9S 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
January 31, 1903. 
trial to the candidate, who was being supported by his 
private friends. Fortunate are they, however, who can 
count upon such in face of the fact that a widow of eighty- 
three has evidently few friends, seeing that as the total 
result, after four years of waiting and application, she secured 
only 995 votes. Similarly, three years of voting only brought 
an indigent gardener of eighty-three years of age an aggregate 
of 426 votes. The committee took pity on these poor old 
people, and, with the approval of the subscribers present, placed 
them on the list for relief. They cannot, in the nature^ of 
tilings, live long to enjoy such welcome relief. The year of 
the Coronation—that is, last year—was characterised by sun¬ 
shine and shadow, metaphorically speaking, in more ways than 
one; and while many will have cause to remember it from both 
these points of view, the unsuccessful candidates of last year 
cannot but remember the Coronation year with feelings of the 
liveliest satisfaction. The committee had resolved, with the 
approval of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the president of tire 
institution, to place on the funds the eleven unsuccessful candi¬ 
dates of last year, and this, resolve was unanimously endorsed 
by the meeting on the 22 nd inst. 
Equally propitious to the cause was the magnanimous pro¬ 
posal of N. N. Sherwood, Esq., V.M.H.. one of the trustees of 
the institution. Grieved at the number of applicants for the 
pension, and knowing that a large proportion must be un¬ 
successful at the election, he wrote to the chairman, offering to 
present each of these with £5 as a thank-offering for his recent 
recovery from illness. Here, again, the provident will have at 
least a solatium for their lack of success and reason to be 
satisfied with their previous endeavour, more especially because 
unexpected. During the past year the widows of three pen¬ 
sioners were placed on the fund without election, in accordance 
with a clause in Rule III. which provides for the benefit of 
widows of pensioner who may die during the year, and that 
without the expense of an election. 
That the funds of the institution can support such a number 
of pensioners speaks strongly in favour of its flourishing condi¬ 
tion, owing largely to the generosity of its supporters, and 
their belief in the justice of its cause and the impartiality of 
its endeavours to meet the needs of the less fortunate members 
of the confraternity. Over 200 pensioners were being sup¬ 
ported by the funds during the past year—a larger number 
than had ever previously received relief in the annals of the 
institution. 
Independently of subscribers, support has come from dona¬ 
tions ranging in amount from relatively small to relatively 
large sums. The annual dinner had also augmented the funds 
in no small degree. The auxiliary branches, located in the 
provinces, have been diligent, and have added materially to the 
resources of the mother institution. 
Cyclamen Persicum. 
I may safely say the above is one of the most useful plants we 
have for winter and spring flowering, if properly grown ; but that 
is where the difficulty comes in. They seem to he grown 1 mostly 
everywhere; but do we ever see them grown as they might be ? 
No; I say we do not. You would think some people had been 
planting Potatos instead of potting bulbs of one of the loveliest 
of flowers. When such potting is done you cannot expect other 
results than failure. To have good results 1 consider they ought 
to be sown in pans in August, and the pans plunged in a genitle 
hotbed. After germinating keep them on shelves close to the 
glass, and grow them there till about May, when they can be 
grown in frames. After filling the pans with a mixture of loam, 
leaf mould and sand, water a quarter of an hour before sowing 
the seed, and afterwards cover slightly, through a fine riddle, with 
soil, and shade from sunshine. They will he ready for pricking 
into thumb pots or other pans about November, and as they grow 
pot into 25 m. pots, and about May into 3in. pots. Remember to 
keep them free from green fly with XL All from start to finish. 
About May or June they can he removed to a cold frame and 
kept near the glass and shaded. The final potting will he the 
most particular; 5in. pots are large enough, and must be well 
drained, with moss over the crocks, and then a few not too coarse 
hones on that. Be sure that the bulb is well elevate! above the 
soil to ensure success. A mixture composed of two parts fibrous 
loam, two parts leaf mould, half part wood ashes, and half part 
cow dung. Plenty is to be got in fields at tlrat time. It had 
better be laid above the stokehole to dry for a few days; also add 
one part silver sand to the above mixture. After potting, water 
overhead with a fine rose evexy afternoon, and be careful about 
watering till the pots are full of roots. Then they can be watered 
with weak liquid manure, composed of cow-dung, sheep-droppings, 
and soot. They must be aired freely and kept free from greenfly. 
Standing on ashes will keep them nice and cool. They had better 
be removed at the end of September to a nice aiiy shelf in a 
greenhouse to flower. Water must be carefully administered at 
this time to guard against damp. After they have done flowering 
they can he stood in a cold frame among ashes, and shaded. 
Water must not be withheld, as is generally the case, but let the 
foliage ripen gradually. After that they can be shaken out of the 
pots and repotted in a less size, and the same treatment given 
as described for them in frames after May.—S. Peel. 
Chrysanthemum Culture. 
If one were asked to account for the popularity of Chrysan- 
themums—a seemingly tricky question—one would be perplexed 
to make a choice from the number of answers which would sponta¬ 
neously occur to one’s mind. This question, however, may be 
offered to any gardeners’ debating society, and its discussion 
would doubtless elicit much useful information. 
Satisfied that our present subject is popular, a brief review of 
its most familiar aspects is here proposed ; but the well-trodden 
ground by writers on the culture of large blossoms will be 
eschewed somewhat studiously, although it may be said in pass¬ 
ing that the culture of full size exhibition Japanese Chrysan¬ 
themums is not of a nature as profound and recondite as many 
still believe and maintain. One instance shall be put forward 
which cannot be refuted. It is Die fact that a large number of 
these exhibition varieties can be propagated any day during the 
first four, or even five, months of the 1 year, and with rational treat¬ 
ment will develop blooms fit for any show in the country. 
We shall here, however, concern ourselves with the section 
that produces such an abundance of beautiful flowers to brighten 
many dull autumn months, and to gladden the heart of many a 
gardener, who is always expected to have a supply of flowers at 
hand under conditions not always favourable. During the past 
three or four years there lias been an increasing demand for these 
free flowering varieties, and it has brought forth numbers of 
really fascinating types of all shades of colour, from white to 
deep crimson. 
No family of plants are more sensitive or responsive to good 
culture than are Chrysanthemums. Yet they possess such great 
powers of adaptability that even careless and indifferent treatment 
is more than deservedly rewarded. We, however, as readers of 
Gardening World, systematise our treatment of all work under¬ 
taken. Thus we insert the cuttings five in a three-inch pot on 
any available day during February or March. These are placed, 
if convenient, 111 a shallow [rame or greenhouse, where a tem¬ 
perature of 50deg. is maintained ; hut if only a cold frame or 
greenhouse is possible, then we defer the time of striking until 
the third or last week in March, and it is surprising to note the 
rapid headway which healtliy cuttings make under the latter 
treatment. 
As soon as signs of root action are perceived by the growth of 
the cuttings the tips are pinched out to induce bushy growth, 
and when the new shoots are about one inch in length we pot. the 
plants into separate pots of the same size as used for the cuttings. 
We once again remove the tips from the shoots when about six 
inches long, and our next operation, as soon as the new breaks 
appear, is determined by the desired end. If we are growing 
“ earlies ” of the Masse or Grunerwald type, and would beautify 
our borders from August onwards with these subjects, we _shall 
now id an them where desired ; hut if to grow them in pots is our 
intention, then five-inch pots will be used, and thence into 
the final pots when growth demands. 
A word as to soil : For the cuttings an equal proportion of 
loam and leaf soil with a fair amount of sand.—though it. should 
be. stated that the two last-named ingredients are not so im¬ 
portant as is often implied. The soil for their subsequent culture 
might consist of fully three parts loam and one part leaf soil, 
and decayed stable manure, with but a sprinkling of sand. A 
handful of any of the well-known fertilisers' sprinkled over two 
or three barrows of soil is advantageous, as also is a like quantity 
of charcoal, if at hand. 
H. J. Gillingham. 
