132 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 17,1887. 
that may result, need I say they will be carefully grown, compared and 
reported on fairly to the respective firms ?” 
MOLYNEUX’S “ CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND THEIR 
CULTIVATION”—A CRITIQUE. 
[A paper read at a neeting of the Walefield Paxton Society ty Mr. T. Garnett.] 
After a few introductory remarks the author of the paper proceeded 
as follows :—If adverse criticism had been my only object in preparing 
this paper, the charge of rashness had need to be substituted for the one 
of boldness, which a distinguished authority made when he told you a 
few weeks that he must be a bold man who dares to criticise Mr. Moly- 
neux. Once for all let me repudiate the notion that I assume to the 
controversial skill of the “ captious critic.” What we have to consider 
is how much modification his rules of practice require to suit our own. 
In the first place our climatic conditions compared with those upon 
which Mr. Molyneux founds his practice are such that a considerable 
portion of the summer is cut off both ends of ours. Beyond this the 
general temperature at Swanmore is higher, combined with pure air and 
more intense sunlight, which no doubt effectually perform that im¬ 
portant operation upon which Mr. Molyneux lays particular stress—viz., 
the consolidation and ripening of the weod. On the other hand, the 
greater number of us have to practise within the smoke zone of large 
manufacturing towns, where every genial cultural influence is modified 
by this smoke fiend. 
Mr. Molyneux has given the cultural dates which he finds best to 
suit his locality, and he has made tolerable good guesses at the most 
likely dates suitable for northern growers, yet it does not follow that he 
is infallible on points depending on knowledge of localities where he has 
had no experience. Even his Liverpool experience will avail us nothing, 
because it is well known that the west coast of Great Britain has through 
its entire length a bet ter climate than ours at this side of the Pennine Range. 
The controversy in the Journal of Horticulture also showed that culti¬ 
vators in different localities do not see eye to eye with him on certain 
moot points. I shall confine my remarks to these debatable questions, 
at it would only be wasting your time to refer to the details of Mr. Moly- 
neux’s book, which obviously may be satisfactorily settled in our own 
minds without conflict of opinion. 
The controversy so far has hinged on the best time to secure the 
buds, but up to now no tangible results have accrued from it, because 
the light thrown upon the subject has been so far only the reflections 
of vague conclusions as to the true habit and peculiarities of growth of 
the Chrysanthemum. As all the cultural details for large and exhibi¬ 
tion blooms are involved in this question, to state that such and such 
dates are best upon which to secure the buds of certa n sorts is all very 
well, but this is only one station on the road to success. We are left to 
find out for ourselves all about the habit and peculiarities of the plant, 
nothing in the way of advice to guide us how to manipulate the “ stock ” 
so as to bring it to this bud stage at the date? given, just as if the buds 
would come at the time we want them, a theory that is soon exploded 
in practice. Anyone making a study of the plant will easily discover 
that these “ buds ” show according to certain fixed principles, but they 
have not, so far as I have seen, been explained, and a great deal of com¬ 
plication occurs, which Mr. Molyneux has, if anything, still more com¬ 
plicated instead of throwing that light upon it which was expected from 
so eminent an authority. We will pass on to discuss these complica¬ 
tions. 
Starting with the best time to strike the cuttings. Mr. Molyneux 
recommends from the 12th December to 12th January, and the only 
objections he brings against November-struck cuttings are, “ That they 
are too early, and are liable to give trouble by insisting on the produc¬ 
tion of flower buds during April and May [this persistent bud-producing 
propensity is not to be confounded with the ordinary May bud], some 
varieties being more liable to this propensity than others. But when 
cuttings can be had the former date, 12th December, is preferable, as 
more time is allowed for steady growth in a cool temperature, and 
growths thus produced have the best chance of becoming solid through 
the proper maturation of the tissues of the plant, as compared to cut¬ 
tings put in during February and March.” If this argument in favour 
of December cuttings holds good, it must tell still more in favour of the 
November-struck plants, with the exception of the “ bud-producing pro¬ 
pensity.” In reference to this point my experience teaches me that 
sucker cuttings never show this propensity. On the contrary, stem 
cuttings are very liable to do so, and if I have the opportunity of getting 
sucker cuttings of the late sorts I do so, and do not find them too early ; 
in fact, it is of more importance hereabouts to have those sorts put in 
first than “ Criterion ” and some others described by Mr. Molyneux as 
weak growers. 
A paragraph in the same chapter, page 5, on early versus late-struck 
cuttings, and their relative influences on height of growth and quality 
of flower, meets the case in very vague and general terms, as does also 
the chapter on topping and training, page 22, which must be very 
puzzling to beginners. Starting with the" paragraph on page 5 we 
read “ Some growers say that late propagation reduces the height of 
the plants. This is the casein some instances [why in “ some instances ” 
only ?], but is generally at the expense of the quality of the bloom. To 
insure these of the highest quality height is essential [what degree of 
height?]. I have not yet seen—save in an exceptional case or two— 
blooms of the same quality produced on dwarf plants through some 
unaccountable reason [why unaccountable ?], as upon those grown in 
what I will term a more natural manner in regard to the relative 
heights attained under the two systems.” Mr. Molyneux’s contention 
here is that tall plants of some unexpressed quantity in height arc more 
to be depended upon to produce high-class flowers than are dwarfer 
plants of the same variety. We ask, Is it more unaccountable for 
dwarf plants to occasionally produce good flowers than it is for tall 
plants to produce poor flowers ! The answer is that word often may be 
substituted for the word occasionally in reference to the dwarf plants, 
because in looking over collections of Chrysanthemums in bloom we do 
very often see dwarf plants carrying finer flowers than taller plants of 
the same variety, and I may also add that the reasons are not so unac¬ 
countably obscure as Mr. Molyneux leads his readers to suppose. 
We will now pass on to the chapter on training plants for large 
blooms. On page 23 we read as follows :—“ Some persons consider 
topping induces a dwarfer habit, but I have seen plants grow quite as 
tall when topped as when grown under other systems. [This statement 
in its present vague form is paradoxical, but I hope further on to show 
how this occurs.] Other cultivators top the plants when 8 inches high, 
but owing to the wood not being thoroughly ripened consequent on this 
late topping, and the growths being behind their natural stage, the 
blooms are generally large but not of first-rate quality. [Topping at 
8 inches high indiscriminately as to time is no proof of Mr. Molyneux’s 
argument.] As a general system it is best to allow the plants to assume 
their natural habits. The growth is then solidified, and all the wants 
of the plants arc met at the proper time. The plants are not topped at 
all, but allowed a free uninterrupted growth until the first natural 
break, which sometimes occurs about the middle of May or early in 
June, according to the time the cuttings were struck, early or late.” 
Just previous to this we read :—“ I must make an exception in the 
matter of topping in favour of Eve and its sport Mabel Ward. Good 
examples of these are seldom seen. The best way to ensure good 
flowers is to grow the plants with one stem until the middle of May, 
then top them, and then take the first bud produced.” 
What logical bearing have these statements on each other ? Either 
Mabel Ward and its prototype are constitutionally so far different from 
the general run of the other sorts as to produce better flowers from 
growths not thoroughly ripened, and all their wants not met at the 
proper time, or Mr. Molyneux’s argument falls to the ground. On the 
other hand, if topping those varieties improves the quality of their 
flowers, how does it injuriously affect the quality of the flowers in the 
other varieties ? 
The fact is ignored that the Chrysanthemum makes its growth on 
certain fundamental principles, which involve peculiarities that require 
to be thoroughly understood. To illustrate my meaning, we take plants 
from sucker cuttings. The plants according to their varieties and 
individual habits produce a certain number of leaves and their internodes 
if unstopped before they show the first bud. The question now arises, 
For what purpose has Nature produced this bud ? There can be no 
question but that she intended it to develope into a flower. But we 
must bear in mind that the plant has been subjected to artificial con¬ 
ditions up to this stage of its growth, and owing to the want of the 
necessary degree of air and solar influences to act on the foliage at this 
early stage of its existence, it has not had time to solidify its wood and 
store sufficient elaborated secretions for the purpose of forming a flower. 
At this time of the year when this flower bud shows the days are 
lengthening and solar influences increasing, Nature calls on the 
plant to rectify the violation of the law which has occurred by the 
forcing the plant out of its natural season, the growing influences 
are reawakened or preponderate over the blooming influences ; con¬ 
sequently, the plant again starts into active growth, and if it is 
allowed uninterrupted progress we shall find, although not quite so 
long, the leaves and internodes are about the same in number as were 
produced in the first stage. Thus from the sucker cutting, if no joints 
are removed from the lower part of it to the first bud stage, we get the 
fundamental principle of calculating the true height of a variety. In 
the second stage, in some cases, under certain conditions, there are some¬ 
times slight modifications, as for instance when a plant is allowed to 
grow in a natural manner without stopping, the condition of the plant 
as to ripeness will modify the growth so far that it may be shorter but 
never longer than it does in the first stage. After the second bud stage 
modifications occur and are attributable to constitution, cultural and 
climatic conditions, the constitutional condition being liable to modifica¬ 
tion in the direction as indicated above. When the plant has arrived at 
the second bud stage it should be ripening and storing the secretions 
required. I shall have occasion later on to again refer to this s''age of 
the plant, so we will now go back to other cuttings than sucker 
cuttings. 
We are compelled to take cuttings from the ripe stems of the p'ant 
when suckers fall short. I have previously alluded to the bud-producing 
propensity of stem cuttings, the reason being that the shoot of which we 
make the cutting draws its supply of nourishment directly from sap 
vessels already “stored ” with the secretions necessary for reproduction 
instead of having to grow and elaborate them, as is the case with sucker 
cuttings. The riper the stems and the better they are stored with those 
secretions the more likely are the cuttings to develope the persistent bud¬ 
forming propensity which Mr. Molyneux refers to on early struck 
cuttings. They often only make one bud at any height from 4 inches 
high to 12 inches, and afterwards develope into healthy vigorous plants, 
making the normal development of growth, as in the case of the sucker 
cuttings ; but the 12 inches, more or less, which was produced before 
this bud shows, will now have to be added to the May bud stage. Thus 
