146 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ rebrnary 20, 1890 j 
praise that has been showered on it in the Times and elsewhere. I 
say nothing against the quality of the fruit nor its appearance, but 
to recommend that this variety be largely planted for profit, and 
especially by persons who are neither owners of land nor of much 
money, is, I am convinced, very far from being safe and sound 
advice. I have planted trees of it and waited for the crops, also 
Bramley’s Seedling, and were I going to plant a large orchard to¬ 
morrow for profit I would rather pay half a crown each for good 
trees of the latter than have equally good examples of the former 
as a gift if they were also planted gratuitously. I am so hardened 
by stern realities as to pay little heed to persons who write about 
fruit, yet have not been trained in the school of experience ; but 
when I find a gardener, who is nothing if not practical, who advo¬ 
cates the planting of this slow and shy bearing Apple for profit 
because, forsooth, it headed the poll in the number of selections at 
the Chiswick Conference, and when he has condemned the variety 
to me because of its shyness, and agreed that I acted wisely in 
excluding it from a short list of sorts for cottagers and small 
holders of land in the essay above noticed, I am tempted to put 
him into a very awkward corner in which he would, perhaps, not 
be very comfortable, but I refrain at present. 
The mere position on the poll, unless the ages of varieties are 
taken into account, is not only worthless as an indication of merit, 
but misleading, because, obviously trees of those sorts which have 
become popular favourites must have increased in proportion with 
the period of propagation, and in the case of the Blenheim this is 
at least seventy years. Judged by that fair test the Blenheim is in 
a false position, and this practical gardener may as well say that 
because sparrows are more numerous than geese the former are 
the better birds, and because donkeys are more plentiful than 
mules these latter are inferior, therefore he will praise the 
donkeys. 
If a national vote were taken for determining the best orchard 
standard Apples possibly the Blenheim would head the list, and 
Warner’s Bang would poll far higher than Bramley’s Seedling ; but 
if all the voters had grown the three together over a period of 
twenty years, and noted the value of the crops, I have not the 
slightest doubt that the Nottinghamshire Apple would head the poll 
by a very long way ; yet only two dishes of it were staged at the 
Chiswick Conference in 1883 ag.iinst 115 of the Blenheim. What 
value can a poU be under such condition for denoting the relative 
merits of two varieties when not one voter out of a hundred has 
grown them both for comparison ? I can understand a writer 
whose experience in fruit culture is limited founding an argument 
on such a false basis, but I cannot understand a gardener doing so 
who claims a position as an experienced grower of hardy fruit. 
Perhaps it may be well to add that the trial above suggested is 
not hypothetical, but an accomplished fact, and the much-praised 
Blenheim shows to great disadvantage, as judged by the results 
attained under equal conditions.—J. Wright. 
FLOWER CULTURE FOR PROFIT. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Many growers of Chrysanthemums for sale had a somewhat 
unfortunate experience with the bulk of their stock of plants 
during the past season, and may perhaps feel disposed to dispute 
the fact of their being classed as profitable in any case. Owing to 
the abundance of outdoor flowers—for Chrysanthemums were 
never better or more plentiful in the open than in the autumn of 
1889, as well as the great increase in the number of growers— 
ordinarily grown plants did not pay after the end of October ; it 
was quite useless to send them to the markets in fact. When the 
pot plants of Madame Desgrange and C. Wermig were first well 
into flower there was a fairly brisk demand for them, somewhere 
about 18s. per dozen bunches, and in some instances a still better 
price was forthcoming. A bunch in our case, and which I believe 
to be the rule, consists of one dozen good blooms or sprays, and 
this number or more ought to be forthcoming from every plant in 
a 9-inch pot. Even if the blooms from each plant on an average 
only realised Is., this still leaves a good margin in favour of the 
cultivator. When, however, the price for either white or coloured 
varieties drops to .3s., or even less per dozen, with commission and 
carriage to be deducted, the balance is all against the grower, and 
rather than risk a similar recurrence of low prices the prudent man 
will considerably alter his practice—that is to say, will attempt to 
grow what really will pay. 
The question naturally arises. What will prove profitable ? and 
this I can answer satisfactorily. Instead of growing large num¬ 
bers of the early and midseason free-flowering varieties in the old 
fashion I would advise that only a moderate number of the follow¬ 
ing be grown—viz., Mrs. Cullingford, dwarf, early white ; Madame 
Desgrange, yellowish white, early ; G. Wermig, a yellow sport 
from the latter ; Mrs. Hawkins, bronzy yellow, early ; W. Holmes,, 
bright red, an early Cullingfordi ; La Vierge, dwarf, pure white,, 
second early ; Lady Selborne, tall grower, pure white, second early ; 
Soeur Melanie, a miniature Elaine ; and the last named be grown 
principally for bunching. Now is a good time to place sound 
strong cuttings of these in ordinary Pelargonium boxes, and with 
the aid of gentle heat all will root quickly. When well rooted they 
ought to be pinched back, and when breaking afresh be placed 
singly into 3-inch or rather larger pots, all being strong stocky 
plants. Keep the plants growing in a pit or frame near the glass,, 
stop once more, and in the course of about ten days the bulk may 
be shifted direct into 9-inch or somewhat larger pots, in which size 
they are to flower. Being given a somewhat large shift water' 
must be sparingly given at first, but when once the soil is well 
filled with roots the soil ought never to become really dry. Turn 
out the plants into a sunny yet fairly sheltered spot towards the 
end of May, set the pots, or partially plunging them in a bed of 
ashes. Further cultural details consist merely in placing a stake to 
each plant, the principal growth being loosely fastened to these -. 
Being well attended to, given a little weak liquid manure occasion¬ 
ally after branching has commenced, and abundance when the buds 
are showing, fine branching heads of bloom will be produced, an<fl 
which early housing will preserve from early frosts and heavy 
rainfall. Too frequent stopping is the greatest blunder that can 
be made with this early batch of plants, a few strong early formed 
shoots producing much more bloom than considerably larger plants- 
obtained by pinching back several times. Bushy plants in small 
pots also sell readily, realising in country markets 123. to 183. per 
dozen, and the varieties named are among the best that can be- 
grown for that purpose. 
During November and the early part of December the demand' 
for Chrysanthemums in bunches is, as I have previously pointed 
out, of a very limited character. It is unwise therefore to grow 
many of these, though it is advisable not to wholly discard the 
system. The best for bunching at this date are Elaine, Mons> 
Astorg, greyish white ; Fair Maid of Guernsey, pure white ; Mons. 
Gamier, bronzy red ; Cullingfordi, red ; Elsie, creaniy white 
Peter the Great, yellow—all Japanese varieties and incurved; 
Mrs. G. Bundle, early white; Mrs. Dixon, yelloiv ; andJardin 
des Plantes, rich yellow—Japanese. Mdlle. Lacroix and others 
with twisted florets are sometimes grown for bunching, but they do- 
not “ take ” so well as those with broader reflexed or incurved 
florets, as they travel badly, and to the uninitiated they present a 
somewhat withered appearance. This section ought to be grown, 
much as advised in the case of the earlier varieties, but if thought 
desirable may well be stopped a third time, and be flowered in 
12-inch pots or planted out in the open, and potted up in Sep¬ 
tember. The flowers will be much finer and sell far more readily 
if disbudding is resorted to, not, however, with the intention of 
growing a few blooms only, but rather with the view of securing, 
one good bloom instead of several small ones on each terminal 
shoot. The former we got rid of readily last season at 2s. per 
dozen blooms, and from some of the plants we cut as many as- 
three dozen at that price at a time when bunching flowers could 
hardly be given away. 
Last season it came as a revelation to many, though it was not- 
new to me, that specimen blooms, not necessarily those which would 
gain premier prizes, but only ordinarily good samples, could be dis¬ 
posed of in most provincial towns at remunerative prices, and at a 
rapid rate. In 1888 we found specimen blooms sold well in towns- 
generally, and at still better prices in London, and the demand 
was quite as brisk last November and December. The prices 
range from 4s. to 6s. per dozen wholesale, and plenty were retailed 
at more than double the latter price. Seeing that a plant grown irr 
a 9-inch, or rather larger pot, 12-inch pots suiting the very 
strongest growers, is capable of producing from six to a dozen 
good blooms, it requires no great stretch of imagination to detect 
the profit attached to this method of culture that thus results. _ As 
a rule the Japanese varieties are in most demand, though occasion¬ 
ally a few fine incurved flowers work in well. We get much the 
same price for nearly all the specimen blooms, though there is no 
