334 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Foreign  Chrysanthemums  in  America.* 
(Concluded  from  page  298.) 
Tlie  question  naturally  arises,  Why  this  complete  practical 
displacement  of  the  foreigners  by  the  Americans?  I  think  that 
the  answer  is  found  in  the  different  style  of  setting  up  the  blooms 
at  the  shows  abroad,  as  compared  with  our  home  exhibitions,  as 
well  as  the  difference  in  the  style  of  arranging  flowers  for  social 
occasions.  To  the  exhibitor  who  shows  his  lowers  on  a  flat  board 
it  makes  no  difference  whatever  as  to  the  habit  of  the  plant;  the 
stem  may  be  so  slender  and  weak  as  to  only  allow  the  flow’er  to 
cast  all  its  glances  to  the  floor — as  Chenon  de  Leche,  for  instance. 
Its  magnificent  spread  is  all  right  on  a  board,  but  nowhere  else 
does  it  show  to  advantage.  A  variety  may  have  a  neck  a  foot 
long  and  bare  of  any  leaf,  as  Tri  de  St.  Laurent,  but  no  one  knows 
the  fact  except  the  grower,  when  only  the  bloom  is  shown;  form 
is  a  strong  point  with  the  American  Chrysanthemum,  but  many 
reflexing  sorts  cover  very  wide  spaces  on  the  board  where  they 
would  be  decidedly  out  of  form  in  a  vase — all  depth  and  no 
diameter. 
And  right  here  it  might  be  well  to  inquire  if  we  have  done  the 
wise  part  in  discarding  so  many  of  these  very  large  and  showy 
varieties,  when  they  would  add  so  greatly  to  our  exhibits  in 
points  of  interest  were  they  admitted.  We  are  not  ready  to  go 
back  to  the  flat  boards  except  as  an  incidental  part  of  an  exhibit, 
as  at  Kansas  City  this  year,  where  it  attracted  wide  attention 
as  a  novel  feature,  but  we  would  suggest  that  rules  might  be 
formulated  allowing  these  giant  blooms  to  have  their  stems  re¬ 
enforced  by  a  second  stem  with  foliage  if  necessary ;  if  carefully 
done,  and  all  growers  allowed  the  same  privilege,  we  do  not  see 
that  it  could  be  regarded  as  a  backward  step,  and  the  exhibition 
would  be  the  gainer  by  allowing  the  entry  of  some  of  the  most 
wonderful  blooms  extant,  which  are  now  debarred  by  our  present 
stan^dards  and  rulings. 
The  handsomest  and  most  practical  French  variety  since 
Viviand  Morel  is  the  one  bearing  the  label  Mile.  Marie  Liger; 
here  is  perfection  of  foliage,  habit,  stem,  size,  form,  in  pleasing 
pink,  with  a  fine  constitution,  besides  being  an  easy  doer,  and 
bringing  no  seconds ;  this  variety  may  well  be  accepted  as  a 
standard  of  excellence,  and  our  French  friends  did  well  in  awarding 
it  the  American  prize  at  the  Paris  Exposition. 
Among  the  more  promising  English  and  French  varieties  of 
the  past  two  years  may  be  mentioned  Ville  de  Bordeaux,  a  most 
delightful  pink  variety,  and  we  think  that  it  has  the  many  good 
qualities  necessary  to  commend  it  to  the  American  grower ;  Miss 
Jessie  Cottee,  a  golden  yellow  sport  from  Etoile  de  Lyon,  is  ex¬ 
tremely  proinising  to  those  growers  who  have  seen  Etoile  at  its 
best ;  Durbin’s  Pride  is  magnificent  in  size,  form,  breadth  of 
petal,  and  fine  colour;  Nellie  Pockett  is  assured  a  permanent 
place,  one  of  the  most  useful  of  dwarf  reflexing  whites.  Souv. 
de  Md.  Durbin  is  a  reflexing  yellow  of  Morel  type,  but  mu.st  be 
tried  against  Goldmine  and  Mrs.  Taggart. 
By  the  middle  of  the  present  month  the  fate  of  many  a  pro¬ 
bationary  variety  will  be  sealed ;  the  line  dividing  the  sheep 
from  the  goats  will  be  well  defined,  and  a  select  few  will  be  added 
to  the  Chrysanthemum  peerage. 
Effect  of  Electricity  on  Plant  Life. 
It  has  ever  been  a  matter  of  speculation  with  me  just  why  a 
riiin  will  help  plants  sO'  much  more  than  any  form  of  artificial 
watering.  The  popular  theory  is  that  when  water  is  applied  to 
vegetation  by  the  latter  method  the  heat  of  the  sun  causes  a 
kind  of  steam  to  form,  which  scorches  it.  This  is  obviously  in¬ 
correct.  My  own  conclusion  is  that  rain  stimulates  the  plants 
on  which  it  falls  because  it  is  charged  with  electricity,  and  that 
the  mere  wetting  of  a  plant  has  little  effect  on  it.  A  feiv  weeks 
ago  I  was  reading  of  an  experiment  that  confirms  my  view,  and 
incidentally  suggests  an  idea  which,  if  carried  into  execution, 
might  prove  of  universal  value.  It  appears  that  some  experimenter 
passed  a  current  of  electricity  through  some  pots  in  which  plants 
were  growing,  with  the  effect  that  they  showed  a  decided  gain  in 
size  and  fertility  over  those  not  so  treated.  The  difference,  if  I 
*  A  pat'er  prepared  hy  E.  G.  Hill  for  the  Convention  of  the  Chrysanthemum 
.Socitty  of  America. 
April  16,  1S03. 
remember  aright,  was  forty  per  cent.  Now,  why  would  it  not  do 
to  apply  water  electrically  charged  to  the  vegetation,  and  thus 
simulate  as  could  be  Nature’s  method?  The  water  could  be 
placed  in  a  ves.sel  from  which  the  electricity  could  not  escape— an 
insulated  barrel,  for  instance,  or  a  pail  bottomed  with  rubber  or 
glass.  After  the  water  was  charged  it  could  be  applied  with  the 
aid  of  an  ordinary  rubber  hose,  with  a  non-conducting  nozzle,  and 
that  would  be  all  that  was  necessary.  Now,  I  am  not  an  elec¬ 
trician,  and  have  not  the  means  of  trying  this  experiment  myself ; 
but  if  some  experimenter  would  follow  my  .sugestion,  I  believe 
discoveries  of  great  practical  value  might  be  made. — C.  Haley 
(in  “  Scientific  American.”) 
Annuals:  Simple  Methods  of  Culture. 
Glass  houses,  pits,  and  frames  in  nearly  all  gardens  are  con¬ 
siderably  crowded  during  April  and  early  May,  principally 
because  of  the  enormous  quantity  of  bedding  plants  which  have 
to  be  kept  safe  from  frost.  In  many  instances,  how'ever,  a  little 
forethought  and  management  may  do  much  to  lessen  the 
pressure  on  glmss  space.  Hosts  of  annuals  which  are  often  sown 
under  glass  might  be  grown  in  an  equally  satisfactory  manner 
if  cultivated  from  start  to  finish  in  the  open  air ;  indeed,  in 
some  cases  the  results  would  be  better,  because  instead  of  having 
drawn  plants,  sowing  in  the  open  air  would  ensure  sturdiness 
and  vigour  throughout.  Take,  for  instance,  those  popular  half- 
hardy  annuals.  Stocks  and  Asters.  In  order  to  get  them  early 
it  is,  of  course,  necessary  to  sow  under  glass,  but  then  very  few 
■ — excepting  exhibitors — are  specially  interested  in  getting  them 
early,  as  their  flowers  are  usually  the  most  prized  throughout 
September  and  early  October,  and  by  sowing  in  the  open  air 
froni  the  middle  to  the  end  of  April  a  plentiful  supply  of  blooms 
during  that  period  can  be  ensured.  There  are  also  numbers  of 
other  annuals  which  give  fine  re.sults  if  sown  out  of  doors  from 
the  present  time  till  the  middle  of  May ;  some  in  their  perma¬ 
nent  positions,  and  the  more  tender  ones  in  warm  corners,  toi 
bring  them  on  quickly,  so  that  by  the  beginning  of  June  they 
are  ready  for  planting  wherever  required. 
Tlie  great  desideratum  is  to  have  well  prepared  soil  as  well 
as  a  warm  sunny  position;  it  is  then  .surprising  what  fine  results 
may  be  obtained  by  raising  half-hardy  annuals  in  the  open  air, 
as  the  plants  grow  aw'ay  quickly,  and  in  regal’d  to  sturdiness  put 
to  shame  the  attenuated  specimens  often  raised  under  gla.ss. 
When  preparing  the  seed  bed  I  know'  of  nothing  better  than 
sweet,  well-decayed  leaf  .soil  and  a  little  burnt  refuse  for  mixing 
with  the  natural  soil.  This  should  be  dug  in  a  few  weeks 
previous  to  sowing.  Choose  a  sunny  day 'for  sowdng,  fork  over 
the  surface  of  the  bed  in  the  morning,  and  allow  the  sun  tok 
act  upon  it  for  a  few'  hours  before  the  drills  are  draw’n.  A  fine 
crumbling  surface  is  then  obtained  which  has  already  been 
thoroughly  warmed  by  solar  heat,  and  then,  if  shallow  drills  are 
drawn  and  the  seed  just  covered  with  soil,  germinating  takes 
place  quickly.  Should  the  weather  prove  fine,  watering  will, 
of  course,  be  necessary  both  before  and  after  the  seedlings  confe 
up ;  but,  until  all  danger  of  frost  is  over,  this  should  be  done 
during  the  morning  or  early  afternoon.  Although  grow'n  in  the 
open  air,  do  not  neglect  to  “  prick  out  ”  the  seedlings  as  soon 
as  they  are  large  enough,  and  give  plenty  of  room,  so  that  later 
on  they  can  be  lifted  with  nice  balls  of  earth  attached,  and  the 
best  results  should  then  be  obtained.  Fully  50  per  cent,  of  the 
annuals  raised  under  glass  in  British  gardens  might  with  advan¬ 
tage  to  all  concerned  be  reared  in  the  open  air  except  in  the 
northern  districts. 
I  need  not  supply  a  lengthy  list  of  annuals  suitable  for  treat¬ 
ing  in  the  way  above  described,  because  the  enthusi^t  scans  the 
trade  catalogues  pretty  closely  throughout  the  spring  months, 
and  makes  up  the  list  from  old  favourites,  usually  adding  a  few 
new  ones  for  trial,  and  there  is  always  great  delight  in  grow¬ 
ing  something  really  new,  and  watching  for  the  opening  flowers. 
In  the  foreground  of  shrubberies,  and  in  mixed  flower 
borders,  there  are  generally  vacant  spaces  where  at  this  season 
of  the  year  patches  of  hardy  annuals  can  be  sown.  It  iq 
generally  advisable  in  such  cases  to  give  the  soil  a  little  extras 
preparation,  because  it  ensures  rapid  growth,  and  later  on.  if 
dry  weather  sets  in,  it  prevents  the  plants  from  becoming, 
stunted  through  lack  of  moisture.  A  good  hole  taken  out  and 
some  well-decayed  manure  placed  in  the  bottom  before  return¬ 
ing  the  soil,  and  a  little  lime  or  soot  worked  into  the  surface 
before  sowing,  are  simple  matters  which  help  greatly  toward 
success.  Sowing  in  circles  w'ith  the  centres  left  open  is  an 
excellent  plan,  because  there  is  less  likelihood  of  crow'ding,  and 
the  plants  usually  fill  up  the  centres  freely  enough.  Danger 
from  slugs  is  always  to  be  feared  when  the  young  seedlings 
appear  in  mixed  borders,  as  the  surrounding  plants  afford  a 
good  harbour  for  them.  Dusting  frequently  with  finely 
powdered  lime  will,  however,  ciuickly  kill  the  marauders  without 
injuring  the  tender  plants. — H.  D. 
