December 22, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
269 
densely packed with the rich yellow flowers. 
Although the genus is an extensive one, and 
probably comprises upwards of eighty species, with 
two or three exceptions at most, they are unknown 
quantities to the general horticultural world. To 
judge from the above plant some valuable additions 
might be made to the list of stove flowering subjects 
if the genus received the share of attention to which 
it would seem it is well entitled. 
STROBILANTHES ISOPHYLLA. 
A group of these pretty flowering subjects is at the 
present constituting an attractive feature in the 
greenhouse at Kew. Xhe plants are shapely well 
flowered specimens of their class in 32-sized pots. 
We should imagine that no one who has seen this 
plant in all its profusion of lavender-coloured flowers 
could fail to be struck with it, still it is a plant that, 
like many another useful and valuable subject, 
hitherto seems only to have received anything like 
suitable recognition in botanic gardens such as Kew. 
In such establishments, however, its value is well 
known, and to judge from appearances taken appro¬ 
priate advantage of. Plenty of plants may soon be 
obtained by cuttings inserted in light sandy soil in a 
brisk bottom heat. They should be grown on in an 
intermediate stove temperature, although when in 
flower an ordinary greenhouse temperature will suit 
them very well. The plant was at one time known 
as Goldfussia isophylla, under which name it was 
figured in the Botanical Magazine. 
AMERICAN OAKS. 
There is a growing tendency to make use of onr 
native Oaks in planting. For many years but few 
persons cared to plant them. Tradition had it that 
the tree was of slow growth, that it could not be 
transplanted, that in time Oaks became too large, 
and so on, so that many well laid out places which 
would have been more beautiful had Oaks been 
planted have not one of them among its trees. The 
Oak is a fast growing tree. I know a place in 
which almost all trees, native and foreign, are grown, 
and leaving out Poplars, Silver Maples, and a few 
other well-known, rapid-growing trees, the Oak 
keeps pace in growth with any of them. Even the 
English Oak, deemed a slow one in its own country, 
is not so here. Some of our best landscape 
gardeners are now using our native sorts largely. 
For avenue planting they are most useful, offering 
in themselves a great diversity of foliage ana out¬ 
line. Then there are those with coloured foliage in 
autumn, and those which keep green until the last. 
About this city, the Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) is 
an extremely popular tree. It is not only a favourite 
for lawn planting, but for avenue planting as well. 
Its value for these purposes has been shown by the 
fine appearance of an avenue of it in Fairmount 
Park, and by many a well-developed specimen on 
lawns. Besides this, it happens to be one of the 
easiest of all Oaks to transplant, excelling all others 
in this respect, save the Swamp White (Quercus 
bicolor), which also transplants very well. The 
finely-divided, dark green leaves of the Pin Oak, its 
drooping lower branches, and yellowish-scarlet 
foliage in the autumn make it the favourite. The 
Swamp White Oak, which has been named as fast 
growing also, grows just as well in ordinary situa¬ 
tions as in the lowlands where it abounds. As a 
matter of fact, it is no more a Swamp Oak than the 
Pin Oak, both growing in much the same situation. 
It is a massive tree, with heavy foliage, and has 
rough bark, the opposite of the Pin in all these 
particulars. 
Of other desirable Oaks which are not scarce in 
cultivation, I would name the Laurel Oak (Q. 
imbricaria), the Scarlet (Q. coccinea), the White (Q. 
alba), the Spanish (Q. falcata), the Lyre-leaved (Q. 
lyrata), the Bur (Q. macrocarpa), the Black Jack (Q. 
nigra), the Post (Q. obtusiloba), the Willow (Q. 
Phellos), the Rock Chestnut (Q. Prinus), the Red 
(Q. rubra), and the Black (Q. tinctoria). These are 
all large growing, to add to which are the small 
shrub-like species, Q. prinoides and Q. Bannisteri. 
The Laurel Oak (Q. imbricaria) is not often met 
with in plantation, but it deserves to be. To the 
ordinary observer it seems very little like an Oak, 
the leaves looking not unlike those of the Salix 
pentandra, known as the Laurel-leaved Willow. 
When from 15 ft. to 20 ft. high there is partly 
downward growth of the lower limbs, such as gives 
so much charm to the appearance of the Pin. The 
foliage of Q. lyrata resembles that of the English 
more than any other native one does. The Willow 
Oak is very well named if the foliage of the Weeping 
Willow be kept in mind, for its leaves are not unlike 
them. It approaches this city in its wild state, but 
it is what is termed a southern Oak. I am very 
partial to the Rock Chestnut Oak (Q. Prinus). It 
is well named, as its foliage closely resembles that of 
the native Chestnut tree and it has the same clean 
trunk when young. Strangely enough, when it gets 
old its trunk is furrowed very much, being almost as 
corky as a Sweet Gum. While many Oaks have 
more or less of beautiful tints of foliage in autumn, 
none are so beautiful as the Scarlet (Q. coccinea), 
and I think, unlike the Scarlet Maple, every Scarlet 
Oak colours to a more or less extent. The Red 
Oak takes on a slight shade of scarlet; the Pin 
behaves in the same way, but were I planting for 
colour, I should rely on Q. coccinea alone .—T 
Meehan, Germantown, in Country Gentleman. 
__ 
' 
CHRYSANTHEMUM 
CULTURE. 
In our last issue we gave a resume of an excellent 
paper recently read in the Isle of Wight by that ex¬ 
perienced grower, Mr. Charles Orchard, and from 
which, by the courtesy of the author, we are now 
enabled to quote more fully. Said the author on the 
important matter of 
Propagation. 
There is a diversity of opinion as to the best time to 
propagate, some advocating autumn, others early 
spring, for putting in the cuttings. I must confess I 
like the cutting as soon as I can get it, if the object 
is large flowers for exhibition, because the first 
cuttings are usually the strongest, and if they are 
left till February on the plant they get weak and 
lanky, or if we remove them, as they should be 
removed, to get a second crop for later propagation, 
the second batch are very rarely so strong as the first 
suckers. Take the cutting off with a sharp knife 
about level or just under the soil, and insert 
separately in small thumb pots. First put a small 
piece of crock at the bottom, and a pinch of moss or 
fibre for drainage ; use light sandy soil for the first 
propagation, and place in a cold frame or under 
hand lights in a greenhouse. They will not require 
much ventilation until they are struck. Some will 
be rooted quicker than others. They should then 
be removed to a shelf in a greenhouse, as close to 
the glass as possible, or to another frame where 
ventilation can be given. Avoid artificial heat as 
much as much as possible. The object from the 
first is to keep the plant hard and sturdy. Always 
bear in mind that you are dealing with a hardy 
herbaceous plant, and you should try and keep it 
such. If they are coddled or drawn too much 
through artificial heat or close confinement, they 
will suffer more when exposed entirely to the air in 
March or April. Keep them in the pots until they 
have thoroughly filled the pots with roots and then 
shift into 4 in. or 6 in. pots. Drain these pots with 
one piece of crock and a few pieces of half-inch 
bones at the bottom, or horn shavings, at the top of 
which put a piece of fibre to save the soil from mix¬ 
ing with the drainage. 
The soil I recommend is two kinds, good loam or 
rotten turf from a pasture. Not too wet or yet too 
dry, but just fairly moist. The other kind of well 
decayed leaf mould, rotten manure from an old hot¬ 
bed and silver sand in equal parts. Rub well 
through a coarse sieve, and pick out all worms or 
other insects during the sifting. Well mix all 
together, and in potting ram the sides of the ball 
with a stick and pot firm. Place the plants in a 
cold frame or pit, sprinkle with a fine rose, keep 
close just for one or two days, and then ventilate as 
much as possible. On all fine days draw the lights 
completely off. If possible the plants should be 
opened out a little to allow a circulation of air around 
the pots before finally removing them to the open 
air. This should be done by about the first week in 
April, according to the weather. When taken o ut- 
side the plants should be pi iced on a good bed of 
cinder ashes in an open position, but sheltered from 
the winds. Do not be in too great a hurry to get 
them into their flowering pots. I should sustain 
them and keep them in vigour by giving them 
weak manure water at every watering. Prepare the 
the manure water in this way. Put about half a 
bucket of cow manure and two gallons of soot in a 
coarse canvas bag, and put into a cask the size of a 
paraffin tub, and fill with soft water if possible. 
Well poke the sack with a stick to get out the 
essence without having the sediment, and feed the 
plants with this diluted about one-third or half to 
clean water, through all stages after the pots get 
full of roots. The reason I advise delaying the final 
potting as long as possible is this. So many hurry 
the plants on in the early stages. They get a fine 
healthy lot of plants, fat and full of promise, but by 
the month of September the plant has exhausted all 
its energies, and will not take up the stimulants that 
are given to it. Every part of the plant, root, and 
branch should be in perfect health, and in full 
activity during the final stages of flowering, or the 
result will be coarse, ill-formed, or badly developed 
flower. 
The Final Potting 
should be done by the second or third week in June. 
Ten inch pots are quite large enough for the 
strongest growers, and such varieties as Viviand 
Morel, Chas. Davis, W. Seward, C. Shrimpton, 
will produce very fine flowers in 8 in. pots or even 
in a size smaller. The soil should be the same as 
previously recommended. If anything, use a little 
coarser, and mix about a quart of bone dust to a 
bushel of soil, or two quarts of horn shavings. Some 
of the stronger concentrated manures might also be 
used mixed with the soil, but more sparingly, or 
the soil would be poisoned instead of benefiting by it. 
If procurable, use a medium size oyster shell to 
cover the bottom for drainage, and break up other 
shells, and use with a few half-inch bones, hoof 
parings or other shavings, rising about an inch to 
an inch-and-a-half of drainage. The thick shells 
of the deep sea oysters are the best to break. It is 
the salt and calcarious matter contained in these 
that is so beneficent to the plants. Cover the 
drainage with rough fibry turf in the usual way, 
and ram well and pot firm. Do not fill the pot too 
full. Leave about an inch for a top dressing to assist 
the plant in September and October as before men¬ 
tioned. Put a stick or bamboo cane to each and tie 
up securely. 
The plants should be placed in rows either by the 
side of a gravel path or an open plot, with boards or 
tiles underneath to keep the worms from the pots. 
They should be tied to wires strained horizontally 
to stout stakes at the back of the plants. The 
number of wires would depend upon the height of 
the plants. Three are generally found to be 
sufficient. Water sparingly at first, and increase the 
supply as the pots get full of roots. On hot days 
they will require it night and morning ; and after 
very hot days, if the plants appear exhausted, they 
would be greatly benefited by a sprinkle with clear 
water from a syringe. The use of liquid manure 
should greatly depend upon the nature of the soil 
used for the final potting. If any of the ingredient 
in the shape of artificial manure has been used, 
the soil would be rich enough, and no more stimu¬ 
lant would be required until the plant was fairly 
pot-bound, which would be about the time the 
buds were well set. It should then be applied 
moderately at first, and increasing in strength as 
we go on, and ceasing altogether when the flower is 
about half developed. Should, from any circum¬ 
stance, the ordinary garden soil had not been 
enriched as advised, then the plants should be 
watered with weak liquid manure water from the 
time the roots had got fairly hold of the new soil 
until they were in flower. 
Pinching and Disbudding. 
If the object of the cultivator is to get as large a 
flower as he possibly can, either for exhibition or 
conservatory decoration, then all side shoots should 
be pinched out, leaving only three leading shoots. 
These three shoots should show a flower bud some¬ 
time during the month of August, according very 
much to the variety, and the previous treatment of 
the plants. The chief aim of the cultivator should 
be to get the plants to show their buds about the 
second or third week in August, but so diversified 
are the habits of the plant, and the temperature and 
character of the seasons, that all the skill and fore- 
th )ught of the most experienced cultivator will not 
always avail to produce the required effect. That is 
why each variety has its year. Climatic influence 
sometimes helps, and at other times hinders the 
cultivator, and so throws his reckoning out of gear. 
I could enlarge much on this subject. Nearly every 
