September  26, 1895. 
'JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
303 
will  be  found  that  from  August  26th  to  November  26th  the  total  rain¬ 
fall  did  not  exceed  2^  inches.  There  could  be  no  finer  weather  for 
completing  the  growth  of  fruit  and  other  trees.  1 
Ripened  Wood:  “Sceptic’s”  Nutshells. 
Youe  sceptical  correspondent  seems  to  think  that  because  the  gar¬ 
deners  of  Britain  do  not  argue  with  him  that  he  stands  the  proud  victor 
over  his  theories.  Does  it  not  occur  to  him  that  the  most  experienced 
men,  practical  and  scientific,  do  not  consider  his  fanciful  notions  worth 
arguing  about  ?  If  he  thinks  matured  growth  of  no  consequence  he  will 
let  his  fruit  trees  and  Stephanotis  grow  into  dense  thickets,  impervious 
to  the  sun.  Does  he  ? 
I  am  stronger  in  my  convictions  by  another  year’s  experience  that  the 
best  flowers  of  the  Stephanotis  are  obtained  from  the  strongest  and  best 
matured  wood,  to  which  the  softer,  weaker,  unripened  portions  have 
been  shortened.  Does  “  Sceptic”  never  prune  his  Stephanotis  ?  If  not, 
I  venture  to  say  he  will  never  make  its  flowers  pay  for  marketing,  if  he 
should  try  them  by  that  test.  All  the  best  growers  know  quite  well 
that  the  thin  soft  growth  of  this  year  must  be  cut  away  in  order  that 
the  stouter  matured  parts  may  break  strongly,  and  afford  wreaths  of 
fine  trusses  of  bloom  next  season.  Will  the  thin  unmatured  shoots  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  plant  throw  the  same  trusses  as  those  that  are  pro¬ 
duced  from  matured  parts  to  which  the  shoots  are  pruned  1  There  is 
not  a  successful  grower  in  England  can  say  they  will.  The  soft  wood  of 
last  year’s  growth  is  thrown  away,  being  unable  to  perform  its  duties 
through  lack  of  strength  and  maturity.  The  nutshells  of  the  theorist 
are  scattered  by  the  practice  of  all  the  best  cultivators  in  the  kingdom. 
As  to  Apples,  again,  the  question  arises.  When  has  wood  ceased 
ripening  ?  A  recent  dictionary  by  me  says,  “  The  end  of  growth 
combined  with  complete  rest.”  Summer  gives  the  essential  materials 
for  storing  ;  winter  gives  the  “  rest.”  Let  us  recognise  the  value  of 
both,  not  get  hold  of  just  one  idea,  flog  it  to  death,  then  raise  a  shout 
of  triumph.  What  kind  of  a  winter  did  the  Jargonelle  Pear  pass 
through  that  gave  its  bountiful  crop  of  fruit  /  The  wood  was 
ripened  and  the  buds  rested.  The  same  question  applies  to  the 
Cardiff  Castle  Vines.  Our  splendid  crops  of  Strawberries  are 
accounted  for  the  same  way — first  good  summer  leafage,  then  “  rest  ” 
for  the  crowns.  Had  we  not  a  hard  winter  last  year?  When  were 
flowering  shrubs  more  beautiful  than  this  year,  and  when  had  we  finer 
Roses  ?  When  was  the  growth  of  trees  more  free  and  the  foliage  more 
beautiful?  The  fruit  crops  of  this  year  are  the  combined  result  of 
matured  growth,  complete  rest,  retardation  in  starting,  and  the  absence 
of  frost  during  the  blossoming  period.  Let  “  Sceptic  ”  not  forget  that 
summer  and  winter  go  hand  in  hand  in  the  production  of  flowers  and 
fruit. 
Then  there  is  the  seed  question.  To  obtain  good  seed  you  must 
have  good  matured  growth  and  good  flowers,  even  of  Asters,  and  to  aid 
in  this  the  blooms  are  thinned.  Ripe  seeds  from  ripened  growth,  not 
deaf  ones  from  unmatured  stems,  is  the  object  of  all  raisers  who  best 
know  their  business.  If  others  ignore  your  views  and  onslaughts  on 
established  facts  I  shall  stick  to  you.  my  dear  “Sceptic,”  as  long  as  the 
Editor  will  give  me  space. — J.  G.  Pettinqek,  Straioberry  Dale 
Nursery,  Harrogate. 
Ripened  Wood  and  Seeds. 
On  page  248  Air.  J.  G.  Pettinger  asks  me  “  What  I  mean  by  a  good 
crop  of  Grapes  on  sub-laterals  ?  ”  I  am  unable  to  satisfy  him  on  this 
point  because  I  have  never  made  such  an  aasertion.  What  I  said  (page 
207)  was  “  After  the  laterals’  are  stopped  they  send  out  sub-laterals, 
which  in  some  cases  have  one  or  two  embryonic  bunches  of  Grapes  on 
them.  If  these  be  left  to  grow  they  will  be  equally  as  good  as 
those  bunches  left  in  the  first  instance.  Those  who  know  any¬ 
thing  about  Grape  growing  would  never  expect  to  get  a  good 
crop  of  Grapes  on  sub-laterals.  That  bunches,  when  they  appear 
early,  can  be  grown  on  sub-laterals  equal  in  size,  colour  and  flavour  to 
those  on  the  laterals  is  beyond  a  doubt,  for  I  have  seen  many  of  them 
on  the  Vines  I  have  had  under  my  charge.  This  fact  is  worthy  of  the 
attention  of  your  correspondent,  for  they  are  produced  on  the  young 
wood  of  the  current  season  and  not  on  ripened  wood. 
Your  correspondent  says  (page  248),  “  Does  not  the  success  of  the 
bunch  of  Grapes  largely  depend  on  the  stored  up  nutriment  in  the 
dormant  bud  ?  ”  Certainly  not ;  the  young  growth,  to  a  certain  extent, 
is  influenced  by  the  amount  of  nutriment  stored  up  in  the  Vine,  the  bud 
being  nothing  more  than  an  embryonic  shoot.  If  Mr.  Pettinger  will 
read  my  notes  again  he  will  see  (page  207)  that  I  say  “  we  do  not  want 
our  wood  baked  like  it  was  in  1893  ....  but  rather  plenty  of  sun, 
with  a  good  supply  of  rain,  and  then  the  leaves  of  the  trees  can  do 
their  work  with  greater  advantage  to  themselves  and  their  future  crop.” 
Is  this  not  a  proof  that  I  believe  in  matured  wood  ?  The  branches 
of  fruit  trees  must  be  filled  with  nutriment  for  the  use  of  the  future 
crop  if  it  is  to  succeed.  It  is  not  much  use  having  plenty  of  sun  if  the 
plants  or  trees  cannot  o’otain  sufficient  moisture  at  the  same  time  to 
form  this  nutriment,  which  is  so  essential  for  successful  growth.  I 
think  the  wood  of  all  trees  growing  in  a  dry  soil  was  more  matured  at 
the  end  of  1894  than  it  was  in  the  previous  year,  although  there  was 
more  sun  during  1893.  In  referring  to  ripe  seeds,  did  your  correspondent 
overlook  my  remark  (page  207)  about  Tomato  plants  being  grown  from 
seeds  from  green  Tomatoes  ?  I  should  be  pleased  to  deal  with  the 
analogy  he  has  introduced,  out  time  will  not  allow  me  to  do  so  at 
present,  and  I  do  not  think  very  much  practical  benefit  would  be  derived 
from  it  if  I  did. — W.  D.,  Tarnford,  Herts. 
Cheysanthemums  at  Tedwoeth. 
An  article  recently  apoeared  in  the  Journal  on  the  fine  gardens  of 
Sir  J.  Kelk,  Bart.  Mr.  G.  Inglefield,  the  gardener,  is  well  known  in 
horticultural  circles  as  a  fruit  and  vegetable  exhibitor,  but  on  our  visit 
we  found  him  busily  engaged  amongst  his  favourite  Chrysanthemums, 
His  400  plants  are  exceedingly  well  grown,  and  are  now  fast  developing 
fine  blooms,  especially  the  Japanese  section.  Noticeable  amongst  many 
others  were  Sunflower,  Eva  Knowles,  AI.  Carnot,  Mons.  Panckoucke, 
AI.  Thdi^se  Rey,  Col.  AV.  B.  Smith,  Duchess  of  York,  Mrs.  \V.  H.  Lees, 
Miss  Dulcie  Schroeter,  and  Aliss  Bronna  Foster  (good).  The  incurved  are 
also  showing  good  buds.  They  are  well  timed,  and  at  the  forthcoming 
exhibitions  many  grand  flowers  ought  to  be  seen.  The  most  promising 
are  J.  Agate,  C.  H.  Curtis,  Globe  d’Or,  W.  Tunnington,  J,  Fallford” 
Baron  Hirsch,  Brookleigh  Gem,  George  Cockburn,  Lady  Dorothy,  Lord 
Alcester,  Lucy  Kendall,  J.  Doughty,  John  Lambert,  and  Aladame 
Darrier.  The  average  height  of  the  whole  is  from  4  to  6  feet,  and  the 
collection  as  a  whole  reflects  great  credit  on  the  grower. — VisiTOE. 
The  Tokio  Nueseeies. 
Japanese  nurserymen  just  now  seem  to  be  pushing  their  trade  in 
new  directions,  and  1  notice  several  of  their  catalogues  are  got  up  and 
printed  in  thoroughly  English  style,  although  maintaining  a  little  of  the 
quaintness  that  characterises  most  of  their  literary  productions. 
Having  just  received  the  catalogue  of  the  above  establishment,  which  is 
not  quite  so  pretentious  as  the  one  issued  by  the  Yokohama  Gardeners’ 
Association,  I  notice  that  Chrysanthemums  form  an  important  part  of 
it.  The  prices  asked  are  40  to  50  cents  each  for  catalogued  kinds, 
although  ordinary  Chrysanthemums,  whatever  they  may  be,  can  be 
supplied  at  cheaper  rates. 
The  choicest  are  named  in  Japanese  with  an  English  translation 
accompanying  it,  and  are  divided  into  sections  according  to  colour. 
Thus  ; — Section  1. — AVhite.  Section  II. — Rose  and  pink.  Section  HI. — 
Scarlet  and  crimson.  Section  lAL  —  Orange.  Section  V. — Yellow. 
Section  VI. — Other  best  kinds.  Section  VII. — Green.  Section  VIII. — 
Black  or  deep  crimson.  In  the  Tokio  Nurseries’  catalogue  no  illustra¬ 
tions  of  new  Chrysanthemums  are  given,  although  one  or  two  plates 
of  other  flowers  appear.  There  are  102  pages  altogether,  and  many 
other  plants,  such  as  Lilies,  Azaleas,  Camellias,  Palms,  and  Ferns,  find 
a  place. 
The  proprietors,  speaking  of  the  Chrysanthemums,  say,  “  Although 
many  new  ones  have  been  obtained  by  seedlings  and  slippings  in 
different  nurseries  outside  of  Japan,  still  for  most  of  the  rare,  new  and 
interesting  types  Japan  enjoys,  as  before,  the  prestige  of  being  the 
home  of  this  celebrated  Imperial  flower.”  Let  us  hope  it  may  long  con¬ 
tinue  to  do  so,  and  have  in  store  for  us  many  surprises  by  which,  in  a 
great  measure,  its  popularity  has  hitherto  been  sustained. — P. 
Cheysanthemums  in  the  Colonies. 
Referring  to  the  reports  of  the  Cambridge  (N.Z.)  Chrysanthemum 
Society,  which  were  given  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  for  19th 
September,  it  would  seem  that  the  popularity  of  the  flower  is  by  no 
means  confined  to  New  Zealand,  but  that  in  Australia  the  interest  in  its 
cultivation  is  widely  spreading.  Mr.  S.  B.  Levick,  of  Sydney,  for 
several  seasons  has  supplied  the  “Australian  Agriculturist”  with  a 
useful  review  of  the  season,  in  which  an  analysis  of  the  best  varieties  is 
given.  The  Colonial  growers  are,  of  course,  a  little  behind  us  with  the 
novelties,  but  they  seem  to  secure  them  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  grow 
them  with  just  as  much  enthusiasm  as  the  home  growers  and  exhibitors. 
On  the  subject  of  novelties,  which  Mr.  Levick  seems  specially 
capable  of  dealing  with,  a  short  extract  from  a  recent  article  by  him 
may  be  interesting  to  readers  of  the  Journal.  He  says  : — “  The  number 
of  new  varieties  exhibited  this  season  for  the  first  time  is  rather  large. 
Those  noted  were  Mrs.  James  Allard,  Vera  Alay  Fraser,  Mdlle.  Therese 
Rey.  Souvenir  de  Aladame  C.  Bullier,  Princess  Alay,  Regularity,  Duke  of 
York,  Beauty  of  Exmouth,  AVaban,  Charles  Blick,  Comte  F.  Lurani, 
Lawrence  Xavier,  E.  L.  Jamieson,  Edith  Rowbottom,  Thomas  AVilkins, 
Mrs.  F.  L.  Ames,  Potter  Palmer,  Aladame  Calvat,  Silver  King,  President 
Borel,  Primrose  League,  Robert  Williams,  Achilles,  Vice-President 
Calvat,  AV.  K.  AVoodcock,  AVilfred  Marshall,  Yellow  Queen,  Pearl 
Beauty,  Judge  Hoitt  (Anem),  Brookleigh  Gem,  Eda  Brass,  L’Ami 
Etienne,  Aladame  Edouard  Rey,  Airs.  Bruce  Findlay,  Baron  Hirsch, 
Mrs.  Jerome  Jones,  and  Lady  Gormanston. 
“  As  a  warning  to  growers  purchasing  novelties,  there  is  a  variety 
which  may  be  catalogued  this  season  by  nurserymen  in  some  of  the 
other  colonies,  under  the  name  of  ‘  Golden  Gate,’  which  has  been 
certificated  in  England  and  elsewhere.  This  is  evidently  the  true  name 
of  ‘  The  President,’  which  has  been  distributed  here  for  the  past  three 
seasons,  and  which  is  already  included  in  most  collections.  Last  season 
I  imported  ‘  Golden  Gate  ’  myself,  and  I  understand  it  has  been  also 
found  in  Victoria  to  be  synonymous  with  ‘  The  President.’  The  same 
variety  is  by  some  growers  often  misnamed  ‘  Danae.’  ” — P. 
