THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 1 , 1898 . 
12 
INTS FOR mMATEURS. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
It is always provoking to grow on a plant for a great 
part of the year, and expend upon it a vast amount 
of pains, and then for all these labours to be brought 
to nought, and yet we fear this is a comparatively 
common occurrence amongst Chrysanthemum 
growers. Not infrequently the grower is congratu¬ 
lating himself upon the healthy and vigorous appear¬ 
ance of his plants, and watches the swelling buds 
with pride and joy when something seems to go 
wrong with them all at once—perhaps an accident 
occurs and some of them are broken out, or they 
may damp off, or bugbear of Chrysanthemistes, they 
may come “ hard," in which condition they are 
worse than useless. 
The present season is a very critical one with 
Chrysanthemums, and at no time of the year must 
the grower be more on the alert than now. It is 
natural, of course, that the interest felt by the grower 
in his plants should increase as the time wears on and 
the season when he is to reap the reward of his 
labours, if the fates are propitious, approaches. 
Snapping of Bads. -There are many complaints 
heard about the snapping or breaking out of buds 
about this time, and those whose plants suffer in this 
fashion are often inclined to inveigh very heavily 
against what they term the bad tricks of certain 
varieties, and to lay all the blame for the catastrophe 
upon these “tricks." Now it is true that some varie¬ 
ties, such, for instance, as Mrs. W. J. Godfrey and 
Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, are particularly brittle, and it is 
oftentimes highly provoking to see shoot after shoot 
snapped off them by a puff of wind when other varie¬ 
ties are never in danger for a moment; but the whole 
of the blame should not be laid to the credit of this 
liability, for something, at least, can be done to 
guard against the calamity. “ Forewarned is fore¬ 
armed," and the motto should be applied here as well 
as elsewhere. Many cultivators aggravate the evil, 
however, by tying the plants too closely to their 
supports. Of course this is done with a view to 
rendering the plants secure, but a moment's reflec¬ 
tion will convince anyone that a squall of wind 
striking a large and heavy bud, when the shoot bear¬ 
ing it is tied tightly to a stake or wire stretched 
horizontally, the shoot has very little play, and the 
stem of the bud has to bear the whole of the strain, 
which is occasionally beyond its powers of resistance. 
Instead of tying the shoots in tightly, therefore, it is 
advisable to secure them by strings which will 
prevent them from flapping about too much, but will 
give them a certain amount of play. The plant will 
thus be enabled to follow its natural inclination of 
bringing its shoots into line with the direction of the 
wind which will thus strike the stem of the bud at 
an angle, and with correspondingly less force. 
Bads Damping. —I have noticed at least two cases 
during the last fortnight where buds borne by 
exceptionally vigorous plants have damped off instead 
of swelling in the ordinary way. In both cases the 
buds had been taken very early, the shoots surround¬ 
ing the buds had all been removed at the same time 
and the plants had all been fed very heavily with 
chemical manures. Here, at least three mistakes 
were apparent, and it is really small wonder that 
when the three came into operation simultaneously 
that disaster followed. To take the buds very early 
is a proceeding always fraught with more or less 
danger, for very early buds have a great tendency to 
come “ hard " or deformed, when a later one gives 
every satisfaction. Of course it is always a tempta¬ 
tion to “take" a good bud if it appears anywhere 
near the time, but in such cases the removal of the 
shoots which are to be seen around these buds should 
be done gradually. It is even advisable to allow 
some of these shoots to remain until they get several 
inches in length ; indeed, one of our most successful 
trade growers in the country told me, only at the 
beginning of the present week, that on his plants 
of G. J. Warren there were shoots 4 in. or 5 in. 
in length which he had been forced to allow to 
remain as a sort of safety valve for the rush of sap 
which, if it had been pent up, would have ruined the 
buds entirely. 
The question of feeding is indeed one upon which 
it does not seem possible to be silent. Manures both 
chemical and natural are very good things 
undoubtedly, but the old saw says that one can have 
too much of a good thing, and in no instance is this a 
more palpable truth than with Chrysanthemums. 
The natural tendency of the plants to deep feeding 
leads many gardeners to give them a surfeit of 
stimulants. A start is made in this direction by 
mixing a lot of chemicals with the potting soil, a 
proceeding requiring the utmost care at any time and 
with anything, and in many hands a most pernicious 
one. I would not go so far as to say that it is never 
to be recommended under any circumstances, for 
soils vary considerably in the richness of their plant 
food stores, but at least where ordinarily good loam 
is procurable, I would strongly advise every amateur 
to steer clear of the chemical manure sack, and 
not to be cajoled or persuaded into mixing an ounce 
of it with the soil. The advice may be considered 
extreme by some, but at least it is absolutely safe, 
and it is better to be safe than brilliant and—unsafe. 
As soon as the plants get a hold of the too rich soil 
they commence by making rank growth, they show 
their buds too early, they are taken somewhat care¬ 
lessly, and the feeding with chemicals is kept up the 
whole time. Here are all the elements of failure, 
of hard buds, damped buds, and badly coloured 
blooms, and yet there can be no doubt that 
this is too frequently a faithful description of the 
system followed. 
The drought of the past two months has probably 
aggravated the evil in many quarters. The plants 
have, like other things, dried up rapidly under the 
influence of an almost tropical sun, and the water 
can has had to be kept busily at work, some of the 
more vigorous plants having needed water three 
times a day. This has caused a good deal more 
liquid manure than usual to be given than there has 
been any need for, for the quantity of “ food ’' required 
by a plant is not in proportion to the degree of heat. 
During hot weather, of course, the soil gets dry very 
much quicker than it does during dull weather, both 
because the leaves are carrying on transpiration of 
water at a more rapid rate, and the roots have to 
work harder to supply the deficiency; and also 
because the moisture is being directly evaporated 
from the soil in the pots. But clear water is all that 
is wanted in most cases, twice or at the most thrice 
a week being often enough to give stimulants, which 
even then should be on the weak side. 
Housing the Plants.—Although during one 
evening there was a ground frost of 3 0 there has not 
been a night cold enough to injure the plants, but the 
season, during which it will be safe to leave them out 
of doors, has nearly reached its limit; for with 
October here, the year is well advanced. Still, the 
plants should remain out of doors as long as the 
weather permits, both for their own direct advantage, 
and also because it is difficult to find house room for 
them very early in the autumn. Peach houses or 
Vineries are generally in requisition, and in these the 
leaves are still hanging thickly, and are likely to 
hang for some time yet. The “ ’Mums' would not 
get enough light in such positions, and hence it is 
advisable to keep them out of doors as long as it is 
possible. Meanwhile the ripening of Vines and 
Peaches should be expedited by all legitimate means. 
The leaves must not be forced off, nor an artificial 
appearance of maturity imparted to them by neglect¬ 
ing to give water, but they should be fully exposed to 
the weather, and Nature will do the rest.— Rex. 
AN AMATEUR'S FUCHSIAS. 
Mr. A. Luce, of 18, Falcon Grove, Battersea, is a 
most enthusiastic amateur gardener. In the con¬ 
fined limits of a town backyard he has, by means of 
patience and a good deal of work, accomplished 
much. His greenhouse is a much larger and more 
roomy building than the majority of amateurs' 
greenhouses, and be has taken advantage of this to 
go in for a nice selection of greenhouse plants, in¬ 
cluding a number of succulents. These he grows 
with considerable success, as a recent peep at his 
greenhouse convinced us. Mr. Luce's chief pride, 
however, is in his Fuchsias. He has two large 
plants which are accommodated in big wooden tubs, 
and upon these two plants he sets not a little store, 
as well he might, for they are a great credit to him. 
Both these plants are trained upon tall, flat, wire 
trellises of balloon-shaped outline, the growths being 
equally disposed over the whole area. The taller of 
the two plants is about 12 ft. in height, and 4 ft. or 
5 ft. in width. Both have flowered freely, and are a 
great ornament to the conservatory. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone 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. 
Storing Onions. — Rob.: The best place to store 
Onions is in a cool, dry shed. They should be 
spread out in a single layer, not only to prevent them 
from becoming heated but also to admit of their 
being looked over occasionally and any bad ones 
that may be found removed. If you have no shed, 
room or other place under cover the bulbs may be 
tied in bunches and hung against a wall of the house 
under the shelter of the eaves. We have known 
Onions keep very well when treated thus. Cold 
does not hurt them, but you must take care when 
the bulbs are frozen not to handle them, for if you 
do they will go rotten wherever they are touched. 
If you leave them alone they will thaw gradually and 
will take no hurt. 
Fern to Name. — Jos.: The Fern is Adiantum 
cuneatum grandiceps, a pretty, crested variety of the 
common Maidenhair Fern. It is a strong growing 
plant and we have seen very large specimens of it 
from time to time. It requires a warm house to do 
it properly. 
Apple Wellington. — M. C .: The three so-called 
varieties Wellington, Dumelow’s Seedling, and Nor- 
manton Wonder are practically identical, and the 
alleged difference between them is purely a matter of 
imagination. You will find as much difference between 
fruits taken from the same tree as between these 
varieties. You would not be able to show a dish of 
two of them as distinct sorts in the same collection 
of Apples. 
Second Crop Pears. — M. C.: It is almost impos¬ 
sible to name Pears in such an immature condition. 
We have had a number of accounts this year of 
Pears blooming the second time, so it may be 
regarded as a fairly common occurrence. Two 
years ago you will remember that a number of 
similar instances was chronicled. 
Grape Lady Downe’s Seedling — T. May : This 
variety is noted as being a bad “ setter,” so the 
ragged looking bunches of which you complain are 
not the only ones in the kingdom. Next year you 
should give some extraneous aids to the fertilisation 
of the flowers, such as by tapping the rods, or brush¬ 
ing the bunches over lightly with a rabbit’s tail, or 
even employing pollen from another variety that 
naturally produces more than does the Lady Downe's. 
Peaches.— J. N.: If you want to cover the wall 
quickly you must plant two series of trees, the one 
lot to cover the lower part of the wall, and the other 
to cover the upper half. Dwarf, fan-shaped trees 
will soon spread over the lower part, but for the 
second tier you must have trees with a clean stem of 
say about 4 ft. with a nice spreading head. These 
trees may be planted between the dwarfs and trained 
in the usual way. The cost of planting in this 
fashion will, of course, be greater but the crop of fruit 
will also be greater, so that the increase in the outlay 
and the increase in the return will be about equal. 
By taking a larger quantity of trees you should be 
able to get them at a cheaper rate. 
Thunbergia alata.— M. M .: Although this pretty 
climber requires heat to enable the seeds to germin¬ 
ate quickly and the young plants to reach a good 
size it will do very well in the greenhouse during the 
summer months, and even out of doors if it is given 
suitable soil. If you go to Hyde Park during the 
next week or two you will find that it has been used, 
not far from the Stanhope Gate in Park Lane, for 
covering the bare bases of some specimen scented 
Pelargoniums that have been plunged in the grass. 
The plants are vigorous and at the time of writing 
are flowering well, which they will probably continue 
to do until frost comes. 
Mr. Dodwell's Carnations. — P. Taylor : Mr. Dod- 
well has been dead for some time now, and his heirs 
do not carry on the business in Carnations. His 
address was, Stanley Road, Oxford. 
