496 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTURF  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
November  26, 1897. 
About  the  middle  of  September  the  bulbs  are  lifted  and  laid  in  a 
shed,  and  the  ground  is  then  raked  over  and  planted  at  once  with 
spring  Cabbage.  Seed  of  E  Ham’s  Early  is  sown  thinly  in  an  open 
place  about  the  middle  of  August,  the  young  plants  being  placed 
direct  from  the  seed  bed,  1  foot  apart  each  way.  A  little  soil  is 
drawn  up  to  stems  in  October  to  steady  them,  and  in  the  spring  the 
ground  is  sprinkled  with  soot,  and  liquid  manure  run  between  the 
rows.  We  commence  cutting  about  the  middle  of  April,  and  these 
are  sold  wholesale  at  8d.  a  dozen. 
From  the  middle  to  the  end  of  June  the  Cabliage  arc  cleared  off, 
and  Celery  trenches  are  thrown  out,  2  feet  wide  and  12  inches  eleep,  a 
space  of  4  feet  l>eing  left  between  the  rows  for  earthing.  By  this  time 
the  Mushroom  beds  are  exhausted,  when  a  good  dressing  of  this 
manure  is  wheeled  and  dug-in.  The  trenches  are  then  thoroughly 
soaked  with  clear  water,  and  the  following  day  with  manure  water ;  and 
when  the  soil  has  dried  a  little  the  plants  are  put  out  two  rows  in  a 
trench  9  inches  by  a  foot.  They  are  well  watered  after  planting,  and 
for  several  evenings  are  damped  over  with  a  coarse  rose  watering  pot. 
Earthing-up  is  done  at  two  or  three  times,  commencing  at  the  middle 
of  September.  We  grow  Sulham’s  Prize  Pink,  of  which  the  seeds  are 
sown  from  the  end  of  March  to  the  middle  of  April.  The  seedlings 
are  pricked  out  on  a  temporary  hotbed,  and  from  which  a  crop  of 
Lettuce  has  been  cut.  The  price  we  get  is  from  Is.  6d.  to  2s.  per 
dozen  sticks.  To  this  must  be  added  a  crop  of  Lettuce,  that  is  taken 
from  the  spaces  between  the  rows,  and  sold  for  6d.  per  dozen.  Before 
sowing  the  Lettuce  seed,  drills  are  drawm  and  soaked  with  liquid 
manure. 
I  have  stated  what  we  are  in  the  habit  of  doing,  because  we  think 
people  in  their  own  neighbourhood  should  supply  the  local  market 
instead  of  sending  to  other  towns  and  other  lands  for  what  is  required. 
We  have  little  encouragement  to  grow  for  market,  and  the  only 
unpleasantness  is  in  having  too  much  for  our  requirements.  It  has 
been  for  some  years  the  custom  to  sell  a  little,  allowing  10  per  cent, 
commission.  I  find  £10  useful  for  my  own  pocket,  and,  besides, 
believe  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  have  anything  to  do  with  land  to 
get  as  much  out  of  it  as  possible.  What  land  by  a  few  years’ 
judicious  working  can  be  made  to  produce  but  too  few  have  any 
conception.— S.  B.  0. 
HINTS  ON  JUD&INO  GROUPS  AND  PLANTS. 
Much  has  been  written  about  the  methods  practised  in  judging 
cut  blooms.  Little,  however,  has  been  said  with  regard  to  the 
adjudicating  of  plants,  either  singly  or  collectively.  There  are  many 
persons  who  do  not  grow  Chrysanthemums  for  the  purpose  of  exhibit¬ 
ing  them  in  a  cut  state,  yet  do  much  tow.ard  the  embellishment  of  an 
exhibition  by  contributing  plants  in  some  form  or  other.  Such 
growers,  then,  are  entitled  to  as  much  consideration  as  those  who 
compete  in  the  cut  bloom  section.  I  do  not  say  that  plant  growers  do 
not  have  their  products  thoroughly  and  well  estimated,  but  there  exists 
some  confusion  as  to  the  manner  D  which  the  relative  merit  of 
individual  exhibits  are  pronounced. 
Chrysanthemums  in  groups  occupy  at  many  exhibitions  a  strong 
feature,  indeed  they  add  as  much,  if  not  more,  to  the  general  beauty 
of  a  show,  than  all  the  cut  blooms.  As  in  judging  the  latter  there  is 
a  want  of  unanimity  amongst  exhibitors  and  visitors  as  to  the  position 
in  which  certain  exhibits  are  placed.  Judges  have  to  consider  the 
wording  of  the  schedule,  where  they  learn  the  requirements  of  the 
committee  as  to  the  points  of  excellence  that  a  certain  group  should 
contain.  At  one  show  where  1  assisted  in  judging,  my  colleagues 
and' myself  incurred  the  displeasure  of  certain  members  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  for  awarding  the  first  prize  in  a  group  class  contrary  to  their 
wishes,  but  quite  in  accordance  with  the  specification  laid  down  in  the 
schedule.  Briefly,  the  wording  was  thus:  “Group  of  Chrysanthe¬ 
mums  and  green  foliage  plants  arranged  for  effect.”  The  plants  in 
the  first  prize  exhibit  were  arranged  in  an  undulated  manner,  without 
the  slightest  sign  of  crowding;  every  bloom  could  be  distinctly  seen, 
the  plants  being  nicely  interspersed  with  Palms,  the  whole  presenting 
a  pleasing  appearance.  We  had  no  hesitation  in  placing  this  group 
first.  ^  The  second  prize  exhibit  was  a  sloping  bank-like  arrrangement, 
not  lightly  arranged,  but  the  individual  quality  of  the  blooms  was 
superior  to  those  in  the  first  prize  group.  At  six  o’clock  I  was  told 
that  we  had  made  a  mistake ;  it  was  quality,  pure  and  simple,  in  the 
Chrysanthemum  blooms  that  they  intended  to  encourage.  Here  was 
an  instance,  then,  of  wrongly  wording  the  class  in  the  schedule. 
As  a  rule  the  prizes  are  offered  for  a  “group  of  Chrysanthemums, 
quality  and  general  effect  to  be  the  leading  features.”  In  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  the  idea  is  to  encourage  quality  of  bloom  and  a  sensible 
method  of  disposing  -without  recourse  to  the  “  packing  ”  method  of 
arrangement.  It  is  not  possible  to  lay  dowm  a  hard-and-fast  rule  of 
the  points  of  excellence  to  be  found  or  required  in  groups  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  as  compared  in  judging  cut  blooms.  So  many  points  go 
to  render  one  particular  group  better  than  its  neighbour.  Every 
judue  of  my  acquaintance  prefers  dwarf  plants  to  tall  ones,  but  at 
times  a  4-foot  plant  will  have  superior  blooms  to  that  1  foot  less. 
The  dwarf  one  may  not  have  good  foliage,  or  the  plants  may  be 
huddled  together  so  as  to  render  each  variety  almost  unrecognisable. 
Hhis  particular  dwarf  plant  has  but  one  point  of  excellence,  whereas 
the  taller  has  others  also. 
Groups  of  Chrysanthemums  alone  must  be  judged  upon  combina¬ 
tion  principles.  First  the  plants  should  be  dwarf,  well  clothed  -wuth 
_ foliage,  especially  the  front  row.  Each  should  carry  large  fully 
developed  blooms  of  good  colour  and  be  quite  fresh.  Above  all  they 
must  not  be  so  crowded  together  as  to  lose  individuality.  The 
situation  the  group  occupies  must  be  considered  a  little,  but  a  smooth, 
flat,  sloping  form  of  arrangement  is  objectionable.  A  little  variation 
in  the  manner  of  disposing  of  the  plants  is  well,  and  it  is  surprising 
how  a  few  good  blooms  elevated  above  their  neighbours  enhance  the 
appearance  of  a  group.  The  greater  the  variety  of  form  the  blooms 
contain  the  more  distinctly  is  it  a  representative  group  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums.  In  no  case,  however,  should  this  latter  point  be  allow'ed 
to  carry  weight  if  the  individual  blooms  -are  not  of  good  quality,  but 
simply  placed  there  to  include  all  sections.  What  we  want  to  see 
is  excellence  of  bloom,  not  mediocrity. 
Some  exhibitors  so  arrange  tl:ieir  plants  that  the  front  row,  although 
dwarf,  stand  upon  pots  8  or  10  inches  high,  simply  with  the  idea  of 
preserving  the  sloping  face  consequent  upon  the  plants  being  too 
tall  at  the  back.  Such  instances  as  this  need  condemnation.  The 
front  row  of  plants  should  in  all  cases  stand  on  the  floor.  If  the 
regulations  allow  of  the  pots  being  hidden  by  foliage  plants  or  other 
device,  all  well  and  good,  but  a  clean  one  containing  a  plant  clothed 
with  healthy  leaves  down  to  the  soil  cannot  be  very  objectionable. 
Some  groups  are  a  mere  forest  of  white  stakes,  so  plentifully  is  this 
method  of  supporting  the  plants  and  blooms  persisted  in.  This  is  a 
most  objectionable  practice,  and  one  that  should  receive  the  most 
pronounced  condemnation.  The  reasonable  exhibitor  who  Mipports 
his  plants  with  stakes  of  an  invisible  coloui-,  and  Ws  blcoms  by  the 
aid  of  thin  wire,  should  surely  reap  some  advantage. 
I  have  dealt  rather  lengthily  with  Chrysan'hemums  in  groups  only, 
and  I  will  now  make  a  few  remarks  about  what  I  will  term  the  com¬ 
bination  group  classes — viz.,  the  incluJon  of  foliage  and  other  flowering 
plants;  to  show  the  Chrysanthemum  in  its  utilitarian  point  of  vievv 
when  combined  with  other  decorative  plants.  Committees  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  societies  have,  almost  without  exception,  recognised  the 
fiict  that  a  combination  of  Chrysanthemums  and  other  plants  creates  a 
more  pleasing  and  valuable  effect  than  do  Chrysanthemums  alone. 
The  visitor  wearies  of  such  a  glare  of  colour  year  after  year ;  and 
besides,  combination  groups  have  a  greater  educational  value. 
Perhaps  the  most  effective  groups  are  those  where  the  addition  to 
Chrysanthemums  is  confined  wholly  to  foliage  plants.  It  is  some¬ 
what  difficult  to  obtain  the  right  kind  of  flowering  plants  to  associate 
harmoniously  with  the  Chrysanthemums  in  possession.  Not  so, 
however,  with  foliage  plants,  as  Palms,  Crotons,  Eulalias,  and  Bamboos 
lend  themselves  so  effectively  to  the  relief  of  the  liighly  coloured 
Chrysanthemum  blossoms.  The  point  of  first  consideration  is  the 
individual  quality  of  the  latter;  in  this  case  the  Japanese  varieties  are  the 
most  effective.  Not  only  should  the  plants  be  dwarf,  but  thoroughly  well 
clothed  with  healthy  leaves,  and  displayed  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
plant  itself,  irrespective  of  the  blooms,  is  a  feature  of  the  group. 
Crotons  grown  on  single  stems,  not  more  than  a  yard  high,  with 
drooping  distinctly  coloured  leaves,  are  unsurpassed  fur  this  form  of 
decoration,  and  such  should  have  due  weight  accorded  them  by  the 
judges.  In  a  group  of  this  kind  pots  ought  not  to  be  visible,  as  so 
many  opportunities  present  tliemselves  of  hiding  them.  The  rule 
must  be  strictly  enforced  that  all  plants  are  growing  in  pots  and  not 
merely  limbs  cut  off  and  inserted  in  pots  for  the  time  being.  An 
exhibitor  who  does  this  secures  an  undue  advantage  over  his  opponent 
who  cultivates  his  plants  successfully.  The  better  the  quality  of  the 
moss  employed  for  covering  the  pots  the  greater  the  advantage  an 
exhibitor  would  obtain. 
A  summary  of  points,  then,  in  judging  combination  groups  would 
be  quality  of  individual  portions  of  the  material  employed,  and  light¬ 
ness  in  arrangement  with  harmony  of  colouring.  For  instance,  -the 
base  of  a  mound  from  which  a  highly  coloured  Croton  Warreni  rises, 
should  not  be  composed  of  Cullingfordi  Chrysanthemums,  or  again, 
Eulalia  japonica  marginata  must  not  rise  above  a  group  of  Elsie  or 
Elaine  Chrysanthemums. 
