March  '^6,  19t3. 
2  :8 
JOURNAL 
OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
CO  T  /  ’A  ^tE  O  a  B  DE  N  E  R. 
Cultural  Hints. 
There  seems  to  be  no  abatement  in  the  great  interest  taken 
in  these  popular  flovrers,  nliicli  flood  our  gardens  with  brilliant 
beauty  from  the  first  days  of  autumn  onward  to  the  waning  year. 
There  are  some  pessimists  who  ha\m  long  preelicted  that  the 
zenith  of  ('hrysanthemum  growing  has  been  passed,  that  it  is  on 
the  decline;  yet  as  each  autumn  comes  round  these  gloomy  pre¬ 
dictions  are  regularly  falsified.  My  own  opinion  is  that  the 
('hrysanthemum  will  continue  to  reign  as  queen  of 
autumn  so  long  as  sterling  new  varieties  are  continually 
raised.  We  do  not  want  varieties  having  larger 
flowers  than  some  at  present  produce ;  but  each  year 
we  see  evidences  of  other  ways  in  which  improvement  may  be 
effected,  for  in  the  newer  sorts  one  is  continually  finding  fresh 
shades  of  colour  as  well  as  refined  and  perfect  form.  It  seems 
that  no  one  can  foretell  in  what  direction  the  next  new  freak  or 
break  may  go  ;  keen  interest  is  thus  stimulated  among  (’hrys¬ 
anthemum  enthusiasts,  which  does  not  easily  wane. 
All  who  make  a  speciality  of  Chrysanthemum  growing  know 
full  well  that  from  the  present  time  onward  their  plants  will  re- 
quii'o  a  large  share  of  attention.  Such  cultivators  also>  know 
with  great  accuracy  how  large  their  plants  should  be  at  various 
dates  during  tbe  growing  season  in  order  to  expect  the  best  re- 
;#alts.  Fresh  hands  are,  however,  continually  taking  up  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  growing,  and  it  i-  for  their  benefit  that  the  succeed¬ 
ing  notes  will  be  penned.  The  earliest  of  the  plant.s  grown  for 
tlie  production  of  largo  blooms  should  by  this  time  be  in  Gin  pots, 
and  others  coming  on  in  various  stages  behind  them.  Those, 
however,  whose  iDlants  are  yet  in  3in  pots  need  not  despair  of 
being  able  to  produce  blooms  of  first-rate  quality,  for  there  are 
two  distinct  methods  of  growing  such  flowers.  Let  me  briefly 
give  the  outline  of  each.  The  plan  usually  followed  is  to  insert 
strong  cuttings  in  Deceniber,  pot  the  plants  on  as  required,  and 
allow  each  to  carry  three  blooms.  This  system  is  usually  the 
best  one  to*  pursue  with  the  older  varieties  when  plenty  of  good 
cuttings  can  be  obtained  at  the  right  time.  The  exhibitor  must, 
however,  keep  up-to-date  in  the  matter  of  varieties,  and  has, 
therefore  to  procure  a  few  of  the  best  new  ones  each  year ;  now 
these  cannot  be  obtained  till  February  or  March,  and  then  the 
plants  are  often  by  no  means  strong. 
If  an  attempt  is  made  to  take  tbree  blooms  from  such  plants 
how  can  one  expect  to  have  them  in  their  true  form  ?  One  repre¬ 
sentative  bloom  is  far  better  than  three  inferior  ones;  this  is  the 
crux  of  the  whole  matter,  and  shows  clearly  the  advantage  of  the 
plan  I  have  yet  to  describe.  Let  me  assume  that  .strong  plants  of 
new  varieties  have  recently  been  received  ;  if  they  are  well-rooted 
pot  them  into  4in  or  oin  pots,  using  a  compost  of  two  parts  good 
loam,  one  of  leaf  soil  with  a  little  burnt  refuse,  and  .some  sharp 
sand  added.  After  potting  water  strongly  through  a  rose,  place 
in  a  cold  frame,  give  but  little  air,  and  if  bright  weather  prevails 
shade  for  a  fow  hours  daily  for  a  week  or  so.  Then  discontinue 
shading,  and  ventilate  more  freely.  With  this  treatment,  by  the 
middle  or  end  of  April  the  plants  will  be  ready  for  repotting,  and 
they  should  then  be  .shifted  into  their  flowering  pots  ;  7in  and  Sin 
ones  are  quite  large  enough.  Confine  the  growth  of  the  weaker 
plants  to  a  single  stem  by  constantly  removing  all  side  growths, 
and  take  one  flower  only  from  that  stem.  The  stronger  growers 
should  be  stopped  when  they  are  from  Gin  to  9in  in  height,  and 
allowed  to  develop  two  shoots,  and  therefore  to  carry  two  blooms. 
In  this  way  some  of  the  finest  flowers  of  new  varieties  are  pro¬ 
duced  the  first  season. 
The  above  system  is  also  a  good  one  to  follow  in  the  case  of 
any  sorts  which  do  not  produce  good  cuttings  in  December.  A 
golden  rule  to  observe  and  practise  is  “never  tO'  insert  a  weakly 
cutting.”  Remove  such,  and  wait  till  .strong  ones  are  thrown  up  ; 
but.  remember,  also,  that  when  cuttings  are  inserted  late  they 
will  not  produce  more  than  one  or  two  good  flowers.  Strong 
plants  in  Gin  pots  should  be  kept  as  sturdy  as  pos.sible  by 
abiindant  ventilation  during  favourable  weather.  Although  it  is 
not  wise  to  allow  cold  cutting  winds  to  play  directly  on  the  plants, 
yet,  when  the  days  are  bright  and  the  air  inild.  the  lights  can 
often  be  entirely  removed  for  a  few  hours,  much  to  the  advantage 
of  the  plants.  Coddling  is  a  practice  at  pre.sent  too  prevalent 
among  Chry'^anthemum  growers. — Guowei:. 
Analysis  of  Japanese  Chrysanthemums,  1903. 
The  analysis  is  of  great  interest  to  us  “mummers”  in  Aus¬ 
tralia,  not  that  those  getting  the  greate.st  number  of  yotes  are 
always  the  most  successful  here;  yet  the  annual  audit  in  the 
Journal  is  the  be.st  guide  we  can  get  in  determining  which  are 
the  best  .selection.  ()ur  tastes  are  identical  with  yours  as  regards 
typical  blooms,  for  we  mould  our  ideas  (as  far  as  po.s.sible)  on  the 
lines  adopted  in  Fngland.  Mo  may  want  yarieties  that  vill 
grow  with  less  trouble,  owing  to  haying  less  control  of  the  growth, 
as  most  of  the  exhibition  blooms  here  aro  grown  on  plants  in  the 
open  ground,  protected,  while  the  flowers  are  expanding,  with 
calico;  so  you  will  ea.sily  understand  that  any  theory  adopted  as 
reo-arcis  timing  the  buds  or  blooms  may  be  completely  upset  by 
uiifavourable  weather,  not  fog  (for  that  is  hardly  known  here),  but 
strong  .sunshine,  and  two  or  three  warm  nights  will  upset  your 
calculations.  The  audit,  too,  apart  from  the  .selection,  is  yei^ 
instructiye,  by  enabling  us  to  see  if  we  are  doing  our  share,  and 
by  the  yotes  of  the  growers  Australia  has  not  taken  one  step 
backwards.  As  a  further  proof  that  the  audit  is  appreciated  here 
three  of  the  leading  weeklies,  “  The  Leader,”  “  The  Au.stralasian, 
and  “  The  Weekly  Times,”  hare  already  publi.shed  the  notes  by 
Mr.  E.  Molyneux  in  the  Journal,  page  555,  last  yolume.— 
Thos.  W.  Rockett,  Malyern,  Victoria,  Australia,  January  28, 
1903. 
Chrysanthemums  at  Ash  Grove,  Sheffield, 
The  popularity  of  the  (lirysanthemum  has  grown  to  sucb  an 
extent  that  no  garden  with  any  pretension  to  fashion  is  con.si- 
dered  to  be  complete  without  a  patch  of  Mums,  and  who,  indee<l. 
has  looked  upon  a  hou^^e  of  the  lovely  autumn  flowers  but  ha.s  been 
struck  with  their  beauty  and  usefulness .P  The  up-to-date  gar¬ 
dener  pays  special  attention  to  them,  whether  for  show  purposes 
or  for  decoration  ;  but  well-grown  specimens  can  frequently  be 
seen  even  though  they  are  not  grown  for  exliibition.  The  accom¬ 
panying  illustration  .show.s  a  house  of  Mums  of  no  mean  order. 
In  the  gardens  of  Ash  Grove,  Sheffield,  the  residence  of  R .  M  igfid , 
Esq.,  the  ('hrysanthemum  is  an  important  feature  ;  as  will  be 
seen,  the  whole  house  is  a  mass  of  beautiful  blooms,  and  ,so 
arranged  that  on  entering  one  sees  every  flower.  By  the  court e.y 
of  the  owner  the  members  of  the  Sheffield  Floral  and  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society  were  invited  to  imspect  them  when  they  were  at  their 
best,  and  a  good  party  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity. 
There  they  found  Mr.  ‘Lucas,  the  gardener,  in  his  glory,  for  he 
prides  hiimself— and  justly  so— on  his  Mums.  He  believes  in 
growing  good  varieties  and  growing  them  well,  and,  though  not 
grown  for  exhibition,  a  large  percentage  of  the  blooms  were  fit  tor 
the  .show  board.  Amongst  the  varieties  grown  were  Nellie  Rockett, 
Sir  H.  Kitchener,  Mrs.  Barkley,  Chas.  Davies  Improved,  C  lia.^. 
Longley,  C’.I.V..  Dolby  Glyde  (very  fine),  Earl  of  Arran,  Francis 
Connor,  George  Carpenter,  Mafeking  Hero,  Master  9- 
W.  R.  Church,  Miss  E.  Rilkington,  Mrs.  Bayiiall  Wild,  Mrs.  G. 
Mileham,  Mrs.  W.  Rophani,  and  others. 
In  another  house  a  grand  batch  of  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine 
was  seen  (upon  which,  by-the-bye,  Mr.  Lucas  is  “  .scheduled  to 
lecture  before  the  above  society).  W^ould  that  others  followed 
the  example  of  Mr.  Mugful  in  allowing  visits  of  this  description. 
It  is  needless  to  state  that  the  privilege  was  much  appreciated  by 
the  visitors,  who  included  Mr.  Watson  (chairman),  Messrs.  Bol¬ 
lard,  Greenfield,  Hoyland,  Gale,  Lewendon  (secretary),  and  many 
others.  In  addition  to  the  varieties  mentioned  were  some  very 
useful  items  of  the  pompons,  nice  plants  for  house  work,  and 
others  for  cut  flower.  The  arrangement,  as  well  as  the  state  of 
perfection,  reflected  great  credit  upon  Mr.  Lucas,  who  can  be 
seen  watching  his  blooms  as  tbe  proverbial  cat  watches  the 
mouse.  He  is  at  home  in  this  department  especially,  and  has 
shown  what  can  be  done  even  in  the  shadovrs  of  a  great  citj'. 
W.  L. 
[We  are  at  liberty  to  announce  that  the  highly  popular  and 
able  honorary  secretary  of  the  Sheffield  Floral  and  Horticultural 
Society,  writer  of  the  foregoing  notice,  will  visit  some  of  the  best- 
known  gardens  around  Sheffield,  with  the  express. object  of  contri¬ 
buting  notes  of  them  tO'  thei  Journal  of  Ilorticulf  uvp.  ^  Mylnhurst 
will  be  the  first  place  described,  and^  copies  of  this  paper  are 
obtainable  froni  local  newsagents. — Ed.] 
Double  Red  Daffodils. 
The  following  letter  from  Messrs.  Barr  and  Sons,  of  King 
Street,  Covent  Garden,  has  appeared  in  “The  Times:” — “  M’e 
must  apologise  for  trespassing  on  your  valuable  space,  but  we 
think  it  only  right  that  tbe  public  should  not  be  misled  when 
they  purcha.se  from  MMst  End  flower  shops  flowers  which  are  sold 
to  them  as  ‘  double  red  Daffodils,’  with  the  additional  informa¬ 
tion  that  they  are  of  natural  growth.  These  flowers  are  nothing 
more  or  less  than  the  old  double  yellow  Daffodil  called  relamo* 
nius  pleniis,  or  Van  Sion  :  the  plant'  has  been  naturalised  in  this 
country  for  centuries.  The  red  colouring  in  the  flower  is  .simply 
obtained  by  placing  the  stems  in  a  coloured  dye,  which  is  imme¬ 
diately  absorbed,  and  enters  into  the  ti.s.sue  of  tlie^  petals. 
flower  is  sold  now  under  various  names,  such  as  ‘  Enfield  Rride,’ 
and  ‘  Farnboro’  Beauty.’  ” 
