136 
October 29, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
I NTS FOR MMATEURS. 
Clearing the Garden.—Sudden collapse seems to have 
set in in the flower garden, for while only a fortnight 
ago it was looking as if it meant to defy the roll of 
the seasons for some time, it is now in a very be¬ 
draggled condition, o ving to the heavy, but welcome, 
rains which visited us last week. It is usually the 
plan to wait until frost comes to cut everything down 
before any move is made to effect a clearance, but 
this year the frost has treated us kindly by not 
coming in sufficient severity to cut down even tender 
things. Those who are intending to plant bulbs, 
however, should not wait any longer, but should 
set about getting the ground ready for them. It is 
not a good practice to hurry one crop off and another 
on, but this is done very frequently. All rubbish 
should be thrown up in a heap and burnt, for it does 
not improve a garden to leave a lot of litter lying 
about, and stems of Dahlias, Sunflowers, and other 
subjects of similar character do not decay quickly. 
In order to get rid of them they have to be buried 
pretty deeply below the surface of the soil. Burning 
the rubbish is afar easier method, although it is also 
rather more trying for the neighbours. 
After the ground has been cleared of all old plants, 
fork it well up, and leave it for a day or two until the 
surface soil has dried a little more, when the bulb 
planting may begin. Narcissi should be got in at 
once. They are late now, and every day that they 
are kept out of the soil is a distinct loss to them, 
for they ought to be making roots now. If the bulbs 
are kept too long out of the ground the flowers that 
they will throw will suffer greatly in size, substance, 
and colour. Tulips, Hyacinths, and Crocuses will 
not hurt yet for some weeks, for they are naturally 
not such early subjects to make roots as the Daffo¬ 
dils. 
Gladioli.—These may be lifted at any time now. 
If the stems and leaves still retain a little greenness, 
and do not appear to be quite dead, the corms 
should not be separated from the stems, but should 
be placed in shallow boxes, covered with light soil or 
sand, and placed in a shed or empty vinery to finish 
off gradually. This will leave the ground free, and 
will not hurt the Gladioli—in fact, it will do them 
good by ripening them off more perfectly. 
Tomatos.—These have now run their race for the 
year, and nothing is to be gained by allowing the 
fruit to hang on the haulm any longer. Even if frost 
does not come to insist on their being taken in 
if they are not to be spoiled, the disease will pro¬ 
bably make its appearance among the plants now 
that rainy weather has set in, and will quickly spread 
to the fruits. The latter should, therefore, be cut off 
with small pieces of the stem attached, tied together 
in bundles and hung up in the kitchen where they will 
ripen off gradually. The haulm can then be burnt 
up out of the way, and with it any incipient fungi. 
Fruit ripened in this manner is, of course, not so good 
as that ripened naturally, but still it is passable.— 
Rex. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Golden Queen of the Earlies.—While the number 
of what are known as decorative varieties is legion, 
there is yet room for good new ones, although 
naturally enough the Chrysanthemum grower is get- 
ing more choice year by year, and varieties that he 
once would have gone into raptures over, he will 
now scarcely look at or only pass by with the laconic, 
and contemptuous " no good.” In the variety under 
notice we have one that is worthy of every attention, 
for it comes to us with a splendid reputation behind 
it. The progeny is not always as good as the 
parent, but at least no one will -deny that there is a 
greater chance of getting something good from a 
good parent than from a bad one. Golden Queen of 
the Earlies is, as the name implies, a golden-yellow 
form of Queen of the Earlies, a pure white variety 
that is one of the most profitable to grow for cutting 
purposes. It blooms freely enough out-of-doors in 
September, and apart from the beaut} of form 
possessed by the blooms, there is the additional ad¬ 
vantage of long, stiff stems which enable the 
flowers to be disposed to the bost advantage 
in vases of any size or shape. Golden Queen 
seems to possess all these good qualities 
equally with its parent. If anything, however, the 
flowers are inclined to run a little larger, but this is 
chiefly a matter of disbudding and cultivation. It 
was first shown on September 26th of last year, so 
that it has not had time to become distributed to 
any great extent, and is, to all intents and purposes, 
a new sort. Mr. H. J. Jones, of Ryecroft Nursery, 
Lewisham, S.E., showed it for the first time this 
year at the National Chrysanthemum Society's Show 
at the Royal Aquarium on the nth inst. 
Jules Mary.—Here we have another decorative 
variety that has a bright future before it, although it 
represents quite a different type of plant and flower 
to Queen of the Earlies. It belongs to the Japanese 
section, and bears some resemblance in build to 
Monsieur Wm. Holmes, but here the resemblance 
ceases, for the blooms are not nearly so massive, and 
probably never would be, no matter what cultivation 
is accorded. The plants run from 18 in. to 2 ft. in 
height. This year they have only made 18 in. of 
growth, but then some allowance must be made for 
the increase in height during an ordinary season 
when the average amount of rainfall condescends to 
visit us. The colour of the flowers is deep rich 
crimson, and given a bright day is very lovely. The 
plant originated as a seedling in France, and was 
sent over this year, so that this season is its first in 
this country. An Award of Merit was bestowed 
on it by the Royal Horticultural Society on the nth 
inst., but the N.C.S. passed it by on the same date. 
Really, there is no accounting for the vagaries of 
committees. The name "Jules Mary," strikes one 
as a rather curious combination of English and 
French, and now that Jules and Mary have joined 
hands, we may expect to see results. Mr. W. Wells 
holds the stock of the variety, and it will doubtless be 
catalogued for the coming sending-out season. 
Madame Ligre Ligneau.—It is oftentimes a puzzle 
to know where the “ decorative ” variety ends, and 
the so-called " market ” variety commences. I refer, 
of course, to the technical use of these terms, for, 
generally speaking, all Chrysanthemums are decora¬ 
tive, although the word has been specialised, and 
applied to a particular class of varieties with small 
flowers, and of dwarf habit. A market variety again, 
in the broad sense, is any variety that can be grown 
for market, and this would let in nearly everything, 
so the meaning of the word has been restricted in 
this case also, and we find that the technical " mar¬ 
ket” variety has flowers intermediate in size between 
the decorative and the show varieties. A " market " 
variety must, moreover, possess good, stout, flower 
stems and leathery foliage, the colour of the flowers 
must be decided and bright, and the plants must be 
easy to grow. All of these qualities, Madame Ligre 
Ligneau possesses, and hence it may well be termed 
a " market ” variety. It was certificated in France, 
for as the name suggests it is of Gallic origin, in the 
September of last year, but, curiously enough, it does 
not seem to have made much headway in this 
country, although certainly there has not been a 
great deal of time lost. The flowers are rich yellow, 
of good size, and of true Japanese form. Out-of- 
doors this season the plants have not exceeded 2 ft. 
in height, but when grown in pots in an ordinary 
season they will probably not be far short of 3 ft. 
The foliage is very stout and leathery, and the 
variety is quite distinct from anything else in this 
respect, for the leaves are very small, even in pro¬ 
portion to the size of the plant. The stems are re¬ 
markably short-jointed, and, although not inclined to 
become thick and gross, are very hard and wiry. 
One peculiarity of the variety is that the plants do 
not throw so many crown buds as is usual, for the 
terminal buds make their appearance after the first 
break. Mr. W. Wells, with whom I saw this 
variety, thinks highly of its value for growing for 
market, and, judging from appearances, his opinion 
is not likely to be far wrong. 
A. Barrett.- One of the most promising of the 
show Japanese varieties that have made their 
appearance during the present season is A. Barrett. 
It is a sport from Mrs. Harman Payne, but bears a 
close resemblance in contour and build of flower to 
Mrs. Geo. Palmer, and like that well-known sort is a 
capital doer. The colour is rich golden-orange, 
striated and suffused with bright rose—a charmiDg 
association of colours. The reverse of the florets is 
dull sulphur-yellow—chamois leather colour, as Mr. 
H. J. Jones tersely put it. It is really a November 
flowering variety, and although by taking first crowns 
it may be induced to flower in October, second 
crowns are the best, for these give grand flowers in 
which the charming colour combination is seen at its 
highest development. Mr. Jones holds the stock, and 
the variety will almost certainly be offered in his next 
catalogue. A. Barrett is a most promising novelty, 
and inasmuch as it exhibits a popular shade of colour 
it will be sure to be grown extensively as a show 
flower.— 'Mum. 
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. 
Chrysanthemum Sport.— Sport : The sport that 
you send is not distinct enough from other things to 
be of value. It is practically the same as the yellow 
variety, Golden Fleece. Of course when we say it 
is cf no value, we mean commercially; for growing 
in your own garden you will no doubt find it good, 
but things of value in the commercial world must be 
distinct from existing forms. 
Chrysanthemum Rust. — Coe : Yes. You are 
quite right in your surmise. The leaf you sent in is 
affected with the much talked of Chrysanthemum 
Rust (Puccinia Hieracii). The snuff-coloured powder 
is the spores liberated by the rupture of the pustules 
with which the leaf is dotted. Syringe the plants 
with a solution of potassium sulphide, in the pro¬ 
portions of 1 oz. of the sulphide to two gallons of 
of water. Be sure and ask for sulpb^e of potassium, 
for there is also a sulpha^ of potassium and it is of 
no use as a fungicide. 
Chrysanthemum Rust & Petroleum.— Geo.L. S.: 
We have never tried petroleum upon attacked plants 
ourselves, but we hear of instances in which it has 
been used successfully for the " rust.” Mr. Wells, of 
Earlsfield, claims to have cleaned his plants by 
syringing with a tablespoonful of petroleum to two 
gallons of water. We have used many a gallon of 
petroleum as an insecticide and its effectiveness in 
this direction is well known, and therefore there is 
no reason why it should not act as a lungicide also, 
providing it is properly applied. We have heard of 
a gardener this season who says he has killed the 
" rust ” by dipping a sponge in neat pretroleum, and 
squeezing it hard, and wiping the affected leaves 
over with it. This seems to be a very daring 
proceeding and one that we should not, ourselves, 
have cared to attempt. The sponge must be 
squeezed very dry indeed. 
Eucalyptus Globulus,— C. L.: The Blue Gum 
Tree, Eucalyptus Globulus, is not hardy. It will 
stand a few degrees of frost, but sharp or continual 
frosts kill it. In Cornwall and South Devon, where 
the winters are much mildier than in other parts of 
the country, some fair sized specimens may be seen 
that have stood out of doors for a number of winters. 
In such a mild winter as last one was there is no 
doubt that the plants would have passed through it 
safely in many other parts of the country, but we 
can never be sure that we are going to have a mild 
winter. You should take your plant indoors not 
later than the end of this month, and before, if sharp 
frost threatens. 
Dahlias—S. Robins : The Dahlias may be left 
untouched until frost cuts them down, unless you 
are wanting the space they occupy for something 
else, in which case they may be cut down at once 
and the rootstocks dug up after the lapse of a few 
days. 
Dahlias in Season. — Lark: It is true that it is 
now very late in the season for Dahlias, and that we 
are only able to get flowers from them on sufferance 
from the weather clerk, as it were, but to say that 
they are out of season now is another matter, for as 
an autumn flower we should imagine that they are 
in season as long as the weather will permit good 
flowers to be cut from them. 
Agapanthus umbellatus. — Lark : The Blue 
African Lily must be housed at once. A place under 
the greenhouse stage will do. Give a little clear 
water occasionally, but not liquid manure. The 
plants are in a state of partial rest through the 
winter. 
