JOURXAL  OF  HOnr  I  CULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
H19 
September  SO,  1S97. 
Cheysanthemums  at  Stoneleigh. 
I  HEXD  for  your  inspection  some  Chrysanthemum  foliage,  taken  from 
plants  which  are  being  grown  on  the  large-bloom  system.  I  think  yoix 
will  agree  that  they  have  ripened  well,  the  enclosed  being  a  fair  sample. 
The  foliage  is  hard  and  leathery,  while  the  wood  also  is  thoroughly  ripe 
and  exceptionally  stout.  “  H.  D.,”  in  liis  remarks  anent  Stoneleigh  in 
your  issue  August  26th,  informs  your  readers  that  he  thinks  the  plants 
will  not  ripen  well,  as  we  lie  too  low  at  Stoneleigh.  Were  “  H.  D.  ’ to 
visit  us  again  now  I  am  strongly  of  opinion  that  he  would  alter  his 
opinion. — H.  T.  ^Maetik,  Stoneleigh  Abbey,  Keniluorth. 
[The  leaves  sent  by  our  correspondent,  as  representing  the  condition 
of  those  on  all  the  plants  under  his  charge,  are  excellent ;  indeed,  they 
are  amongst  the  best  we  have  seen.  They  are  wonderfully  stout,  clean, 
and  veiw  deep  in  colour.  If  it  were  wise  to  prophesy  by  leaves  we  should 
say  there  will  be  some  magnificent  blooms  on  the  Stoneleigh  jdants.] 
A  Note  feom  Ieeland.' 
OXCE  again  the  season  for  housing  the  Chrysanthemums  has  come. 
It  will  be  later  this  year  in  Ireland  than  usual,  the  flowers  in  general 
being  more  backward — indeed,  few  that  I  have  seen  are  as  yet  showing- 
colour.  The  wet  and  cold  of  August  seem  to  have  retarded  bud 
formation,  but  the  weather  for  the  ])ast  three  weeks  has  been  ideal — bright 
sunshine  all  day  with  heavy  dews  at  night.  Everywhere  the  plants  look 
promising,  though  mildew  has  been  very  prevalent  in  our  collection.  We 
are  in  a  very  low  position  in  the  centre  of  the  Bog  of  Allen,  surrounded 
by’  lakes  and  rivers. 
It  is  very  interesting  to  me  to  watch  the  newer  varieties  swell  their 
buds.  Yellow  Cai’not  from  second  crown  buds  is  very  promising,  keeping 
the  bottom  foliage  much  better  than  its  parent.  One  of  the  worst  for 
losing  foliage  is  Baron  A.  de  Rothschild.  The  following  new  vai’ieties 
have  very  promising  buds,  and  will  probably  be  seen  on  the  exhibition 
board  this  year  Mrs.  G.  W.  Palmer,  Royal  Standard,  Royal  Sovereign, 
!Mrs.  C.  Keysei',  INIadame  J.  Chaure,  Australian  Gold,  INlodesto,  Mr.  A.  G. 
Hubbock,  iirs.  D.  iJewar,  and  j\I.  Gustave  Henry.  Some  plants  of 
W.  Wright  seem  very  late,  also  .loseph  Brookes,  Mrs.  R.  Jones,  Mrs.  J. 
Shrimpton,  and  Mrs.  H.  Weeks,  the  latter  pinched  the  first  week  of 
February,  and  some  plants  only  setting  their  buds  during  the  past  week, 
although  The  Queen,  pinched  at  the  same  time,  set  at  the  end  of  August. 
— W.  T. 
Seasonable  Notes. 
In  consequence  of  the  varying  conditions  under  which  Chrysanthemums 
are  grown  owing  to  the  difference  in  the  practice  of  cultivators  and  in  the 
climatic  conditions  of  districts,  it  is  somewhat  difficult  in  referring  to  the 
treatment  naturally  grown  plants  for  the  production  of  exhibition  blooms 
should  receive,  to  fix  on  a  starting  point.  Much  depends  on  the  strength 
of  the  plants,  the  firmness  of  the  wood,  and  the  treatment  they  have 
hitherto  received. 
At  the  outset  I  will  call  attention  to  a  matter  of  the  greatest  import¬ 
ance,  and  that  is  the  application  of  a  rich  top-dressing.  We  top-dress 
our  plants  at  the  end  of  .1  uly  or  early  in  August,  a  space  of  about  2'  inches 
being  left  at  the  final  potting  for  this  purpose.  About  an  inch  of  the 
material  to  be  used  is  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  pots  and  pressed  down 
rather  firmly,  the  application  being  made  when  the  soil  in  the  pots  is 
moderately’  dry,  so  that  it  does  not  work  into  a  paste.  The  mixture  used 
for  top-dressing  consists  of  one  paxt  of  loam,  one  part  of  decayed  manure, 
a  small  amount  of  old  mortar,  and  a  sprinkling  of  bonemeal.  For  some 
time  afterwards  the  plants  are  watered  with  a  can,  to  which  a  rose  is 
affixed  to  avoid  the  risk  of  the  top-dressing  being  washed  out  of  its  place, 
or.  indeed,  being  greatly  disturbed. 
Whatever  feeding  the  plants  may  have  had  previous  to  this  surface 
dressing  shoitld  be  continued  afterwards,  as  the  top-dressing  has  no 
immediate  effect  unless  a  fertiliser  of  (juick  action  be  added  to  it.  But 
the  addition  of  manure  that  will  act  rapidly’  I  do  not  think  absolutely 
necessary,  although  I  used  it  previous  to  last  year.  Now  if  the  surface 
material  be  examined  about  three  or  four  weeks  after  the  application, 
strong  healthy  roots  ^vill  be  found  working  their  way  through  it,  and 
when  the  time  arrives  for  housing  the  plants  the  surface  will  be  seen  to 
be  more  or  less  covered  with  these  healthy  vigorous  feeders.  In  my 
opinion  nothing  can  be  of  greater  assistance  in  the  taking  up  of  supplies 
of  food  so  essential  to  the  plants  during  the  development  of  the  buds  than 
these  newly  formed  fibrous  root^i.  This  may  at  first  apjiear  to  have 
little  bearing  on  the  future  treatment  of  the  plants.  I  have,  however, 
explained  this  to  show  the  condition  the  plants  must  be  in  as  regards 
root  action. 
Having,  then,  secured  a  number  of  newly  formed  rootlets  for  the 
taking  up  of  the  food,  we  now  feed  chiefly  with  Clay’s  fertiliser  and 
Thomson’s  Vine  manure.  These  we  use  alternately,  at  intervals  of  about 
eight  day.s,  but  in  this  matter  we  are  guided  by  the  state  of  the  weather. 
If  prolonged  dull  wet  weather  sets  in,  the  manures  must  be  used  more 
sparingly’,  so  as  not  to  cause  too  quick  a  growth,  or  the  flower  stems  will 
be  weak  and  the  blooms  lacking  in  substance. 
The  feeding  is  continued  after  the  formation  of  the  flower  buds, 
with  an  occasional  watering  with  liquid  manure  from  the  cess])Ool, 
as  a  change  of  food  is,  I  believe,  very  beneficial  to  them.  The 
water  used  is  previously  placed  in  a  large  tub  standing  in  the  open, 
fully  e.xposed  to  atmospheric  influences  ;  hence  it  is  maintained  at  a  some¬ 
what  similar  temperature  to  that  of  the  soil  about  the  roots.  As  a  still 
further  assistance  to  the  plants  a  bag  containing  soot  is  placed  in  this  tub. 
This  bag  is  refilled  with  soot  about  once  a  fortnight,  as  the  goodness  is 
found  to  be  washed  out  of  the  soot  in  about  that  period.  The  plants  are 
fed  in  this  way  until  the  blooms  commence  to  expand,  when  all  feeding 
ceases,  excepting  when  the  Iflooin  is  late.  Then  a  little  sulphate  of 
ammonia  is  applied.  But  I  do  not  advise  the  use  of  the  sulphate  excepting 
for  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  bringing  forward  late  varieties,  as  it  tends 
to  shorten  the  durability  of  the  blooms  after  their  expansion. 
Mildew  is  a  most  troublesome  disease,  and  generally  makes  its  apjjear- 
ance  with  us  early  in  September,  Sometimes  it  attacks  the  plants  earlier, 
and  this  season  they  were  attacked  at  the  'end  of  August.  IMy  garden  ifr 
situated  in  a  low-lying  spot,  and  consequently  the  Chrysanthemums  are 
more  subject  to  its  attacks  than  are  those  grown  in  gardens  occupying  a 
higher  and  drier  situation.  On  its  first  appeai-ance  every  plant  is  dusted 
with  flowers  of  sulphur,  usually  early  in  the  morning  when  the  leaves  are 
wet  with  dew,  as  the  sulphur  will  then  adhere  to  the  under  surface.  This 
is  a  very  important  point,  as  the  rain  cannot  remove  it  from  the  under 
surface  as  it  does  from  the  upper  surface.  We  seldom  have  to  repeat  its 
application,  and  I  have  not  on  any  occasion  since  adopting  this  practice 
been  troubled  with  mildew  after  housing  the  plants.  Also  after  the  plants 
are  housed  and  before  the  blooms  commence  e.xpanding  we  fumigate 
slightly  two  or  three  times  to  free  the  plants  from  aphis  that  may 
remain. 
Late  varieties  are  placed  on  the  side  stages  of  the  greenhouse  over  the 
hot-w’ater  pipes,  and  by  means  of  flower  pots  are  raised  as  near  to  the  glass 
as  possible.  These  receive  a  little  sulphate  of  ammonia  twice  a  week,  and 
when  the  solar  influences  are  not  favourable  a  little  artificial  heat  must  be 
applied.  The  cultivator  must  use  his  own  judgment  as  to  the  time  of 
housing  his  plants,  taking  into  consideration  the  locality  in  which  he 
resides  and  the  state  of  the  buds  (whether  late  or  early),  and  also  what 
means  at  his  command  for  coaching  them.  These  are  important  points 
which  will  repay  a  little  study,  and  certainly  cannot  be  ignored  by  those 
who  would  achieve  success  in  a  close  competition. 
Having  stated  how  our  late  varieties  are  treated,  I  w’ill  allude  to  the 
general  collection.  The  earliest  varieties,  which  require  very  little  fire 
heat— ue.,  only  sufficient  to  maintain  a  dry  atmosphere,  are  jdaced  in  an 
early  vinery  ;  and  those  that  are  naturally  a  little  later  are  arranged 
upon  the  centre  stage  of  the  greenhouse.  All  are  raised  as  near  to  the 
glass  as  possible  by  means  of  planks  laid  on  drain  pipes  placed  in  an 
upright  position  on  the  stage.  The  plants  are  placed  on  the  platform 
thus  provided,  the  tallest  being  arranged  at  the  back  and  the  dwarf  ones 
towards  the  front.  The  plants  nearest  the  front  are  raised  by  means  of 
various  sized  flower  pots,  so  that  when  all  is  complete  they  form  a  very 
sharp  slope  to  the  south.  By  this  arrangement  the  u])per  growth  of 
every  plant  receives  a  full  share  of  light  and  air  — a  matter  of  great 
importance  if  good  blooms  are  expected.  Again,  every  bud  can  be  seen 
when  the  cultivator  is  standing  in  front  of  them,  so  that  should  they 
require  attention  a  plant  or  two  can  easily  be  removed  for  that  ]iur])Ose. 
In  conclusion,  I  should  like  to  refer  to  one  further  important  point, 
and  that  is  arranging  the  colours  on  the  exhibition  board.  I  have  noticed 
scores  of  stands  arranged  with  sometimes  as  many  as  four,  and  even  six, 
blooms  of  a  bronze  or  other  dark  shade  placed  together.  This  is  not  as 
it  should  be,  for  by  judicious  intermingling  of  the  light  and  dark  shades 
of  colour  each  bloom  will  add  to  the  eflect  of  its  neighbour,  and  conse¬ 
quently  to  the  attractions  of  the  exhibition  table.  It  may  also  make  all 
the  difference  between  a  first  or  second  place  in  a  close  competition. 
-D.  ,T. 
THE  CHHYSANTHEMLAl  SEASON. 
The  advent  of  October  brings  us  on  the  very  threshold  of  the  inter¬ 
esting  period  during  which  the  ever--vvelcome  Chrysanthemum  commences 
its  annual  reign.  There  is  reason  to  hope  that  the  season  will  be  a  good 
one.  Plants  on  every  hand  appear  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
Strong  growths  have  been  made,  and  where  these  have  been  thinly  dis¬ 
posed  leaves  of  firm  substance  developed,  buds  appearing  at  or  near  the 
proper  time.  Though  the  month  of  September  has  not  been  of  the  driest 
and  wai’mest  character,  there  has  been  an  absence  of  devastating  gales. 
Several  periods  of  very  wet  weather  have  rendered  the  roots  and  soil 
moist  without  giving  supplies  of  water  for  a  day  or  two  ;  nor  could  feed¬ 
ing  with  liquid  manure  be  carried  out.  However,  advantages  lost  in  one 
way  were  gained  in  another.  The  foliage  received  a  thorough  washing, 
and  plants  are  l)etter  for  the  cleansing. 
Housing. 
The  most  important  work  at  the  present  time  is  housing  the  plants. 
Few  varieties  except  late  plants,  which  may  be  kept  out  some  time  yet, 
derive  any  advantage  from  a  longer  sojourn  in  the  open  air.  What  is 
needed  is  a  steady  progressive  swelling  of  the  buds  in  a  continuously 
regular  temperature.  Plants  which  are  left  out  must  be  afforded  some 
protection  during  a  spell  of  frosty  nights,  which,  if  not  coming  sooner, 
may  be  expected  diu’ing  the  last  three  weeks  of  October. 
It  is  advisable  to  prepare  for  housing  in  good  time,  so  that  there  is  no 
rush  and  hurry  at  the  last  moment.  The  arrangements  ought  to  be  such 
that  jilants  may  be  taken  in  and  placed  in  a  position  most  suitable  for 
them  to  occupy,  in  order  that  the  buds  may  swell  and  the  flowers  develop 
without  damping.  Damping  is  frequently  caused,  though  it  may  not  be 
the  only  cause,  by  plants  being  placed  too  near  the  glass,  especially  in  a 
