34 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  9,  1902. 
Chrysanthemums  in  Vases. 
Another  season’s  experience  gained  by  a  tour  of  the  most 
important  shows  convinces  me  more  than  ever  that  the  arrange¬ 
ment  of  cut  blooms  in  vases  is  distinctly  increasing  in  favour, 
and  that  the  days  of  the  stand,  cup,  and  tube  ai'e  numbered. 
Even  a  scei:)tic  in  this  had  but  to  examine  those  lovely  Japanese 
blooms  in  what  is  now  recognised  as  the  “  great  vase  class  ”  at 
the  Aquarium,  and  then  take  a  view  of  the  best  of  them  on  the 
ordimry  stands;  and  if  he  still  honestly  believes  that  the  latter 
is  still  the  best  method  of  staging  Chrysanthemums,  well,  he 
must  have  further  demonstrations  of  a  forcible  character. 
I  would  then  take  such  a  sceptic  to  the  autumn  show  of  the 
■Scottish  Horticultural  Association,  held  in  the  spacious  Waverley 
Market  Hall,  where  as  many  as  fifteen  classes  are  provided  for 
blooms  a-ranged  in  vases.  There,  although  the  show  is  visited 
by  30,000  persons,  few  appeal'  to  take  more  than  a  passing  glance 
at  the  blooms  arranged  in  the  ordinary  stand,  excepting,  of 
wurse,  those  intimately  concerned  in  the  exhibits.  It  is  difficult 
indeed  there  to  get  near  the  leading  exhibits  in  the  vases,  so 
enraptured  are  the  visitors  with  those  classes.  Apart  from  the 
interest^  displayed  by  the  ordinai-y  visitor  in  the  .vases  as  com¬ 
pared  with  the  older-fashioued  method  of  showing  off  the  blooms, 
there  is  no  comparison  whatever  in  the  usefulness  of  the  principle 
of  arranging  one  or  more  blooms  in  vases  as  compared  to  that 
of  placing  them  in  tubes  and  cups.  In  the  former  the  flowers 
can  be  seen  in  a  natural  manner  as  though  they  were  still  grow¬ 
ing  on  the  plant.  Their  natural  habit  need  not  be  distorted  in 
any  way.  Not  only  are  the  Japanese  staged  in  vases  with  such 
good  results  at  the  N.C.S.  show,  but  this  year  a  cl^s  was  made 
for  incurved  as  well  as  Anemone-flowered  varieties,  and  a  dis¬ 
tinct  success  was  obtained,  especially  with  the  formal  incurved 
blossoms. 
^  I  for  one  have  for  years  considered  this  section  quite  un¬ 
suited  for  effective  arrangement  in  vases,  but  after  inspecting 
the  exhibits  in  the  class  alluded  to  I  must  alter  my  opinion. 
Magnificent  were  the  blooms  of  such  varieties  as  Ma  Perfection, 
Hanwell  Glory,  Duchess  of  Fife,  Louisa  Giles,  and  Globe  d’Or, 
arranged,  as  they  were,  in  vases,  the  blooms  supported  with 
neat  stakes,  so  placed  as  to  be  quite  unobtrusive.  When  the 
blooms  are  well  grown — deep  and  solid — they  possess  a  decora¬ 
tive  value,  not  perhaps  with  that  graceful  character  which  so 
many  of  the  drooping  type  possess  in  the  Japanese  section,  but 
Btill  quite  handsome  in  the  eye  of  those  who  appreciate  quality 
in  a  Chrysanthemum.  Flowers  tha,t_lack  depth  and  solidity  of 
petal  owing  to  faulty  cultural  conditions,  require,  very  often,  a 
close-fitting  cap  and  tube  to  close  up  the  florets  and  hide  the 
defective  centre.  Such  blooms  as  the  latter  would  bring  the 
vase  method  of  arrangement  into  bad  odour  very  quickly,  but 
these  are  not  the  class  of  blossoms  to  rule  an  improvement  in 
method,  but  the  reverse. 
When  vases  too  narrow  in  diameter  are  employed,  it  is  not 
easy  to  arrange  the  blooms  in  such  a  manner  that  each  one 
can  stand  clear  of  its  neighbour.  Especially  is  this  troublesome 
when  five  _  specimens  of  such  varieties  as  Madame  Carnot  are 
employed  in  one  vase. 
It  is  difficult  to  arrange  effectively  blooms  like  these  that 
measure  as  much  as  lOin  in  diameter.  When  one  flower  over¬ 
laps  another  the  beauty  of  outline  is  lost,  and  individual  charac¬ 
ter  falsified. 
Were  it  not  for  the  employment  of  vases  we  should  not 
see  the  magnificent  displays  annually  at  York,  Ipswich,  and 
Winchester,  which  are  made  with  what  are  known  as  decorative 
varieties  in  a  stipulated  number  of  sprays  undisbudded.  Without 
this  method  of  arrangement  such  useful  sorts  as  Lady  Selborne,' 
Elaine,  Etoile  de  Feu,  Adelaide  Russell,  Source  d’Or,  Mrs.  E.  V. 
Freeman,  Souvenir  de  Madame  Menier,  Ettie  Mitchell,  and  La 
Tromphante,  and  one  and  all  are  quite  unfit  for  exhibition 
individually  as  cut  blooms. 
No  better  method  of  staging  Pompon  and  Anemone  Pompon 
varieties  is  in  existence  than  in  vases.  At  Hull,  yearly,  quite 
one  of  the  most  interesting  exhibits  is  that  of  the  Run  die 
family,  arranged  three  stems,  each  carrying  a  single  bloom,  in  a 
vase  with  their  own  foliage  attached.  Single  flowered  varieties 
are  specially  adapted  to  vase  decoration,  either  as  cultivated 
to  produce  large  blooms  or  when  grown  in  a  mass  undisbudded. 
Magnificent  were  the  thirteen  vases  of  this  type  staged  at  the 
Edinburgh  show  in  the  class  for  a  vase  of  single  flowered  Chrys¬ 
anthemums.  Whether  the  exhibitor  adhered  to  one  variety  or 
included  several,  all  were  good  exhibits.  It  is  difficult  to  con¬ 
ceive  finer  exliibits  for  effect  or  usefulness  than  the  first  and 
second  prize  stands,  one  filled  with  Miss  A.  Holden,  and  the 
other  Mary  Anderson,  each  with  not  less  than  two  dozen  hand¬ 
some  full  grown  blooms,  and  so  arranged  that  every  flower  could 
be  seen — no  crowding — a  really  fine  drawing-room  ornament. 
No  such  effect  could  have  been  obtained  by  employing  the  same 
flowers  on  stands. 
At  Ip.swich,  a  capital  class  was  that  for  spidery  flowering 
sorts.  Although,  if  but  few  competitors  took  part,  the  exhibits 
were  interesting,  and  illustrated  thoroughly  the  value  of  the 
principle  of  arrangement  of  varieties  like  Mrs.  J.  Carter,  Sam 
Caswell  and  Silk  Twist  are  pretty  so  arranged  with  their  own 
foliage,  nothing  more  is  needed  to  give  effect.  If  some  society 
could  be  bold  enough  to  sweep  away  all  the  stands  and  arrange 
a  schedule  of  prizes  without  them,  I  am  certain  they  would  soon 
find  imitators.  In  conversation  with  one  of  the  leading  officials 
at  the  Edinburgh  show  I  suggested  this  to  him.  The  reply  was, 
“  The  boards  give  an  opportunity  to  the  little  man  to  show  his 
half-dozen  blooms.”  I  say  these  half-dozens  can  be  shown  just  as 
well  in  two  vases,  or  even  in  one,  and  less  trouble,  too,  to  set 
them  up. — E.  Molynetjx,  V.M.H. 
Future  Progress  of  BriM  Gardening. 
The  improvement  of  gardening,  like  that  of  every  art  or  com¬ 
modity,  necessarily  depends  on  demand  and  production.  These 
causes  operate  reciprocally  on  each  other;  a  nicety  of  taste  in 
the  purchase  of  vegetables  and  fruits  exposed  in  public  markets 
will  occasion  articles  of  better  quality  being  brought  there; 
and  articles  of  a  superior  quality,  by  improving  and  rendering 
more  fastidious  the  taste  of  the  purchaser,  wdl  ensure  the  con¬ 
tinuance  of  their  production. 
In  like  manner,  if  those  who  have  private  gardens  were  a 
little  more  difficult  to  please  in  selecting  a  gardener,  and  in 
the  quality  of  produce  sent  to  table,  the  consequence  would  be 
an  improvement  in  that  produce,  and  more  scientific  gardeners. 
Gardeners  of  greater  scientific  attainments  would  surprise  and 
delight,  by  their  superior  fruits  and  flowers,  and  the  greater 
order,  beauty,  and  high  keeping  of  their  gardens ;  and  the  habits 
of  both  parties  accommodating  themselves  to  this  improved  state 
of  things  would  be  the  ground  on  which  to  rely  for  its  continu¬ 
ance.  In  this  view  of  the  subject  the  further  progress  of  garden¬ 
ing  depends  on  two  causes — the  improvement  of  the  taste  of 
the  patrons  of  gardening,  and  the  improvement  of  the  science 
and  art  of  practical  gardeners.— (Loudon,  in  his  “  Encyclopaedia 
of  Gardening.”) 
Forced  Pot  Vines. 
So  soon  as  the  fruit  is  set,  attention  should  be  given  to 
thinning  the  berries,  removing  the  smallest  first,  and  allow¬ 
ing  sufficient  room  for  the  berries  to  swell  to  their  full  size 
without  wedging  or  crushing  each  other,  yet  leaving  enough 
to  form  a  compact,  S3"mmetrical  bunch.  Water  copiously 
with  liquid  manure,  keeping  the  evaporation  troughs 
charged  with  liquid,  loz  guano  to  each  gallon  of  water,  dis¬ 
solving  the  guano,  and  straining  before  use.  Where  there 
are  no  evaporation  troughs  on  the  hot  water  pipes,  the  floor 
and  pit  edges  may  be  sprinkled  occasionally  with  liquid 
manure  in  the  afternoon. 
Encourage  growth  above  the  fruit,  yet  only  as  much  as 
can  have  exposure  to  light.  Surface  dress  the  soil  with 
sweet  short  manure,  and  when  roots  are  freely  emitted  from 
the  collar,  some  turves  may  be  placed  on,  round,  and  over 
the  rims,  extending  a  couple  of  inches  on  the  inside  and 
outside. 
Press  the  fermenting  material  down,  and  add  to  it  from 
time  to  time,  so  as  to  keep  level  with  the  rims  of  the  pots, 
but  do  not  raise  the  temperature  about  the  pots  above 
75deg.  When  the  roots  are  working  freely  in  the  top 
dressing,  they  will  greedily  absorb  nourishment,  which 
should  be  supplied  by  sprinkling  a  little  of  some  approved 
fertiliser  on  the  surface  at  intervals  of  a  fortnight.  Bone 
and  blood  manure  have  special  value  for  Yines. 
The  temperature  should  range  from  65deg  to  70deg  at 
night,  VOdeg  to  75deg  by  day,  SOdeg  to  Sodeg  from  sun  heat, 
admitting  air  at  75deg,  and  closing  early,  so  as  to  raise  it  to 
85de!?  or  90deg  with  sun  heat,  damping  the  paths  and  borders 
at  closing  time  or  early  in  the  afternoon.  Syringing  the 
Vines  ought  not  to  be  practised,  as  there  is  always  danger 
of  the  water  leaving  a  deposit  on  the  berries, — ^A. 
