December  12, 1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
545 
the  present  time,  and  in  which  they  have  the  sympathy  of  an  old 
sufferer,  is  seldom  fatal.  Should  it  kill  off  any  embryo  exhibitors, 
then,  I  fear,  there  are  but  few  who  mourn  their  loss,  if  loss  it  is. 
Thoughts  on  the  subject  bring  to  my  mind  two  cases  which 
may  serve  to  illustrate  the  text.  A  and  B  were  youthful  aspirants 
to  fame,  and  evenly  balanced  so  far  as  their  resources  at  command 
were  concerned.  This  was  the  wars  of  the  Roses.  Each  went,  of 
course,  for  the  biggest  thing  on  the  boards,  and  each  was  wiped  out 
by  the  giants.  A,  figuratively  ;  B,  literally.  A  said  little,  but 
probably  thought  much,  and  judging  by  the  stern  rigidity  of  the 
facial  muscles  after  the  judges  had  passed  him  by,  it  was  evident 
that  he  was  only  “  scotched,”  not  killed.  B  went  forth  a  sadder, 
but  I  fear  not  a  wiser  man,  for,  as  an  exhibitor,  he  was  no  more 
seen,  and  his  tale  is  told.  True  to  time  A  again  appears  in  the 
arena  to  be  again  defeated,  but  not  so  crushingly,  and  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  the  dismal  day,  not  in  bewailing  his  fate,  but  in  a 
systematic  espionage  of  the  opposing  forces.  Apart  from  personal 
feelings,  which  were  well  concealed,  I  know  that  further  stimulus 
of  a  disagreeable  kind  was  passed  on  from  headquarters  in  the 
remarks,  “  As  you  have  failed  again,  would  it  not  be  better  to  stop 
competing  ?  ”  So,  I  conclude  by  this,  the  second  defeat  was 
especially  hard  to  bear.  Hard  lessons  but  bracing  ones,  bringing 
victory  the  third  year — hard  fought,  well  won  victory,  followed  up 
by  two  years  similar  triumphs. 
“Nothing  succeeds  like  success.”  I  believe  it  ;  and  I  would 
that  all  young  warriors  on  entering  the  lists  could  receive  a  little, 
just  a  little,  stimulus  to  carry  them  over  the  sick  time,  when  they 
are  prone  to  handicap  future  efforts  by  present  d  sgust.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  and  as  a  matter  of  duty,  the  ordinary  routine  may 
be  again  pursued,  but  those  nice  points  of  finesse  on  which  hinges 
the  door  to  victory  are,  for  the  time  being,  lost  sight  of.  In  con¬ 
sidering  how  pregnant  this  time  being  is  with  future  possibilities 
our  young  ensigns  would  do  well  to  read,  mark,  learn,  and  digest 
its  teachings.  The  rosy  fate  of  my  champion  who  would  not  be 
slain,  but  lived  to  fight  and  fight  again,  is  not  far  fetched  from  the 
depths  of  fiction  or  be  should  have  figured  in  the  front  ranks  of  the 
great  army  of  “  mummers,”  to  whom  I  now  return. 
What  a  sermon  is  in  that  text,  “  From  the  cutting  to  the  silver 
cup  !  ”  One  may,  must,  in  fact,  work  with  the  best  materials  on 
the  most  approved  methods,  and  will  too,  if  wise,  hear  all  an  old 
soldier  has  to  say  under  the  above  heading  who,  figuratively, 
“  shoulders  his  crutch,  and  shows  how  fields  were  won.”  It  will 
not,  I  beg,  be  inferred  that  he  was  ever  crippled  in  action, 
though  honourable  scars  may  not  be  wanting.  I  regard  (from 
experience)  this  little  book  as  the  key  to  success  in  Chrysanthemum 
growing,  but  as  the  key  only.  Could  our  teacher  have  told  us  all 
he  knows  of  love’s  labours — of  that  bond  of  sympathy  linking  the 
worker  to  his  work  by  which  the  quiescent  life  of  Nature  becomes 
more  and  more  responsive  to  the  ministering  hand,  then  indeed  the 
royal  road  would  stand  out  clearly  revealed. 
“  From  the  cutting.”  Let  no  blighted  hopes  veil  the  starting 
point  from  disappointed  eyes.  Do  not  be  deluded  into  shelving 
the  question  to  a  more  convenient  season,  nor  expect  that  giant 
strides  when  falling  in  later  on  can  compensate  for  laggard  foot¬ 
steps  now.  In  three  months’  time  the  elasticity  of  youth  will  again 
send  you  bounding  on  the  journey  “  to  the  silver  cup,”  which, 
though  not  yet  won,  may  to  you  be  irrevocably  lost.  Look  well 
after  the  thumbs  and  the  10-inch  pots  will  take  care  of  themselves. 
No  desultory  shooting  at  the  mark,  but  ono  long,  steady  aim  over 
the  full  course — “  to  the  silver  cup.” 
It  is  a  long  range,  but  the  veteran  never  feels  the  time  passing. 
“  All  is  fair  in  love  and  war,”  and  there  are  a  hundred  minute 
strategical  moves  combining  to  success.  There  is  a  joyousness  in 
winning  by  which  the  strong  man  is  prompted  to  take  a  keener 
interest  on  the  spot  than  he  who  suffers  defeat — as  a  rule.  He  has 
gleaned  a  rich  harvest  from  local  experience,  and  is  now  noting  in 
the  show  reports  such  varieties  as  have  predominated  in  the  winning 
stands  ;  and,  moreover,  the  disposition  of  the  troops  by  victorious 
generals  is,  to  him,  a  matter  of  importance — front  rank,  rear  rank  ; 
front  row,  back  row — and  so  on. 
“  Adversity  borrows  its  sharpest  sting  from  impatience.”  Now 
it  is  just  possible  that  some,  especially  the  wounded,  who  have 
taken  up  their  Journal  of  Horticulture  for  the  week  ending 
November  2l8t,  in  which  twenty-nine  engagements  are  reported, 
that  they  have  thrown  it  down  again  with  the  mental  remark, 
“  Oh  !  I  can’t  be  bothered  reading  all  this  ;  read  one  report  and 
you  have  read  the  whole  !  ”  Not  so,  my  young  friend  ;  you,  who 
fain  would  conquer,  cannot  afford  to  despise  any  means  to  the  end. 
Embrace  all,  and  the  secret  of  success  lies  within  yourself.  I  fear 
that  older  heads  than  yours  have  been  wont  to  condemn  this 
plethoric  reporting  as  superfluous  ;  but,  to  my  mind,  the  reports 
are  invaluable  statistics,  nor  does  the  analysis  following  neutralise 
their  value.  From  Bristol  to  Barnsley,  from  Eccles  to  Edinburgh, 
should  present  scope  sufficient  to  localise  parallel  conditions  with 
your  own,  and  this  may  prevent  some  waste  of  force  and  consequent 
disappointments  in  the  future.  Small  matters  truly,  but  “  many  a 
little  makes  a  mickle.” 
I  did  not  intend  this  brief  homily  to  run  into  an  exposition  of 
culture,  but  am  tempted  to  broach  a  small  matter  pertaining  to  it 
— feeding.  It  is  a  long  cry  to  feeding  time,  but  when  it  arrives  I 
think  some  young  growers,  and  old  ones  too,  are  apt  to  indulge 
their  pets  to  excess  as  compensation,  perhaps,  for  earlier  neglect, 
especially  in  big  bloom  culture.  The  Chrysanthemum  is  a  long- 
suffering  plant,  but  there  is  a  limit  to  its  powers  of  endurance. 
Many  plants  so  treated  have  I  seen  to  which  the  term  “  craw-sick  ” 
might  be  applied.  Year  by  year,  from  whatever  cause  this  satiety 
springs,  the  impression  more  forcibly  obtains  that  this  canteen 
business  is  overdone,  and  that  much  trouble  at  blooming  time 
results  from  it. 
In  a  general  review  of  the  whole  battalion  of  big  blooms  there 
appears  to  me  to  be  a  development  not  foreseen  at  the  birth  of 
that  prodigy,  Etoile  de  Lyon.  Then,  perhaps,  an  opening  was  not 
so  clearly  presented  in  the  quick  march  that  is  now  in  evidence, 
for  the  danger  was  then  imminent  of  size,  and  size  alone,  taking 
precedence.  Refinement  is  now  taking  the  place  of  coarseness 
without  sacrifice  to  size,  and  growers — those  whose  chief  object  is 
big  blooms — cannot  but  congratulate  themselves  on  the  great 
advantages  given  to  this  met’nod  of  culture  by  a  race  of  dwarf, 
vigorous  varieties  supplanting  the  long-legged  favourites  of  yore, 
consequently  the  coming  man  in  making  his  mark  knows  not  the 
difficulties  of  the  man  who  did. 
A  pleasing  experience  of  the  passing  season  is  that  so  far  those 
little  differences  of  opinion  between  the  judges  and  the  judged  are 
(practically)  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  No  doubt  both  parties 
are  from  experience  taking  a  more  philosophic  view  of  the  matter, 
and  out  of  the  necessary  evils  of  past  severe  criticism  present 
benefits  have  been  derived.  Still,  we  are  not  out  of  the  wood  ; 
and  I  am  sure  that  when  the  authorities  in  question  are,  after  their 
prolonged  labours,  delivered  of  their  views  that  they  will  be  warmly 
welcomed  by  most  of  those  concerned. 
Very  wonderful  was  that  Chrysanthemum  show  (my  first)  I 
saw  at  Woolwich  twenty-five  years  ago.  Then  the  Chinese — 
incurveds — had  not  been  overwhelmed  by  the  Japs,  and  Bundles, 
Glennies,  with  other  ancient  varieties,  twisted  and  contorted  into 
balloons,  umbrellas,  and  other  quaint  devices  were  the  prevailing 
features.  So  good  an  exhibition  was  this  considered  that  the  late 
Emperor  Napoleon  the  Third  drove  over  from  Chislehurst  to  see 
it,  creating,  as  far  as  I  recollect,  some  vexation  to  the  reception 
committee  by  his  punctuality,  they  having,  after  sweeping  and 
garnishing,  gone  for  a  clean  up  themselves,  to  find  on  their  return 
the  Imperial  visitor  had  come  and  gone,  and  doubtless  admired,  in 
their  absence.  What  lessons  are  learned  by  Chrysanthemum 
growers — patience,  perseverance,  and  even  punctuality.  Yet  what 
a  tame  affair  was  that  show  of  other  days  to  those  of  present  times. 
To  what  will  they  eventually  attain  ?  Who  can  tell  ?  To  all 
young  soldiers  on  the  war  path  may  they,  at  least,  bring  “  Peace 
with  Honour  ”  is  the  earnest  hope  of — Officer. 
ONIONS  FOR  EXHIBITION. 
Of  all  vegetables  that  are  grown  for  exhibition  purposes  none 
receives  or  is  deserving  of  more  attention  than  Onions,  and  it  is  no 
simple  matter  to  attain  to  perfection  in  their  cultivation.  Many 
are  the  points  that  must  have  attention  before  even  a  start  can  be 
made,  while  after  this  stage  has  been  reached  every  possible 
opportunity  must  be  seized  to  visit  the  plants  in  order  to  be  sure 
that  they  are  never  in  want  of  anything  that  is  within  the  power  of 
the  grower  to  provide.  To  grow  Onions  for  ordinary  purposes  is 
comparatively  simple,  and  the  culture  is  weii  understood  by  the 
majority  of  gardeners  in  the  kingdom.  The  production  of  exhi¬ 
bition  bulbs,  however,  that  are  of  large  size,  besides  being  perfect 
in  substance,  form,  and  appearance,  puzzles  many  persons  when 
they  see  them  on  the  exhibition  table,  and  it  is  proposed  in  the 
subjoined  brief  notes  to  give  the  details  of  system  that  has 
hitherto  proved  successful  in  the  hope  that  it  may  prove  or 
assistance  to  many  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  ■'^iie 
at  the  same  time  the  writer  trusts  that  other  exhibitors  whose 
method  of  culture  differs  from  his  own  will  give  their  ideas,  as 
well  for  his  guidance  as  for  that  of  others. 
One  of  the  first  things  to  claim  the  attention  of  Onion 
cultivators  is  the  situation,  which  should  be  open  and  sunny,  no 
time  being  lost  ere  the  ground  is  prepared  for  another  season,  rho 
Onion  is  a  most  avaricious  plant,  and  the  more  it  is  fed  the  finer 
will  be  the  bulbs  produced.  After  the  ground  on  which  to  grow 
them  is  selected,  proceed  by  opening  a  trench  some  4  feet  wide  and 
9  inches  in  depth.  After  the  removal  of  the  top  soil  wheel  into  the 
