December 24, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
257 
JAPANESE 
FOR 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
EXHIBITION.* 
I have been asked to contribute a short paper op the 
above subject, and I do so with considerable diffi¬ 
dence, for two reasons. First, because I have been 
a grower for a comparatively short period; and 
secondly, and more particularly, because the subject 
has been so scientifically and ably dealt with by many 
other growers of much greater experience than my¬ 
self. I purpose, therefore, to give only the general 
outlines of the method we adopt, and make more 
especial mention of any details which have been tried 
by me as experiments, and the results obtained. 
I think the most convenient point to start from is 
the treatment of the old stools and the taking of 
cuttings. As soon as the flowers are cut from an old 
plant the stem is cut to within 4 in. of the pot and it 
is placed in a cold frame. I may here say that I 
strongly believe in making the plants as hardy as 
possible all through their period of growth. I am 
quite aware that in some less favoured parts of the 
country than that in which I reside it will be found 
necessary to use some heat 
in the frames in order to 
exclude severe frosts, but 
the less it is employed the 
better. In my case the 
frames are unheated, and 
in severe frosts they are 
covered with thick straw 
mats, which I find answer 
the purpose well. I think 
it is a mistake not to give 
the old stools some stimu¬ 
lant, as almost the whole 
of the nature of the soil 
must have been exhausted, 
by the time the blooms 
have been finished. In 
order to get good strong 
cuttings I give two doses 
a week of weak manure 
water made in the usual 
manner from cow or 
sheep droppings. It is 
also a good plan to give 
a slight top-dressing of 
good loam. The further 
the cuttings can be pro¬ 
cured away from the stem 
the better, and never 
take any from the stem 
itself if it can possibly be 
avoided. 
It is a good plan, I think, 
when the season is in 
full swing, to take careful 
notes of all the varieties 
and make out a list of the 
sorts you intend to grow 
for another season and the 
number of cuttings you 
will require of each. It 
will be found necessary to 
grow more of some varie¬ 
ties than of others which 
are equally good as to the flowers, as some are very 
brittle and suffer much from the wind ; others will 
carry three or even four good flowers, and some only 
one. Some are also much more difficult to bring out 
to time. Then, again, certain varieties must be 
discarded every year to make room for new ones of 
greater excellence. Let us then suppose that we 
have our list drawn up and the time for taking the 
first cuttings has begun. It will be found necessary 
to strike or attempt to strike quite 25 per cent, more 
cuttings than you will have room for as full grown 
plants. Some of the cuttings will not strike, later 
on some plants will be lost through various causes, 
and it is best when the time for the final potting 
comes to have extra plants, so that only the strongest 
and those which promise to come right as to time 
shall be grown on through the summer. 
The season of striking cuttings begins in the second 
and third weeks of December, and goes on at 
intervals till the end of February. I strike all my 
cuttings in a close frame in a warm greenhouse and 
use no bottom heat. The soil is composed of well- 
rotted top spit with plenty of sand and some charcoal. 
'Read at the Horticultural Club by the Worshipful the Mayor 
of Taunton, W. H. Fowler, Esq. 
Last season I adopted the plan suggested by Mr. C. 
E. Shea, of adding a little of the ash produced by 
burning the old stems and foliage of the last season's 
plants. This, I think, is of assistance to the plants 
when they have become rooted and established in 
their first pots. I do not propose in this paper to 
give a list of all the varieties we grow and the dates 
at which their cuttings should be taken. These will 
be found by referring to the excellent work of Messrs. 
W. & G. Drover. Of course the time must vary 
slightly with the district. As a general rule the 
latest varieties should be struck first and so on, 
though there is some modification in this when stop¬ 
ping in April is practised. The cuttings are kept 
fairly close till rooted, after which they are taken 
out and placed in cold frames and have no heat till 
they are finally housed. It is most important to give 
them plenty of room in the frames. If this is not 
done they will get drawn up, leggy and weak, and 
will never make good plants. 
I think it is a good plan from the first to keep each 
variety by itself; by doing so the grower will save a 
Mr. W. Herbert Fowler. 
great deal of time, as certain varieties require more 
shifts than others, and as these shifts are given at no 
fixed dates, but when the plants require them, it can 
easily be understood that to have to look through, 
say, 800 or 1000 cuttings for twenty-five of Avalanche, 
would be a lengthy process if all were indiscrimi¬ 
nately mixed together. It is important to place the 
rooted cuttings near the glass on a cool bottom. 
The plan I adopt is by resting corrugated iron sheets 
on inverted pots and then putting 4 in. of sifted coal 
ashes on them. This makes a cool bed, and can be 
adjusted to any desired height. The frames I use 
are Boulton & Paul's span-roof ones 8 feet wide. 
They have an admirable method of top ventilation, 
which is especially useful for the plants in their early 
stages, when very often the east wind is too cold to 
allow of the lights being raised. Frost is excluded 
by the use of thick straw mats, and no artificial heat 
is used. The plants are kept well apart from each 
other, and are given more room as they require it. 
This is most important. Never let the plants in 
their young state get root-bound. Some varieties 
will require four shifts, others only two. No rule can 
be laid down, but all must be repotted when they 
require it. Every now and then the different varie¬ 
ties are looked over, and any that require it are 
repotted. The same compost is used, but with less 
sand and a little leaf soil is added. 
We will suppose that we have now arrived at the 
month of May. The plants are now strong, and 
some may be placed outside the frames, placing a 
stick to any that require it; the rest may remain in 
the frames, and the lights removed. No definite 
rule can be laid down for the final potting. We 
begin about the last week of May, when the first 
plants require it, and then work steadily through 
the whole stock as they require it The operation 
lasts with us about three weeks. The compost I 
use is as follows :—Four-fifths prepared fibrous loam, 
one-fifth leaf soil; to this is added some sand, 
half-inch bones, and charcoal. No manure of any 
kind. The loam we use is the best top spit cut 2 in. 
thick, which is stacked in layers, turf downwards, 
and covered with corrugated iron to keep out the 
rain. It is chopped up rough, and all fine parts put 
on one side. It should be on the dry side rather 
than wet. For certain weak growers, such as Mrs. 
Alpheus Hardy, I use two-fifths loam, two-fifths 
peat, and one-fitfh leaf 
soil. Two sizes of pots 
are used, 8Jin. and gj in. 
in diameter. Those made 
extra deep, as supplied by 
Messrs. Sankey, are the 
best I have used. Give 
plenty of drainage, and 
some rough soil and jj-in. 
bones over it, and pot very 
firm. After potting the 
plants stand in the shade 
for some days till the roots 
begin to take hold of the 
new soil, and the plants 
have got over the check. 
No water at the roots 
will be required for some 
days, but a sprinkling or 
syringing twice a day will 
be all that is necessary. 
Labels should be new and 
long, so as to give plenty 
of room for notes as to 
time of taking the bud, 
and other details. 
As soon as the plants 
can stand the sun they are 
placed in their summer 
quarters in the open, so as 
to get the full benefit of 
sun and air, and carefully 
tied to two strands of iron 
wire. The plants during 
the summer stand over 
iron troughs filled with 
water. In these troughs 
are placed 6-in. lengths of 
5-in. drain pipes,on which 
the pot stands. Each 
plant is thus surrounded 
by water. This almost 
entirely prevents earwigs 
from getting on the plants, 
and also produces a moist atmosphere on very hot 
days. The plants grown over water have with me 
better foliage than those placed on the ground. To 
further keep the earwigs at bay, we tie cotton wool 
soaked with paraffin round the posts, and renew the 
wool and oil once a week. The result of this experi¬ 
ment has been that during this season (which has 
been an unusually bad one for earwigs) we have, out 
of some 560 plants, only lost three or four ; while in 
an ordinary way I should expect to lose fifty or 
sixty. I may add that my plants are grown on the 
grass, which harbours the earwigs, and makes them 
more troublesome than they otherwise would be. 
The rows run east and west, and the plants are 
turned round twice during the summer. We give 
plenty of room between the plants, so as to ensure 
ripe wood and good foliage. The lines are about 
10 ft. apart. 
The principal work during the summer is that of 
watering and also of tying the shoots as they grow 
Every plant is tapped with the knuckle to find out 
the amount of water required. Too much is almost 
as bad as too little. Any neglect of watering may 
mean the total loss of all your exhibition chances. 
No cold water from the mains should be used. All 
water should stand for twelve hours in tubs exposed 
