188 
■JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  3,  1898. 
Chrysanthemum  Leaf  Rust. 
I  HAT)  been  expecting  to  see  in  the  Journal  correspondence  on  this 
subject  for  some  weeks  past,  and  I  am  therefore  very  pleased  to  observe 
Mr.  Abbey’s  further  report  in  this  week’s  issue.  I  have  purposely  waited 
ere  relating  my  experience  since  October  last,  when  Mr.  Abbey  kindly 
examined  the  leaves  I  sent  to  England,  and  gave  us  his  opinion  on 
the  question.  I  entirely  agree  with  your  correspondent,  J.  G.  IMills 
(page  151),  that  it  is  a  matter  which  deserves  serious  study  and  considera¬ 
tion,  particularly  as  it  may  be  considered  only  in  its  infancy. 
Mr.  Abbey  tells  us  there  is  no  evidence  of  the  disease  being  distributed 
on  cuttings  or  young  plants  before  the  spring  of  1897.  The  American 
variety  Kiveus  was,  I  believe,  raised  in  1893,  and  cultivated  in  England 
in  1894.  If  the  disease  were  not  evidenced  till  1897  I  suppose  we  could 
not  saddle  the  Americans  with  the  origin  of  the  rust,  unless  it  were 
dormant  for  two  or  three  years,  which  I  gather  from  Air.  Abbey’s  report 
might  be  possible. 
The  apparent  “  caprice  ”  of  the  rust  is,  however,  the  question  that 
mystifies  me  at  the  present  time,  as  the  disease  reappeared  here  at  the 
beginning  of  last  month  on  cuttings  received  from  England  in  December. 
It  showed  itself  on  about  a  dozen  of  these  semi-rooted  cuttings,  and 
towards  the  middle  of  January  I  observed  a  few  specks  of  the  rust  on  five 
or  six  of  my  own  half-rooted  cuttings  in  a  collection  of  some  six  or  seven 
hundred.  When  it  is  considered  that  every  one  of  my  plants  (excepting 
those  grown  under  glass  the  whole  season)  were  affected  very  badly  last 
autumn  with  the  disease,  it  seems  a  peculiar  coincidence  that  the  reappear¬ 
ance  should  first  show  itself  on  the  recently  arrived  English  cuttings. 
I  have  to  thank  Air.  Abbey  for  his  suggestions  and  warnings  in 
October  last,  as  I  attribute  to  him  the  check  of  the  rust  for  the  last 
three  weeks  or  so — f.c.,  so  far  as  the  naked  eye  can  tell.  I  treated 
every  affected  part  with  a  solution  of  equal  parts  of  sulphur  and  lime 
boiled  and  applied  with  a  small  paint  brush.  A  simple  immersion  will 
be  found  as  ineffective  as  pouring  the  liquid  on  a  duck’s  back.  I  have 
also  since  watered  and  syringed  the  cuttings  and  plants  with  a  diluted 
solution  of  this  mixture,  and  after  a  daily  close  scrutiny  no  visible  trace 
of  rust  has  appeared.  This  is,  I  think,  very  hopeful,  but  I  recognise  the 
fact  that  it  is  too  early  to  draw  conclusions.  N.B. — If  after  boiling  the 
sulphur  and  lime  are  allowed  to  deposit,  and  the  clear  liquid  drawn  off, 
no  disfiguration  of  the  foliage  takes  place  when  syringing.  The  Bordeaux 
mixture  I  also  experimented  with,  and  although  apparently  effective,  I 
prefer  the  sulphur  and  lime  for  young  plants. 
With  the  view  of  assisting  to  solve  the  question  of  the  origin  or  cause 
of  this  disease  I  should  like  to  point  out — 
1,  That  all  my  plants,  some  six  or  seven  hundred  in  pots  and  in  the 
open  ground,  were  affected  in  the  autumn  of  1897  with  the  rust,  all 
excepting  some  three  or  four  dozen,  grown  entirely  under  glass  the  whole 
season. 
2,  My  plants  came  from  England,  America,  Erance  and  Italy — old 
and  new  varieties. 
3,  The  disease  first  appeared  in  my  plants  after  much  rain,  and  at 
the  same  time  Raspberry  rust  showed  itself. 
4,  That  all  the  plants  were  apparently  affected  at  the  same  time. 
I  have  ventured  to  trouble  you  with  my  experiences  on  this  subject 
thus  early  in  the  year  in  the  hope  that  they  may  prove  of  use  to  some  of 
your  readers,  and  that  the  disease  may'be  effectually  checked  in  its  career. 
— Henry  Briscoe-Ironside,  Pallanza,  Lago  Maggiore,  Italy. 
Highgate  and  District  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
Committee  meetings  of  the  above  Society  were  held  on  the  11th 
and  17th  ult.,  when  the  schedule  for  the  Exhibition  to  be  held  at  the 
Holloway  Hall  on  November  8th,  9th,  and  loth  next  was  settled,  several 
classes  being  added  to  last  year’s  schedule,  making  up  the  total  to  ninety 
classes.  It  was  unanimously  decided  by  the  Committee  that  the  Society 
should  discontinue  its  affiliation  with  the  N.C.S.,  and  award  its  own 
certificates  and  medals.  It  was  also  agreed  that  certificates  should  be 
awarded  to  new  varieties  of  Chrysanthemums  if  of  sufficient  merit.  The 
Judges  were  also  elected. 
Belfast  Chrysanthemum  Show  Reflections. 
I  HAVE  read  with  much  interest  Air.  Beckett’s  remarks  in  defence  of 
the  above  in  your  .lournal  of  the  17th  ult.,  and  again  trespass  on  your 
space  to  offer  a  few  further  suggestions,  as  I  am  responsible  for  the 
reflections. 
Firstly'.  —  I  fully  sympathise  with  Air.  Beckett  in  disclaiming 
infallibility  as  a  judge,  and  quite  agree  with  the  editorial  remark,  “that 
two  judges  might  have  been  advantageously  employed  at  this  show.” 
Secondly'. — Mr.  Beckett  states,  “  Far  better  give  an  exhibitor  the 
benefit  of  the  doubt  than  disqualify.”  Such  is  usually  extended  to  a 
criminal  in  a  court  of  justice,  but  in  this  case  we  find  thirteen  exhibitors 
equally  expecting  that  justice  would  be  done.  From  Air.  Beckett’s 
experience  of  Yellow  Aladame  Carnot,  he  probably  has  another  sport. 
My  experience  is  that  it  is  a  distinct  canary  yellow,  and  from  what  I 
saw  of  it  there,  as  well  as  in  Edinburgh  and  other  places,  and  also  having 
seen  G.  J.  Warren  exhibited,  I  consider  them  too  much  alike  to  be  termed 
distinct.  The  bloom  leferred  to  at  Belfast  had  just  sufficient  primrose 
colouring  to  distinguish  it  from  the  original  Aladame  Carnot.  Alaking 
due  allowance  for  fluctuation  of  colour  through  “  timing  of  bud,’'  age  of 
bloom,  and  other  cultural  points,  it  will  require  an  authority  of  greater 
fame  than  Air.  W.  Wells  to  transform  Air.  .lones’  Yelloiv  Madame  Carnot 
into  so  pale  a  primrose  as  that  exhibited  by  Air.  W.  Alease  at  Belfast. 
Thirdly'. — I  refer  Mr.  Beckett  to  Mr.  Alolyneux’s  review  of  new 
varieties  in  the  Journal  of  December  9  th  last,  page  558.  In  this  he  gives 
pride  of  place  to  Airs.  W.  Alease,  and  describes  it  as  a  soft  primrose 
sport  from  Aladame  Carnot.  So  good  was  this  bloom  as  shown  at  the 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society’s  Show  last  November  that  it  received 
the  premier  award  as  the  best  Japanese  bloom  at  the  show. 
Fourthly'. — Alost  readers  will  agree  with  me  that  although  late  I 
stated  a  clear  case  of  card-boarding  as  perpetrated  at  Belfast.  Aly 
reason  for  not  lodging  a  protest  at  the  proper  time  was  :  It  was  only  on 
the  second  day  of  the  show  (then  too  late  to  protest)  that  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining  the  winning  stands  in  the  class  referred  to,  and 
I  took  my  notes  during  the  quiet  hours  of  the  morning.  I  went  through 
each  stand  in  the  order  of  the  awards,  and  when  I  came  to  the  third 
prize  stand  I  at  once  noticed  a  thin  disproportioned  bloom  of  Alutual 
Friend,  and  on  examination  found  that  it  was  supported  with  a  circular 
card-board  5  inches  in  diameter.  On  further  examination  I  found  no  less 
than  thirty-one  blooms  treated  in  a  similar  manner.  Air.  Beckett  states 
“  that  card-board  or  no  card-board,  it  would  have  received  the  same  award 
from  any  responsible  judge.”  Are  we  to  infer  from  this'statement  that 
he  treats  “card-boarding”  as  legitimate  ? 
I  will  now  challenge  Air.  Beckett  or  any  other  Chrysanthemum 
expert  to  publicly  state  in  these  columns  that  card-boarding  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  blooms  at  shows  is  legitimate,  having  regard  to  the 
regulations  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society. — Peter  Brock, 
The  Gardens,  Glenmor,  Drogheda. 
P.S. — I  have  read  in  your  issue  of  24th  ult.,  page  172,  Mr.  Alease’s 
explanation  of  his  primrose  sport  from  Aladame  Carnot  being  labelled  at 
Belfast  as  “  Yi  How  Madame  Carnot,”  announced  by  some  to  have  originated 
with  him  a  year  ago  as  a  root  sport,  and  this  year  remained  perfectly 
true.  I  did  not  intend  to  further  trespass  on  your  space,  but  as  my  last 
letter  on  the  subject  is  not  yet  published,  I  beg  to  ask  the  insertion  of  the 
following. 
Doubtless  Air.  AVells  thought  he  was  doing  right  when  he  directed  Mr. 
Alease’s  assistant  that  the  bloom  should  be  labelled  correctly  as  exhibited 
at  Belfast,  “  Primrose  sport  from  Aladame  Carnot.”  But  he  probably  did 
not  know  the  terms  of  the  schedule  until  the  protest  was  lodged  against 
the  stand  on  account  of  this  bloom,  the  variety  not  being  in  commerce. 
The  practice  of  re-labelling  blooms  at  shows  by  such  eminent  experts  is, 
to  say  the  least  of  it,  far  from  becoming,  as  we  now  have  in  commerce 
Mrs.  W.  Alease.  It  was  apparently  only  after  the  shows  were  over  that 
they  could  distinguish  it  from  Yellow  Madame  Carnot  as  introduced  by 
Air.  II.  J.  Jones.  Having  regard  to  these  facts,  all  fair-minded  men  will 
agree  with  me  that,  much  as  I  regret  any  remarks  I  have  made,  under  the 
circumstances  they  have  been  quite  justifiable. 
Collarets  for  Chrysanthemums. 
Referring  to  “  Sadoc’s  ”  remarks  re  collarets  for  displaying  Chrysan¬ 
themum  blooms,  he  may  be  interested  to  learn  that  the  Ulster  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  adopted  as  its  rules  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society.  Having  regard  to  this  fact,  how  are 
collarets  permissible  ?  Apparently  special  rules  will  have  to  be  drawn  up 
against  their  use,  or  let  every  exhibitor  meet  on  level  terms  and  use  his 
discretion  as  to  how  much  support  he  will  employ  further  than  the  cup 
at  present  prescribed  by  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society.  This  is 
a  matter  which  Chrysanthemum  show  committees  should  take  timely 
notice  of,  and  adopt  such  rules  as  they  think  best  suited  to  promote  the 
interests  of  fair  and  honourable  competition,  and  thus  prevent  a 
recrudescence  of  what  appeared  at  Belfast  to  be  a  pernicious  practice. 
— r.  B. 
LEEKS  AND  SIZE  WORSHIP. 
It  is  not  the  weight  of  Leeks  and  thickness  of  their  stems  alone,  plus 
purity  of  blanching,  that  constitute  their  value  ;  but  the  length  and 
uniformity  of  the  blanched  parts  is  an  important  factor  in  the  case. 
Great  credit  was  due  to  Air.  Henry  for  his  weighty  achievements 
recorded  on  page  169,  where  “H.  W.  AV.”  scores  a  point,  and  is  congra¬ 
tulated.  Everybody  cannot  always  be  right  in  everything,  and  if  nobody 
I  have  seen  has  grown  Leeks  on  the  Celery-earthing  system  good  enough 
for  me,  it  is  clear  that  they  have  been  so  grown,  and  perhaps  will  be 
again,  good  enough  for  some  judges  at  shows. 
Short,  fat,  semi-bulbous  Leeks  of  extraordinary  thickness  appear  to 
be  preferred  by  certain  judges,  though  not  all,  to  equally  pure  but  thinner 
stems,  uniform  throughout,  of  twice  the  blanched  length  and  with  no 
suspicion  of  a  bulb.  Alany  old  growers  do  not  agree  with  modern 
verdicts  on  the  above  basis.  Let  the  two  types  of  Leeks  be  cooked — the 
short  and  thick  by  earthing  them  above  ground,  and  the  relatively 
thinner  stems  which  have  elongated  within  it,  as  the  result  of  deep 
planting  in  deep  and  generously  enriched  soil. 
There  are  not  many  cooks  or  Leek  .consumers  with  educated  palates 
who  would  pronounce  the  much-swollen  dumpies  “  good.”  The  smaller 
in  girth,  grown  in  the  good  old  way,  are  invariably  better  when  put  to 
the  ultimate  test.  That,  however,  is  not  the  exhibition  test.  The  eye 
and  not  the  palate  is  the  dominating  power  there,  and  likes  to  be  well 
filled,  hence  the  bulky  Leeks,  Onions,  Potatoes,  Cabbages,  and  other 
vegetables  which  have  so  often  received  high  honours  over  products  more 
refined. 
If  the  bigger  were,  as  such,  the  better,  why  not  carry  size  worship  to 
its  logical  issue  and  choose  judges  by  circumference,  with  weight  ?  The 
tall  and  thin,  also  the  good  little  men — of  whom  th^re  are  so  many — 
would  then  give  show  committees  no  concern  in  selecting  from  them, 
though  these  might,  ])erhaps,  give  just  a  little  trouble  in  return  by  judging 
through  the  Press,  for  there  are,  happily,  not  a  few  who,  if  “  in  stature 
small,  are  in  determination  great.”—  A  SMALL  Old  Grom'ER. 
