October 17, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
103 
flavour second-rate ; seeds slightly wrinkled. Height, 
4 ft.; ready for use June 20th. 
Veitch’s Perfection (Watkins & Simpson).— 
Good cropper ; haulm, pods, and Peas, dark green ; 
flavour excellent; a favourite old variety; seed 
wrinkled. Height, 2 ft. 6 in.; ready for use June 
29th. 
Improved Telegraph (Watkins & Simpson).— 
Same as the old variety ; see l elow. 
Rentpayer (Watkins & Simpson).—Moderate 
cropper; pods in pairs, long and well filled, with an 
average of seven Peas in each ; haulm, pods, and 
Peas, dark green; flavour good; seed wrinkled- 
Height, 18 in.; ready for use June 29th. 
Improved Queen (Watkins & Simpson).—Heavy 
cropper; pods in pairs, of good size, with six Peas 
usually; haulm, pods, and Peas, dark green ; flavour 
very sweet; seed wrinkled. Height, 2 ft.; ready for 
use June 29th. 
Telegraph (Watkins & Simpson).—Profuse 
bearer, of good quality ; a well-known and popular 
variety; seed wrinkled. Ready for use June 26th. 
Veitch’s Goldfinder (R. Veitch).—Moderate 
cropper ; pods short and well filled, with an average 
of four large Peas in each ; haulm, pods, and Peas, 
deep green; flavour excellent ; seed wrinkled. 
Height, 3 ft.; ready for use June 29th. 
Notts Excelsior (Yates).—Good cropper; haulm, 
pods, and Peas, light green; pods short and well 
filled; flavour very good. Height, 1 ft.; ready for 
use June 17th. 
Emperor of Japan (Harrison) and an unnamed 
variety (McClure).—Seed received late; will be tried 
again in 1897. 
- - 8 — — - 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned subjects received First-class 
Certificates from the National Chrysanthemum 
Society, at the Royal Aquarium on the 6th inst. 
Chrysanthemum Surprise (Calvat). — This 
October flowering, Japanese variety measures about 
6 in. in diameter. The bloom is solidly built up, and 
has broad, recurved florets of a rich dark amaranth- 
purple, with a clear silvery reverse It will prove a 
valuable sort for early market work. Mr. W. Wells, 
Earlswood Nurseries, Redhill, Surrey. 
Chrysanthemum Madame Gustave Henry.— 
In this we have another beautiful October variety, 
measuring about 7 in. across by 5 in. in depth. 
It is a pure white, true Japanese type, with a silky 
gloss, and having its long florets incurved and 
beautifully interlaced at the tips. The best blooms 
are obtained from the second crown bud. Late 
struck cuttings give a fairly good later bloom from 
the first crown bud. Mr. W. Wells. 
Dahlia Miss Webster. —This white Cactus 
Dahlia has now received fourteen certificates. 
Messrs. Dobbie & Co., Orpington, Kent, and Rothe¬ 
say, N.B. 
Dahlia Clarissa. —The blooms of this pompon 
are small, neat in form and primrose yellow. Dagmar, 
maroon-crimson, and Guinevere, yellow, with 
orange-crimson edge are equally choice pompons in 
their way. M. C. Turner, Slough. 
Apple Sir Joseph Banks. —This early autumn 
variety bears some resemblance to King of the 
Pippins, but is oblate and not so deep, being 
flattened on the top, with an open eye rather deeply 
sunk in a rounded cavity. The exposed side is rosy- 
red, and the other half is yellow It is, therefore, a 
beautiful variety, and of large size for a dessert 
Apple. Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, S.E. 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS FOR EXHIBITION. 
Now that the buds are slowly unfolding their petals, 
we must take warning that the " Autumn Queen,” 
will shortly be holding her court and receptions, 
when the whole of the available space in these 
columns will be required to record her beauty, 
progress, and importance; and with that end in view 
this must be the concluding paragraph before the 
exhibition season. The grower should at this stage 
be most careful to note the advice given as to cleanli¬ 
ness and dampness. If green fly is present in the 
least, fumigate so as to get rid of the pest before the 
flowers open, or if fumigation has to be resorted to 
at a later period the flowers will suffer, Moisture 
must also be kept at the lowest possible state ; water 
in the morning, being careful not to let any fall on 
the floor or surroundings, so that the atmosphere 
may be on the dry side. 
Blooming Peculiarities. 
This is a detail that should be considered, some 
varieties being naturally early, some late, some quick 
in the opening stages, others the reverse. Amongst 
the varieties that are usually early or quick 
in their opening are, in the incurved section, 
Mons. R. Bahuant, Baron Hirsch, and the Queen 
family. Japanese varieties in this category are, Rose 
Wynne, W. Seward, Bouquet des Dames, SirW. 
Raleigh, &c. Late varieties which may require a 
little pressing include the incurved R. Canned, 
Robert Petfield, Lord Rosebery, and Princess of 
Teck family; late Japanese sorts are Boule d'Or, 
Lord Brooke, Sunflower, and many others. Nitrate 
of soda acts beneficially on flowers that are some¬ 
what late in flowering, but should not be given too 
frequently or in heavy doses, half a tea spoonful to 
each plant being ample. 
Bad and Good Keefers. 
This is a subject that can be best learnt by experience, 
but a few hints may prove acceptable. Mons. R. 
Bahuant, John Salter, Alfred Salter, Lord Wolseley, 
Prince Alfred, W. Seward, Charles Davis, Viviand 
More), and Edwin Molyneux, are all bad to keep; 
and, if finished many days before the show, will 
lose their brilliancy and freshness, Nearly all 
whites and yellows keep well, although they lose 
slightly in size; blooms of some of these varieties 
can be used for exhibition after being cut a month, 
the means adopted being to cut the flowers with long 
stalks, and place in bottles of salt and water, with a 
piece of charcoal in each bottle to keep the water 
pure, and cutting off J in. of the stem every two or 
three days. The best position for placing the bottles 
is in a cool cellar fairly well darkened. Many 
growers prefer placing the plants in a cool dry dark 
shed to retard the flowers, which is the course 
recommended if suitable quarters can be obtained ; 
but either system will not prove very satisfactory for 
pink, bronze, or similar coloured flowers. Every 
effort in these cases must be made over a longer 
period, commencing at the time of housing. 
Dressing. 
The most important work of this nature can be done 
on the plants by assisting nature in the removal of 
all misshapen florets and seed petals. This allows 
the remaining petals plenty of room when they will 
develop generally into proper position. In some 
cases where a flower is late the centre should be 
entirely removed a few days before required, when 
the petals will fill up the vacancy and give the 
appearance of a finished flower.— \V. 
THE PUNT HOUSES. 
Greenhouse and Cool Conservatory. 
There should be no lack of flower here just yet, 
for many of the summer flowering subjects are yet 
blooming away^with surpassing freedom. Chrysan¬ 
themums are fast coming into bloom also, and some 
of the Salvias, such as S. Bethelli, and S. splendens 
are doing good service, so that, what with the late 
summer stuff and the early winter flowering 
material, the house is looking fairly gay. As a rule 
it is wisest to do without fireheat for as long as 
possible, but we are having such a deal of damp 
weather that it will really do good if the pipes are 
warmed slightly now and again. This will assist in 
dispelling the damp and will make the air more 
buoyant and genial. Plenty of air should be given at 
the same time, although the house, instead of being 
left open all night as formerly, must be closed up at 
dusk. 
• Balsams. —The latest batch of these may be kept 
in fairly presentable condition for a time by dint of a 
little picking over. The top flowers will not be so 
fine as the lower ones, but they will look well enough, 
and may help to fill up what would otherwise be a 
gap- 
Tacsonias.— As these often make a great deal of 
growth during the summer, it will be advisable to 
give it a judicious thinning out now, otherwise the 
plants that are standing beneath them will come poorly 
off with regard to light, which for the next three or 
four months will be of the first importance. A few 
strings of mealy bugs will then most likely be brought 
to view, and a little cleaning rendered necessary. A 
wineglassful of petroleum stirred into a couple of 
gallons of warm water makes a cheap and efficient 
insecticide if properly used, and the mealy bug may 
soon be got rid of in this way. Choose a bright day 
for cleaning, so as to allow of the superfluous moisture 
being dispelled. 
Chrysanthemums in bloom. —It will be inadvis¬ 
able to give these artificial stimulants for two 
reasons. First of all, to do so would hasten the 
collapse of the blooms, and second, the odours 
arising from manures are not very acceptable in a 
conservatory. 
Watering is becoming day by day a more impor¬ 
tant matter. Hitherto it has been performed 
towards the latter part of the afternoon; now it 
should be seen to in the mornings, although the 
thirstiest plant should be looked over again about 
three in the afternoon. 
Pits and Frames. 
Every particle of space is crowded here, and will 
continue to be so until batches of Primulas, Freesias, 
Cyclamen, Cinerarias, etc., are depatched to take 
their places in the conservatory when a little 
breathing room will be forthcoming. 
Hyacinths. —The earlier batches of Hyacinths that 
were potted up at the end of August or the beginning 
of September will now be ready for a shift out of 
their plunging beds. In the six or seven weeks that 
they have been under the ashes, roots will have been 
formed pretty freely, and the tops will likewise have 
begun to move. When they have reached this stage 
the sooner they are taken out of confinement the 
better, or the incipient leaves are liable to receive 
injury, The plants may be removed to a cold frame 
from whence they may be taken into heat as desired. 
A little shading from bright sun may be needed for a 
few days after they have been brought to the light, 
but the young leaves will soon take on their normal 
green colour, and the shading may be dispensed with, 
Bulbs for later flowering maybe potted up as soon as 
they are received. They will come in very well after 
Christmas. 
Deutzias, Lilacs, and Staphyleas that will be 
required during the forthcoming winter season for 
forcing purposes will be better if deeply plunged in 
ashes—burying the rims of the pots at least 2 in. 
deep. This precaution will save the splitting and 
cracking of the pots by frost, and the plants can 
easily be lifted into heat as they are called for. 
Russian Mats. —These form the staple of the 
covering material, and as they will be regularly in 
use by the end of the present month for a period of 
at least five months it is now quite time to see that 
there is a sufficient stock ready to hand for emer¬ 
gency. The mats need to have the raw ends 
trimmed and tied before they are fit for use, and this 
will be a "job in the dry ” for some of the men 
when outside work is impossible. 
Bracken. —As long as this can be kept dry it is an 
ideal covering, and there are many gardeners who 
annually lay in a stock of it for covering purposes, 
During periods of very severe frost the covering of 
Russian mats may well be supplemented by a layer 
of bracken spread lightly over them by means of a 
pitchfork. 
Hybrid Pelargoniums.— Young plants of these 
that kept on blooming until late, and were cut down 
about the beginning of September arenow sufficiently 
advanced to call for potting up. They may be 
knocked out of their pots at once, as much of the old 
soil shaken away from them as possible, and potted 
up into a size smaller pot than that they now 
occupy. This will encourage the formation of young 
roots. A pit that is kept up to about 45 0 Fahr. by 
night, rising to 50 9 by day will suit them admirably 
for the present. 
Potting Roses. —If this has not hitherto been 
attended to, no time should be lost in seeing about 
it. If desired, plants may now be lifted from the 
open ground and potted up for forcing purposes. 
The roots should be carefully trimmed, and 8-in. pots 
employed. The compost must consist in staple of 
good turfy loam to which may be added a third part 
of well rotted and dried manure, and leaf soil. A 
few nodules of charcoal, and a handful of crushed 
bones, are an excellent addition. 
Established plants of Tea Roses that are intended 
for forcing this season, if they do not require potting 
now, should be removed to a pit or frame where they 
are near the glass. The Hybrid Perpetuals are con¬ 
siderably hardier and will do very well if plunged in 
ashes the same as the Lilacs and the other forcing 
stuff. They may be pruned some time next month, 
and a portion of them placed in heat early in 
December. 
Herbaceous Calceolarias. —Until very severe 
frost sets in these plants will do well if stood upon a 
bottom of ashes in a cold frame. Keep a sharp look 
out for slugs, and ventilate freely whenever it is at 
all possible to do so.— A.S.G. 
