182 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTTCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Aagast  20,  1896  ■ 
of  such  pests  can  be  utterly  harmless,  and  it  is  well  to  remove  them 
when  practicable.  It  is  not  well  to  neglect  the  plant  in  any  way  at 
this  season,  as  their  trusses  are  now  being  formed  in  the  heart,  and  on 
the  vigour  with  which  these  are  sustained  depends  in  a  great  measure 
the  well-being  of  the  plant.  They  will,  of  course,  still  be  kept  during 
this  and  next  month  facing  the  north,  so  as  to  avoid  their  having  too 
much  sun. 
Caekations  a:sd  Picotbes. 
I  have  had  two  very  fine  beds  of  these,  some  few  of  them  being 
named  sorts,  the  others  being  seedlings  raised  from  the  seed  kindly  sent 
me  by  Mr.  Martin  R.  Smith.  These  latter  have  been  most  varied  in 
their  character,  and  though  not  satisfying  the  requirements  of  the 
florist  are  most  admirably  suited  for  cutting.  They  are  most  profuse 
in  flowering,  and  the  greater  number  of  them  very  sweet  scented.  Some 
of  them  are  so  full  that  they  are  inclined  to  burst  their  pods  ;  this  arises 
I  suppose,  from  the  fact  that  the  blood  of  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaisoi 
enters  largely  into  many  of  them.  I  was  afraid  that  the  ease  with  which 
these  border  varieties  are  grown  would  probably  interfere  with  the  oldei 
named  flowers,  but  I  was  assured  the  other  day  by  one  of  our  larges' 
southern  growers  for  sale  that  this  was  not  so.  and  that  the  demand  for 
florist  varieties  was  as  great  as  ever.  This  I  was  very  glad  to  hear,  foi 
it  would  be  a  thousand  pities  that  these  should  go  out  of  cultivation. 
Of  course  layering  must  now  be  carried  oat  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
as  far  as  I  can  judge  the  grass  is  in  excellent  condition  for  that  purpose 
being  strong  and  neither  too  hard  nor  too  soft.  Some  of  the  seedlingv 
have  been  so  floriferous  that  it  is  difficult  to  find  grass  for  layering,  bu' 
as  a  rule  there  are  few  stools  that  will  not  afford  some  plants.  1 
is  well  to  number  them  so  that  distinct  varieties  may  be  kept.  If  on- 
or  two  are  specially  strong  they  will  afford  so  many  plants  they  wil 
gradually  usurp  the  greater  portion  of  the  bed,  just  as  I  remembe 
happened  with  Tulips  to  a  neighbour.  Two  or  three  sorts  were  ver> 
vigorous,  these  were  selected  for  planting  again,  no  names  or  tallier 
being  kept,  until  gradually  the  whole  bed  was  composed  of  these.  1  ani 
no  advocate  for  leaving  even  these  border  varieties  in  the  ground  during 
the  winter,  and  so  layer  and  pot  them  r  ff  towards  the  end  of  September. 
Gannas. 
I  include  these  because  they  seem  now  to  have  acquired  a  positioi 
entitling  them  to  such  a  place,  as  they  occupy  much  the  same  positiot 
as  the  Dahlia.  They  are  propagated  very  much  in  the  same  way,  an< 
have  to  be  stored  away  in  the  winter  like  them.  I  mention  them  now, 
not  because  anything  has  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  cultivation  at  presen', 
but  inasmuch  as  it  is  a  favourable  time  to  take  notes  of  the  various  varie¬ 
ties  in  flower,  and  to  make  such  selection  as  may  be  considered  desirable. 
They  mostly  consist  of  self  colours,  red  or  yellow,  yellow  with  crimsoi 
spots,  and  red  with  more  or  less  broad  edge  of  gold  colour,  and  such 
kinds  as  Queen  Charlotte,  Cheshunt  Yellow,  Duchess  of  York,  Antoine 
Barton,  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  Madame  Crozy,  Quasimodo,  and  General 
Dodds  will  form  a  suitable  commencement  for  those  who  have  not 
already  begun,  and  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  their  beautiful  and  distinct 
foliage  and  fine  heads  of  bloom,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  are 
cultivated,  will  soon  assure  them  a  place  in  every  garden. 
Gladioli. 
There  is  not  very  much  to  be  done  at  this  time  amongst  these 
beautiful  autumn  flowers,  save  that  of  carefully  attending  to  the  tying 
of  the  spikes  to  the  stakes  provided  for  them.  Where  it  is  wished  t<> 
obtain  seedlings  now  is  a  good  time  for  hybridising.  I  know  no  flower 
that  can  be  more  easily  operated  on,  but  care  must  be  taken  that  they 
are  not  operated  upon  by  bees  before  the  hybridiser  can  get  at  them, 
and  so  it  is  better  to  cut  out  the  stamens  before  the  pollen  becomes 
powdery  ;  the  hive  bee  never  seems  to  affect  them,  but  the  humble  bees 
seem  especially  fond  of  rolling  their  aldermanic  bodies  in  the  large  open 
flowers. 
This  clear  bright  weather  is  especially  favourable  for  their  develop¬ 
ment,  as  they  do  not  become  stained  and  weather  beaten.  Clumps  of 
the  Lemoinei  section  are  now  very  bright,  and,  although  not  equal  in 
beauty  to  the  gandavensis  varieties,  make  pleasing  groups  at  this  time 
of  the  year.  I  should  say,  however,  that  the  flowers  of  both  sections  are 
much  earlier  with  me  than  usual,  and  I  question  very  much  whether 
after  the  end  of  the  present  month  I  shall  have  any  blooms  left,  when 
generally  they  continue  on  till  the  end  of  September. 
Pansies. 
The  last  two  or  three  seasons  have,  if  I  may  judge  from  my  own  case, 
been  very  disastrous  to  the  growers  of  these  plants  in  the  South  ot 
England.  My  small  stock  has  greatly  diminished,  the  hot  dry  weather 
having  been  too  much  for  them.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  replenish  mine 
at  present,  but  wait  for  cooler  weather.  This  is  another  of  those  plants 
in  which  further  improvement  seems  unlikely.  I  have  seen  those  which 
have  been  brought  out  by  the  Scotch  growers,  who  seem  almost  to  have 
it  monopoly  of  them,  but  cannot  say  that  I  see  any  great  progress  during 
the  last  three  years. 
Tulips  and  Ranunculuses, 
These  need  only  to  be  looked  over  to  see  that  damp  is  not  affecting 
them,  or  the  mice  making  their  meals  on  them.  I  see  that  many  are 
deploring  the  neglect  of  the  Ranunculus,  and  I  do  not  wonder  at  it,  for  it 
has  many  charms  ;  but  now-a-days  so  much  more  is  thought  of  display 
that  these  quaint  and  beautiful  flowers  have  fallen  into  neglect.  I  have 
not  said  anything  about  Chrysanthemums  or  Dahlias,  for  so  many  of 
those  who  are  “  past  masters  ”  in  the  cultivation  of  these  flowers  so  often 
give  their  advice  in  your  pages,  that  it  would  be  simply  an  impertinence 
In  ine  to  say  anything  about  them. — D  ,  Deal 
Taking  the  Buds, 
Those  who  are  still  working  away  with  a  penknife  or  the  point  of  a 
lead  pencil  for  “  bud  taking”  should  try  a  small  pin.  Hold  the  shoot 
well  up  to  the  bud,  put  the  pin  head  behind  the  shoot  or  growth  to  be 
removed,  and  pull  toward  you,  and  those  who  try  it  for  the  first  time 
will  be  surprised  at  the  speed  they  can  be  removed.  The  idea  may  not 
be  new,  but  I  do  not  remember  anyone  potting  it  forward.  I  like 
always  to  keep  the  pin  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  bud,  turning  the 
shoot  to  suit.  By  using  this  implement  a  growth  can  be  removed  as 
small  as  the  pin  head  itself.  Mdlle.  Tb^rese  Rey  is  a  difficult  bud  to 
take,  the  growth  being  strong  and  the  leaves  very  brittle ;  this  variety 
is  also  guilty  of  coming  blind  on  the  first  crown.  Our  best  buds  are 
second  crowns  after  being  topped  in  March,  and  these  are  already 
secured.  Mrs.  E.  G.  Whittle  and  Duchess  of  York’s  Favourite  both  come 
blind  on  first  crowns,  and  as  the  next  bud  is  too  late  we  shall  discard 
both  next  year. 
Watering  Chrysanthemums. 
Do  we  give  too  much  water  ?  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  a  great 
number  of  varieties  are  overwatered.  Such  varieties  as  Avalanche, 
President  Borel,  and  some  others  must  have  abundance  of  water  ;  but 
•  again,  Colonel  Smith,  Boule  d’Or  (old  var.),  and  Stanstead  White  require 
very  little.  The  last  named  never  gets  water  at  this  time  till  the  leaves- 
begin  to  flag.  We  draw  warm  water,  by  means  of  a  syphon,  from  tanks 
in  the  bouses.  In  many  places  water  could  be  conveyed  in  this  manner 
instead  of  carrying  in  cans.  Only  a  portion  of  our  plants  are  watered 
with  this,  but  they  are  much  the  best,  having  fine  foliage  with  scarcely 
a  yellow  tint.  Our  tanka  stand  I  feet  high  over  heated  pipes,  so  we 
have  a  good  fall.  We  merely  plug  the  lower  end  of  the  pipe  and  it  is 
always  ready. — W.  B.,  Glasgow, 
Chrysanthemums  and  Hail. 
It  may  be  a  little  consoling  to  your  correspondent,  W.  Drover,  to 
know  that  he  is  not  alone  in  his  trouble  caused  with  the  bail.  A  very 
severe  storm  broke  over  here  on  July  7th,  doing  considerab  e  damage  to 
all  crops.  The  oldest  inhabitant  does  not  remember  anything  to  equal 
it  before.  In  low  parts  of  the  ground  hailstones  laid  2|  inches  thick 
eighteen  hours  after  the  storm  quite  frozen  together,  and  could  be  taken 
up  in  large  pieces. 
We  lost  quite  three  parts  of  our  Chrysanthemum  leads  ;  only  a  few 
of  t  he  strongest  escaped  being  broken,  while  the  leaves  were  torn  off  the 
plants  wholesale  and  the  stems  cut  most  severely.  The  Apple,  Pear,  and 
Plum  crops  are  spoiled — at  least,  so  far  as  keeping  qualities  are  con¬ 
cerned,  By  this  post  I  am  forwarding  a  few  specimens  for  your  inspection. 
— J.  Folkard,  Sand  Huttan,  YorTi. 
[The  storm,  judging  by  the  specimens,  must  indeed  have  been  severe. 
Every  fruit  is  pitted  and  cut  in  a  most  lamentable  manner,  and  we 
sympathise  with  our  correspondent.] 
Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  usual  monthly  meeting  of  this  Society  was  held  on  the  12th  inst. 
in  the  Society’s  Rooms,  The  Museum.  Orchard  Street,  where  an  excellent 
and  instructive  essay  (see  page  171)  on  the  Narcissus  or  Daffodil  was 
read  by  Mr.  T.  W.  Birkenshaw,  gardener  to  W.  A.  Milner,  Esq.,  of 
Totley  Hall,  whose  celebrated  and  extensive  collection  of  Daffodils  was 
described  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  April  30th,  1896.  The 
exhibits  for  the  month  were  Tomatoes  and  Pompon  Dahlias.  Some 
excellent  dishes  of  very  fine  Tomatoes  were  exhibited  by  the  professional 
gardeners,  and  the  prizewinners  were  as  follows  : — Mr.  C.  Scott  first, 
Mr.  Wm.  Collier  second,  and  Mr.  C.  Shorten  third.  For  Pompon 
Dahlias,  the  amateurs’  exhibits,  Mr.  Hy.  Broomhead  secured  first,  and 
Mr.  W.  Willgorse  second  prize.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to- 
Mr.  Birkenshaw  for  his  very  valuable  essay,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
Chairman,  Mr.  John  G.  Newsham,  concluded  the  meeting. 
A  DAY  IN  THE  MIDLANDS. 
An  Afternoon  at  Sandbeck. 
As  all  readers  of  the  Journal  will  remember,  the  show  of  the  Worksop 
Rose  Society  was  held  on  Thursday,  July  9th  and  a  brief  report  of  it 
appeared  in  these  columns.  While  there  it  was  deemed  expedient  to 
pay  two  visits,  one  to  Sandbeck  Park  and  the  other  to  Osberton,  to 
manage  which  it  was  essential  that  an  early  start  be  made  from  London. 
Bearing  this  in  mind,  the  departure  was  made  from  King’s  Cross  in  the 
morning  at  7.15,  and  this  train,  being  an  express,  reached  Worksop  just 
after  ten.  The  ride  was  a  comfortable  one,  especially  as  the  dusty 
traveller  was  enabled  to  have  a  refreshing  wash  ere  the  journey  closed.- 
From  the  station  steps  were  directed  straight  for  the  show,  and  this  was 
left  again  at  one  o’clock,  when  the  traveller,  now  under  the  wing  of  Mr. 
George  Summers,  adjourned  for  breakfast.  After  paying  careful  atten- 
