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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  November  23,  1899. 
EARLY  BUD  SELECTION. 
One  notices  at  the  shows  a  large  number  of  blooms,  rough  and 
entirely  out  of  character,  caused  by  selecting  too  early  buds.  The 
desire  to  obtain  flowers  of  huge  size  makes  growers  afraid,  when  July 
or  early  August  has  arrived,  to  allow  another  section  of  growth  to 
proceed,  with  the  results  mentioned.  Instead  of  such  growth,  a  long 
period  of  time  is  given  to  bud  development,  and  sorts  which  naturally 
have  an  abundance  of  florets  to  open,  become  cramped  and  poor  in 
colour. 
Many  a  good  variety  has  been  discarded  through  being  tried  only 
one  way  the  first  year,  when  it  often  takes  two  or  three  seasons  to 
properly  understand  how,  by  bud  selection,  to  produce  some  kinds  at 
their  best.  Take  the  Japanese  variety,  new  perhaps  to  many,  President 
Beva’".  As  mostly  seen  this  year,  it  has  been  small-petalled,  rough, 
and  comparatively  colourless.  But  one  flower  of  it  noted  at  the 
Kingston  Show  was  about  the  most  striking  Chrysanthemum  bloom 
we  have  met  with  anywhere  this  autumn.  In  contour  this  bloom  was 
globular,  broad  floretted,  full  and  large.  The  colour,  an  indescribable 
tint  of  rosy-buff,  quite  satiny  in  texture.  How  often  do  we  see  Chas. 
Davis  exhibited  a  dirty  yellow,  Viviand  Morel  a  rosy  white,  and  Lady 
Llanham  a  creamy  buff  ?  iet  all  three  have  lovely  tints  when  grown 
in  their  true  form.  Master  H.  Tucker  is  a  splendid  variety,  but  not  as 
usually  seen  from  early  buds.  There  is  hardly  a  crimson  to  surpass  it 
in  richness  from  late  ones,  when  it  perfects  blooms  with  broad  florets 
of  a  strikingly  handsome  shape. 
Madame  Carnot,  and  the  sports  Mrs.  Mease  and  G.  J.  Warren  grow 
into  blooms  with  long  quill-like  form  of  floret  from  no  other  cause 
than  early  buds,  and  Modesto  will  not  put  on  that  admirable  deep, 
incurving  shape  for  the  same  leason.  Then  Etoile  de  Lyon,  Reine 
d’Angleterre,  Mrs.  C.  LI.  Payne,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Palmer,  Madame  Louis 
Remy,  Marie  Calvat,  John  Pockett,  Mdme.  L.  Zede,  M.  Ed.  Andre, 
M.  Hoste,  and  Col.  W.  B.  Smith  are  coarse  ungainly  formed  varieties 
as  usually  seen,  the  defects  of  which  may  be  got  over  by  later 
bud  taking.  General  Paquie,  Melusine,  Mrs.  J.  Lewis,  Phoebus, 
President  Nonin  are  lovely  Japanese  varieties,  but  not  true  to  character 
from  early  crown  buds.  The  splendid  Le  Grand  Dragon,  fine  in  all 
respects,  is  usually  spoiled  in  this  way  when  the  centre  florets  come 
short,  or  refuse  to  develop  at  all.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Australian 
Gold,  a  line  Chrysanthemum  when  properly  grown. 
With  very  few  <  xceptions  indeed,  the  French-raised  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  do  not  come  of  good  shape  and  colour  from  early  buds. 
This  has  been  noted  for  some  years,  and  the  latest  novelties  from  that 
source  bear  this  trait  also.  Surpasse  Amiral,  a  grand  yellow,  is  yet 
another,  and  Madame  Reine  Salomon  will  be  valued  for  its  colour,  a 
deep  rich  brown  crimson,  when  growers  select  late  buds  of  it.  The 
early  ones  refuse  to  open,  and  the  florets  damp  readily  in  such  cases. 
Oceana  has  a  cramped  look  generally;  the  fine  blooms  one  meets  with 
occasionally  are  those  from  late  crown  buds.  The  Convention  and 
Miss  Y.  M.  Fraser,  two  amber-coloured  sorts,  have  this  season  been 
generally  spoiled  because  of  this  habit  of  taking  early  buds. 
One  might  extend  the  list,  but  enough  varieties  have  been  named  to 
urge  those  who  may  not  yet  have  succeeded  in  producing  flowers  equal 
in  beauty  to  their  desires  to  try  another  season  in  the  way  indicated. 
We  would  rather  defer  bud-taking  in  these  and  many  other  instances 
to  early  September  than  end  of  July ;  and,  to  assist  a  plant  to  produce 
its  buds  about  that  time,  something  may  be  done  by  topping  the 
young  plants  in  eaily  April,  so  as  to  hasten  what  would  otherwise  be 
a  natural  break,  or  late  propagation  may  be  a  means  to  succeed 
in  the  same  direction,  that  is,  the  production  of  late  crown 
buds. — Specialist. 
ROOTING  THE  CUTTINGS. 
Almost  before  the  flowers  are  over  for  the  year,  growers  will  be 
thinking  of  propagating  for  another  season.  The  mode  of  doing  so 
has  something  to  do  with  success.  The  wish  to  grow  big  blooms  of 
this  remarkable  flower  has  fostered  coddling  in  many  phases  of  its 
culture,  and  in  no  one  item  is  this  more  done  than  in  the  first  stages. 
The  plan  adopted  in  very  many  cases  is  that  known  as  the  single- 
cutting-in-a-pot  system.  This  plan  has  little  to  recommend  it.  In 
the  first  place,  even  in  small  pots,  the  soil  is  considerable  in  quantity, 
and  as  the  pots  are  put  into  closed  frames  within  glass  structures  and 
kept  air-tight  there  is  danger  in  the  soil  becoming  sour  before  the 
cuttings  have  rooted. 
Then  the  close  frame  is  almost  a  certain  means  of  many  of  the 
cuttings  damping  off.  We  have  known  growers,  when  possessed  of 
something  new  and  choice,  giving  the  cuttings  extra  attention  in  the 
way  of  a  daily  sprinkle,  and  thereby  rotting  them.  The  end  of  such 
mistake  is  that  the  vendor  gets  the  blame  lor  sending  “  bad  cuttings, 
and  even  if  they  do  not  damp  off  in  their  infancy,  the  time  taken  to 
emit  roots  is  long.  When  taken  from  the  frame  too,  however  carefully 
one  watches  them,  the  little  plants  flag  their  leaves,  and  get  a  check 
that  lasts  for  some  days. 
Those  who  advise  this  single  pot  mode  of  propagation  claim  that 
there  is  no  check  given  by  not  requiring  repotting  singly  when  rooted 
in  other  ways.  But  our  experience  is  that  the  roots  like  fresh  sweet 
earth,  and  in  quite  a  few  days  become  established  into  it.  No  way  of 
rooting  the  cuttings  is  safer  or  more  easy  than  that  practised  by  the 
trade  growers.  We  mean  the  use  of  shallow  boxes.  The  size  used  is 
about  15  inches  by  10  inches,  and  3  inches  deep.  If  these  are  filled 
with  soil  there  is  not  a  great  bulk.  Press  the  earth  with  tolerable 
firmness,  and  dibble  the  cuttings  in  about  a  couple  ot  inches  apart. 
With  regard  to  the  soil,  we  do  not  like  too  much  sand  in  it;  this  tends 
to  starve,  rather  than  favour  the  cuttings. 
A  soaking  of  w.)ter  is  given,  and  the  boxes  are  placed  on  shelves  or 
light  parts  of  a  greenhouse  where  frost  is  kept  out.  The  leaves  may 
flag  a  bit,  but  no  notice  is  taken  of  this.  Do  not  be  continually 
sprinkling  the  cuttings  to  avoid  this,  because  they  will  gradually  pick 
up,  and  when  once  this  has  taken  place  the  leaves  will  continue  fresh 
with  ordinary  care.  When  water  is  required  always  give  a  good 
soaking,  and  so  on.  If  it  be  desired  to  hasten  a  particular  variety  or 
box  of  varieties,  the  same  may  be  put  into  a  warmer  temperature  with 
ease,  and  with  no  harm  either.  By  this  mode  of  propagation  there 
should  not  be  a  loss  of  one  cutting  out  of  a  hundred.  The  only  item 
insisted  upon  is  placing  them  singly  into  small  pots  the  moment  they 
are  rooted,  f<_r  if  left  only  a  few  days  after  that  has  taken  place  the 
growth  becomes  drawn-up  and  thin.  The  making  of  new  leaves  is  a 
sure  indication  that  rooting  has  taken  place.  We  would  not  shade 
from  the  sun,  nor  be  particular  if  air  reaches  the  cuttings.  This 
creates  a  healthy  growth  from  the  first. 
Another  way  of  rooting  to  be  preferred  to  the  one  in  vogue  is  that 
followed  by  Mr.  W.  Mease,  a  name  not  unknown  in  respect  to  fine 
flowers.  He  prepares  a  frame  around  which  a  hot-water  pipe  runs, 
and  may  be  used  if  necessary,  by  putting  in  suitable  soil,  brought 
pretty  well  up  to  the  glass,  and  dibbles  the  cuttings  in  as  one  would 
Cnlceolarias.  Fire  heat  is  not  used  unless  the  weather  be  exceptionally 
cold,  but  generally  preference  is  given  to  a  covering  of  mats, 
straw,  or  the  like.  Losses  of  cuttings  are  rare,  and  the  plants  result¬ 
ing  are  brought  up  in  a  sturdy  manner.  Of  course,  modifications  of 
this  plan  will  suggest  themselves  to  suit  one’s  appliances.  If  we  had 
a  cool  greenhouse  or  pit,  with  a  bench  or  stage  not  far  from  the  glass, 
we  would  place  a  shallow  surface  of  fresh  soil  and  put  the  cuttings 
into  this.  In  such  a  structure  we  may  readily  watch  them  in 
all  weather,  and  do  the  necessary  work  in  connection  with  them  at 
ease. 
Last  season  a  correspondent  who  had  followed  the  coddling 
practice  lost  all  his  cuttings.  We  advised  the  use  of  shallow  boxes, 
and,  with  a  fresh  supply  of  cuttings,  he  obtained  sturdy  little 
plants,  all  potted  and  growing  well,  within  six  weeks.  Coddling 
Chrysanthemums  at  any  stage  of  their  growth  will  end  in  failure,  and 
to  this  treatment  we  fancy  some  of  the  pests  and  diseases  which  prove 
troublesome  may  be  attributed.— A  Grower. 
SECTIONISING  JAPANESE  CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
“A  Judge”  remarks  that  in  every  case  in  which  efforts  to  div 
Japanese  Chrysanthemums  into  incurved  and  reflexed  have  been  made 
they  have  ended  in  failure.  That  may  be  the  case  when  the  effort 
includes  lists  defining  what  may  be  classed  as  Japanese  incurved  and 
what  otherwise.  We  had  classes  for  twelve  incurved  and  for  twelve 
reflexed  Japs  at  Kingston,  but  did  not  commit  the  blunder  of  defining 
what  were  incurved  or  what  reflexed  by  name.  It  was  enough  to 
leave  the  matter  with  exhibitors,  and  these  found  no  difficulty  in 
setting  up  blooms  that  admitted  of  no  doubt  as  to  their  proper  sections. 
That  is  the  wisest  course  to  take,  because  judges  would  award  prizes 
to  blooms  in  such  classes  only  according  to  the  affinity  of  the  blooms 
before  them  with  the  terms  incurved  and  reflexed,  of  course  general 
excellence  being  added. 
The  following  were  the  twelve  incurved  that  were  placed  first,  and 
they  were  exceptionally  good  flowers — Mrs.  H.  Weeks,  Australie,  Mrs. 
C.  Orchard,  Mary  Molyneux,  Mdlle.  Therese  Rey,  Miss  E.  Teichman, 
Lady  Ridgway,  Madame  Lawrence  Zede,  Lady  Byron,  Mrs.  C.  H. 
Payne,  Robert  Powell,  and  Madame  Fatzer.  The  twelve  reflexed 
flowers  were  Mrs.  Mease,  Lady  Hanham,  Mrs.  Coombes,  Madame 
Carnot,  Charles  Davis,  Nellie  Pockett,  Le  Grand  DragoD,  Viviand 
Morel,  Madame  J.  Bruant,  Eva  Knowles,  Pride  of  Exmouth,  and 
Matthew  Hodgson.  These  were  also  very  good.  It  was  my  im¬ 
pression  that  flowers  so  divided,  because  of  diversity  of  form,  con¬ 
stituted  as  dozens  on  the  boards  far  more  pleasing  objects  than  did 
the  two  sections  mixed.  I  hope  these  classes  may  be  retained. 
—A.  D. 
