October 23, 1S86. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
123 
mucli diversity of opinion about the length of time that 
they should be at rest; some say two or three weeks ; 
but I find that, after they have been exhausted by 
flowering heavily, eight or ten weeks’ rest will better 
prepare them to give us another bounteous supply of 
flowers in the coming winter and spring. When the 
resting period is over, we must begin to increase the 
water supply again, and the result will soon be seen, 
as the plants will quickly send up new growths. When 
they are nicely started, shake them out, and wash the 
roots and the under side of the bulb clean, and, at the. 
same time, examine the under side of the bulb, for there 
you may, possibly, find some portion of old decayed 
roots, which must be carefully removed ; when this is 
done, they will be ready for potting again in a similar 
compost to that recommended before. Place them in 
well-drained clean pots, a little smaller than those they 
have been in, and put them again into’ the pit or frame ; 
give them a copious supply of water overhead, and, 
when these pots are filled with root, shift them on into 
larger pots, and treat them as recommended before. 
In starting old roots that have been dried off, fill 
well-drained pots about 1 in. larger in diameter than 
the bulb with the compost, and press the bulb into 
it until it is about level with the top of the pot. Water 
it and cover it with cocoanut fibre to a depth of 
i in., and place it in a frame ; but do not give too 
much water until they show growth, or you may 
possibly rot the bulb. When they have started w T ell 
into growth treat them like the others. The Cyclamen, 
like many other plants grown under glass, is subject to 
green-fly, which infests the undersides of the leaves, and 
the_youug tender growth. Where they have done this 
you will find the leaves and flowers come malformed ; 
but fumigation with tobacco paper will rid you, for a 
time, of this pest. It is said that sometimes the 
Cyclamen is also attacked by a grub. This I have 
not been troubled with. The reason is, perhaps, that 
I always dry my potting material well before mixing 
it, particularly manure.— G. S. Stocks. 
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CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Perhaps no plant is so popular or more extensively 
cultivated by professional and amateur gardeners than 
is the Chrysanthemum at the present time ; and 
certainly no plant with which I am acquainted more 
readily responds, to liberal treatment than does the 
queen of winter flowers. The Chrysanthemum is of 
such a nature and constitution that it readily accom¬ 
modates itself to almost any kind of treatment or 
manipulation ; it only asks to be sheltered and pro¬ 
tected from the rude and cruel embrace of the ice king, 
should his ruthless majesty intrude his presence before 
he is wanted or welcomed. The early-flowering varieties 
are now so much improved in size and in their general 
character that as much encouragement should be ex¬ 
tended towards them, as regards the raising of good 
and distinct kinds, as has been the case with their 
compeers that follow on in succession. 
The season, so far, has been most favourable to the 
plants, and the early kinds in the open ground are 
magnificent. There can be no doubt but that their 
cultivation in the future will be vastly extended, if it 
does not become universal, because of the certainty of 
being rewarded for any painstaking care devoted to 
them, and especially so where convenience is wanting 
to accommodate the late-flowering ones. When the 
bedding plants are many of them declining, these early 
autumn bloomers can be introduced from reserve beds 
with grand and most pleasing effect, and would continue 
on for a great length of time should the weather be 
favourable. 
As cut flowers, in many respects they are far 
preferable to the single Dahlia, which, even if grown 
for flower garden display, requires a great amount of 
attention in picking off the seed-pods ; if this is not 
done, the plant is rendered exceedingly ugly, at the 
same time impeding the growth, and, consequently, 
successive flowering. Besides, there is no dependence 
to be placed on many of the best marked forms, as the 
prettiest variegated flowers are so transient that often¬ 
times the choice colours vanish altogether ; hence, in 
my estimation, by all possible means should the early- 
flowering Chrysanthemum be improved. Those who 
have got bottom-heat, such as a propagating-pit or 
frame, heated with a hot water tank or other means 
whereby a steady heat can be regularly maintained, 
can strike the flowering shoots readily of such as may 
be growing in the open, and which they cannot afford 
means of protection for. Five cuttings inserted in a 
3-in. or 5-in. pot soon make nice little plants—similar 
to dwarf Asters when grown in pots—which will occupy 
but little room, and make the greenhouse look bright 
when intermixed with miscellaneous greenhouse plants, 
or useful for any decorative purpose when large plants 
are not required. 
Layering of the Chrysanthemum used to be practised 
very generally in my early da}^, and I well remember 
just forty-three years ago this season being engaged 
layering a fine lot for conservatory decoration. For 
this purpose, it was the practice in the spring to set 
plants iu an open situation in the kitchen garden 4 ft. 
or upwards apart every way. These were allowed to 
grow without any attention, save in dry weather, when 
now and then a good watering was given, and some of 
the shoots were stopped if bushy plants were desired. 
About the end of August or the beginning of September 
the shoots were layered either in pots or in the ground. 
This was done in the most expeditious manner possible, 
a sharp but careful twist of the shoot from 6 ins. to 
10 ins. from the points so as to break or separate the 
bark to facilitate the emission of roots in abundance, 
and which very soon took place ; the young plants in 
the meantime growing on without check or hindrance. 
In about a month or so very fine plants were obtained 
full of healthy vigour, and which were potted on 
without being the least disturbed by the removal. 
Although my associations are those of the old school, 
I have been privileged to take an active part in that 
which may be properly designated the new school of 
gardening, and may state that for ordinary decorative 
purposes, the practice herein described has very many 
advantages over the pot coddling system. 
I received, in September, about three dozen plants— 
which were no better than sticks with a few leaves on 
the top—from one -who grows extensively, and not 
liking their poor abject appearance, I at once planted 
them out and layered them in the old-time way, and 
I now have nice plants from 6 ins. to ft. high in 
the pots, showing an abundance of bloom, and some 
even the colour of the flowers. 
The Chrysanthemum being so easy to grow, and a 
plant that adapts itself to almost any or every kind of 
treatment, must secure for it a lasting popularity in 
the minds of those who love and appreciate nature’s 
choicest gifts.— George-Fry, Lewisham. 
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Hardening Kiscellany. 
Effects of th.9 Late Gale. — I send you here¬ 
with a few cuttings of the points of shoots taken from 
trees and shrubs, showing, to some extent, how sadly 
vegetation has suffered from the gales of last week. 
The hurricane of Friday blew from the S.S.YV., and 
was accompanied at times by heavy rain, hail, and 
thick mist. All the deciduous trees, such Elm, Oak, 
Apple, Pear, Plum, Peach, &c., have their leaves 
blackened, and the points of the shoots, in many in¬ 
stances, have quite withered. All the beautiful 
autumnal tints which we so much admire (well on to 
the end of November in this part) have completely 
vanished ; a black mass of leaves only hanging on the 
trees. The foliage of Strawberry plants have the same 
burnt appearance. Dahlias, Boses, and many her¬ 
baceous plants are completely stripped—in fact, no 
flowers are left out-of-doors. Grass, Clover, Turnips, 
and Mangel Wurzel leaves in the field have suffered in 
the same way ; but there is less destruction in the 
woods than might reasonably have been expected. 
Many branches were twisted off, but very few trees 
were blown down. I attribute this immunity to the 
fact of the ground being dry, hard, and compact, the 
rains not having penetrated more than 1 ft. into the 
earth where covered with turf. The Pinuses, of sorts, 
have suffered the least of any trees, and P. insignis, 
growing within half-a-mile of the sea, with no shelter 
whatever, looks as green as usual, and as though it 
enjoyed the brine. It is a little too soon to speculate on 
the probable results of the gale on the Apple buds, but 
I fear they must be damaged considerably.- Very few 
of the Orchards in this part have produced sufficient 
Apples to make a hogshead of cider this year. — G. B ., 
Devon. 
Madresfleld Court Grape Cracking.— 
“Wales,” p. 107, asks my opinion on the vagaries of 
some Vines under his charge, but from the meagre details 
furnished, I can only surmise that the chief faults have 
arisen from the atmospheric conditions of the interior 
of his A ineries. “ Wales” also says I have “not cited 
an instance where it (the boring theory) has altogether 
failed,” but I consider it scarcely fair to throw on me 
the onus of proving the success or failure of a practice 
he himself has been, so far as I know, the first to 
publicly advocate. I maintain that boring tire shoots 
is unnecessary, and under any circumstances of doubtful 
value in preventing the cracking of berries. I believe 
prevention to be better than cure, and my whole 
suggestions and arguments are consistent therewith, as 
stated on p. 92. I hope “Wales” will adhere to his 
plan, and another year demonstrate his theory con¬ 
clusively ; at the same time kindly inviting me, or some 
other sceptic, to witness the results. I casually 
mentioned my friend’s experiments to show that the 
practice of boring -was not quite new, and I have since 
learned that his faith is more than weak, from the 
results obtained. It appears to be lost sight of that 
there is such a thing as an atmosphere out-of-doors, at 
times very heavily charged with humidity both night 
and day, and which really requires counter-balancing 
precautions to be taken with hot-water pipes, and the 
judicious admission of air. During that very critical 
period, there is no doubt in my mind that the mischief 
may be very quickly done. I am pleased to notice 
there are several cultivators (p. 107) of this noble 
Grape who can see their way to success without 
resorting to the unnecessary boring business. If the 
Vines are healthy, and the leaves are of proper sub¬ 
stance (not made in a close steamy atmosphere), it is 
astonishing what a dry airy atmosphere they enjoy—■ 
that is, after the usual moisture has been gradually 
diminished, commencing at the end of the first swelling 
and stoning period. I hope some of the successful 
growers who exhibited those grand bunches at Shrews¬ 
bury, Manchester, London, and other places, will give 
us their experience, as a little ventilation of the subject 
may prove valuable and interesting to many. No doubt, 
the Madresfleld Court Grape inherits its cracking pro¬ 
pensities from one of its parents, the Kempsey Alicante, 
a kind we find liable to crack unless treated as above. 
Otherwise it is an excellent late-keeping Grape, but 
rather difficult to handle at setting time. — William 
Crump, Madresfleld Court. 
Watering Bulbous-rooted. Plants in Pots. 
—Many of this class of plants vegetate and bloom 
during the autumn, winter and spring months. At 
whatever season of the year a bulb vegetates, it should 
be planted in moist soil, but very .little water should 
be supplied until it has shot up an inch or so, then the 
water should be given more freely and increased in 
quantity, as the plant grows. When iu full bloom the 
quantity of water supplied may be lessened in a slight 
degree, taking care, however, to keep the soil constantly 
moist, in order the longer to enjoy the beauty of the 
flower. As soon as it is out of bloom, water should be 
freely supplied in order to enable the leaves to be 
matured and the exhausted bulb thereby to become 
established. Not a few err in regard to this subject. 
On the growth of the leaves, after bulbous-rooted plants 
have flowered, depends the formation of the flowering 
bud for the ensuing year, therefore water should be 
freely given until the ends of the leaves turn yellow, 
which, in most of the common bulbs, as Hyacinths, 
Narcissus, &c., will be in from one to two months after 
their bloom. From that period the supply of water 
should be gradually lessened, and in a few days alto¬ 
gether discontinued ; then the pots can be laid on then- 
sides in a shady situation, when the soil will gradually 
dry and the leaves and fibre of the roots wither, when 
the bulbs may be preserved for another season’s 
planting. 
A Velvety Lawn, —It is a common error, held 
by those unacquainted with the subject, to suppose that 
by cuttinggrass too often itwill be destroyed ; the reverse 
is the fact. The oftener grass is cut in the growing sea¬ 
son the thicker and finer is'its texture, and there is less 
liability to burn in summer. The verification of the facts 
of its thickening and greenness from frequent croppings 
may be seen from an inspection of any roadside plot or 
common land that is constantly grazed by cattle, &c., 
when compared with that mowed only for hay ; in the 
former the sward is thick and of a finer texture, while 
in the mown field the quality is stout and thin. Garden 
lawns of grass should never be allowed to go over a 
fortnight, and in the case of showery weather, not more 
