April SI, 1887. ] 
305 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
For late sowing and planting, and for standing through the winter 
for early spring planting. Cooling’s Improved Bath Cos, Hicks’ 
Hardy White Cos, and of Cabbage Lettuces Lee’s Immense Hardy 
Green, with Stanstead Park, have given entire satisfaction.—H. W. 
Ward. 
BEDDING PLANTS. 
Bnnnixo plants are often a great trouble in the spring. We 
are afraid to turn tender plants out of hothouses, or the more 
hardy out of doors, our glass structures becoming hopelessly 
™ed. It has been the practice here for several years to place 
all the more hardy material, such as Violas, Calceolarias, Eche- 
* c -> w here they are to flower about the beginning of April. 
We thus not only obtain room in protected structures for other 
yui!*^ 8 ’ ^ ose P u ^ ou t do very much better than if left later. 
When flowering plants are placed out a little Mushroom dung is 
mixed with the soil about the roots, and this proves of great 
advantage later on. Calceolarias are protected with Fir branches, 
which are later on left to support the plants. The disease pre¬ 
viously had rendered the growth of these a matter of great risk, 
but since adopting the early planting not one out of a hundred has 
been lost. We also save much in labour by transplanting young 
rooted plants directly from the propagating pit to cold frames, 
where they are dibbled into beds of soil. No doubt this may 
appear a certain mode of rendering such plants, at the very least, 
unsightly or worthless, but provided proper precautions are taken, 
k°results follow. The worst thing that can happen to 
bedding plants is to half stew them in crowded houses, and then 
turn them out in commonly accepted warm weather to the mercy 
of sun and wind. It is under such circumstances that we find 
hapless objects long-stemmed and crowned with half-frizzled 
foliage, which hesitate a week or two after getting into their 
flowering quarters whether it is worth their while to attempt to 
grow just a little. But short healthy rooted cuttings transplanted 
as recommended after a few days seasoning begin to grow, and have 
no cause to stop growth until checked by the cold of the not far 
absent winter. The soil should be rather dry than moist as a first 
precaution. It must be made firm about the roots. The frames 
must be closed tight as the planting proceeds, and matted night and 
day until it is found that they are making themselves at home, then 
allow them light, air, and plenty of water. 
Another mistaken practice is having cuttings quickly rooted 
early in the season. The present is a capital time to strike cuttings 
of many quick-growing plants. They root rapidly, and the growth 
they make is strong, firm, and more branching than if they had 
boen coddled. 
About two months ago I saw it advised to propagate Dahlias. 
We grow these by the hundred, and find no inconvenience arise 
from delaying propagation to the present month. The growths 
come away short and thick in a comparatively low temperature, 
roots are quickly made, and by the beginning of June we can have 
piants with roots filling 6-inch pots with shoots, short-jointed, 
close in the foliage, and dwarf in habit, which start away rapidly 
when planted out, and the reason for that is on account of the 
plants never receiving a check. Size is not everything by any 
means. . We have repeatedly proved that small plants properly 
dealt with will altogether surpass large plants which have suffered 
a check. This is especially the case with seedlings. If Asters, 
Zinnias, &c., are sown now under the protection of a cold frame, 
and the plants dibbled into their places at the proper time, the 
grower not only saves labour but he secures better plants. But 
it should be mentioned that in all these cases of beds of soil in 
frames the depth should not be great; 2 j to 3 inches on a hard 
bottom is quite sufficient, the bottom being covered with dung 
which is not fresh; and care should be taken in the matter of 
seed«, especially that the whole of the dung is kept at the bottom. 
In all cases, in fact, the less dung in contact with the plants the 
better. As they make roots they find their way in good time down¬ 
wards, and when wanted, the whole soil, plants and all, may be 
taken out in one mass.—B. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
In reading the interesting and useful analysis of Chrysanthemums 
in last week’s Journal, which will be eagerly scanned by the ever- 
increasing number of growers of the Autumn Queen, 1 was rather sur¬ 
prised to find that at the last National Show Jeanne d’Arc was exhibited 
more times than any of the incurved varieties—in fact, any one sort. 
Although so popular, this variety is to me disappointing. I have grown 
it in the hope of obtaining some such beautiful flower as that grown by 
Mr. Molyneux and figured in the Journal some time ago ; but with all 
my kind attention I am not pleased with it, nor have I seen a bloom of 
it that quite took my fancy ; indeed, it often mars an otherwise good 
stand, notably among that dozen of wonderfully fine incurved flowers 
shown at the Aquarium last autumn by Mr. Doughty of Cranbrook, 
which won the first prize. Jeanne d'Arc, like the other eleven, was deep 
and solid, but the petals appeared to me thin, dirty, and confused. 
“ Cassio, I love thee ; but never more be officer of mine.” I shall grow 
but one plant, just for acquaintance sake. I learn, too, from “ E. M.” 
that Val d’Andorre was raised by Marrouch. Belle Paule, Madame C. 
Audiguier, Marguerite Marrouch, and Val d’Andorre—what a splendid 
quartette from the seed-bed of one man I 
lias there ever been an election of the best varieties of exhibition 
( hrysanthemums in your pages I I have not been a constant reader of 
the Journal many years, so the flower may have been favoured, as 
Auriculas, Carnations, and Roses have, before my time.— H. Shoesmith, 
Saltwood, llythe. 
ASPARAGUS AND RABBITS. 
In reference to Mr. A. Harding’s communication (see page 264), I 
have no experience of rabbits eating Asparagus. However, I will take 
this opportunity to refer to a method practised by Mr. John Garrett, 
Whittinghamc Gardens, Prestonkirk, for preserving choice trees from 
the attacks of rabbits, as I have not seen it mentioned in the Journal, and 
the information may be usef ul to its readers. It is as follows Pieces 
of bark from the timber yard, such as Fir, Spruce, and Larch, are secured 
round the stems of the individual trees desired to be t rotected from the 
attacks of rabbits by pieces of tar string, Willow, or Hazel. This remedy 
for preventing rabbits barking trees is as effectual as it is simple 
and inexpensive. Whittinghamc is well known to many readers of the 
Journal of Horticu ture as being a first-rate gardening establishment, 
having numerous glass houses of modern erection, extensive and beauti¬ 
fully undulated grounds, as well as for the beauty and excellent condi¬ 
tion of the choice collection of Conifers and other trees they contain, and 
concerning which I may have a word to say later on. It was while 
looking through this beautiful place, which, 1 may remark, is the East 
Lothian residence of the Right Hon. A. J. Balfour, M.P., Chief Secretary 
for Ireland, in September, 1885, that Mr. Garrett drew my attention to 
the use of bark as a means of preventing rabbits injuring choice trees by 
gnawing the stem*.— H. W. Ward. 
BOSE-GROWING FOR BEGINNERS. 
(Continued from page 265.) 
BUDDING. 
Thin operation, which is the usual method, and the best, of 
propagating the Rose in the open air, is, like nearly everything else, 
very easy when one knows how to do it. There is not the least 
doubt, either, that the best way to learn how to do it is to watch 
somebody else at work who does. But many persons have not the 
opportunity of doing this, and so, for their benefit, I propose to 
give plain instructions, which will,. I think, enable any average 
person to succeed. Before we can bud, however, we shall want 
stocks, and these will require to have been planted at an earlier 
period, so as to be in full growth at the time we wish to bud them. 
The reader had better refer to the remarks under the heading of 
“ Stocks.” All we need say about them here is that they may be 
planted any time between October and March, but like Roses 
themselves, the earlier they are in the ground the better. 
In budding, we transfer a bud, or future branch, from one tree 
to another, the buds inserted being generally from some named 
variety, and the stocks or plants into which the buds are inserted 
being in most cases the wild Briar or other strong growing kind. 
The principal difficulty that beginners have to contend with is to 
avoid spoiling the bud in the process of removing the wood from 
it. In my opinion, providing the branch from which the bud is cut 
is in a proper stage of growth, or ripeness—in other words, if the 
buds are used at the proper time—there will be little difficulty in 
the matter. Budding may be performed any time while the sap is 
running, which is generally the case in this locality from beginning 
of July onwards to the end of September. But the sooner the 
buds are inserted, and the matting, or other material used in the 
tying, removed, the better, as this gives the buds more chance of 
becoming ripe, by being exposed to the air and sunlight, and enables 
them to withstand the frost of the following winter better. The 
riper the buds are, the greater will be the number of plants the 
following year. 
Now we will suppose that we have a nice lot of standard and 
half-standard stocks, on each of which two or three shoots or 
branches for budding have been allowed to grow. Suppose also 
that we are armed with a sharp-bladed budding knife. These can 
be obtained from most nurserymen and ironmongers. The shape 
of the handle is not important, but the edge of the blade should be 
rounded at the point. Now when we have procured a nice half- 
ripe shoot of the variety we wish to multiply we are all ready to 
begin. “ If you please,” says somebody at this point, “ what is a 
half-ripe shoot ? ” Now this is just the point where all beginners 
fail. If I can give instructions so that all can easily distinguish 
