December 12, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
229 
“Then in your opinion no reason can be advanced 
to warrant amalgamation on the part of the Scottish 
Horticultural Association ? ’’ 
“ No, decidedly no. The members of our Associa¬ 
tion I feel sure will resist the idea in toto, and stand 
shoulder to shoulder against any attempt that may 
be made by parties interested in the other Society to 
draw the Scottish Horticultural Association into any 
amalgamation which would be distasteful to them. 
I have long been a supporter of the Royal Caledonian 
Society, but I cannot admit that the true interests of 
horticulture would in any way be advanced were the 
proposal carried out." 
»> •-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
SYON HOUSE. 
The requirements of this vast establishment call for 
large quantities of cut flower, and, naturally enough 
in the autumn months, the major part of the burden 
is borne by the Chrysanthemum. Mr. Wythes 
grows upwards of twelve hundred plants, of which 
number some two hundred are treated as bush 
plants, the remainder being devoted to producing the 
large blooms up to show standard. Although it can 
scarcely be claimed that a plant that only bears two 
or three large blooms is nearly as useful for ordinary 
purposes as one which carries several dozen of small 
ones, still there is a demand for the large flowers, 
and not a few ladies and gentlemen are very fond of 
them in a cut state. 
With the large area of glass at Syon House there 
is plenty of accommodation for the plants when in 
flower. A long range of vineries some 200 ft. in 
length has been devoted to this purpose this year, 
and all through November the sight has been mag¬ 
nificent. Iadeed, in very few private gardens 
throughout the country could such a display be 
forthcoming. The Chrysanthemum season of 1896, 
despite its trying character, has been quite a success 
at Syon House Gardens, and some first-class blooms 
have been obtained. 
Madame Carnot has done remarkably well, and 
thus added one more item to its long list of 
honours. On its merits this year, it would head the 
list of white Japanese varieties coming in during 
November. As a late flower, too, it possesses 
considerable value, and is well worth growing for 
this purpose alone Mdlle. Therese Rey is still one 
of the best in this section, and no grower would con¬ 
sider his collection representative, unless it contained 
both of them. Etoile de Lyon is a great favourite 
here, and numbers of plants are grown. Mr. Wythes 
xertainly had as good blooms of it as any we have 
seen this year, both with regard to size, and the not 
less important consideration of colour. W. H. 
Lincoln as a bush plant is a great success. Whether 
small or large, the rich yellow of the flowers is most 
conspicuous. 
Amongst other well known Japanese forms Wm. 
Seward, Col. W. B. Smith, Charles Davis, Viviand 
Morel, and Amos Perry, have all done remarkably 
well. 
Mrs. Libbie Allen, a bright golden yellow incurved 
Japanese is a grand thing, and the blooms last 
surprisingly. Robert Owen, belonging to the same 
•section, forms a compact flower of great size. The 
florets are broader and more massive than they are 
in most varieties grouped under this division. Mr. 
Wythes has had some magnificent flowers of it, 
indeed, the masses of bronze-gold looked far too 
heavy for the stake supporting them. Hairy Wonder 
has been another striking success, for although the 
plants do not produce the huge stems characterising 
some other more vigorous growing varieties, they are 
strong and wiry, and usually produce capital blooms. 
The incurved section is likewise well looked after. 
Baron Hirsch is a great favourite, and certainly 
deserves all the care and attention it gets. The 
Queens, too, have been good, and numbers of first- 
rate samples have been a conspicuous feature of the 
collection. 
Trained plants are not, as a rule, very popular 
subjects with private gardeners, as they give such a 
lot of trouble in proportion to their value as decora¬ 
tive subjects. Mr. Wythes, however, does something 
in this way, and with conspicuous success too ; for a 
number of dwarf trained plants of the single Miss 
Rose, of perfect hemispherical outline, amply demon¬ 
strated how good tempered this pretty variety is. 
The plants in question have bloomed profusely, and 
are excellent specimens of the trainer’s art. 
GREASE BANDS. 
Our experience with these is somewhat limited, but 
it has set us thinking that the principle involved in 
their use admits of other and wider applications. 
We are using Horne’s preparation, and the variety 
and multitude of insects which it entraps are most 
surprising. If any of the smaller flying insects come 
into contact with it in the slightest degree, their 
doom seems infallibly sealed. There are two ideas 
which we think it might be well to put into practice. 
We all know the trouble the Celery Fly frequently 
gives us. Since using the above mixture it occurred 
to us that by stretching cords smeared with it along 
the rows of Celery, very many of the flies would be 
caught by it and the harm done by them to this 
crop would be considerably loosened. And why not 
try bands around the Chrysanthemum pots to catch 
the earwigs ? True, these fly during the night, but 
very many certainly creep up from the ground to the 
plants. It would extend the use of the mixture. 
We think if Mr. Horne could be induced to send it 
out in smaller quantities it would suit the require¬ 
ments of small holders of gardens.— W. B. G. 
-•*>- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM GROUPING. 
We have during the past few weeks passed through 
the annual autumnal visitation of ’mum fever, which 
rages with increasing severity each succeeding year, 
and with varying result. In the provinces, the last 
exhibition was (according to the local press) the best 
ever held, which is to the various committees no 
doubt satisfactory. Doubtless very few, able to do 
so, failed to visit the Jubilee Celebration of the 
N. C. S. at the Royal Aquarium, when, among the 
many attractions from a decorative point of view, 
not the least were the groups of Chrysanthemums. 
What a contrast did those groups present to the 
ordinary provincial groups ! Surely after such object 
lessons, schedule possessors will not be found next 
year asking exhibitors to put up a group of Chrysan¬ 
themums of say 50 sq. ft. or 60 sq. ft. allowing 1 ft. 
only of Ferns or foliage plants. What beauty is 
there in a mass of bloom crowded together in a few 
square feet, each bloom touching its fellow? What 
pleasure does the sight of such a group give ? I 
counted the other day nearly 300 blooms, fine and 
well-finished, on dwarf well-gro wn plants, in a group 
of 50 sq. ft. Now if half that number of plants had 
been used and well-grown foliage plants interspersed 
at the discretion of the competitor, a pretty group 
might have been arranged. Quality of bloom and 
effect might still be the leading feature. If readers 
would give their opinien on the matter, I do not 
suppose many would be found to uphold the old 
style of grouping. Perhaps this protest might call 
forth a few opinions from others interested .—A . P. 
-- 
DUNDEE CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW. 
I was very pleased to see by this week’s issue of The 
Gardening World that Mr. Machar had taken the 
courage, or rather has had the fortitude to come 
forward and defend the report of the Dundee Chry¬ 
santhemum Show. I will give Mr. Machar the 
benefit of the doubt regarding the authorship of said 
report, as reading his latest effusion I am inclined to 
think reading between the lines that he would much 
rather decline the honour; but why put, or allow his 
name or signature to anything he was not sure about ? 
No man such as he, who has seemingly learnt the 
very essence of the virtue of caution would ever think 
of doing such a foolish action. Regarding Mr. 
Machar’s remarks in reference to the pot plants 
staged by Mr. Kennedy, I am sure no one was 
more delighted than myself to see the grand show 
which he made in his class ; but I am certain Mr 
Kennedy, if I know him rightly, is the last man to 
rejoice in the want of competition through competi¬ 
tors being chary of meeting him. Competition is the 
life of societies such as ours. 
Now I come to the assertions in the report regard¬ 
ing the entries for the twenty-four : Mr. Machar still 
asserts there were eight entries, and by merely 
asserting the same assumes he has proved it. Now 
there were only four competitors.and I think when I say 
I can prove there were only seven entries altogether, 
I’m inclined to think Mr. Machar if not fibbing, to use 
his own expression, must have been stretching, well 
“ just a wee ’’ bit. My reason for singling out the 
second twenty-four was not to disparage the judging, 
but to show the closeness of the competition; and in 
my opinion if the second lot had been put up it is 
hard to tell how it might have gone. Now I think I 
have replied to Mr. Machar in the full.— A. McDonald, 
Helenslea. 
--f-- 
PRIMULA SINENSIS SUTTON’S 
SCARLET AND SUTTON’S STAR 
PRIMULA. 
For a high class and highly-coloured Primula, 
Sutton’s Scarlet is one of the best and earliest. 
Specimen plants well grown, over 2 ft. in diameter are 
not met with frequently, but at Beardwood Cliff, 
Blackburn, the residence of J. Thompson, Esq., are 
some grand examples of high class culture, Several 
of these are throwing from twelve to fourteen fine 
spikes of bright scarlet flowers, with a good yellow 
eye, and thrown well above the foliage; habit 
perfect; flowers large and fine for decorative purposes. 
1 enquired of Mr. W. Bennett, the gardener, their 
age ; he informed me they were sownjanuary, 1895. 
Sutton’s White, and Sutton's Rose, a year younger, 
are equally as well done, though not so large, and 
are certainly grand examples of cultivation. Let me 
recommend to those in search of a first-class decora¬ 
tive plant, Sutton’s Star Primula ; for the decoration 
of the conservatory it cannot be over-estimated. 
Here are plants in 6-in. pots, throwing many spikes, 
two feet high, of white flowers flaked with crimson, 
about | in. in diameter, produced in whorls or tiers 
on a slender Hem. As many as a dozen of these 
stems are produced, forming a beautiful pyramid of 
clusters of star-like blossoms ; the habit is compact. 
For cut flowers it will prove invaluable as the spike 
remains in perfection for fully three weeks.— Rusticus. 
--t*- 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Quantity and Quality. 
In referring to the ’mums around Liverpool previous 
to the exhibitions, mention was made of a system 
adopted by Mr. J. Jellicoe, of Camp Hill, Woolton, 
of securing an increased quantity of fine flowers for 
general decorative purposes. The heavy demands 
made at this establishment during the last three 
months of the year, induced Mr. Jellicoe to try and 
increase the number of blooms with but a slight 
depreciation as regards quality. Another satisfactory 
feature under the new order of things is the dwarf 
nature of the plants which permits of the beauty of 
the flowers beiDg seen on the plants, and their being 
better adapted for groups either in the greenhouses 
or the dwelling house. 
The selection of cuttiDgs and system of propagation 
are the same as usually adopted; most of the 
Japanese are in the cutting pots already, and the 
incurved and other sections will be proceeded with 
as opportunity occurs ; potting on as the plants may 
require it, but in the final shift, using 10-in. pots, 
and placing two plants in each pot. In February, 
the plants are stopped, and again in June ; and at 
this stage, the system of dwarfing is carried into 
effect as follows :—the point of the shoot is taken out, 
and as soon as the side buds at the top of the leader 
start into growth, they in their turn are rubbed off, 
which induces a lower set of buds to start. This 
rubbing off is continued until the shoots near the 
surface of the pot start into growth, when four on 
each plant, or eight to each pot are grown on, taking 
one bud on each lead, thus giving eight flowers to 
each pot. With something like 500 pots, 4,000 
excellent flowers are obtained, which will suffice for 
a vast amount of decorative work. 
Under this treatment the following were under 
2 ft. in heightLouise, Mad. Ad. Chatin, Mrs. Dr. 
Ward, Etoile de Lyon, Bouquet de Dame, Mme. N. 
Brun, (Anemone), and Cloth of Gold (reflexed). 
Another important consideration is extending the 
season, which commences with October ; and there 
is every promise of continuing the supply until after 
Christmas. The early flowers are Mme. Desgranges. 
George Wermig, Mrs. Pitcher, Blushing Bride, 
Rycroft Glory, Margot, Lady Selborne, Source d’Or, 
Boule d’Or (pompon), Miss Mary Anderson, and 
Jane (singles). The late varieties or those in flower 
at the present time include Lord Brooke, Good 
Gracious, Etoile de Lyon (Japanese), Delaware 
(anemone), and Mrs. J. Gardiner (incurved). 
Amongst bush plants the following are especially 
fine:—Lord Brooke,Tokio, Florence Percy,Thomas 
Wilkins (Japanese), Marie Stuart (Anemone pom- 
