January 19, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
321 
MID-WINTER CHRYSANTHE¬ 
MUMS.* 
So much, has been said and written on the general 
cultivation of the Chrysanthemum by eminent writers 
and growers that it is not necessary for me to refer to 
it. There is, however, one phase of the culture of the 
flower that has received but little attention, and is con¬ 
sequently the least understood by the majority of 
growers. I allude to what is now usually known as the 
cultivation of mid-winter Chrysanthemums, which ex¬ 
pression I have adopted as the title of this paper. 
A quickened and increasing interest is being taken in 
this branch of the culture of Chrysanthemums, and 
rightly so, considering that it enables us to have their 
flowers in perfection for at least two months longer 
than formerly, and at a time when there is a great 
paucity of other flowers. By establishing the Mid¬ 
winter Exhibition, and the very liberal prizes offered, 
the National Chrysanthemum Society has done much, 
no doubt, to bring about and foster this new interest in 
late cultivation with the view to prolonging the season 
and decorative usefulness of this increasingly popular 
flower. 
Growers who essay the cultivation of mid-winter 
Chrysanthemums will, by selecting the naturally late- 
flowering kinds, by late propagation, and by suitable 
treatment of the plants, find it a comparatively easy 
matter to prolong the blooming season to 
a much later date than at one time was 
considered possible. They will no longer 
be satisfied to see, as in the past, the 
greater part of their Chrysanthemum 
blooms pass away with the dying year. 
No ; they will find it is possible to prolong 
the season, and to have blooms in quantity 
up to the end of February, into March, or 
even into April. Indeed, the production 
of mid and late winter blooms is only in 
its infancy. We have, so to speak, only 
just crossed the threshold of knowledge as 
to what can be accomplished in the direction 
indicated. 
Having been fairly successful in the cul¬ 
tivation of mid-winter Chrysanthemums, 
I will, without troubling to give the 
minor details, describe as briefly and as 
lucidly as I can the procedure by which I 
have been enabled to span the year with 
Chrysanthemum blooms. Referring first 
to the cuttings, I would state that they 
are taken mostly from plants that have 
bloomed in November and December. 
After they have flowered, the stems are 
cut down, all weakly shoots removed, and 
the stools placed in a cold pit to keep them 
back. The cuttings are struck at three 
different times—namely, February, March, 
and April, in the last week of each month. 
Those struck in February are put under 
hand-lights in a cold pit, and those struck 
in March and April have the assistance of 
a slight hot-bed. The cuttings selected 
are the latest sucker or root growths, 
preference being given to those that are 
stout and short-jointed. 
As soon as the cuttings are struck they are carefully 
hardened and placed in a frame with a north aspect. 
When sufficiently advanced, the cuttings are potted 
and returned to the frame, kept close till the roots 
begin to run freely, and then gradually exposed. As 
soon as the weather will allow, the plants are stood 
out of doors on a bed of ashes ; before they become 
root-bound they are shifted into 6-in. pots and 
returned to the ash-bed, where they are placed in a 
north aspect, with a view to keeping them back. By 
the middle and end of July respectively, most of the 
plants are ready to be transferred to their flowering 
pots. Those intended for the supply of cut flowers are 
shifted into 9 in., 10-in., or 12-in. pots., three plants 
in each ; and those intended for decorative purposes 
are shifted into 7-in. or 8-in. pots. When all have 
been potted they are ready to be placed in their 
summer quarters, to the proper selection of which I 
attach much importance, for on it will depend in no 
small degree the success in procuring very late blooms. It 
will be seen that our practice differs somewhat from 
the generally accepted “full exposure to the sun” 
course of procedure. 
In growing Chrysanthemums for late flowering it is 
necessary to defer to the latest date possible the 
formatio n of the crown-bud. This can be done in two 
*Read by Mr. J. Kipling, Knebworth House, at the Chry- 
santbemura Conference, Royal Aquarium, January 9th. 
ways—first, by the constant pinching back of the 
shoots or cutting down the plants at a certain date, so 
as to produce late growths, and thus delay the 
production of the crown-bud, which practice I find 
weakens the plant too much, and the blooms produced 
by it are poor. The second method is to place the 
plants in such a position through the summer that the 
ripening of the wood is delayed, and the pinching back 
of the shoots reduced. 
It is well known that Chrysanthemums which are 
placed where exposed to the sun’s rays throughout the 
day have the maturing process of the wood begun and 
finished early, and as a consequence of this the early 
formation of the crown bud takes place ; it follows 
then that if plants are placed in such a position as to 
have less direct sunlight on them through the day the 
ripening process will not begin so early, and will pro¬ 
ceed more slowly. As a result the production of the 
crown bud is greatly retarded ; indeed, it shows itself 
at a much later date, which is exactly the result 
desired in growing them for late blooming. My plants 
occupy a position on the north-east side of a Laurel 
hedge, but are not overshadowed by it. They have 
the benefit of the morning sun up to 10 o’clock, when, 
through the intervening of some trees, it does not 
shine on them again till 3 o’clock in the afternoon. In 
this position they grow slowly, the wood ripens late, 
Dahlia, Paragon. 
but sufficiently to ensure us a good crop of flowers. I 
may here state that a partly shaded position might not 
be suitable in very late or northerly localities ; nor is 
it possible by this practice to have huge, or even very 
large blooms. But very large blooms are not wanted 
at the season of the year to which I am referring; 
smaller blooms, or trusses of blooms, are more service¬ 
able for the various purposes of decoration, and also 
for personal adornment. They are certainly more 
appreciated by a majority of those who love the 
Chrysanthemum. In my case cut blooms are the 
principal requirement, and consequently but little 
attention is paid to the training of the plants, my 
object being to have good strong bushes with stout 
shoots, from nine to twelve to a plant, and containing 
plenty of stored-up reserve force. Shoots of this 
description will give a second crop of side flowers after 
the first or leading blooms have been cut. 
The plants which are grown principally to cut from 
are stopped only once—namely, at the second potting, 
and those intended for pot or specimen plants are 
stopped three times, the final topping taking place in 
the last week in July. 
The plants are carefully attended to as regards 
watering, tying, &c., but very little liquid manure is 
given them. If satisfactory progress be made, the crown 
buds will begin to show at the end of September, but 
principally through October. These buds I retain on 
one-half of the plants, while on the other half they are 
rubbed out, and the terminal bud selected later on 
instead, for the purpose of keeping up a succession of 
bloom. The plants are left outside to as late a date as 
is considered safe. They are then taken in and arranged 
in an unheated Peach house, from which the frost i 3 
excluded by two paraffin stoves. In this house they 
continue their growth and swell their buds very 
slowly, the terminal buds appearing at the end of 
November and through December. About the end of 
November we begin to draft the plants as required to 
a very light and airy vinery, where, with the assistance 
of a little artificial heat and supplies of liquid manure, 
the flowers gradually expand. 
As fast as the blooms are cut from each set, the 
flower-stems are slightly shortened, and the plants are 
encouraged to make side breaks or shoots, which some 
varieties do very freely, especially those with not over¬ 
ripened wood. These side growths give us a good 
supply of small flowers through March and April. It 
was from the side and basal shoots of cut-back plants 
that I obtained a box of flowers, and sent them to my 
friend Mr. Holmes on the 20th of April last. My 
notes show that the last blooms were cut on the 29th 
of May, and at that date we had blooming in pots 
under glass the early Pompons, St. Mary, La Petite 
Marie, and Nanum, of which varieties we usually pot a 
good stock in the early autumn to propagate from for 
summer display. These Pompons carried 
on the blooming period, and shook hands, 
as it were, with similar kinds which 
bloomed with us outdoors on June 20th. 
Such was the manner in which I was 
enabled to wreath the year with Chrysan¬ 
themum blooms. 
With reference to the varieties which 
are best for growing for late blooming, I 
would say that there are sorts which are 
naturally late to bloom, and are invaluable 
for the purpose. But there are a few of 
the mid-season varieties, which, as I 
have proved, cannot be excelled by any 
especially for giving second crop flowers. 
They all, or mostly all, belong to the 
Japanese section. I have found very few 
of the incurved kinds worth the time and 
labour spent on them for giving late 
blooms. They are not free enough, the 
blooms opening indifferently, and do not 
keep well; at least, such is my experience 
of them. Of the Japanese varieties I have 
found the following to be the best :— 
Belle Paule, Kaempfer, Etoile du Midi, 
Ethel, Mrs. C. Carey, Ceres, Mdlle. Cabro^ 
Gloriosum, Cry Kang, Comtesse de Beau¬ 
regard, Meg Merrilies and its sports Ralph 
Brocklebank and Countess of Lytton, the 
last-named sport having originated with 
myself. Mr. D. B. Chapman and W. G. 
Drover are also proving very late, but not 
over free in blooming. For pot specimens 
I find the best to be Pere Delaux, Yir- 
ginale, Miss Margaret, Snowdrop, Golden 
Gem, and Boule de Neige. The two last- 
named cannot be surpassed by any that I 
know for late pot work. There may be others quite as 
good for late blooming, and if there are I hope those 
who have grown them will give us their names. 
-- 
SINGLE DAHLIA, PARAGON. 
It is remarkable that this popular single Dahlia should 
have been preserved in some way for so many years, 
and then come to the fore again. It appeared in 
Dahlia lists as late as 1833-34, and then, I imagine, the 
taste for double forms caused it to be disregarded, and 
it perhaps found its way into some botanical or old- 
fashioned garden, where it was nursed and kept alive 
through so many years, to appear again in these later 
days, and to do so much in the way of popularising the 
single Dahlia. Who re-introduced it, and where was 
it found ? It cannot have been a seedling, because it 
is doubtful if any living florist remembers it in culti¬ 
vation so long since. I have seen statements to the 
effect that it is a bad grower, and spare of bloom. My 
experience of it last summer proves just the contrary ; 
it had a very free and good habit, and gave me an 
abundance of bloom. What should be noted con¬ 
cerning it is that the early flowers are not always true 
to character, taking the self form mainly, but they 
soon come right. If I had to select a special half-dozen 
of single Dahlias to grow for cutting from, I should 
certainly include Paragon among them.— B. D. 
