August 1, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
763 
florists would learn to love these beautiful wild 
flowers as the poets have), golden Coreopsis, yellow 
Centaurea, the Iris, Marechal Niel and Perle Roses, 
yellow Nasturtiums, Pansies, and a host of other 
dainty yellow favourites, which only need our 
artistic touch to form themselves into bowers and 
festoons of gold and silver. 
We have spoken a while ago of set emblematic 
forms into which flowers are crowded “ en masse ; " 
let us consider the matter more fully now, especially 
with reference to wedding decorations. Emblems 
are perfectly right and good in their place, but I 
think we need some sweeping reforms in their style 
and use. Those wire framed bells, crosses, pillows, 
lovers' knots, and such like things can certainly be 
well replaced by something nearer to the genuine 
article. By all means use the cross, the bell, the 
anchor, the lover's knot, and the gateway ! But use 
the real thing as nearly as possible, and turn it into 
floral decoration. Tie your true lover’s knot tight, 
but with real hempen rope, gild it, silver it with bronze 
paint if you wish, and twine it lovingly with Brides 
or Mermets, but don’t make it up entirely of flowers. 
Use the basket, fill it with Roses (of one kind, if 
possible), make a rustic gate, twine it with Daisies, 
gild your cross, hang on it your white Roses, cover 
the altar cloth with flowers, with even loose rose leaves 
for the sake of colour effect, but do not try to make 
cloth out of Roses, rope out of Carnations, bells out 
of Daisies, and wooden gates out of a mass of con¬ 
glomerate blooms ! The very words printed out in 
cold type, " Silver Bells," " Silver Lamps," suggest 
a ring and silvery gleam which flowers in such 
shapes are too meaningless to convey. The florist 
ought to be supplied with cheap and good metal 
bells and lamps, say in aluminium, made especially 
for him to use and decorate. A pretty hanging lamp, 
however plain, in silver, lighted and smothered in 
not too many Mermet or Niphetos Roses, which may 
be garlanded and allowed to hang down a space 
below the lamp, simply tm/st look pretty. A silver 
bell, whose metal is perforated to receive the con¬ 
structing threads of its floral decoration, if half 
covered with flowers, must have more of the “ true 
ring ” to it than a clumsy, solid mass of Carnations, 
which we guess was intended to look like a bell.— 
A merican Florist. 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 
IN SCOTLAND. 
The following paper on the cultivation of this beauti¬ 
ful flowering plant by Mr. James Connon, Aberdeen¬ 
shire, one of the earliest successful growers in the 
North, will be of interest to our northern readers :— 
In the north of Scotland twenty years ago little was 
thought of Chrysanthemums, and, less than ten years 
ago, few of us in Aberdeenshire would have thought 
Chrysanthemums of any sort worth writing about. 
But a change has taken place. It has been with this 
flower as with most—I may say all—of the special 
objects of the florist’s care. First some little mark 
of beauty has been found; then some florist of 
reputation' has come forward as patron, and the 
previously despised plant has speedily become a 
general favourite. I consider that few favourites of 
the flower garden deserve more attention or have 
received more careful cultivation than the Chrysan¬ 
themum, which is now universally appreciated and 
admired. While the Rose enjoys the honour of being 
the queen of summer flowers, the Chrysanthemum 
may well claim to be the queen of our extensive and 
ever-increasing collection of winter flowers. In 
England, indeed, it is called the queen of dreary dull 
November, and there its reign is practically over by 
Christmas, whereas, thanks to our cold late climate 
in Scotland, its beauties continue to charm us 
throughout the dead of winter, and to irradiate the 
comparatively flowerless season of the opening year. 
The history of the plant and the rise of the first 
interest manifested in the hybridising and raising of 
new sorts, and the special attention given to pot 
cultivation by gardeners in Britain, it is unnecessary 
at present to enter into. There is no doubt that for 
many years in England, as well as in the south of 
Scotland, the Chrysanthemum has received great 
attention, and has been grown, to use a common 
phrase, to perfection, and we have in a great measure 
to thank the growers in those parts for the interest, 
which has certainly not been without its good results. 
At the present day the Chrysanthemum is acknow¬ 
ledged by almost all to be the flower both for the 
decoration of the greenhouse, the conservatory, and 
the drawing-room, and also as a cut flower it is in 
great demand. Perhaps the principal reason why 
this most useful of all autumn and winter-flowering 
plants was so long in getting a special share of at¬ 
tention in the north of Scotland was the idea — an 
idea shared by myself till very recently — that our 
climate was too cold and had too little sunshine for 
its successful cultivation ; but perhaps our cool — I 
might call it slow — weather may give us an advan¬ 
tage, as is the case with flowering Pelargoniums in 
winter. At all events we have now outgrown this 
idea and are rapidly coming up to our southern 
brethren, and bid fair to excel them, as Scotland has 
already done with the grape, in the cultivation of 
which she has beaten the world. 
I shall now relate the system which I have found 
most successful for laying the foundation of a 
flourishing lot of Chrysanthemums for autumn and 
winter display. At the same time I am not in the 
slightest degree prejudiced against any of the many 
successful systems adopted, from which I fully 
believe we may derive many a useful hint, and thus 
enlarge the knowledge we already possess. I must 
certainly say what I have learned on the subject has 
been derived mostly from ideas picked up from the ex¬ 
periences of others. If we would have a proper display 
of this grand winter flowering plant — leaving out of 
the question the summer and autumn flowering 
sorts — we must begin with strong healthy cuttings in 
January or February — not later — from plants that 
have been well cared for during the winter, and kept 
say in a cool greenhouse. Weak cuttings never make 
good plants. Cuttings are easily struck either in a 
slight heat, or without it—that is to say in the tem¬ 
perature of a greenhouse. 
When rooted we place three or four plants in a 
3-in. pot containing any good rich soil, rather heavy, 
inclining to clay, and keep them well exposed to the 
light and air. By the middle of April they may be 
removed to a cold frame, and should if possible be 
plunged in ashes. It is best to keep them in the 
frame till they can be safely put outside ; plunged in 
the same material where they may remain at a suffi¬ 
cient distance apart to allow the air and sunshine 
free access during the summer season ; on till say 
October or November, provided the weather will 
allow. We must be careful not to leave them out¬ 
side till the frost attacks them, as they will not stand 
its influence with impunity. All that is necessary 
from the time the plants are taken outside till they 
are put into their winter quarters is to keep them 
growing freely, judiciously potting as they require it. 
This may be done in the following way:—Shift 
them from the first pots in the cold frame to 53-in. 
pots, then shift them again in the end of June, after 
they have been some time exposed and have got 
accustomed to the change. At this time they may 
receive a little weak liquid manure, although on this 
point there will, we know, be some difference of 
opinion. Never allow the plants to flag for want of 
water and syringe them often, especially in dry warm 
weather. This helps immensely to keep down the 
green fly, and, without interfering with the strength 
and firmness of the foliage, imparts to it that rich deep 
olive green which is one of the most distinguishing 
marks of a healthy plant. 
Now comes the operation upon which, in my 
opinion, success mainly depends. As the plants begin 
to show signs of flower-buds they ought to receive 
particular care. Each branch should be nicely 
fastened to a stake. Many growers train them in 
various artificial forms, but I consider that the shape 
nearest to their natural growth is the best. If it is 
desired to obtain the largest possible flowers only one 
bud should be left on each branch. But in growing 
as v^e do for cut flowers, which do not require to be of 
the largest size, two, three, or more bud's may be left 
on one branch, and will produce flowers which, 
although inferior in size, are yet of good quality. 
Disbudding must be performed at the earliest 
opportunity, in fact as soon as the buds can be 
handled, one or more of the largest being left. This 
operation will probably not be necessary till the 
plants are housed in their winter quarters—which 
should be light and airy—the plants being arranged 
as near the glass as possible, so as to receive all the 
available light and any stray gleams of sunshine that 
may appear at this dull season. 
This is the time, in my opinion, when liquid manure 
ought to be applied. The Chrysanthemum is beyond 
most plants a gross feeder, and delights in plenty of 
manure. Many kinds of manure are recommended, 
but liquid stableyard manure, mixed in equal parts 
with sooty water, will be found as effectual, and to most 
people as cheap, as any. I might have introduced into 
my paper many other remarks and suggestions, but I 
have preferred simply to indicate the method of 
growing that I myself have found most successful. 
__ - ■» _ _ 
♦ 
©leanings ftrum flic Khnjtr 
of Sri^nce. 
A New use for Tree Fern Stems—The 
natives or the settlers of New Zealand, in turning the 
products of their adopted country to some pratical 
purpose, have hit upon a plan of making an ornamental 
object out of the stems of Tree Ferns. The outer 
covering of roots, if any, is removed and all the loose 
material shaved away, revealing the curious arrange 
ment of the fibro-vascular tissue. The stems are then 
cut into short lengths, and, after fastening a wooden 
pedestal or base to one end, they then constitute, 
novel, interesting, and ornamental spill holders. The 
centre is generally hollow by the breaking up of the 
soft ground tissue of the stem, or it may easily be 
removed. Gardeners and others who happen to have 
a Tree Fern die might utilise the stem for the above 
purpose, and might even make tobacco boxes out of 
the larger ones. By smoothing the outer surface 
with some sharp instrument and then polishing it with 
sand paper, a surface could be obtained which would 
be highly ornamental when varnished. 
Caterpillars on Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, 
&c.—Last year a correspondent sent me two kinds 
of Caterpillars which played havoc amongst his 
garden plants during the first three weeks of 
September. They appeared in great numbers and 
ate the leaves of Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, Asters 
(perennial), Mugwort, and other herbaceous subjects 
of a similar nature, leaving scarcely a leaf upon 
them. After being fed with Chrysanthemum leaves 
the larvae went into the soil at various times up to 
the 24th of September, and assumed the pupa state. 
During the latter part of June and the first fortnight 
of July of the present year they attained the perfect 
state. The black larvae, with the long brown hairs 
and the orange stripe on their back, turned out to 
be the White Ermine Moth (Spilosoma Menthastri), 
measuring about if in. across the wings, which are 
white, irregularly spotted with black. The dull 
grey or pale brown larvae, with the long, pale brown 
hairs, were those of the Buff Ermine Moth (Spilosoma 
lubricipeda), with buff coloured wings, and an oblique 
line of black spots. Unfortunately, both are very 
common, and feed upon all kinds of low or herbaceous 
plants. The best and surest remedy is to watch 
when the larvae first appear during the latter part of 
August, and hand-pick them'before they have time 
to do damage. Birds object to them on account of 
the long hairs with which they are clothed.— J. F. 
The Small Ermine Moth. —Last year the com¬ 
plaint was loud that caterpillars were destroying the 
foliage of different trees, but particularly of the 
Hawthorns in the London parks. The hedges also 
in the suburbs were literally rendered leafless 
and brown as if scorched with fire, in several 
localities, during the early part of summer. As the 
caterpillars became full fed and went into the pupa 
state, the damage disappeared by the second growth 
which was made. The caterpillars were numerous 
it is true, but the bulk of them were all of one kind, 
namely, those of the Small Ermine Moth (Hypc- 
nomeuta padella), and perhaps one or two other 
species of the same genus. They belong to what are 
known as social caterpillars, because they live in 
communities of numerous individuals under the 
protection of a common web, from which they sally 
forth at particular times in quest of food, and also 
enlarge their webs from time to time in order to in¬ 
clude fresh leaves. Like other members of the 
insect tribe, the Small Ermine fluctuates greatly in 
number from year to year, but from what cause it is 
difficult to determine. Comparatively few occupy 
the same places which they did last year. The 
White Thorn is the favourite food of the insect, but 
other trees, including Apples and Pears, sometimes 
suffer greatly from its ravages. The web in which 
they shelter should be collected and destroyed q.i 
their first formation, 
