214 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December -5, 1885* 
be had in flower till Christinas, named Miss Margaret. 
I had almost forgotten to name two of the best kinds of 
any section, Cnllingfordii, which I am glad to see has 
been placed among the reflexecl varieties—its proper 
place according to my idea ; grown well it is a grand 
variety, producing flowers of wonderful depth and 
solidity, of such a colour that it has no equal; it requires 
good cultivation to bring out its full beauty. I have 
seen a few blooms of it this season, having defective 
centres, to which I attribute want of high cultivation. 
King of Crimsons is another grand reflexed variety, 
eclipsed now by the former kind in its being of a brighter 
colour. Still the King is a grand variety, as it blooms 
so very freely, and is a free growing kind. 
SELECT CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Thirty-six Japanese Yars. 
Belle Pauline 
Madame C. Audiguier 
Fair Maid of Guernsey 
Meg Merrilies 
Baron de Prailly 
J. Delaux 
Val d’Andorre 
Criterion 
' Golden Dragon 
Boule d’Or 
Mdlle. Lacroix 
Madame de Sevin 
Peter tlie Great 
Japonaise 
Fernand Feral 
Hirer Fleur 
Marguerite Monarch 
M. Ardenne 
Mdme. Bertlia Rendatler 
Grandiflora 
Balmore.au 
Comte de Germiny 
Ducliess of Albany 
Elaine 
Moils. Astorg 
Mons. Tarier 
Mrs. Mahood 
Madame Devielle 
Soleil Levant 
Sceptre Toulouse 
Triomphe de la rue du Cha- 
telet 
Thunberg 
Album plenum 
M. Burnet 
Margot 
Fanny Boucliarlet. 
Thip.tv Incurved Vars. 
Lord Aleester 
Queen of England 
Empress of India 
Golden Empress 
Alfred Salter 
John Salter 
Golden Queen of England 
Prince Alfred 
Lord Wolseley 
Jean d’Arc 
Jardin des Plantes 
Empress Eugenie 
Hero of Stoke Newington 
Refulgence 
Mr. Bunn 
Mrs. Heale 
Princess of Wales 
Princess of Teck 
Lady Carey 
Barbara 
Baron Beust 
Cherub 
Beauty 
Mrs. W. Shipman 
— E. Molynewx, Swanmore 
Lady Hardinge 
Eve 
Nil Desperaudum 
Sir Stafford Carey 
White 4 r enus 
Princess Beatrice. 
Twelve Reflexed Yars. 
Cullingfordii 
King of Crimsons 
Mdlle. Madeline Tezier 
Golden Christine 
Pink Christine 
Mrs. Forsyth 
Distinction 
Dr. Sharpe 
Phidias 
Cloth of Gold 
Felicite 
Chevalier Domage. 
Anemone-flowered Japanese 
Fabiana de Mediana 
Madame Cabrol 
Madame Clos 
Marguerite Villageoise 
Sceur Dorothee Souille 
Madame Bertha Pigmy 
Souvenir de l’Andorre 
Duchess of Edinburgh. 
Anemone-flowered Yars. 
Empress 
Lady Margaret 
Fleur de Marie 
Mrs. Pethers. 
- Gluck 
Acquisition 
Minnie Cliate 
Prince of Anemones. 
Pompons. 
Golden Madame Marthe 
Madame Marthe 
President 
Touisaint Maurisot 
Nelly Rainford 
Rosinante 
Pygmalion 
Prince of Orange 
Black Douglas. 
La Purete 
Marabout 
Lizzie Holmes. 
Pompon Anemones. 
Queen of Anemones 
Marguerite de Coi 
Pale 
Madame Montels 
Antonius 
Mr. Astie 
Marie Stuart 
Zobedie 
Calliope. 
Parle, Bishop's Waltham. 
-—-- 
PERFECTION IN THE DAHLIA. 
Can it be said that raisers of Dahlias have yet 
produced a perfect flower ? Take a finely developed 
bloom of Mrs. Gladstone among the show flowers, 
and one of Flora Wyatt among the fancy flowers, 
and one must admit they are approximately perfect, 
but not entirely so. The raiser has, in his mind’s 
eye, his ideal flower, and he has not as yet reached 
it, the fact is, his ideal recedes as he advances ; all the 
perfections he has secured serve the purpose of enabling 
to build up an ideal in which these shall be intensified, 
and so he labours on until the fulfillment of his hopes 
shall be seen in a perfect bloom. 
It has been said that a perfect Dahlia should possess 
eight points, but how seldom is it that a flower can be 
caught as the growers say, with six or seven of these 
as prominent as can be desired. Half a point may be 
lost in the centre or eye, the same in the shoulder out¬ 
line, and in others also. "We have never seen a flower 
in which We could find all the points that are desirable. 
There is a deficiency eoineithere. That would be a re¬ 
markable stand of thirty-six blooms that coitld average 
six points each. Every grower for competition should, 
and invariably does, select the flowers that come nearest 
to his ideal of perfection. A little practice enables a 
young beginner to do this with ease. It should always 
be remembered that a point saved is equal to 'a point 
gained. 
The qualifications required in the Dahlia may be set 
forth as follows :—We may say that the eye or centre 
is the first point to begin with, it should be tight, sym¬ 
metrical, and well up ; if the eye is low, half a point 
at least is lost ; if the flower he too young the centre 
will have a greenish tinge, and there is a loss also ; if 
stale and open the flower counts nothing, and were 
strict showing is followed, disqualifies the stand in 
which it is placed. 
The shoulder comes next: it should recede from out¬ 
line to centre ; every row of petals being of the same 
form, and gradually getting smaller to the finish. Out¬ 
line is a point of prime importance, it should be as cir¬ 
cular as possible ; the eye will detect, in a moment, any 
preponderance to one side or the other. If the petals 
are not well arranged, the outline is defective. Then 
depth constitutes another main point. The petals 
should recede from the outline to the flower stalk, so 
that the flower may he as near the form of a ball as 
possible. Flowers that are placed too low on tlie sliow- 
board lose on this point, they should stand half-an- 
inch clear, at the very least. 
Arrangement and substance of the petals are very 
material points ; the want of regularity spoils most of 
the others. The petals should be round, smooth, and 
of good substance, level with one another, and all the 
rows equal in height. A single petal too high or too 
low spoils the appearance of the flower. Colour is a 
pleasing point, and if the flower has other good quali¬ 
ties and this in combination, it will always tell on a 
stand, but it is only one point. A flower may be of 
very attractive colour, but weak in other respects. 
Size is also to he taken into consideration. Provided 
it is not out of all proportion, size, if the flower he fine 
otherwise, always counts a half or whole point. Uni¬ 
formity of size in a stand of flowers is of importance, 
and greatly increases its effectiveness. Full-sized 
flowers should he 4 ins. to 4i ins. across, and medium 
ones 3$ ins. The smallest flowers should be in the 
front row of the stand, the larger ones behind. Mixing 
them up with full-sized ones gives a stand an irregular 
and uneven appearance. 
Staleness is a bad point, and detracts from all the 
others. If the centre is old and open the flower is lost; 
the same if some of the petals tumble from the shoulder. 
But a flower may lose a few petals at the bottom and 
only want in depth, and yet he a thoroughly good one 
in all other respects. Old flowers will sometimes stand 
long. Some sorts are liable to drop their petals when 
in water, and all such should be put in dry tubes ; but 
this, for some reason or the other, is not so frequently 
necessary as it was some years ago. 
Judges who are well up to their work can soon tell 
which stands are likely to take the lead. Two or three 
will come near to each other, and then it is necessary 
that flower he compared with flower, beginning at one 
row and going through with it, noting the merits and 
demerits of each until the whole have been gone 
through. Points are not now generally so strongly in¬ 
sisted upon as they were a few years ago. Still, in all 
Dahlia exhibitions of any moment the best men are 
selected to make the awards. 
In three respects the Dahlia has been materially 
improved, and they are distinct from those already 
dwelt upon. In the first place tall-growing plants are 
now the exception, not the rule. More than that, they 
are of a dwarfer and more bushy growth, throwing up 
flowers freely from the bottom as well as the top 
branches, and instead of the flowers hanging down they 
are generally erect, and (as an old cultivator remarked 
not long since) for some reason or the other flowers of 
Dahlias are much easier to get than they were a score 
of years ago—that is to say, it is easier to get blooms 
up to show form than it used to be. 
Potatos.—I n 1884, 2,444,160 cwts. of Potatos of 
the value of £824,205 were imported into the United 
Kingdom. 
Scottish Gardening, 
_ 
TriE Planting of Deciduous TeLes and Shrubs 
ittay be done any time while there is no frost. Evergreens 
are different—they may he planted carefully in Sep¬ 
tember and October, hut when these months are 
passed I prefer leaving the planting till April and 
onwards into May. However, we know that 
many Evergreens are planted during the winter 
months ; well prepared ground, good soil next the 
roots (which should be well spread out when no balls 
of soil keep them together), and quick transit of the 
plants to their permanent quarters, does much towards 
successful planting. Mulching is of more importance 
to newly planted trees than it generally gets credit for. 
Any shrub planting to fill beds, where flowers grew 
in summer, should be finished as early as 
possible, so that the whole grounds may appear clean 
and orderly as soon as the leaves are swept up. 
Grouping small shrubs in beds, gives them a cheerful 
appearance during winter, and the retaining of hardy 
plants which have done duty during the past summer 
may he done with great advantage. 
The present time is very favourable for Rose planting, 
Dwarf-budded plants may be planted with thejunction of 
the scion and stock covered; it is there that the frost has 
the most deadly effect on plants ; good deep ground is 
very desirable for roses, and if planted with fresh clean 
soil next the roots, then finished with a good coating 
of farm-yard manure the plants will keep right through 
the winter. Teas and other delicate kinds ought to 
be lifted and protected in a pit, as frost ruins many of 
them. "When protected on the ground they are subject 
to injury from the damp confined about them. Pruning 
may he left till March or April. All bulbs which 
were not put out in October may yet be planted. 
The soil should be rich, but not sour from excessive 
manuring, and the bulbs placed ou a sandy surface 
(this is much in their favour) at regular distances, 4 to 
6 inches apart, covered with fine soil. The beds when 
finished should stand above the ordinary ground level. 
Ranunculus may stand over till next season, about the 
end of January, as they often suffer from damp. "When 
frost sets in a covering of old tan, leaf-mould, fern or other 
material may be placed over the bulbs as protection. 
Those left in herbaceous borders, such as Liliums, may he 
marked with pegs and covered with fine ashes or leaf- 
mould. All herbaceous plants which have increased 
beyond bounds may be lifted, reduced in size and re¬ 
planted with a little fresh soil. In very rich soil the 
borders need not be turned up, but coated with some 
clean loam for appearance sake. All pieces chopped off 
should be removed right away from the borders, so 
that mixing may be avoided. 
Winter Work with Fruit Trees.— One would 
suppose that so much having been written on the man¬ 
agement of fruit trees, there is little left to be said 
which can be of use in a cultural sense : but many prefer 
to take their instructions from then- “ weekly, ” instead 
of referring to cumbrous books (of which there are 
enough and to spare), and it is gratifying to know that 
while it is difficult to supply anything novel or original 
to the man of practice, there are numbers, both among 
amateurs and young gardeners, who are anxious to 
obtain sound information, and who look eagerly for- 
their paper at the end of the week. The present is a 
very suitable time to direct the thoughts of such readeis 
to the best methods of managing fruit trees. Supposing 
that the trees have had the best of attention during the 
summer, they cannot he left alone now that they are 
denuded of their foliage. Indeed, some almost leave 
their trees alone entirely during summer, and when all 
foliage is off, and the trees show what they have done 
in growth, the knife (or may be, in some cases, the saw) 
is applied with vigour. For trees of full development, 
the less cutting they have the better for their health 
and productiveness. Trees of restricted growth should 
not want much cut from them now, hut merely a com¬ 
pletion of the summer manipulation. 
Where it is in contemplation to make new plantations 
of trees, it is very necessary to choose a good open 
position, where the soil is of the best, well drained and 
sheltered from north-east and north-west. That the 
land should be trenched and well broken up in the 
bottom is, in most cases, very desirable, especially where 
trees are to be cultivated as large as they can be grown. 
I, however, believe in keeping all from the cold or 
unhealthy subsoil, and for general purposes medium- 
