October  24,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
381 
Coming  Chrysanthemum  Shows. 
The  following  fixtures  are  advertised  : — 
Battersea,  Nov.  1st. 
Bradford,  Nov.  15th. 
Brighton.  Nov.  12th 
Bristol,  Nov.  13t.h. 
Cardiff,  Nov.  5th. 
Croydon,  Oct.  29th 
Derby,  Nov.  1st, 
Eecles  (Manchester),  Nov.  6th 
Evesham,  Nov.  6th. 
Hull,  Nov.  13th. 
N  a  t  i  o  n  a  1  Chrysanthemum, 
Nov.  5th. 
Parkstone  (Dorset),  Nov.  7th. 
Southampton,  Nov.  5th. 
Scottish,  Horticultural,  Edin¬ 
burgh  (£400  prizes),  Nov.  15th. 
Windsor,  Nov.  8th. 
York,  Nov.  13th  (1st  King’s 
Dragoon  Guards,  and  Band  of 
1 1.  M.  Scots  Guards). 
Timely  Notes. 
Chrysanthemums  are  advancing  rapidly  now  into  bloom  in  the 
case  of  those  housed  early  in  the  month,  and  feeding  may  be  con¬ 
tinued  until  fhe  blooms  are  half  or  three  parts  open.  It  is  not 
desirable  or  necessary  to  give  strong  doses  of  liquid  manure,  as 
this  may  frustrate  the  object  in  view,  namely,  well  coloured  and 
perfect  flowers.  A  surfeiting  of  manurial  applications  tends  to 
destroy  the  numerous  active  rootlets,  and  thus  lessen  the  support 
given  to  the  advancing  blooms.  Let  the  rule  be  in  feeding,  weak 
and  often,  sometimes  giving  clear  water  between  the  applications 
of  stimulants.  Soft  rain  water  is  the  best.  Once  a  day  at  least, 
morning  preferably,  the  plants  must  be  examined,  and  if  any  pots 
are  found  to  be  very  dry,  so  that  the  plants  are  on  the  verge  of 
flagging  or  drooping,  give  them  a  good  soaking  of  clear  water. 
This,  however,  will  not  frequently  be  the  case,  unless  by  inad¬ 
vertence  the  plants  were  missed  at  the  previous  examination,  or 
bright  mid-day  sunshine  has  acted  directly  on  the  pots.  Water 
must  not  be  allowed  to  stand  upon  the  floor,  but  should  be  wiped 
up  after  each  morning’s  attention. 
Constant  ventilation  is  needed  by  Chrysanthemums,  and  the 
ventilators  ought  never  to  be  wholly  closed,  except  in  dull,  foggy 
weather.  Artificial  heat  is  also  indispensable,  not  for  assisting 
the  growth  of  the  plants,  but  to  dry  up  superfluous  moisture  in 
the  atmosphere,  and  prevent  any  deposition  on  the  blooms,  which 
is  the  main  cause  of  damping.  Should  there  be  any  tendency  to 
damping  in  the  case  of  a  few  florets,  remove  these  entirely  with 
tweezers  ;  also  at  the  same  time  take  out  twisted  or  ill  formed 
florets.  This,  of  course,  specially  applies  to  exhibition  blooms, 
but  it  will  improve  others.  The  dark  coloured  blooms,  as  they 
develop,  like  screening  from  strong  sunshine,  which  is  rather  apt 
to  take  away  the  colour. 
Some  growers  train  the  shoots  of  the  incurved  varieties  on 
wires  near  the  glass,  and  allow  the  blooms  to  develop  hanging 
down,  which  preserves  the  true  incurving  character  of  the  florets. 
The  disbudding  of  some  of  the  later  decorative  varieties  may  be 
continued,  reducing  the  buds  to  one  on  a  shoot.  More  perfectly 
formed  flowers  are  thus  secured. 
Plants  which  persistently  develop  side  shoots  should  have  these 
rubbed  out.  In  some  collections  earwigs  give  but  little  trouble, 
either  before  or  after  housing ;  with  others  constant  trapping  is 
needed  to  prevent  injury  to  the  blooms.  One  or  two  insects 
located  in  a  bloom  will  soon  do  a  lot  of  damage.  Strips  of  brown 
paper  folded  and  placed  among  the  plants  are  good  traps.  The 
insects  also  hide  among  withered  leaves,  therefore  keep  them 
picked  off.  A  large  collection  of  plants  may  be  relieved  if  the 
specimens  which  have  passed  their  best  are  removed.  More 
space  can  be  given  the  succeeding  plants. — E.  D.  S. 
The  Lewisham  Collection. 
Never  were  healthier  or  more  sturdy  plants  seen  than  those 
at  Ryecroft,  and  which  are  now  in  the  earliest  stage  of  the  floral 
attractiveness.  The  foliage  is  quite  remarkable  for  its  thickness, 
dark  colour,  “fleshiness,”  and  freedom  from  spot  or  blemish.  In 
all  these  attributes  Mr.  J ones’s  Chrysanthemums  excel  ;  but  it 
must  be  confessed  the  flowers  are  not  so  heavy  or  grand  (taking 
the  word  to  embrace  finish,  size,  and  general  massiveness)  as  the 
robustness  of  their  stems  would  warrant  one  to  expect.  Perhaps 
we  go  to  Ryecroft  in  a  mood  too  critical,  and  expect  too  much ; 
at  any  rate,  the  flowers  are  a  trifle  disappointing.  The  novelties 
offered  during  the  last  few  seasons  are  beginning  to  show  their 
qualities,  and  in  a  week’s  time  the  two  large  span  houses  will  be 
fully  ablaze. 
Mr.  L.  Humphries,  the  grower,  speaks  highly  of  Lili  Boutroy, 
white;  Calvat’s  Sun,  one  of  Calvat’s  best,  a  golden  coloured 
variety ;  Miss  Alice  Byron,  beloved,  as  a  variety,  by  every 
grower;  Mrs.  R.  Darby,  likely  to  prove  one  of  the  best  purples  ; 
Rev.  Douglas,  one  of  Weeks’  most  promising  sorts,  a  beautiful 
yellow,  with  fine  petals.  Others  of  merit  are  Florence  Molyneux, 
Von  Andre,  Francis  Conner,  Earl  of  Arran,  Gen.  Buller,  Master 
Seymour,  Evelyn  Douglas,  J.  L.  McKellar,  Edith  Shrimpton,  Lily 
Mountford,  Lady  Audrey  Buller,  and  Heavenly  Beauty,  bright 
amaranth. 
Some  Thoughts  on  Flavour. 
jW  hat  are  the  conditions  which  produce  the  best  flavour  in 
fruits  P  To  some  extent  it  is  a  question  of  soil  and  climate  ;  but 
I  am  of  opinion  that  the  greatest  difference  is  to  be  found  in 
fruits  cultivated  indoors,  where  the  soil  and  climate  are  under 
a  certain  amount  of  control,  therefore  we  must  look  for  other 
reasons.  As  a  general  rule,  too  little  attention  is  given  to  the 
foliage  of  fruit-producing  plants.  It  should  never  be  forgotten 
that  the  leaf  of  a  plant  is  the  manufactory  of  all  that  is  good 
in  its  fruit.  Without  perfect  foliage  you  can  have  no  perfect 
fruit,  and  there  must  be  a  certain  proportion  between  the  two 
if  the  best  results  are  to  be  obtained.  A  pound  of  fruit  requires 
so  many  square  inches  of  leaf  surface  exposed  to  the  light;  that 
which  is  only  partially  exposed  only  partially  counts  for  good, 
and  that  which  is  under  the  thickest  of  other  leaves  might  as 
well  not  be  there  at  all.  But  foliage  should  never  be  removed 
in  quantity  during  active  growth ;  we  should  rather  prevent  its 
formation  in  unsuitable  places. 
flavour  is  mainly  a  question  of  plant  food  and  assimilation. 
You  may  have  a  sufficiency  of  the  necessary  ingredients  in  the 
soil,  and  yet  the  plant  may  be  partially  starved.  This  may 
happen  from  one  or  more  of  several  causes :  - — The  soil  may  be 
sour  from  the  want  of  aeration,  too  much  water,  or  too  much 
nitrogenous  manure  ;  it  may  be  insufficiently  supplied  with  water. 
The  leaf  surface  exposed  to  the  light  may  be  too  small,  unhealthy, 
mutilated  or  something  may  happen  to  prevent  certain  neces¬ 
sary  functions  being  performed,  as  when  the  upper  surface  is 
pressed  close  to  the  glass,  causing  it  to  be  saturated  one-half  of 
the  time  and  roasted  during  the  other  half ;  or  it  may  be  kept 
too  wet  by  the  use  of  the  syringe  and  steaming  process  often 
practised. 
For  all  practical  purposes  the  food  of  plants,  with  the  excep¬ 
tion  of  carbon,  is  taken  up  by  the  aid  of  water  through  the  almost 
invisible  root  hairs  found  near  the  extremities  of  the  newly- 
formed  rootlets,  the  latter  varying  in  different  plants  from  the 
size  of  the  smallest  thread  to  that  of  a  large  knitting  needle. 
The  plant  food,  after  undergoing  certain  changes,  is  left  where  it 
is  required,  and  the  surplus  water  is  evaporated  through  the 
leaf  pores.  If  the  leaf  surface  is  limited,  unhealthy,  not  ex¬ 
posed  to  the  light,  or  the  pores  are  in  any  way  blocked,  evapora¬ 
tion  is  lessened,  then  the  ascent  of  water,  and  consequently  of 
plant  food,  is  slow.  We  know  that  the  flavour  of  fruits  grown 
outdoors  is  generally  inferior  in  a  wet  season.  This  is  partly 
accounted  for  by  the  absence  of  sun,  but  as  fruit  grown  indoors 
during  the  same  season  is  not  affected  to  a  similar  extent,  we 
must  look  elsewhere  for  a  part  of  the  cause. 
We  also  know  that  the  leaf  pores  of  a  plant  open  widest 
when  there  is  most  humidity,  and  that  they  are  not  always 
quick  enough  in  reducing  their  openings  when  the  atmosphere 
suddenly  becomes  drier.  The  plants  then  flag,  as  we  call  it,  and 
thereby  to  some  extent,  by  offering  less  expanse  of  surface  to 
the  light,  check  evaporation  while  the  necessary  re-arrangement 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  pores  is  taking  place.  I  suggest  that  the 
enlargement  of  the  openings  is  an  endeavour  on  the.  parf  of  the 
plant  to  keep  up  the  necessary  evaporation  which  is  checked  by 
the  moisture  from  without  collecting  on  the  leaf  surface,  and 
as,  after  all,  there  cannot  be  the  same  amount  of  evaporation 
as  there  is  in  a  dry  season,  there  is  not  the  same  amount  of 
water  ascending  from  the  root,  and  consequently  not  the  same 
amount  of  mineral  substances.  If  this  is  correct,  then  it  follows 
that  too  moist  an  atmosphere  indoors  will  prevent  perfect 
development,  though  it  may  not  prevent  size  being  obtained. 
Flavour  is  frequently  spoiled  by  the  application  of  nitrogenous 
manure  too  late  in  the  season.  As  a  rule,  unless  the  roots  of 
the  plant  are  cramped  up  in  a  very  small  space,  as  they  are 
in  pots,  such  manure  should  not  be  applied  when  there  is  the 
least  sign  of  ripening. 
Perhaps  the  greatest  difference  in  flavour  is  found  in 
Tomatoes  and  Gros  Colmar  Grapes.  Many  people  plant  their 
Tomatoes  very  close  together,  denude  them  of  a  great  portion  of 
their  leaves  as  soon  as  some  fruit  is  formed,  and  feed  them  very 
liberally  with  nitrogenous  manure.  Good  flavour  can  never  be 
obtained  in  this  way.  The  majority  of  people  do  not  know  that 
Gros  Colmar  Grapes  ever  possesses  good  flavour.  When  well 
finished  I  consider  it  better  than  Lady  Downe’s  or  Mrs.  Pince. 
I  wish  some  encouragement  could  be  given  to  the  production  of 
good  flavour  in  this  Grape,  say  by  offering  prizes  in  December 
or  January.  On  more  than  one  occasion  people  have  told  me 
they  did  not  like  Gros  Colmar,  and  would  never  plant  it.  I 
have  said,  “  I  will  give  you  a  Grape  to  taste  that  you  will  like,” 
and,  Avithout  knowing  it  was  Gros  Colmar,  they  have  pronounced 
it  decidedly  good. — Wm.  Tayj.ob- 
