G 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  4,  1900. 
Crimson  Carnot. 
Amongst  Japanese  Chrysanthemums  there  is  no  type  more  popular 
than  that  Known  as  the  “Carnots.”  Of  this  family  we  have  the 
original  Madame  Carnot,  still  I  think  the  best  of  white  flowered 
varieties,  the  rich  yellow  G.  J.  Warren,  and  the  primrose  Mrs.  Mease, 
a  charming  trio  truly.  Next  season  we  are  promised  the  pink  form  ; 
one  of  our  leading  specialists  is  in  possession  of  several  plants  of  this 
pleasing  addition  to  the  family.  We  now  learn  of  a  further  addition, 
and  a  glorious  one  it  will  he — a  crimson  form  of  this  elegant  type  of 
Japanese  variety.  From  the  appearance  of  the  specimen  in  front  of 
me  I  predict,  if  all  goes  well,  it  will  cause  a  furore  amongst  Chrysanthe¬ 
mum  worshippers,  especially  when  it  is  known  that  the  purchase  of 
the  stock  will  run  into  three  flgures. 
Eobert  Laird. 
This  is  an  Australian  seedling  sent  for  distribution  to  Mr.  Wells  by 
Mr.  John  Pockett.  Like  many  others  of  the  strain  this  new  Japanese 
bids  fair  to  rank  amongst  the  best  of  white  flowered  varieties.  The 
florets  are  below  medium  width,  each  one  curls  at  the  tip,  adding 
much  to  the  beauty  of  the  flower,  which  is  of  full  size,  quite  solid,  and 
with  a  stout  peduncle. 
Yellow  Princess  Victoria. 
The  parent  of  this  sport  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  best  late 
white  flowering  varieties,  the  semi-recurving  flat  florets  rendering  it 
a  most  useful  decorative  variety.  The  footstalk  is  stout,  which  is  an 
all-important  point  in  Chrysanthemums  for  vase  decoration  in  a  cut 
state.  The  yellow  sport  is  an  exact  representation  of  its  parent,  and 
should  prove  most  useful. — E.  Molynexjx. 
Letrier. 
“  W.  S.,  Wilts,"  asks  (page  561)  for  the  names  of  better  late 
varieties  than  those  he  enumerated.  I  send  a  few  flowers  of  Letrier 
which  I  consider  excellent.  As  “W.  S.”  says,  Niveus  and  Lady 
Lawrence  are  very  liable  to  fungus.  If  you  can  find  any  on  either  of 
the  enclosed  examples  of  Letrier,  please  say  so.  I  have  not  one  plant 
more  than  4  feet  high,  including  the  pot.  This  is  a  French  variety, 
and  I  shall  be  much  disappointed  if  it  does  not  become  one  of  the 
best  known  Chrysanthemums.  A  pure  white  Etoile  de  Lyon  is  what 
I  should  describe  the  flower. — W.  Wells. 
[The  flowers  were  excellent,  and  if  everyone  who  grows  Letrier 
can  produce  specimens  of  equal  merit  at  the  new  year  the  variety  is 
sure  to  become  popular.] 
Chrysanthemum  Eust. 
In  Mr.  Godfrey’s  Chrysanthimum  list,  just  to  hand,  I  find  that  he 
treats  somewhat  largely  of  that  pest,  the  rust  on  Chrysanthemums, 
and  propounds  various  recipes  for  checking  its  development.  But  it 
is  interesting  to  find  in  dealing  with  this  evil  the  remark  'put  into 
italics,  “  I  can  positively  state  that  affected  plants  have  been  sent  out 
by  every  Chrysanthemum  specialist  in  the  kingdom.’’  That  is  a 
strong  assertion,  and  of  necessity  includes  himself.  Mr.  Godfrey,  I 
observe,  strongly  advises  the  use  of  that  excellent  instrunient  the 
“  Abol  ”  syringe,  as  with  its  curved  nozzle  it  can  be  so  readily  used  to 
spray  the  under  sides  of  the  plants  and  leaves.  That  is  one  fact  of 
which  all  Chrysanthemum  growers  should  take  note,  as  the  syringe 
is  not  costly,  and  may  be  found  useful  for  the  spraying  of  many  plants 
besides  Chrysanthemums.  Mr.  Godfrey  specially  advises  for  spraying 
the  use  of  the  well-known  Bordeaux  mixture  on  plants  growing  in  the 
open  ground  in  August  and  September,  which  is,  of  course,  a  big  job, 
but  seems  to  be  by  results  amply  repaid.  Then  he  also  strongly 
advises  the  use  of  sulphide  of  potassium,  half  an  ounce  to  a  gallon  of 
water;  but  the  sulphate  of  copper  and  lime  solution  seems  to  be  best. 
These  are  remedies,  or  may  it  be  said  preventive  applications,  that 
applied  in  time  seem  to  be  eflScacious,  and  may  be  obtained  and  used 
by  everyone.  We  infer  from  the  concluding  paragraph  of  the  rust 
remedies  that  no  one  need  be  alarmed  concerning  the  pest  if  they  will 
but  take  means  to  check  its  progress  in  good  time,  and  not  after  it  is 
too  late. — A.  D. 
Agriculture  in  the  West  Indies. — We  learn  that  his  Excellency 
Sir  John  Hay,  K.C.M.G.,  Governor  of  Barbadoes,  has  promised  to  meet 
the  representatives  of  the  various  West  Indian  agricultural  societies  at 
Bridgetown  on  January  6th,  1900,  and  welcome  them  to  an  Agricultural 
Conference.  Dr.  D.  Morris,  C.M.G.,  is  President  of  the  Conference,  and 
will  open  the  business  by  addressing  the  gathering.  By  this  means  it  is 
hoped  that  the  scope  of  agricultural  operations  in  the  West  Indies  will 
be  enlarged,  and  land  industries  more  widely  recognised  and  encouraged. 
RHODODENDRON  DAURICUM. 
Althougii  this  cannot  be  classed  as  a  first-rate  garden  plant,  yet, 
flowering  as  it  does  in  the  winter,  it  forms  a  welcome  addition  to  the 
very  few  outdoor  flowering  plants  of  this  season  of  the  year.  A  native 
of  Dahuria  and  Mandschuria,  it  commences  to  grow  and  flower  early 
in  the  season,  a  fault  common  to  several  plants  from  this  region,  and 
which,  except  in  sheltered  spots,  deprives  us  of  many  useful  and 
beautiful  garden  plants. 
The  flowers  of  R.  dauricum,  or  R.  dahuricum  as  it  is  often  called, 
open  between  December  and  February,  are  about  an  inch  across,  of  a 
bright  purplish-magenta  colour,  and  rather  thin  in  texture,  and, 
although  spoiled  by  sharp  frosts,  will  stand  5°  or  6°  without  injury 
while  the  unopened  buds  do  not  suffer,  but  will  expand  later  when  the 
weather  is  more  favourable.  The  leaves  are  small,  being  a  little  over 
an  inch  long  by  half  an  inch  in  width,  and  many  of  them  are  shed 
in  the  autumn,  though  it  is  not  entirely  deciduous.  When  bruised, 
the  leaves  and  stems  have  an  aromatic  odour  somewhat  resembling 
that  of  Eucalyptus. 
The  chief  point  in  dealing  with  this  Rhododendron  is  to  give  it  a 
warm  sheltered  spot,  with  a  good  background  of  evergreens,  which 
will  serve  to  show  its  brightly  coloured  flowers  to  the  best  advantage. 
When  fully  grown  it  forms  a  plant  about  3  or  4  feet  high  with  a  rather 
upright  habit. — C. 
PEARS  DECAYING  AT  THE  CORE. 
“  Sleepy  ”  Pears  we  have  long  known,  and  I  certainly  have 
known  some  friends  who  professed  to  prefer  them.  Personally  I 
never  objected  to  their  preference ;  in  a  large  family,  if  one  prefers 
the  sleepy  ones,  there  is  all  the  more  of  the  perfect  condition  left  for 
the  majority.  But  Mr.  G.  Abbey  has  told  us  that  this  “  sleepy  ” 
condition  is  after  all  only  the  Pear  in  a  far  more  lively  form,  many  of 
them  in  this  state  swarming  with  bacteria.'  I  have  known  several 
persons  who  liked  Pears  in  this  condition,  but  I  do  not  recollect  that 
any  of  them,  after  their  enjoyment  of  this  bacterial  repast,  were  the 
worse  for  the  meal,  and  yet  it  seems  gradually  forcing  itself  upon  us 
that  these  atoms,  if  I  am  not  calling  them  by  a  name  that  is  far  too 
large  for  them,  are  at  the  root  of  a  very  large  share  of  the  mischief 
which  comes  upon  the  human  race. 
Providentially  there  would  seem  to  be  in  us  beneficent  germs  that 
feed  on  the  noxious  varieties,  and  though  the  cry  is.  Still  they  come, 
and  new  forms  seem  to  be  continually  cropping  up,  we  may  hope  that 
these  beneficent  friends  will  be  equal  lo  the  occasion.  Alas  !  I  am 
much  afraid  that  the  Pear  is  deficient  in  these  beneficent  germs  to 
devour  the  destructive  bacteria,  if  we  may  judge  from  this  exhaustive 
report  of  Mr.  Abbey  (page  389,  last  vol.).  I  am  a  devoted  lover  of  the 
Pear,  believing  it  when  in  its  best  condition  one  of  the  grandest  of  our 
English  fruits;  but  I  gather  from  this  report  that  the  different 
varieties  will  require  different  soil,  and  that  in  our  small  gardens  will 
be  well  nigh  impossible.  I  note  another  point — namely,  that  on 
“  stronger  land,”  or  after  a  “  strong  soil  was  given,”  then  instead  of 
ripening,  the  fruits  rotted  at  the  core.  Were  similar  bacteria  in  this 
stronger  soil  ?  Can  they  get  from  one  to  the  other  ? 
My  Doyenne  du  Comice  trees  failed  this  year  to  give  me  a  single 
fruit,  and  it  is  additional  news  that  Monilia  fructigena,  which  I 
fancied  loved  the  Plum  and  the  stone  fruits,  will  also  attack  the 
Pear.  I  found  early  this  season  several  small  Pears  infected  by  the 
Pear  midge  (Diplosis  pyrivora).  I  was  thinning  a  tremendous  crop  of 
Marie  Louise  d’Uccle.  The  fact  of  finding  this  scourge  for  the  first 
time  in  my  garden,  though  I  heard  of  it  four  or  five  miles  off  last 
year,  made  me  give  up  thinning,  fearing  I  might  cut  off  good  fruit, 
and  I  left  the  infected  ones  to  disclose  their  injured  condition  later. 
The  consequence,  of  course,  has  been  that  the  large  crop  of  fruit  is 
nothing  like  so  fine  as  usual.  The  large  early-thinned  fruit,  I  mean 
those  picked  off  as  nearly  ripe,  matured  beautifully,  and  w'^ere 
excellent  eating;  but  the  smaller  and  late-picked  fruit  is  now 
developing  rapidly,  increasing  soft  spots,  whilst  one  cut  through  a 
day  or  two  since,  a  large  fruit,  was  a  marbled  brown  completely 
through,  without  showing  this  much  externally. 
I  expect  the  remainder  now  on  my  shelves  will  only  reappear  as 
stewed  Pears,  by  no  means  bad  in  that  way,  but  still  not  to  be 
compared  with  the  perfect  ripe  fruit.  Now,  as  I  must  do  something 
to  check  this  pest  on  my  Plums,  which  has  robbed  me  of  every 
fruit  on  my  Jefferson  the  last  two  years,  I  propose  to  give  the  Pear 
trees  as  well  a  double  syringing  of  sulphate  of  copper  (1  lb.  to 
25  gallons  of  water)  whilst  resting,  and  again  when  the  buds  begin 
to  swell ;  I  have  a  sort  of  hope  that  the  Pear  midge  may  find  this 
disagreeable,  as  I  have  no  desire  to  see  him  or  his  offspring  again. 
Of  late  years  we  seem  to  be  realising  that  the  curse  of  sin  is 
heavy  on  us ;  it  is  not  only  that  “  in  the  sweat  of  thy  face  thou 
shalt  eat  bread,”  but  our  fruits  are  also  to  be  obtained  under  similar 
conditions,  if  at  all.  No  one  who  has  not  seen  the  effect  of  the 
browm  rot  fungus  on  the  Plum  could  imagine  that  a  wealth  of  bloom 
