410 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  12,  1898. 
be  utilised  to  greater  advantage,  and  if  necessary  be  removed  from 
one  square  to  another  in  the  event  of  succession.  It  is  advisable  to 
cut  off  the  prominent  buds  on  each  crown  before  planting,  as  they 
will  throw  flower  stems.  The  roots  should  be  covered  with  2  or 
3  inches  of  soil,  and  be  trodden  in  firmly  as  the  operation  proceeds, 
and  for  the  first  season  a  salad  or  other  shallow-rooting  crop  may  be 
grown  between  the  crowns. 
Free  use  of  the  hoe  is  necessary  during  the  summer,  and  in  dry 
weather  an  occasional  feeding  with  liquid  manure  will  assist  in  the 
building  up  of  the  crowns.  As  the  foliage  decays  it  should  be 
removed,  and  the  surface  soil  be  lightly  forked  over,  finishing  off  with 
a  mulching  of  good  manure.  The  crowns  are  now  practically  exposed, 
and,  no  matter  what  is  the  proposed  method  of  forcing,  some  means  of 
protection  during  severe  weather  is  advisable.  Eough  straw  from  the 
stable,  or  leaves,  or  a  mixture  of  the  two,  will  be  suitable  for  the 
purpose  if  heaped  over  the  roots  not  otherwise  protected  by  pots.  We 
will  suppose  that  the  Kale  is  to  be  blanched  on  the  ground,  and 
forced  so  far  as  means  will  allow.  Seakale  pots  with  moveable  tops 
are  the  readiest  means  of  protection  and  blanching,  but  in  their 
absence  large  drain-pipes,  flower  pots,  and  tubs  are  used.  Any  such 
should  be  placed  over  the  crowns,  and  the  whole  covered  with 
litter,  and  the  result  will  be  early  growth  of  superior  quality.  The 
arrangements  may  be  such  that  the  Kale  comes  in  successionally,  and 
the  period  of  catting  is  lengthened,  and  this  is  always  preferable  to 
having  a  quantity  in  at  once  and  then  a  dearth. 
Supposing  pots  are  placed  over  a  portion  of  the  crowns,  the 
remainder  having  only  the  protection  of  leaves.  Fermenting  material, 
in  the  shape  of  littery  stable  manure,  may  be  heaped  round  the  pots, 
and  this  will  assist  in  forcing  the  growth.  As  the  Kale  is  cut  the 
pots  may  be  removed  further  along,  and  the  process  of  covering  be 
continued.  Though  naturally  later,  Seakale  blanched  in  this  way  on 
the  ground  is  superior  in  quality  than  when  subjected  to  hard  forcing 
indoors.  When  the  crop  is  completed  remove  the  leaves  and  litter 
from  the  ground  and  apply  a  dressing  of  manure,  which  should  be  dug 
in  round  the  plants.  A  number  of  growths  will  be  emitted  from 
below  where  the  Kale  was  cut,  and  if  all  are  left  several  weak  shoots 
are  the  result.  To  obviate  this  the  buds  should  be  thinned  to  two  or 
three  of  the  best,  which  will  be  the  crowns  for  the  future. 
For  early  supplies  and  quick  forcing  the  Mushroom  house  is  the 
favoured  resort,  than  which  there  is  no  better  place,  as  there  are  both 
the  necessary  heat  for  pushing  growth  and  the  darkness  for  blanching. 
The  best  flavoured  Seakale,  however,  is  that  which  is  forced  gently,  as 
when  grown  in  a  high  temperature  the  growth  is  thin  and  weakly, 
beside  being  destitute  of  flavour.  No  Seakale  is  equal  to  that  grown 
without  artificial  heat,  therefore  the  more  gentle  the  forcing  process 
the  nearer  perfection  will  be  the  produce.  Decayed  leaf  mould,  spent 
manure,  or  old  potting  soil  are  suitable  lor  surrounding  the  roots,  the 
crowns  of  which  should  be  left  exposed.  One  good  watering  is 
generally  sufficient,  after  which  the  natural  moisture  of  the  Mushroom 
house  dispenses  with  further  supplies  of  liquid.  Where  Mushroom 
houses  are  not  available  any  place  of  suitable  temperature  will  answer 
the  purpose,  provided  light  is  entirely  excluded.  Hoots  taken  up  and 
forced  are  of  little  use  afterwards,  and  may  be  dispensed  with,  but 
forcing  on  the  ground  as  suggested  above  may  go  on  for  an  unlimited 
period.  The  best  Seakale  for  table  is  stout,  fleshy,  and  fresh.  Slowly 
forced  Kale  is  more  likely  to  possess  these  characteristics  than  when 
subjected  to  excessive  heat,  though  when  it  is  desired  to  get  it  as 
early  as  possible  hard  forcing  must  be  resorted  to.  In  such  cases 
Kale  should  be  cut  and  sent  direct  to  the  kitchen,  in  order  to  preserve 
the  crispness,  which  changes  to  flabbiness  if  allowed  to  lie  long  after 
cutting. — Grower  and  Judge. 
Polyanthuses.  —I  was  so  much  disappointed  with  the  rough  coarse 
aspect  of  the  border  Polyanthuses  staged  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  the  26th, 
that  I  gladly  accepted  an  invite  from  Mr.  S.  Mortimer  to  run  down 
and  see  his  breadth  of  these  beautiful  spring  flowers  again,  as  I  did  last 
year.  To  one  who  appreciates  these  Polyanthuses  beyond  all  other  spring 
flowers,  it  was  a  treat  to  look  upon  what  is,  I  think,  one  of  the  finest 
collections  in  the  kingdom.  Most  of  the  plants  are  three  years  old,  and 
many  of  them  are  from  15  to  18  inches  across,  truly  wonderful  clumps  ! 
There  were  altogether  some  1800  or  2000,  perhaps  more  ;  planted  thinly 
on  the  sandy  soil  of  Rowledge,  where  they  thrive  luxuriantly.  I  noticed 
that  about  2000  seedlings  from  an  autumn  sowing  had  already  been  put  out 
for  next  season’s  flowering.  That  is  the  way  to  treat  these  plants.  Sow 
seed  thinly  in  August,  let  the  plants  remain  in  the  bed  all  the  winter,  and 
plant  out  in  the  middle  of  April  where  to  bloom.  They  then  get  well 
rooted  ere  warm  weather  sets  in,  and  make  very  fine  clumps  by  next  winter. 
Plants  from  spring  sowings  are  seldom  ready  to  put  out  before  June,  when 
the  weather  is  often  hot  and  dry.  The  strain  is  very  fine  and  varied. 
Colours  vary  exceedingly,  and  are  indescribable  ;  but  the  quality  found 
in  the  flowers  is  of  the  best,  far  surpassing  what  is  so  commonly  seen. 
There  is  so  much  room  for  improvement  in  common  stocks,  and  so 
many  as  we  see  in  gardens  and  in  the  markets  are  so  poor  in  colour 
and  quality,  that  such  a  fine  strain  as  I  have  referred  to  can  hardly  be 
overpraised — A,  D, 
Kent  County  Chrysanthemum  Show. 
This  show,  which  is  annually  held  in  the  Rink,  near  Blackheath 
Station,  is  looked  upon  by  many  as  an  index,  so  far  as  quality  is  con¬ 
cerned,  of  the  flowers  that  are  to  be  shown.  Each  year  a  charming 
display  is  brought  together,  cut  blooms,  both  of  Japanese  and  incurved, 
being  invariably  of  good  quality.  The  eleventh  annual  exhibition  will 
be  held  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  November  2nd  and  3rd,  1898,  and 
it  is  hoped  that  the  status  of  the  Society  will  be  well  maintained. 
Schedules,  in  which  some  excellent  prizes  are  offered,  are  now  ready,  and 
may  be  obtained  from  the  energetic  Honorary  Secretary,  Mr.  F.  Fox,  The 
Cedars  Gardens,  Lee,  Kent. 
Spring  Notes. 
The  French  N.C.S.,  although  a  young  society  compared  with  its 
English  prototype,  shows  signs  of  increasing  vigour  and  prosperity. 
Its  journal  is  a  valuable  means  of  disseminating  information  among 
those  members  who  live  at  a  distance  from  the  seat  of  operations,  and 
the  last  number  issued  shows  that  there  are  now  419  members.  The 
next  Conference  will  be  held  at  Troges  on  the  5th  November. 
On  the  occasion  of  the  Conference  at  Orleans  last  November  several 
interesting  papers  were  read,  the  principal  of  which  have  recently  been 
issued  in  separate  form  by  Mr.  0.  Doin,  publisher,  Paris,  in  a  convenient 
pamphlet  of  about  thirty-six  pages.  Illustrations  accompany  these 
articles,  which  deal  with  the  following  subiects  :  —  “Maladies  and 
Parasites  of  the  Chrysanthemum,”  by  Mons.  Chifflot ;  “  The  Fertilisation 
of  the  Chrysanthemum,”  by  Mons.  Gerard  ;  and  “The  Best  Manures  and 
Composts  to  Use  in  Chrysanthemum  Cultivation,”  by  Mons.  H.  Fatzer. 
The  literary  work  accomplished  by  some  of  these  Continental  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  societies  is  worthy  of  remark.  Last  November  the  first 
exhibition  of  the  Amsterdam  Chrysanthemum  Club  was  held,  and  an 
official  catalogue  compiled  for  the  use  of  visitors  at  a  small  charge. 
Mr.  J.  K.  Budde  wrote  for  this  work  a  sketch  of  the  history  of  the 
Chrysanthemum,  which  was  followed  by  a  paper  on  “  Cultivation  ;  ”  the 
rules  of  the  Club  next  appear,  together  with  a  list  of  exhibitors,  the 
whole  forming  a  neatly  printed  pamphlet  of  fifty-six  pages. 
The  foreign  catalogues  of  novelties  are  now  all  to  hand,  and  form,  as 
usual,  a  goodly  pile.  The  best  of  all  in  style  is  that  issued  by  Mons. 
Ernest  Calvat,  who  supplies  a  large  double-paged  phototype  illustration 
of  one  of  his  novelties.  President  Bevan,  and  a  chromo-lithograph  of  a 
deep  yellow  coloured  Jap  called  General  Paquie.  Mons.  Calvat’s  1898 
novelties  comprise  thirty-two  varieties,  which  have  been  awarded  seventy- 
seven  first-class  certificates  or  awards  of  merit.  Other  competitors  for 
public  favour  are  Messrs.  Chantrier,  Allemand,  de  Reydellet,  Rozain, 
Charmen,  Nonin,  MoriSres,  Heraud,  Ddlaux,  Lacroix,  Bruant,  and  several 
others  less  well  known. 
A  special  c  rcular  of  Italian  novelties  from  Mr.  Scalarandis,  gardener 
to  the  King  of  Italy,  also  reminds  us  of  that  gentleman’s  efforts  as  a 
recent  raiser.  Most  of  his  new  seedlings  have  been  shown  at  the  leading 
Continental  shows,  and  appear  to  be  more  highly  thought  of  there  than 
they  were  here  when  he  exhibited  a  collection  at  the  N.C.S.  .Jubilee  Show 
in  1896.  At  Brussels  during  the  past  season  Mr.  Scalarandis  was  appointed 
Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Crown  of  Belgium,  and  other  distinctions 
appear  to  be  awaiting  him.  The  movement  in  Chrysanthemum  culture 
seems  to  be  spreading  in  Italy,  although  none  of  the  raisers  there  seems 
to  have  obtained  anything  that  appeals  specially  to  English  taste.  A  few 
weeks  ago  an  eminent  amateur  in  the  north  of  Italy  sent  me  a  large 
number  of  photogi-aphs  for  inspection,  all  newly  raised  Italian  seedlings, 
but  the  really  promising  sorts  were  certainly  in  the  minority.  Judging 
by  the  appearance  of  them  they  were  weakly  grpwn  and  the  centres  badly 
filled. 
It  is,  however,  agreeable  to  be  able  to  record  that  the  Italian  growers 
seem  to  be  in  earnest.  A  circular  has  just  reached  me  announcing  the 
formation  of  what  they  call  “  La  Societk  Nationzale  Italiana  di  Chris- 
anthemisti.”  The  Society  draws  attention  to  the  existence  of  national 
societies  in  England  and  France,  and  a  provisional  committee  has  been 
formed  to  carry  out  the  formation  of  a  society  on  similar  lines  so  soon 
as  a  sufficient  number  of  applications  has  been  received.  Amongst 
others  the  names  of  our  friend  Mr.  Briscoe-Ironside  and  IMr.  Scalarandis 
appear,  the  latter  as  President.  The  headquarters  of  the  Italian  N.C.S. 
are  to  be  at  Milan,  and  the  Secretary,  Mr.  Paolo  Radaelli,  is  a  well-known 
nurseryman  and  Chrysanthemum  grower  there. 
Although  the  chances  of  duplicate  names  amongst  the  Continental 
novelties  are  somewhat  reduced  by  the  action  of  the  French  N.C.S. 
/requiring  registration,  there  are  still  some  of  the  new  names  that  may 
|cause  a  little  confusion  by  their  resemblance  to  others  already  in  existence, 
and  others  are  open  to  the  objection  of  great  length,  such,  for  instance,  as 
