664 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 18, 1898. • 
I NTS FOR MMATEURS. 
PYRETHRUMS 
During the months of May and June there are no 
' flowers that are more conspicuously in evidence 
! - than the numerous varieties of that versatile species 
^ > Pyrethrum roseum. These varieties are almost in- 
tiijumerable, every nurseryman having a number of 
* pet ones in addition to some that are of such a high 
order of merit that everybody keeps them in stock. 
The range of colour covered is, moreover, consider¬ 
able, since it passes from show-white to the richest 
crimson in one direction and to subtle shades of 
yellow in another, although the yellows are as yet 
the weak section. The type and ancestor of all 
these double and single forms is in itself a handsome 
plant, throwing a large Ox-eye '•Daisy-like flower 
with a single row of rosy-hued ray florets, with a 
large bright yellow disc or centre, in which the 
male or staminate florets are congregated. Its 
height is from i ft. to 2 ft , according to the locality 
in which it is placed and the soil in which it is 
grown. 
Pyrethrums are so exceedingly easy of cultivation, 
and withal so beautiful and useful that they consti¬ 
tute almost ideal amateurs’ plants, whether in town 
or country. Scarcely is there a cottage garden in 
the country, indeed, but that a few of them may be 
seen at this season of the year, blooming as if they 
were thoroughly at home, as they are. The double 
flowered forms seem to be the favourites amongst 
cottagers, however, for the simple, honest-hearted 
country folk love the large showy Chrysanthemum¬ 
like flowers. It would not be much out of the way to 
call them the poor man’s Chrysanthemum, for 
although the Queen of Autumn is much beloved of 
the masses, it blooms at a time of the year when it 
needs, generally speaking, shelter of some sort to 
develop and preserve its beauty, and this shelter is 
often, and in fact usually, out of the power of the 
cottager to give. Not so with the Pyrethrums, 
however, for they are ushered in with the gentle 
zephyrs of May, and the golden sunshine of June, 
and catching Dame Nature in her mildest mood, 
flood our gardens with a very flux of colour. Not 
only are the plants beautiful in situ with their dark 
green feathery foliage, surmounted by the bright 
flowers on their long, stout stalks, but they are of 
inestimable value for cutting In cut flower decora 
tions the single blooms are perhaps to be preferred 
to the doubles, inasmuch as they are lighter and 
more graceful than the big doubles, but each section 
has its uses, and the honours are pretty evenly 
divided between them. The great quantities of 
Pyrethrums that make their appearance in all 
exhibits of cut hardy flowers at this time of the 
year, furnish incontestable proof of their status 
amongst the hardy flowers of May and June. 
It is a fact that does not seem to be very generally 
known that Pyrethrums may be induced to take up 
the burden of flowering for a second time in each 
year, in autumn, if proper measures are taken. 
After the first flowering the plants should be cut 
back, when, if looked after for water during dry 
weather, they will break into vigorous growth and 
flower again freely in the autumn, although the 
individual flowers will probably not be so large and 
fine as those produced at the ordinary season of 
blooming. 
As we have already intimated, there are great 
numbers of varieties, but the flowering will be found 
to be a good selection of the best, and any good 
collection should at least contain these, even if no 
more. 
SINGLES. 
Agnes M. Kelway.—A rich rose flower of the largest 
size, and ray florets of great width, length, and 
substance. 
Ruth—Another rose hued flower, but of very 
much looser build than Agnes M. Kelway. The 
ray florets are of great length, but rather narrow in 
proportion to their length. 
Princess Irene —Although this has been placed 
among the singles, it is in reality a semi-double, for 
there are always two and occasionally three rows of 
ray florets. It is a pure white flower, of great size 
and beauty. 
Ascot is a new variety that is, perhaps, the best of 
all the true singles. The flowers are only of medium 
size, but they are produced with exceptional free¬ 
dom. 
Sir Hugo.—A large rosy-scarlet flower, with 
florets of great width and substance. 
Geo Wallace is, in our opinion, the finest of the 
dark varieties. The blooms are only of medium 
size, and they are somewhat stiff in appearance, the 
flower not being so flat as the others mentioned, 
but the deep crimson colour shows up well by con¬ 
trast with the extra large and high full yellow 
disc. 
Francis.—In build and shape of bloom this 
closely approaches to Geo. Wallace, but the colour 
of the ray florets is bright rosy-crimson, and the disc 
is not quite so high and full in proportion to the 
length of the strap-shaped petals. 
Those amateurs who do not wish to go in for a 
collection of named varieties cannot do better than 
purchase an assortment, which can be obtained at a 
lower figure, and which will answer for cutting from 
fully as well as the finer forms for all ordinary pur¬ 
poses. 
DOUBLES. 
The undermentioned are some of the best of the 
double flowered sorts :— 
Aphrodite.—This new variety, which has obtained 
a First-class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural 
Society, is to our way of thinking the best white form 
in cultivation. The blooms are of large size, high 
and full in the centre, and the tips of the petals are 
much notched and lobed. 
Sambanburgh rejoices in a rather outlandish 
name, but it is a capital, pure white form notwith¬ 
standing. The notching of the petals so prominent 
a feature in Aphrodite is not present here. 
Wega is a handsome flower, as much like a Chry¬ 
santhemum in appearance as it is possible for a 
flower to be. The outer florets are pink, but the 
inner ones are flushed with a delicate shade of 
yellow and pass almost to apricot in the centre. 
Cleopatra is something after the same style and 
with nearly the same colours, but is rather a smaller 
flower. 
Yirgo.—This is the best of all the pure yellow 
forms. It may best be described as primrose- 
yellow. 
Transcendant.—A huge pink flower with the 
apices of the florets deeply cleft and notched. This 
deep notching imparts a particular charm to the 
bloom, as it relieves it from any appearance of stiff¬ 
ness. 
Perle.—Here we have a very close and compact 
flower, the resemblance to a Japanese Chrysanthe¬ 
mum not being so great as in the others. The 
colour is pink. 
ShotoYer is one of the largest of all. The outer 
or guard florets are very long and drooping, the 
inner ones being shorter, and compacted together to 
form a high close centre. The colour is bright 
pink. 
Beauty of Laeken.—This is another new variety 
that is remarkable for the rich deep velvety crimson 
hue it displays. It is not a full double flower, but is 
nearer to a double than to a single. 
Lord Rosebery is a deep, dark crimson that gives 
an excepiionally rich effect when the sun is shining 
full upon it. It is a medium sized flower, and rather 
close in build.— Rex. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
" Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Strawberry Laxton’s Noble.— Benj. T.: If we had 
to choose between Royal Sovereign and Laxton’s 
Noble we should most decidedly take Royal 
Sovereign. Noble is an early Strawberry it is true, 
and the fruit is possessed of a fine appearance, but 
it lacks the weight and flavour of Sovereign, and it 
is not a day earlier than it; indeed, it is the other 
way about, for we have picked fruit in the open air 
from Royal Sovereign several days before there was 
any fit to gather upon Noble. With regard to crop¬ 
ping both are exceptionally good bearers, and there 
is little or nothing to choose between them for 
forcing, except that question of flavour and weight, 
for both force easily and well. 
Mulching for Strawberries.— Benj. T.: The grass 
cuttings from the lawn will make a clean enough bed 
for the Strawberries to rest on, and indeed, in that 
respect will be quite equal to straw, but there are the 
after effects to be considered, and this most probably 
will be a fiae crop of Daisies that will give you a 
little employment in weeding out. We should not 
advise you to use the grass, unless you can get 
nothing else. 
Bees.—I noticed last week that in two of the hives 
the drones were being turned out in considerable 
numbers. Is not this an unusual thing to take place 
early in the season ?— M. N. 
It is somewhat unusual certainly, but the cold 
weather is without doubt accountable for it. A pro¬ 
tracted sptll of cold weather will be almost sure to 
cause the workers to turn the drones out of the 
hives, more particularly if the stocks are not very 
strong. We remember that this occurred very 
extensively amongst our stocks in the summer of 
1892, in the month of July, which was with us a 
very cold and inclement month. 
Croton Queen Victoria .—Patrick -. It is not at all a 
common practice to use Crotons in the outdoor flower 
garden, not, however, because they would not do in 
the summer months, but because they are often con¬ 
sidered too valuable for such purposes. You may 
plunge the plant as it is,'pot and all, if you so desire, 
but keep a sharp look out upon it for water. 
Rose Crimson Rambler.— Cobnut-. There is no 
rule without an exception, says the old saw, and we 
have an instance of this in the behaviour of Crimson 
Rambler Rose. As a rule it is the most rampant of 
growers and the freest of flowerers, but it will not 
do in every situation. What it loves is to be planted 
out in the open where the wind can blow all round 
and through it, and where its branches may trail 
over an arbour or trellis. You have committed the 
mistake made by not a few people in planting it 
against a south wall. Such a position is much too 
hot and dry for the likings of this Rose, and it be¬ 
comes smothered with green fly, which suck the very 
life out of it, and ultimately leave it a woebegone 
starved, and stunted cripple. Try it in an open 
position such as we have indicated, and the results 
will undoubtedly be more satisfactory. 
Celery.— Rob : If room is precious you may plant 
a double row of Celery in each trench by making the 
latter a few inches wider. The double row takes a 
little more trouble to earth up, but this is of no great 
consequence. 
Supporting Melons —F. Betts. : Yes, it is 
usual to support Melons as they hang, because 
the footstalk would be unable to bear the 
whole of the weight of the fruit. If you closely 
observe a ripe Melon you will find that there is a 
crack all round the stalk, and that the latter can be 
easily pulled out. Were no support given this crack 
would occur some time before the fruit was fit for 
table, and the Melon would fall and be spoilt. As 
soon, therefore, as the fruits get the size of cricket 
balls or a little larger, they are given something to 
rest upon and take part of their weight. Both 
pieces of net and boards suspended at the corners 
are commonly employed. 
Vandalism—Once again our neighbourhood is 
besieged with those vandals who desecrate nature by 
ruthlessly digging up the lovely British Ferns whole¬ 
sale, and hawking them round the streets for a penny 
or so a rcot. Only yesterday three barrows full of 
the poor plants torn so rudely from their native 
homes passed through our street. Each barrow 
must have contained at the lowest computation 
between two and three hundred plants, so that if 
other parts of the metropolis are canvassed in the 
same way one is appalled to think how wholesale is 
this annual destruction of British plants. It may be 
argued that this is all done for the embellishment of 
our gardens, but this is scarcely true, for speaking 
from my own observations not one in twenty of these 
poor plants do anything else than die miserably. 
Can nothing be done to stop this scandal, for it is 
nothing more ? Surely it is lime that the authorities 
in the districts in which these depredators ply their 
nefarious trade should institute restrictive measures, 
and enforce them rigorously. I am sure that all 
amateur gardeners who really care for plants would 
be pleased to see a movement of this kind as would 
—A Lover of Nature. 
