70 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February i, 1908. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Work for February. 
The Size of Exhibition Flowers. 
Before quitting the subject of Chrysan¬ 
themum shows, it may be advisable to 
refer to a few points of interest to exhibi¬ 
tors which have formed the subject of con¬ 
siderable controversy. One is as to the 
size of the individual flowers exhibited. 
Tall stories of blooms of the Japanese 
variety “F. S. Vallis,” measuring 18 in. 
in diameter, having gained a certain 
amount of credence, are calculated to mis¬ 
lead, if not to discourage, inexperienced 
growers. Blooms of the variety, men¬ 
tioned have, of course, been shown as 
much as 16 inches wide, that is, with the 
florets spread out all round and measured 
from tip to tip. And possibly in the case 
of abnormally queer-shaped flowers, two 
inches more may have been registered in 
this way, but blooms measuring 18 inches 
in diameter, that is, across or rather 
through the flower as it stood on the 
plant, have not yet been seen. So the 
grower who can stage proportionate, well- 
coloured flowers 8 or 9 inches in diameter 
need not feel dismayed. 
Disbudding and Sprays. 
Another question that has arisen since 
the advent of the single-flowering Chry¬ 
santhemum as a show flower is what is 
meant by the terms “disbudding” and 
“sprays”? Some prize-schedules allow 
thinning of the buds in these decorative 
classes, but not disbudding to a single 
flower on each stem. 
And many exhibitors, for fear of being 
disqualified should they meddle with their 
plants, leave the whole of the buds to 
develop as best they may, the result in 
most cases being a number of sprays, 
over-crowded with flimsy and badly-col¬ 
oured flowers. But to go to the other ex¬ 
treme, and disbud to the extent of leaving 
only one bud on each stem of the plant, 
would of course be an absurd proceeding, 
and inadmissable in a competition. 
Where single-flowering and other decora¬ 
tive sorts are grown to produce the best 
possible results, whether for exhibition or 
other purposes, the young plants should 
have the tips of the growths pinched out 
when about 6 inches in height, taking 
care that the plants are in full growth at 
the time and not suffering a check from 
repotting or other causes; also the 
growths that spring up from this pinching 
should have their tips pinched out when 
they have made about a foot of growth. 
After this, natural growths, 2 to 4 feet in 
length — according to the habit of the 
variety — will be made, and each of these 
will in due course produce three short 
growths with a cluster of flower-buds on 
each. These flower-buds are called ter¬ 
minals, and as soon as they can be safely 
handled, all but the end ones should be 
removed with the finger and thumb. In 
cutting the flowers, the stem is cut con¬ 
siderably below the last short growths 
that produced the flower-buds, and in this 
way each stem cut will be a spray of three 
good flowers, and each plant will produce 
from 12 to 20 and upwards of these long¬ 
stemmed sprays. 
Treatment of Young Stock. 
To return to the propagation of the 
young stock, the most forward plants will 
by this time have got well established in 
the thumb-pots, and require repotting 
into those 35 inches in diameter, using a 
mixture of 2 parts good fibrous loam, 
1 part sifted leaf soil, 1 part sand, a 
good sprinkling of mortar rubble, and a 
light dusting of a good, lasting artificial 
manure. This latter should not at this 
time exceed 5 lb. to each bushel of soil, 
but the above mixture may be enriched 
by adding half a peck of sifted horse- 
droppings to each bushel of compost. 
Use plenty of small crocks in the bottoms 
of the pots for drainage, and pot firmly, 
afterwards giving the plants a good 
sprinkling overhead from a rose-waterpot, 
and replacing them in a close frame for 
a few days, after which they should have 
a good soaking of water at the roots and 
be gradually inured to more airy con¬ 
ditions. When the plants have got 
healthily established in their new pots, 
they should be placed on a layer^of ashes 
in a cold frame, and have a little air ad¬ 
mitted whenever weather conditions will 
allow of it. The frames must be well 
protected around the sides with ashes or 
other suitable material, and over the top 
with a good layer of mats at nigh»t time, 
to be supplemented by a good sprinkling 
of hay or straw between the mats when 
the nights are extra cold. 
Varieties to Grow. 
The following list of decorative varie¬ 
ties will be found to consist of the best 
sorts in their respective classes. Descrip¬ 
tions and prices will be found in any of 
the trade-growers’ catalogues. 
15 Good Japanese Varieties for 
Flowering in the Open: —Harvest 
Home, Jimmie, Le Pactole, Orange, 
Pollie, Blush Beauty, Improved Masse, 
Roi des Blancs, Carrie, White Masse, 
Horace Martin, Goacher’s Crimson, Roi 
des Precoces, Frankie, and Gustave 
Grunnerwald. 
15 Good Single-flowering Varieties 
for the Open Air: —Daisy Bell, Do¬ 
minion. Florence Gillham, Formidable, 
Mrs. Curtis, Eclipse, Merstham Beauty, 
Juno, Kingcup, Mabel Goacher, Majestic, 
Monarch, Pathfinder, Resolution, and 
Venerable. 
15 Good Japanese Varieties for 
Flowering in October and November : 
— O. J. Quintus, White Quintus, Source 
d’Or, Crimson Source d’Or, Lizzie Ad¬ 
cock, Moneymaker, Mdlle Lucy Duveau 
Mrs. A. T. Miller, Kathleen Thompson 
Nivette, Market Red, Mrs. G. Miieham. 
Dazzler, Caprice du Printemps, and Rye- 
croft Glory. 
The varieties Plui d’Or, Etoile Blanc, 
and Jason will be found excellent kind: 
for flowering indoors in small pots. 
12 Good Singles for Indoor Flower¬ 
ing : — Mary Anderson, Victoria, Bronze 
Pagram, Felicity, Mary Richardson, F. 
W. Smith, Crown Jewell, Merstham 
White, Edith Pagram, Edith Harling. 
White Pagram, and Roupel Beauty. 
The single-flowering varieties Earls- 
wood Beauty, Framfield Beauty and Pre¬ 
toria are good for Christmas and the New 
Year. 
i2 of the Best Late-flowering 
Japanese Varieties : — Negoya, Tuxedo, 
Bronze Thompson, Mrs. j. Thompson. 
Framfield Pink, Western King, Niveus, 
Lord Brooke, Mafeking Hero, Mdme. 
Oberthur, Violet Lady Beaumont, and 
Gladiator. 
R. Barnes. 
-- 
The Amateur’s . . . 
Gafden Tools. 
c: 
What to Buy . 
And How to Keep. 
Now is the time to prepare for next 
year’s work, by repairing old tools and 
buying new ones. As a guide to what is 
really necessary in the small garden oi 
any pretensions, we may enumerate the 
following: — 
Rake, 12 teeth, best English make. 
Spade, best London. 
Digging fork, the very best. 
Weeding fork, always useful. 
Dutch hoe, English hoe. 
Watering can x 2 to 3 gallon. 
Steel shod dibber. 
To these we must add, if possible, a: 
most desirable : — 
Galvanised iron wheelbarrow. 
Pruning knife, one of Saynor's. 
Lawn mower, get the best. 
Garden saw for small trees, etc. 
These are all indispensable, but the 
following will prove valuable additions: 
Scissors for flower gathering. 
Abol syringe and fittings fivith a supph 
of insecticide. 
Raffia tape on reel. 
Garden line with stake and reel. 
Thermometer, minimum registering, ii 
metal case, the one at 3s. 6d. is reliablt 
and useful. 
Stakes, labels, bamboos, etc. 
Hammer and wall nails. 
A garden hose of the very best three 
ply rubber with all fittings, and a host 
reel which does not drag the hose over thi 
ground, but is moved forward as it wind- 
the hose, so that the latter is saved fron' 
all friction. 
Other tools may be required, but on) 
will find out as time progresses what i 
essential. It is well to remember, how 
ever, the best and strongest are cheapes 1 
in the end. Don’t get any that are to) 
heavy or too light, and avoid all tool 
which are sold for ladies, as they an 
