, and with which burnt soil, charred rubbish, and bones 
are freely incorporated, substituted. This relates more especially to the 
choicer wall trees, trenching old sites in the open, adding fresh soil to 
the shallow holes made for the trees and bushes, being all that can be 
afforded in most places. In planting, whether the lower tier of roots 
shall be spread out flatly and evenly from 4 inches to (5 inches below 
the surface, must depend upon the quantity or depth of roots each tree 
is furnished with ; but in any case the upper roots may well be spread 
out fully 6 inches above the ordinary level. If the soil is heavy, lumpy, 
or rather too moist the least that can be done is to well surround the 
roots with fresh compost, making this rather firm. It must not be 
omitted that all broken ends of roots should be cleanly cut off and 
very long straggling roots shortened, the former facilitating heating, 
the latter causing the formation of more root fibres. Every root ought 
to be spread out to its full length separately and in a horizontal 
position, the reverse practice—viz., bundling them together into a hole 
too small for their reception, being particularly objectionable. Trees in 
the open should be properly staked, but those against walls must not be 
secured too closely till such times as the soil has settled, or otherwise 
they will be “ hung.” Watering-in ought not to be necessary, there 
being plenty of moisture in the soil, but a mulching of strawy manure, 
or, better still, half rotten leaves, may well be given, this preventing 
any ill effects from severe frosts. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Early Forced .—In the earliest house 
the trees are in flower. When fully expanded the night temperature 
may be maintained at 50° to 55°, the latter only when the nights are 
mild, 55° by day as a maximum in severe weather by artificial means 
when the sky is overcast, 05° by day from sun heat, and if the air be 
mild a few degrees (5°) more may be allowed. Syringing at this dull 
time must cease, but damping the floor and border may be practised in 
the morning and early afternoon on bright days. Lose no opportunity 
of ventilating freely when external conditions are favourable, and when 
the pollen is ripe choose the warmest and driest part of the day for aid¬ 
ing its distribution by shaking the trees or trellis, or taking a camel-hair 
brush or feather and gently applying the pollen to the stigma of each 
flower. If there be a deficiency of pollen of any variety, and there 
sometimes is of the large-flowered varieties, including the earlies, as 
Alexander, Hales’ Early, Early York, Early Alfred, and Early Grosse 
Mignonne, it may be taken from those varieties that afford it abund- 
' antly, the small-flowered varieties having that characteristic, as Royal 
