October  7,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
345 
The  splendid  progress  made  in  the  culture  of  that  lovely  flower  called 
rightly  the  “  Queen  of  Autumn  ”  is  evidently  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of 
“  Traveller.”  The  advance  has  been  made  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and 
Chrysanthemum  men  are  in  consequence  justly  proud  of  their  achieve¬ 
ments.  If  there  is  one  class  of  gardeners  who  love  their  work  more  than 
another,  it  is  those  who  take  special  interest  in  Chrysanthemums.  They 
will  work  any  amount  of  extra  hours  to  give  their  plants  the  attention 
they  require  ;  in  fact,  the  special  attention  given  to  Chrysanthemums  is 
invariably  done  after  the-ordinary  hours  of  labour.  Certainly  I  have  not 
yet  seen  a  good  gardener  neglect  other  things  fof  them  ;  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  irsual  to  find  that  where  these  favoured  flowers  are  well  grown,  other 
plants  and  crops  are  well  done  too. 
The  chilly  days  of  autumn  are  upon  us,  and  we  want  something  to 
infuse  a  little  brightness  into  oixr  daily  lives.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  therefore, 
that  “  Traveller  ”  will  carry  out  the  Editorial  suggestion,  and  visit  the 
November  show  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  ;  he  will  there 
find  the  specialists  engaged  in  “  mutual  admiration  ”  rather  than  in 
“  squabbling.”  If  he  will  quietly  fringe  the  circle,  and  then  disclose  his 
identity,  I  fancy  he  will  meet  with  a  warm  reception,  one  not  the  less 
sincere  because  of  his  crushing  blows. — Chrysanthemum  Loter. 
RANUNCULUS  AMPLEXICAULIS. 
This  is  a  very  distinct  and  handsome  plant,  usually  growing  about 
12  inches  high.  The  leaves  are  greyish.  The  flowers  are  pure  white,  in 
some  varieties  stained  with  yellow  towards  the  base.  It  flowers  in  April 
and  May,  and  is  a  native  of  the  Alps  of  Europe.  The  woodcut  represents 
a  spray  from  a  plant  of  this  species  whose  large  white  flowers  are  very  freely 
produced,  and  are  very  attractive.  They  are  also  useful  for  cutting,  as 
they  remain  in  good  condition  for  a  much  longer  period  than  the 
majority  of  single-flowered  Ranunculuses,  and  wherever  simple  flowers 
are  appreciated  the  plant  should  be  grown.  It  is  a  border  plant  of  very 
easy  culture,  thriving  well  without  attention  in  ordinary  garden  soil. 
HYDRANGEA  CULTURE. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  name  any  hardy  flowering  shrubs  more 
suitable  for  growing  in  pots  for  the  many  forms  of  decoration  for  which 
flowering  plants  are  required  than  Hydrangeas.  They  are  comparatively 
easy  to  grow,  and  amateurs  with  a  frame  or  a  few  hand-lights  and  a 
greenhouse  may  grow  them  to  the  same  excellence  as  the  professional 
gardener  with  more  glass  structures  and  greater  accommodation.  The 
latter  by  a  judicious  system  of  treatment  and  forcing,  can  produce  them 
in  succession  over  a  period  of  several  months,  but  with  the  former  this 
can  only  be  accomplished  in  a  very  small  degree,  and  the  amateur  can 
succeed  in  bringing  two  or  three  batches  into  flower  at  difierent  times  so 
as  to  form  a  succession. 
In  order  to  grow  Hydrangeas  well  in  small  pots  it  is  necessary  to  have 
a  few  good  plants  of  two  or  three  varieties  placed  out  in  fertile  garden 
soil  in  an  open  sunny  position.  This  is  the  best  system  for  the  amateur, 
while  those  who  want  to  force  the  plants  into  flower  early  in  the  season 
should  keep  a  few  stock  plants  in  pots.  These  should  have  the  protection 
of  a  cold  frame  until  the  weather  is  sufficiently  genial  to  turn  them  out¬ 
side  without  injury  to  the  foliage  made  ;  in  fact,  prior  to  turning  them 
out  they  must  be  carefully  hardened  so  that  they  are  not  checked  in  their 
growth.  Those  grown  in  pots  will  yield  cuttings  in  suitable  condition 
for  rooting  before  those  are  sufficiently  ripe  on  plants  growing  outside, 
which  can  be  rooted  a  few  weeks  later,  and  thus  form  capital  successions 
to  those  taken  from  plants  in  jiots. 
Propagation. 
Cuttings  from  plants  that  have  been  grown  in  pots  shoidd  be  taken 
without  further  delay,  for  growth  has  ceased  and  flower  buds  are  formed. 
If  left  too  long  the  shoots  become  woody  and  too  hard  to  root  freely  ;  in 
fact,  they  are  a  long  time  rooting  in  that  condition,  and  many  may  fail  to 
form  roots  ;  but  when  taken  as  soon  as  growth  ceases  and  the  formation 
of  the  flower  buds  has  commenced,  the  wood  is  moderately  soft  and  will 
root  quickly  and  freely.  The  cuttings  should  be  2  or  3  inches  in  length, 
and  cut  clean  below  a  pair  of  leaves  with  a  sharp  knife.  The  two  lower 
leaves  need  not  be  removed,  but  inserted  with  the  cuttings  into  the  soil. 
The  cuttings  root  equally  as  well  without  the  leaves  as  when  retained, 
but  they  assist  in  the  development  of  the  flower  bud  already  formed. 
They  should  be  inserted  into  2-inch  pots  in  a  compost  of  gCod  loam  and 
a  little  sand  ;  a  little  of  the  latter  may  be  used  for  the  base  of  the 
cuttings  to  rest  upon.  After  insertion  a  good  watering  should  be  given, 
and  the  cuttings  placed  under  hand-lights  where  a  temperature  of  60°  to 
70°  is  maintained.  The  hand-lights  should  be  made  air-tight  and  kept 
perfectly  close  and  shaded  from  the  sun  until  the  cuttings  are  rooted.  It 
is  possible  to  root  the  cuttings  by  this  method  without  exciting  them  into 
fresh  growth.  I  have  tried  various  ways  of  rooting  them  without  push¬ 
ing  them  into  growth,  and  the  system  devised  has  answered  as  well  as 
any.  If  the  plants  are  left  in  heat  after  they  are  rooted  they  frequently 
start  into  growth,  but  this  must  be  avoided  by  gradually  hardening  them  to 
the  conditions  of  cold  frame.  If  this  is  carefully  done,  and  the  young 
plants  are  given  cool  treatment  as  early  as  possible  after  they  are  rooted, 
they  wUl  not  fail  to  perfect  and  ripen  their  buds  and  stems. 
Preparing  for  Forcing. 
The  young  ]dants  when  rooted  should  be  grown  in  a  cool  place  until 
the  approach  of  frost,  when  they  can  be  placed  in  a  frame  where  frost  can 
be  excluded.  Earliest  plants  usually  occupy  a  position  in  a  vineiy  at  rest 
until  the  commencement  of  the  year,  the  later  plants  being  kept  in  cold 
frames,  and  protected  with  mats  if  occasion  require.  These  plants  are 
hardy  enough  and  will  bear  frost,  but  it  does  them  no  good,  and  therefore 
should  be  avoided,  for  it  frequently  ends  in  the  destruction  of  their  foliage, 
which  I  endeavour  to  preserve. 
Another,  and  a  very  reliable  system  of  preparation  for  early  forcing, 
is  accomplished  by  rooting  a  good  number  of  cuttings  in  the  spring.  The 
cuttings  are  perfectly  soft,  and  thinned  out  from  the  plants  in  cold  frame.s 
after  they  have  made  sufficient  growth  for  the  purpose,  that  are  intended 
to  supply  cuttings  in  late  summer.  These  are  rooted  in  brisk  heat, 
either  in  the  propagating  frame  or  under  hand-lights  in  a  warm  house, 
Pig.  53. — Ranunculus  amplexicaulis. 
Each  cutting  is  inserted  singly  in  a  small  pot,  and  directly  they  are 
rooted  they  are  gradually  hardened  and  placed  in  cold  frames,  giving 
them  abundance  of  air  until  the  weather  is  sufficiently  genial  for  turning 
them  outside.  When  the  small  pots  are  well  crammed  with  roots,  which 
is  generally  the  case  by  the  time  the  plants  are  placed  outside,  they  are 
transferred  into  others  4  inches  in  diameter.  The  soil,  which  consists  of 
good  fibrous  loam,  sand,  and  one-seventh  of  decayed  manure,  is  pressed 
as  firmly  as  possible  into  the  pots  to  insure  a  dwarf  sturdy  growth. 
After  potting,  the  plants  are  arranged  in  an  open  sunny  position. 
Sometimes  they  are  plunged  to  save  labour  in  watering,  but  when  this  is 
done  care  is  taken  not  to  allow  them  to  root  outside  their  pots.  The 
plants  remain  in  this  position  until  autumn,  when  they  are  placed  under 
cover  and  treated  the  same  as  those  rooted  at  this  season  of  the  year. 
These  are  only  potted  once  during  the  season,  and  the  result  is  plants 
with  large  foliage  and  stout  thick  stems  not  more  than  6  inches  high  by 
the  time  they  are  housed.  Plants  prepared  by  this  method  are  certain  to 
produce  early  in  the  season  enormous  heads  of  their  beautiful  flowers. 
-B.  T. 
H.  PANICULATA  GRANDIFLORA. 
Is  this  grand  hardy  shrub  as  extensively  grown  as  it  ought  to  be  1  It 
is  certainly  one  of  the  most  valuable  additions  that  have  been  made  to 
our  shrubberies  of  recent  years.  Its  huge  heads  of  flowers  are  at  the 
present  time  (September)  most  imposing,  and  arrest  the  attention  of  all 
who  see  them.  Its  hardiness,  too,  has  been  proved  for  several  winters, 
which  it  has  passed  through  unscathed  in  the  southern  counties  ;  but  in  a 
garden  in  a  cold  district  in  the  north  it  was  injured,  and  as  it  looked 
