the gardening world 
103 
October 14, 1899. 
Mr. A. J. Baker announced the following contri¬ 
butions as resulting from the festival, viz. :— 
Messrs. Dicksons, Ltd. 
Mr. R. Dean . 
Mr. Watkins . 
Mr. W. Y. Baker. 
Mr. Peter Kay . 
Mr. George Monro 
Mr. N. N. Sherwood 
Mr. S. T. Wright ., 
Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., 
Mr. Wm. Marshall 
Messrs. J. Laing & Sons .. 
Mr. William Iceton 
Employees of Thames Bank Iron Co. 
Mr. T. N. Cox 
Messrs. B. Mailer & Sons 
and two honorary members, Mr. Bunyard, jun , and 
himself. 
Mr. W. Iceton suitably proposed " The Chair¬ 
man,” and Mr. Baker modestly replied. *' Our 
Secretary ” was also honoured at the request of the 
chairman, and in a few feeling remarks Mr. Collins 
referred to his work for nearly thirteen years, and to 
the value of the society. 
The evening was further enlivened with some real 
good music and sketches by a small company under 
the direction of Mr. Herbert Schartau. 
Chrysanthemums. —With growers in the south the 
••Autumn Queen” is somewhat late this year. 
There will be hosts of blooms for the November 
shows, but the earlier or October shows will try the 
skill of exhibitors in their endeavours to meet the 
demands or, at least the requirements of the time. 
So much for exhibitors and blooms for shows. But, 
of course, if the show blooms are to be behind the 
bush plants for cut flowers must also be backward. 
However, since the cool weather and the rains took 
the place of heat and drought our hardy flowering 
plants have improved, and are lasting better, too. 
There is any amount of Dahlias, Sunflowers of all 
kinds, Asters, Tritomas, Anemones, and other things 
of the period, so that as far as the season goes we 
stand in no real need of the early pot Chrysanth¬ 
emum blooms. Indeed, if they are only infant for 
cut flower purposes, the better plan would be to let 
them come on slowly and so have the value of them 
at a duller time. Chrysanthemums make the best 
subjects imaginable in the cut state when taken with 
long stems arranged in large vases. They also are 
glorious for a united effect as seen in the great banks 
or sheets of colour. In large houses alone, such as 
great high-roofed and wide conservatories, it is 
possible to have a very varied and tasty house of 
little else than Chrysanthemums. But in the con¬ 
ventional span-roofed bouse with central and side 
stages we have nothing left us but to bank up the 
plants at a dead level. Of course, the plants them¬ 
selves are very varied, in fact, no other class of 
plants of a like nature has half the diversity. There 
are so many sections giving all grades of variation 
from small pompons, pompon Anemones, large Ane¬ 
mones, Japanese Anemones, incurved and Japanese 
recurved, reflexed and decorative varieties, besides 
having a range of colour which baffles description. 
The Chrysanthemum rust takes up its abode in the 
tissues, and this is difficult to remedy. The soft 
constitution of over-fed plants renders them a prey 
to this Puccinia Hieracii. With hardy grown plants, 
the chances are much against the first inception and 
development of the spores. The uredospores are in 
active growth from the spring, and mostly attack the 
under sides of the leaves. (A good remedy appears 
on p. 104.) One leaf affected is enough to spread 
the pest throughout a whole collection, and even 
syringing with preventives cr combative solutions 
has the effect in a measure of spreading the spores. 
Growers near large cities or in manufacturing dis- 
t are generally pretty well protected from the 
fact that the atmosphere is, to an extent, impreg¬ 
nated with sulphur. 
Watering, —Every grower knows how much de¬ 
pends on skillful watering after the plants are housed. 
If the weather is dry and breezy this operation may 
not entail such imperative care, but in dull weather 
the water must be sparingly given, and the floors and 
stages kept dry. If green or blackfly are upon the 
plants give the house a thorough fumigating. 
Varieties. —Lady Fitzwygram is one of the finest 
early flowering white varieties I know of. The 
flowering qualities and the colour of the blooms are 
so good that it is a variety one should see every¬ 
where. It makes a good bush plant. La Vierge is 
another of the earliest and dwarfest whites there is, 
and one which has been known for many years. 
Harvest Home does well out-of-doors, but comes 
better and is more beautiful when given the care of 
pot culture. Mrs. Hawkins for a deep yellow of the 
Desgranges type might also be included. May 
Manser is a novelty of last year's introduction. The 
blooms come earliest,and are very handsome from the 
first crown bud. The reflexed type, together with the 
broad petals and soft white colour, though the petals 
are peculiarly tipped with yellow and slightly curled 
up, make this variety a most charming introduction. 
Ryecroft Glory is another fine thing. The flowers 
are very large and strong, and in colour they are a 
bronzy-tinted yellow. It has bad two First-class 
Certificates. Baron Hirsch is one of my favourite 
incurved early varieties. The orange-cinDamon 
colour and its compact, perfect build, and easy 
growth make it a most desirable plant. It does best 
on a second crown bud. Other good Japanese re¬ 
flexed varieties in bloom now, some of which are 
new, are Mr. R. Pearson, Miss Bessie Luscombe, 
Mrs. Hall, Mrs. A. H. Holmes, a seedling from 
Edith Tabor, Mdme. Gustave Henry, and Lili Boul- 
roy, a Japanese incurved bloom of great size, its 
colour being palest primrose. 
Crotons. —The stock of these has had a capital 
summer for growth. With a grower who raises 
magnificent plants under a frame above a hotbed, 
the specimens he has at this time are simply marvel¬ 
lous. No place is better than a good wooden frame 
for young Crotons, although the idea may come as 
a novelty to not a few. There is a continual humid¬ 
ity in the atmosphere of the frame, besides 
which the temperature is becomingly and 
acceptably high and steady. If shade is needed 
this can very simply be given. Air can also be 
afforded by having patent ventilators in the front, 
back, or sides of the frame-work. Top back venti¬ 
lation is, however, generally sufficient. About shad¬ 
ing, some growers are strong in its advocacy, while 
others show splendid plants which never are shaded. 
Mr. McIntyre, the famous stove plantsman of Dar¬ 
lington, never shades a single Croton during summer. 
He believes in keeping a steaming atmosphere, and 
lets the temperature run as high as it will. Yet we 
know his plants do not suffer. However, that is in 
the North of Eugland, and like Mr. D. Buchanan, 
who is hardly ever beaten, certainly not by market- 
growers, in Grape production, and who never venti¬ 
lates his vineries from the front but only from the 
back, we must accept it as proper enough for 
northern cultivators, but in the very south in ex¬ 
posed places, some slight shading is a necessity. The 
colours are really softer, indeed, like a pebble after 
rain; the colours of a Croton leaf which has 
developed in partial shade, are far finer and more 
numerous if not so brilliantly showy. Some of the 
finer varieties of Crotons or Codiaeums may be 
chosen from the following :—C. aigburthensis, a 
bushy grower, yellow and green; C. Flamingo, 
broad-leaved, with a red mid-rib edged yellow and 
orange-green suffusion ; Countess, a beautiful bright 
yellow, narrow-leaved variety, very graceful; Gor- 
donii, a twisted variety, maculated variously with 
green, yellow, and red ; Thomsonii, a broad-leaved 
form of bright yellow hue and green intermingled ; 
Newmanii, coloured in various shades of red, yellow, 
and green; Superbum, a narrow-leaved drooping 
yellow variety of much merit because of its graceful¬ 
ness ; Ruberrimum, a peculiar, but very beautiful 
Croton of magenta, pink, cream, and green hues, al¬ 
though the red tones predominate. Of course, there 
are the older varieties, such as Prince and Princess 
of Wales, C. magnificum, C. Weismannii, C. 
Johannis, and many others. C. Golden Ring may 
be taken as the most beautiful of the twisted 
yellows. 
Present Work —Double tuberous Begonias are 
now presenting us with pollen after having been 
starved for some time. Crosses should be made and 
the softer tones, such as pink and cream might be 
more worked up and varieties with these colours in¬ 
troduced. Most plants are now in a state of 
quiescence, or at least growth is confined to the 
£ s. d. 
2 2 0 
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300 
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developing of strength for the winter. Shading 
should be taken from the houses, and moisture need 
not be so lavishly strewn about.— J. H. D. 
Kitctien G arden Calendar. 
Since writing the last instructions we have been visited 
with a heavy rainfall, which has considerably im¬ 
proved kitchen garden crops, and owing to the warm 
condition of the soil all green vegetables have made 
considerable headway. In some places the frost has 
been severe enough to cut down Beans and Peas, 
but where this has not happened, should the 
autumn hold out fine, supplies may still be gathered, 
though they will not have that delicate flavour as 
when the weather was warmer to induce a more 
free growth. Still, they will help to fill up blanks. 
Special attention must now be paid to crops grow¬ 
ing under glass, and air must be given whenever the 
weather is favourable to strengthen the plants. 
French Beans in heated pits must have a little fire- 
heat at night to keep the plants growing. Those 
coming into bloom must not be allowed to get dry at 
the roots, but the atmosphere ought not to be over¬ 
charged with moisture or the flowers will not set. 
Make another sowing for succession that there may 
be no blanks. 
Asparagus should now be cut down, the beds 
being cleaned and left rough for the winter. Those 
intended for forcing ought to receive attention first; 
that the roots may have a rest before being lifted. 
In most places this is much sought after during the 
winter and early spring months, therefore a gcod 
breadth should be grown for forcing. When lifting 
the roots be careful not to injure them more can be 
avoided. They should be taken straight to the place 
where it is intended to force them, for when allowed 
to get dry they do not so readily start into growth 
Maintain a genial warmth of about 6o°, and admit air 
on all favourable occasions. Asparagus requires all 
the light possible at this season of the year and 
through the dull winter months to give strength and 
colour to the growths. When forced in too high a 
temperature or kept in semi-darkness the growths are 
neither so tender nor so plentifully produced. The 
soil in which the plants are growing ought not to 
get dry ; at the some time avoid having it too wet, 
for during the dull weather there is very little evap¬ 
oration, and when surcharged with moisure this 
lowers the temperature. 
Lettuce and o.her plants in cold frames ought to 
have the lights removed on all favourable occasions 
to keep the plants sturdy, for the hardier they are 
grown the better able will they be to resist the frost 
later on, should it be severe. Cauliflower plants in¬ 
tended for early use should be pricked out while 
small, that they may be as sturdy as possible. It is 
also well to prick out some Parsley into a cold 
frame to give supplies when the frost is severe. 
Make a sowing of Onions in boxes for transplanting 
in the open in spring, and for use in salads while 
small. Secure all tender vegetables before the 
weather gets too bad, and earth up Celery whenever 
the soil is in a suitable condition for such work. Do 
not delay the planting out of spring Cabbage longer 
than can be avoided that the roots may take hold 
of the soil before frost sets in. 
General Work. —Advantage should be taken of 
every favourable opportunity to trench all vacant 
ground, for the sooner such work is done the better. 
Trenching is one of those operations that is not 
thoroughly understood by many, but if the finest 
samples of vegetables are to be produced it is 
absolutely necessary that the ground be thoroughly 
workel. To trench in spring is usually a mistake, 
as the soil is left too porous, and if a hot, dry season 
follows, the crops suffer from the drought. When 
trenching is done in the autumn the soil has time to 
settle down again before spring, the only thing then 
necessary is to loosen the surface to admit the air 
that the soil may be dried a little before sowing and 
planting. There is another advantage in trenching 
at this season which ought not to be lost sight of, 
which is, that the ground works much freer than 
when it has become soddened with the teavy rains. 
Do not attempt to bring up the poor ungenial soil to 
the surface, as small seeds cannot make headway in 
it. If too shallow to admit of trenching loosen up 
the bottom spit and allow it to remain there until it 
has been improved by the surface soil being washed 
down into it. If this be repeated for three or four 
years in succession there will gradually accumulate 
a greater depth of soil of a more fertile nature.—- 
Kitchen Gardener. 
