116 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  6,  1896. 
vase  are  certainly  more  effective  than  a  bunch  of  insignificant  formless 
“  buttons.”  To  say  that  every  grower  should  so  in  for  “  show  ”  blooms 
would  of  course  be  absurd,  but  an  effort’ should  be  made  to  produce 
flowers  large  enough  to  bring  out  the  characteristics  of  each  variety, 
otherwise  William  Seward  is  no  better  than  Julie  Lagraviere,  and  Golden 
Gate  no  better  than  the  most  rubbishy  seedling’ever  raised  from  a  shilling 
packet  of  Continental  seed. 
Varieties  for  Cutting. 
It  is  of  course  quite  different  in  the  case  of  certain  varieties  grown 
exclusively  for  cutting  purposes,  and  here  I  will  mention  a  few  sorts 
suitable  for  growing  in  this  manner,  confining  myself  to  the  very  early 
and  the  very  late.  Of  the  former  Yellow  Selborne,  Lady  Selborne,  and 
Mons.  W.  Holmes  are  three  good  varieties  of  distinct  colours,  and  come 
in  most  useful  during  October.  For  late  blooming  I  have  found 
E.  G.  Hill  by  far  the  best  yellow,  it  being  of  a  strong  dwarf  habit,  and 
bearing  its  deep  golden  flowers  on  long  sturdy  stems.  W.  H.  Lincoln  is 
often  referred  to  as  a  good  late  variety,  but  it  bears  its  blooms  on  the 
stems  in  a  manner  not  very  convenient  for  cut  purposes.  E.  G.  Hill  is 
very  late,  coming  in  naturally  at  Christmas  and  lasting  well  on  through 
January.  Niveum  is  a  grand  white  of  graceful  free  habit  and  most  free 
blooming.  This  variety  should  be  rooted  early  and  pinched  three  or  four 
times  during  the  season.  Putney  George  is  the  best  late  crimson  I 
know,  but  there  is  room  for  a  good  Christmas  flowering  variety  of  this 
colour.  Mrs.  Marshall  is  an  invaluable  late  white,  and  does  best  when 
grown  on  a  second  year.  Its  waxy  blooms  are  quite  unique  in  quality. 
Princess  Victoria  and  Princess  May  appear  to  bloom  very  late  indeed 
when  pinched,  but  I  have  not  tried  either  in  quantity.  All  these  varieties, 
if  grown  for  cut  blooms,  must  of  course  be  kept  pinched  until  about  the 
middle  of  July.  They  need  not  of  necessity  be  rooted  late,  in  fact  the 
earlier  the  better,  as  larger  plants  and  more  blooms  are  the  result,  the 
pinching  retarding  them  sufficiently.  It  is  not  wise  to  risk  the  late 
varieties  outside  too  late  in  October.  Far  better  to  get  them  under 
cover,  no  matter  how  slight,  during  the  first  or  second  week  of  that 
month. 
Starting  the  Plants. 
Many  gardeners  who  have  been  recently  promising  themselves  that 
they  will  have  “a  few  big  blooms  next  autumn”  fail  to  fulfil  that  promise 
through  neglect  at  the  start.  The  cuttings  are  inserted  in  December 
under  the  influence  of  enthusiasm  aroused  by  recent  exhibitions,  and 
placed  either  in  a  cold  damp  pit,  or  in  a  close  stagnant  propagating 
house,  where  a  few  root  and  the  large  majority  “damp  off.”  Now,  if 
there  is  a  time  when  Chrysanthemums  require  daily  attention  it  is  at 
this  early  stage.  I  prefer  to  root  cuttings  in  a  gentle  bottom  heat  as 
near  to  the  glass  as  possible,  and  in  a  compost  containing  a  little  peat. 
They  should  be  looked  over  every  day,  and  any  that  appear  to  be  rooting 
removed  to  a  more  airy  situation  at  once.  A  little  practice  will  enable 
one  to  detect  those  that  are  “struck”  almost  to  a  day,  and  it  is  very 
important  that  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  grow  in  the  comparatively 
close  atmosphere  essential  to  their  forming  the  first  roots.  Any  which 
are  flagging — and  some  sorts  will  flag — should  be  encouraged  by  being 
placed  beneath  a  bell-glass,  removing  it,  however,  for  an  hour  or  so  each 
morning  until  when  the  leaves  stand  up  stiff  and  remain  so,  it  can  be 
removed  altogether. 
Many  sorts — Val  d’Andorre,  Lilian  Russell,  Excelsior,  and  Col.  W.  B- 
Smith,  for  instance — root  within  a  week  without  flagging  at  all,  whilst 
Etoile  de  Lyon,  Edwin  Molyneux,  Lord  Brooke,  and  many  others 
require  three  weeks  or  a  month  under  the  same  treatment  before  it  is 
safe  to  remove  them  to  more  open  quarters.  This  variation  of  rootiDg 
power  in  varieties  necessitates  daily  attention.  It  is  always  wise  to 
root  about  twice  as  many  cuttings  as  are  absolutely  needed,  as  then  the 
best  plants  can  be  selected  for  growing  and  the  remainder  destroyed. 
It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  from  the  moment  the  plants  are 
rooted  they  should  receive  all  the  air  possible.  More  collections  are 
ruined  by  being  kept  too  close  during  the  first  few  months  of  the  year 
than  by  any  other  cause.  Once  let  the  plants  grow  weak  and  spindly 
and  irrevocable  mischief  is  done.  They  will  never  become  strong  and 
sturdy  afterwards. 
New  Varieties. 
It  is  a  very  great  mistake,  as  all  growers  of  any  experience  know,  to 
discard  a  novelty  because  it  does  not  come  up  to  expectation  the  first 
season.  Different  seasons  suit  different  varieties.  This  is  clearly  shown 
by  the  variation  in  popularity  on  the  show  boards  of  the  best  sorts. 
For  instance,  Robert  Owen  was  in  grand  form  last  November  all  over 
England,  and  yet  it  was  scarcely  to  be  seen  the  previous  year,  although 
just  as  widely  grown.  With  Lord  Brooke,  on  the  other  hand,  it  was 
vice  versa.  In  1894  Mdlle.  Thdrcse  Rey  and  L’lsere  were  in  excellent 
form;  whilst  in  1895  Madame  Carnot  and  Madame  Ad.  Chatin  were 
in  the  ascendant.  This  is  not  altogether  owing  to  novelties  sur¬ 
passing  old  varieties,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  Madame  Carnot, 
which  is  admitted  generally  to  have  been  the  best  white  shown  last 
autumn,  may  be  almost  unrepresented  on  next  autumn’s  show  table,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  everyone  is  growing  it  this  year.  The  same  with 
yellows,  of  which  there  are  such  an  overwhelming  number.  Mons. 
Panckoucke,  Duchess  of  Wellington,  Golden  Gate,  and  Robert  Owen  are 
about  the  best  up  to  date.  Next  year  it  is  possible  that  the  despised 
Duchess  of  York,  which  caused  disappointment  last  autumn,  may 
surpass  them  all.  [t  depends  upon  the  weather  of  the  coming  season. — 
F  C.  Smale,  Torquay. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Society  will  hold  a  meeting  at  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster, 
when  it  is  expected  that  a  new  system  of  glazing  will  be  brought  before 
the  Committee  by  a  gentleman  from  Jersey.  In  the  afternoon,  at  three 
o’clock,  the  annual  general  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Society  will 
be  held  in  the  Lindley  library,  117,  Victoria  Street,  about  two  minutes’ 
walk  from  the  Drill  Hall. 
- The  Weather  in  London. — The  weather  has  been  uniformly 
fine  during  the  past  week.  Light  frosts  have  followed  occasional  bright 
days,  and  although  there  has  been  little  sun  on  others,  no  rain  has  fallen, 
and  the  ground  is  in  an  excellent  working  state.  The  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere  has  arrested  vegetation,  which  otherwise  must  have  been 
more  advanced  under  the  abnormal  mildness  that  has  prevailed  so  long. 
-  Weather  in  the  North. — For  two  weeks  the  weather  has 
been  unseasonably  mild.  January  closed  with  two  brilliant  days,  its 
last  day  being  especially  fine.  The  first  two  days  of  February  were 
also  good,  with  a  slight  touch  of  frost  on  Sunday  night.  Monday  and 
Tuesday  were  duller,  but  calm,  and  a  slight  drizzle  damped  the  after¬ 
noon  of  the  latter  day,  when  the  barometer,  still  high;  showed  an 
inclination  to  fall. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
-  Reading  Horticultural  Society. — At  the  thirty-ninth 
annual  meeting  of  the  Reading  Horticultural  Society,  held  last  week, 
the  financial  statement  showed  that  the  balance  brought  forward  was 
£122,  the  receipts  amounted  to  £570,  including  takings  at  the  spring 
show  of  £28,  summer  show  £201,  subscriptions  £176,  donations  of 
special  prizes  £35.  The  expenditure  amounted  to  £479,  including 
prizes  at  the  spring  and  summer  shows  £211,  bands  at  both  shows  £81, 
leaving  a  balance  in  band  of  about  £91. 
- Vegetable  Prizes  at  the  National  Chrysanthemum 
Society’s  Jubilee  Exhibition.— In  addition  to  the  valuable  special 
prizes  for  vegetables  offered  for  competition  at  the  above  exhibition  in 
November  next  by  Messrs.  Carter  &  Co.,  E.  Webb  &  Sons,  Dobbie  &  Co., 
W.  W.  Johnson  &  Son,  Ltd.,  T.  Harrison  &  Son,  and  others,  the  parti¬ 
culars  of  which  are  get  forth  in  the  preliminary  schedule  of  prizes  just 
issued,  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  add  valuable  cash  prizes  for  fifteen  dishes 
of  Potatoes,  distinct,  to  include  several  of  their  novelties  ;  and  also  for 
two  dishes,  one  each  of  Supreme  and  Windsor  Castle,  This  promises  to 
be  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  interesting  exhibitions  of  vegetables 
yet  held  in  London. 
-  Floral  Introductions. — We  have  received  from  Messrs.  J. 
Carter  &  Co.,  High  Holborn,  a  list  of  the  plants — principally  annqals — 
that  have  been  placed  in  commerce  by  them.  It  appears  from  this  that 
the  work  commenced  in  the  year  1887,  and  that  it  has  been  going  on 
continuously  from  then  until  the  present  day.  Many  of  the  plants  are 
amongst  the  most  popular  at  the  present  time,  and  are  moreover  of  such 
nature  as  to  warrant  the  assertion  that  they  will  continue  so.  Space 
precludes  our  publishing  the  entire  list,  but  a  count  shows  that  we  are 
indebted  to  this  firm  for  155  introductions,  almost  all  of  which  have 
emanated  from  the  seed  trial  ground  in  Essex. 
-  Dr.  Morris  in  the  Bahamas. — It  is  gratifying  and  inspirit¬ 
ing  to  hear  of  the  Assistant  Director  unfurling  the  flag  of  Kew,  if  we 
may  so  speak,  not  only  in  our  colony  of  Bahamas,  but  in  New  York 
itself.  Dr.  Morris  turned  a  winter  holiday  to  account  by  visiting  the 
Bahamas  with  a  view  of  developing  the  vegetable  resources  of  the  colony, 
and  of  promoting  the  culture  of  the  valuable  Sisal  Hemp.  According 
to  a  contemporary,  his  lectures  were  attended  by  the  Governor  and  the 
leading  citizens,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  good  results  will  follow. 
In  New  York,  a  descriptive  and  illustrated  lecture  was  given  on  the 
Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  which  was  specially  appropriate  in  view  of  the 
establishment  of  a  similar  institution  in  ithe  vicinity  of  New  York. 
Dr.  Morris,  it  appears,  visited  the  proposed  site,  expressed  his  approval 
of  it,  and  took  the  opportunity  to  wish  God  speed  to  the  enterprise  on 
the  part  of  the  botanical  institutions  of  the  Old  World.  Before  leaving 
the  city  he  was  entertained  at  dinner  by  the  President  and  members  of 
the  Torrey  Botanical  Club. 
