294 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
FLORICULTURE. 
Seasonable Notes on Florists' Flowers. 
Auriculas. 
The Auricula is seen at a great disadvantage 
during the month of January to anyone who does not 
grow it, because during that month the plants have 
fallen away to their smallest proportions. This is 
equally true of plants grown in pots under shelter 
and those exposed to all weathers in the open bor¬ 
der. An observer not learned in the management 
of the flower might be disposed to say, " What poor 
plants. Can these apparently poor worn-out plants 
burst into growth and produce fine heads of bloom 
in April ? " they may say, with just a tinge of sus¬ 
picion as to the possibility of their doing so. They 
will, most assuredly, and, though the filbert-like 
hearts of the plants are small, they are compact and 
literally loaded to the full with leaves that will pre¬ 
sently expand and furnish a growth astounding to 
anyone not acquainted with the possibilities of the 
plant. Seasonable directions may be put into a few 
words: water sparingly ; keep the foliage dry; the 
pots and shelves as clean as possible; and let there 
be a free circulation of air. Watch and wait should 
be the attitude of the grower ; in another month he 
will perceive a change coming over his plants, and 
then he will know they are on the threshold of the 
movement the grower so longs to see. Plants grow¬ 
ing in beds or borders in the open will be greatly 
helped by the soil being pressed firmly about them, 
and a good top-dressing added. It is a comfort to 
the plants at this time of the year, and it will be a 
great assistance to them when they commence to 
grow. 
Carnations and Picotees. 
Young plants in pots being wintered in cold frames 
still need to be protected from rains; but in mild, 
drying weather the lights can be pulled off and the 
plants have all the advantages of genial solar and 
atmospheric influences. The aim of the grower 
should be to have his plants as stocky, stout, and 
vigorous as possible, and if well rooted, as they should 
be at this season of the year, then he has just the 
right material to pot up for blooming, or for plant¬ 
ing out in the open next month. If not already 
prepared the potting compost should be made up 
for next month or March. I cannot do better than 
quote from Mr. Dodwell’s excellent book on the 
Carnation, even at the risk of repetition. He states 
under the head of soil :—It is more important this 
should be sweet and pure than highly stimulating, 
and he advises the top spit of an upland pasture of a 
good fibry character, say three parts, and of good 
well-decomposed manure and leaf mould, one part 
each ; these should be sweetened by exposure to the 
atmosphere, and be occasionally turned. In wet 
weather place something over the peat to ward off 
rains. Mr. Dodwell is emphatic in his advice to 
the inexperienced to be careful in the application of 
manurial matters : "Where one plant has perished 
for lack of sustenance, hundreds have been killed, 
or worse, by excess of stimulants." 
Calceolarias and Cinerarias. 
The weather is so mild and open on the whole that 
plants of these will need but little fire heat, and it 
should be employed only to expel damp or prevent 
danger from from frost. The plants at this season 
of the year do best in a frame heated with water, 
and which can be warmed when required: the 
foliage near the glass, and raised up near to it if it 
can be managed. Cinerarias, especially if kept in a 
warm greenhouse that is constantly heated, soon 
become infested with green fly if not well looked 
after in the matter of cleanliness. 
Dahlias. 
The roots may yet remain in their winter quarters, 
being looked over ocaasionally to see that nothing in 
the way of rot or mildew is likely to prove injurious. 
In the big Dahlia nurseries preparations are already 
being made for commencing the work of propaga¬ 
tion, but as it has to be done on a large scale, it is 
necessary to commence early. 
Pansies. 
I suppose the old practice of growing and bloom¬ 
ing Pansies in pots has quite died out. In those 
days Pansies were exhibited in pots in May, and 
grand blooms were produced upon them. I scarcely 
know another plant so thoroughly satisfactory when 
grown in a pot in a cold frame as a Pansy, because 
January 9, 1892. 
of its continuous blooming properties. Pansies in 
beds will be benefited by having the surface cleaned, 
the plants pressed firmly into the soil, and a good 
top dressing of rich compost given, placing a small 
stick as a support to any shoots in danger of being 
blown about by the wind and snapped asunder. 
Pelargoniums. 
So few now grow good specimens of Pelargoniums for 
early blooming, that directions for their manage¬ 
ment are scarcely necessary. The big London exhibi¬ 
tions held in May are generally pretty strong in 
specimen Pelargoniums ; and it is at this time of the 
year the foundations of the plants are formed. The 
branches are spread out so that air and sun may be 
freely admitted. This is done by tying a piece of 
twisted bass round the outside of the pot, just 
under the rim; and then the outside branches are 
gently tied down to it at proper distances apart. 
Then later on, the central shoots are tied out to 
neat stakes, so as to give the plant a symmetrical 
appearance, and the foundations of a specimen are 
laid. Young plants in small pots need to be kept 
gently growing, and be shifted as necessary for Icier 
blooming. 
Polyanthuses. 
Those growing in pots can be treated similarly 
to Auriculas, but should have a little more moisture, 
and the same with those in borders. A good top 
dressing will be found very useful. The old florists 
regarded the stem of a Polyanthus as the point of 
injurious attack, and they recommended earthing 
up to the leaves to keep it secure. 
Pinks. 
The plants are so hardy that they do not suffer 
much from frost, but boisterous cold winds are 
likely to prove more injurious ; anything in the way 
of shelter is useful, and the timely securing of the 
long branches is desirable. Owing to the excessive 
wet some of the plants look unhappy, but when 
growth sets in they recover with remarkable quick¬ 
ness. 
Tulips. 
These promise to make an early growth, owing to the 
mildness of the weather, and the green leaf spike 
appears above ground earlier than is desirable; 
when this is the case frost will do injury to 
the leaves, and harm to the foliage appears to affect 
the beauty of the flowers. Henceforth it was 
customary to cover up the beds when frost was 
imminent, but directly the weather became mild the 
covering was at once removed.— R. D. 
Exhibiting Carnation and Picotee Blooms. 
We hear that at the forthcoming Exhibition of the 
Midland Counties Cornation Picotee Society in 
August next at Birmingham, Mr. Robert Sydenham 
contemplates offering some special prizes for cut 
bloo.ms,displayed in vases for table decoration, not in 
bunches or bouquets, but arranged loosely so as to 
show the beauty of the individual flower, combined 
with a tasteful arrangement. How this is a step 
in the right direction, especially if the arrangement 
of the vases should be carried out by ladies, and re¬ 
stricting the number of blooms to about eighteen or 
twenty, so that all may work on a level, and with 
vases of the same size and pattern. 
The Carnation and Picotee can safely hold its own 
with any other flower for duration and beauty in a 
cut state, and we are now growing rich and beautiful 
sorts, with such a diversity of colour that a lovely 
display can easily be made, and a new feature 
added to our Carnation and Picotee shows. In 
America, the Carnation and Picotee is making immense 
headway, and this style of exhibiting is popular, and 
it is also adopted at the Chrysanthemum Exhibitions 
when six to twelve blooms of a sort are set up in 
vases. 
At the exhibition of the Midland Carnation and 
Picotee Society last August, prizes were offered for 
plants in small pots suitable for indoor and green¬ 
house decoration, but owing to the season being a 
very late one, the plants could not be got into bloom 
in time for the exhibition. Messrs. Thomson & Co., 
nurserymen, staged a dozen pretty examples, and 
Mr. Herbert, the manager, intends potting up a 
quantity of plants in the hope of making a good dis¬ 
play in August next, and showing what can be done 
with the Carnation in small pots for indoor work, 
Over potting is certainly a very great mistake, even 
with plants grown in pots for exhibition purposes. 
The Birmingham growers are preparing fori a big 
fight next August, end th e ’ r stock of plants js’in fine 
condition, — W, D , “ s . 1 -. 
ON CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
(Concluded from page 276 .) 
The plants to produce large blooms should not be 
topped, allow them to run up, providing each with a 
good stake, and standing them on boards in a single 
row. I stand mine by the side of a walk in the 
kitchen garden, and I find, by having Carrots or 
some such similar growing crop adjacent, that they 
nicely shade the pots, thereby keeping the roots cool 
and greatly minimising the labour of watering. Stout 
stakes should be driven into the ground at intervals 
along the row, running a line or two of strong string 
or wire the entire length, twisting it round each 
stake, and then tying each plant stake to the string 
or wire ; that will secure them against being blown 
over and broken by strong winds, which in- 
variably occur before housing time arrives—generally 
the first week in October. These tall plants will 
branch out of their own free will; three or four of 
the strongest shoots should be retained, letting each 
carry one bloom, and all other shoots should be 
nipped out as they appear. The shoots should be 
looped up to the stakes to prevent their being blown 
out. 
Decorative plants that have been pinched may be 
staked out to the fancy of the grower, though too 
many should not be used. The plants must be well 
attended to as regards watering, as if neglected they 
soon lose their lower leaves, and when well rooted 
they require feeding with some stimulant to help 
them carry on their work of forming and producing 
good blooms. Some of the early varieties make nice 
stuff for furnishing grown in 32’s, and to obtain 
dwarf plants of the large flowering sorts it is a good 
plan to cut down to within 6 in. or 9 in. of the soil 
a batch about the first week in June, standing them 
in a pit or frame, and syringing them occasionally 
to induce them to break, retaining four or five of the 
strongest shoots, and shift into their flowering pots 
as soon as they have made a nice start, putting a 
neat stake to each shoot. Such plants answer well 
for stage furnishing, and they bloom later, thus pro¬ 
longing the season. 
I do not think it necessary to enumerate varieties 
here, good catalogues are plentiful giving descriptions 
of the best varieties to grow' for each purpose, and a 
glance through the numbers of The Gardening 
World for November will well post up the would-be 
exhibitor next season in the favourite varieties of the 
old hands. The grower for exhibition needs to cul¬ 
tivate a large collection composed of the best varieties 
up to date, and there is a good deal in having the 
blooms just " up" at the right time. It is admitted 
by some of the best growers that the best time 
for “ taking ” the buds is from the beginning of the 
second week-in August to the second week of Sep¬ 
tember, taking the late varieties at the first date, 
but I think a good deal depends on the locality and 
seasons, also in the convenience for housing the plants. 
The subject of hirsute varieties has been dis¬ 
cussed pro and con in your columns. They are 
novel and pretty, but the variety Mrs. Alpheus 
Hardy, that created such a furore when it first came 
out, seems to be an admitted “ miffy ’^subject to deal 
with. Over-propagation was said to be the cause of 
failure at first, but I should think it ought to have 
recovered from that by this time. In 1S90 I found 
it a shy rooter, so last year I grew them in 32's, 
using lighter soil and mixing some peat and sand 
with the compost. I let them run up as a single 
stem, taking the first bud I could obtain, and I may 
may mention that till then they grew' in a cool house 
after which I stood them out of doors with the other 
varieties. I thus obtained a few very good blooms, 
but found the petals apt to damp, I presume on 
account of their hirsuteness. 
I may now say a few words anent specimen plants. 
They are a great attraction to a show, and at most 
exhibitions classes are provided for them, but I 
think as a rule the prizes are inadequate. Consider- 
ing the labour that is expended in their cultivation, 
and the cost of getting them to and from a show, 
they do not meet with that encouragement held out 
to distant exhibitors of cut blooms. I like to grow a 
few specimens and train them pn the flat principle. 
The cuttings require to be struck early, as the plants 
need a long season to cover the trellis effectually ; 
they should "be growm oh as I have previously 
mentioned, topping them when about 9 in. high, 
and " as ‘ the shoots grow carefully tie them 
gut ; shift into their flowering pots, 12 in, ( 
