26 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 14, 1889. 
It must always be remembered that education alone 
will not make a gardener. I know many men who are 
not by any means educated, whose gardens it is a 
pleasure to see, still there is no doubt they would have 
been more intelligent, had they given a portion of 
their time to intellectual stud}'. I think the educated 
gardener is getting more and more to be a requirement 
than he has been, and if young gardeners would look at 
it in this light, it would form an incentive to study. 
But how should we seek to arrive at a better condition 
of things, and to stimulate the rising generation to 
greater efforts ? Simply by looking to ourselves as head 
gardeners ; if we will lead they will follow. There is 
no mistake about it, we must look at home. Do head 
gardeners study ? To a certain extent they are obliged 
to do so, they must refer to books in cases of difficulty 
and fresh subjects ; but have they, as a body, a natural 
inclination for study ? I am afraid the same must be 
said of them as of young gardeners, the percentage is 
very small. I have said before, and I say it again, 
that the only way to improve ourselves and to better 
our intellectual position, is by a thorough organised 
system of combination, for the purposes of self-im¬ 
provement, rallying together for this purpose to our 
towns and centres, and bringing in with us the young 
men. Gardeners have no organisation ; it would be 
better for them if they had .—Alfred Gaut, The 
Gardens, Berwiclc, Shrewsbury. 
NATURALLY-GROWN CHRYSAN¬ 
THEMUMS.* 
Treatment of Plants Grown for the Production 
of Exhibition Blooms a Short Time Previous 
to the Shows. 
In consequence of the varying conditions under which 
Chrysanthemums are grown, owing to the difference in 
the practice of cultivators and in the climatic conditions 
of districts, it is somewhat difficult, in referring to the 
treatment which naturally-grown plants for the pro¬ 
duction of exhibition blooms should receive, to fix upon 
a starting point. Much, as the majority of you are 
aware, depends upon the strength of the plants, the 
firmness of the wood, and the treatment they have 
hitherto received. 
Speaking as a southern grower, I will suppose that 
the plants have been well cultivated and are now 
strong and healthy. I will also assume that the wood 
is well solidified, and that they have their buds in 
various stages of development. At the outset I will 
call your attention to a matter of the greatest import¬ 
ance, and that is the application of 
A Bich Top-dressing. 
"We tcp*lress our plants at the end of July or early in 
August, a space of about 2 ins. being left at the final 
potting for this purpose. About an inch of the material 
to be used is placed upon the surface of the pots and 
pressed down rather firmly, the application being made 
when the soil in the pots is moderately dry, so that it 
does not work into a paste. The mixture used for top¬ 
dressing consists of one part of loam, one part of decayed 
manure, a small quantity of old mortar, and a sprink¬ 
ling of bone-meal. For some time afterwards the plants 
are watered with a can, to which arose is fixed to avoid 
the risk of the top-dressing being washed out of its 
place, or, indeed, being greatly disturbed. Whatever 
feeding the plants may have had previous to this surface¬ 
dressing should be continued afterwards, as the top¬ 
dressing has no immediate effect unless a fertiliser of 
quick action be added to it. But the addition of 
manure that will act rapidly I do not think absolutely 
necessary, although I used it previous to last year. 
Now if the surface material be examined about three or 
four weeks after its application, strong healthy roots 
will be found working their way through it, and when 
the time arrives for housing the plants the surface will 
be seen to be more or less covered with these healthy, 
vigorous feeders. In my opinion nothing can be of 
greater assistance in the taking up of supplies of food 
so essential to the plants during the development of the 
buds than these newly-formed fibrous roots. This may 
at first appear to have but little bearing upon the future 
treatment of the plants ; I have, however, explained 
this to show the condition the plants must be in as 
regards root action. Having, then, secured plenty of 
newly-formed rootlets for the taking up of the food, 
we now feed chiefly with Clay’s Fertilizer and Thom¬ 
son’s Yine and Plant Manure. These we use alternately, 
at intervals of about eight days, but in this matter we 
* By J. Doughty, Angley Park, Cranbrook. Read at the 
National Chrysanthemum Society’s Conference, September 11th, 
are guided by the state of the weather. If prolonged 
dull wet weather sets in the manures must be used more 
sparingly, so as not to cause too quick a growth, or the 
flower stems will be weak and the blooms lacking in 
substance. 
The Bate of Feeding. 
"We use both manures at the rate of about 1 oz. to each 
plant of the strongest-growing varieties, such as Fair 
Maid of Guernsey, Grandiflorum, Maiden’s Blush, 
Princess of Wales and its sports, and the Queen family. 
The latter I consider the greatest feeders of all. In the 
case of weaker-growing varieties, such as Meg Merrilies, 
Criterion, Jeanne Delaux, Lady Hardinge, and Mrs. 
W. Shipman, we use the manure more sparingly, about 
| oz. to each plant being a very suitable quantity. 
This rate of feeding is continued after the formation 
of the flower-buds, with an occasional watering with 
liquid-manure from the cesspool, as an occasional 
change of food is, I believe, very beneficial to them. 
The water used is previously placed in a large tub 
standing in the open, fully exposed to atmospheric 
influences ; hence it is maintained at a somewhat 
similar temperature to that of the soil about the roots. 
As a still further assistance to the plants, a bag 
containing soot is placed in this tub. This bag is 
refilled with soot about once a fortnight, as the good¬ 
ness is found to be washed out of the soot in about 
that period. The plants are fed in this way until the 
blooms commence to expand, when all feeding ceases, 
excepting when the bloom is late. Then a little 
sulphate of ammonia is applied. But I do not advise 
the use of the sulphate, excepting for the purpose of 
assisting in bringing forward late varieties, as it tends 
to shorten the durability of the blooms after their 
expansion. 
Mildew. 
Mildew is a most troublesome disease, and generally 
makes its appearance with us early in September. 
Sometimes it attacks the plants earlier, and this season 
they were attacked at the end of August. We are 
situated in a low-lying spot, and consequently the 
Chrysanthemums are more subject to its attacks than 
are those grown in gardens occupying a higher and 
drier situation. On its first appearance every plant is 
dusted with flowers of sulphur, usually early in the 
morning when the leaves are wet with dew, as the 
sulphur will then adhere to the under surface. This is 
a very important point, as the rain cannot remove it 
from the under surface as it does from the upper sur¬ 
face. We seldom have to repeat its application, and I 
have not on any occasion, since adopting this practice, 
been troubled with mildew after housing the plants. 
Black-fly is very troublesome with us every season 
about this time. To eradicate this pest we dust with 
tobacco-powder, immediately it makes its appearance. 
Also after the plants are housed and before the blooms 
commence to expand we fumigate slightly two or three 
times to free the plants from any aphis that may 
remain. 
Housing the Plants. 
Much depends upon the time the plants are housed, 
especially the late varieties. As to the time of flower¬ 
ing I do not care so much whether such varieties as 
Boule d’Or, or Grandiflorum and the like, form 
their buds early in August, or at the end of the month. 
Their blooms can be expanded by the middle of 
November. Last season I took Boule d’Or buds on 
September 1st, and Grandiflorum buds on September 
8th, and exhibited them both in good form on Novem¬ 
ber 12 th. These, with such varieties as Princess of 
Teck and its sports, Barbara, and Thunberg, should be 
housed earlier, and placed in a favourable position. 
The above varieties, with others correspondingly late, 
are placed on the side stages of the greenhouse im¬ 
mediately over the hot-water pipes, and by means of 
large flower-pots are raised as near to the glass as pos¬ 
sible. These receive a little sulphate of ammonia twice 
a week, and when the solar influences are not favourable 
a little artificial heat must be applied. The cultivator 
must use his own judgment as to the time of housing 
his plants, taking into consideration the locality in 
•which he resides, and the state of the buds (whether 
late or early 1, and also what means at his command for 
coaching them. These are important points which well 
repay a little study, and certainly cannot be ignored by 
those who would achieve success in a close competition. 
Having stated how our late varieties are treated, I 
will allude to the general collection. The earliest 
varieties, which require very little fire heat, i.e., only 
sufficient to maintain a dry atmosphere, are placed in 
an early vinery ; and those that are naturally a little 
later are arranged upon the centre stage of the green¬ 
house. All are raised as near to the glass as possible 
by means of planks laid upon drain pipes placed in an 
upright position on the stage. The plants are placed 
upon the platform thus provided, the tallest plants 
being arranged at the back and the dwarf ones towards 
the front. The plants nearest the front are raised by 
means of various-sized flower pots, so that when all is 
complete they form a very sharp slope to the south. 
By this arrangement the upper growth of every plant 
receives a full share of light and air—a matter of great 
importance if good blooms are expected. Again, every 
bud can be seen when the cultivator is standing in 
front of them, so that should they require attention a 
plant or two can easily be removed for that purpose. 
I will not occupy your time in alluding to dressing 
the blooms, as most growers will have acquired that art 
from practice and from the directions so well given in 
Mr. Molyneux’s eminently practical book. But, in 
conclusion, I should like to draw your attention to one 
further important point, and that is arranging the 
colours on the exhibition board. I have noticed scores 
of stands arranged with sometimes as many as four and 
even six blooms of a bronze or other dark shade placed 
together. This is not as it should be, for by a judicious 
intermingling of the light and dark shades of colour 
each bloom will add to the effect of its neighbour, and 
consequently to the attractions of the exhibition table. 
It may also make all the difference between a first or 
second place in a close competition. 
-- 
Hardening Miscellany, 
—— 
The Lace-bark Tree. 
It is a great matter for regret that this tree, otherwise 
known as the Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), 
is not sufficiently hardy to withstand the rigours of our 
climate in exceptionally severe winters, for trees that 
have been out of doors for perhaps several years then 
get cut down, and although shoots are again pushed 
out from the lower and harder parts of the wood, yet 
the tree never gets beyond being a mere bush. Those 
who have seen it in this condition would hardly 
recognise it in the streets and gardens of Paris, where 
it attains a height of from 20 ft. to 30 ft., and flowering 
and fruiting most abundantly. The leaves of the tree 
are also singularly di-polymorphic. In the juvenile 
state all the leaves, or the greater number of them, are 
curiously three to five-lobed, with the bases of the 
fissures rounded, instead of being angled, as is usually 
the case in lobed leaves ; these forms also occur on the 
lower part of adult trees, if shoots have been allowed 
to grow out, but all the head of the tree bears cordate 
or ovate, undivided leaves only, and is quite different 
in aspect from the juvenile state. From the axils of 
the leaves globular, green balls appear, and from these 
the tubular flowers are protruded in a short time, con¬ 
sisting of a four-toothed calyx or perianth, and as the 
fruit ripens this part persists, becomes fleshy or juicy, 
like that of the Mulberry, but of a bright orange-scarlet 
colour, and different in appearance, from the fact that 
these tubular structures resemble a corolla. After 
attaining this stage the whole cluster drops in the same 
way as the Mulberry, and are gathered and eaten by 
the children. They are juicy and sweet, but rather 
insipid and watery. Fruiting trees may be seen in the 
Jardin du Luxembourg, but there are groups in much 
better perfection in the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne 
where the trees are about 20 ft. high, with broad¬ 
spreading heads, and simply laden with their brightly 
coloured fruits. 
The Paulownia. 
Except in the more favoured maritime parts of the 
country, Paulownia imperialis fails to flower, although 
in the vicinity of London it grows with remarkable 
rapidity, and produces leaves of enormous dimensions, 
particularly when hard cut back annually. If left to 
assume its natural habit it forms a small tree, with a 
spreading head, bearing much smaller leaves, com¬ 
parable, in fact, to those of a Catalpa. AV"e have 
seen flower-buds formed in the vicinity of London, but 
being produced in autumn, and having to remain in 
that condition through the winter, they are invariably 
killed by frost. Only from Cornwall have we received 
fully-expanded flowers. In many of the streets of 
Paris it forms a tree about 20 ft. to 30 ft. in height, 
with a broad spreading head, beautifully furnished 
with large handsome leaves of a deep green colour, and 
from the frequency of its occurrence, it is no doubt 
very popular with the Parisians, as well it might. 
