September  G,  19J0. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
227 
“Cut  Flowers  and  Have  Flowers.” 
This  pitby  maxim  in  horticultural  practice  is  believed  to  have 
originated  in  England  soon  after  the  famous  Dutch  Tulip  mania,  and 
is  said  to  have  hid  its  forerunner  in  “Cut  'I'ulips  and  Have  Tulips.” 
The  essential  value  of  the  maxim  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  embodies  a 
principle  in  physiological  botany  which  deserves  to  be  well  understood 
by  all  cultivators  of  flowers. 
As  applied  originally  to  Tulips,  it  is  capable  of  a  simple  explanation. 
The  Tulip  is  a  plant  which  possesses  two  modes  of  reproduction — one 
mode  by  means  of  its  bulb,  the  other  by  means  of  seed.  The  easiest 
and  most  natural  method  in  the  case  of  the  Tulip  and  other  bulbous 
plants  is  by  means  of  seed.  It  would  seem,  however,  that  Nature’s 
•efforts,  vigorous  as  they  are  throughout  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom 
in  the  reproduction  of  species,  are  restricted  to  one  of  these  modes  of 
multiplication  in  the  case  of  bulbous  plants,  and  that  man  has  it  in 
his  power  to  select  one  or  other  of  these  means  of  reproduction,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Tulip  and  similarly  constituted  plants.  If  the  grower 
of  a  bulbous  plant  should  wish  to  produce  a  variety,  he  elects  to 
reproduce  by  seed,  and  he  attempts  so  to  control  the  production  of 
seed  by  artificial  pollination  or  cross-fertilisation,  as  to  bring  about  the 
desired  end.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  object  of  the  grower  be  to 
multiply  the  plant  without  variation,  he  elects,  in  the  case  of  a  plant 
like  the  Tulip,  to  cultivate  it  by  its  bulbs.  The  production  of  seed 
and  the  production  of  bulbs  the  same  season  in  a  plant  like  the  Tulip 
are  not  compatible  with  each  other,  for  the  reason  that  the  powers  of 
Nature  would  thereby  be  overtaxed.  We  learn  therefore  from  this 
practical  application  of  vegetable  physiology  that  in  the  case  of  all 
bulbous  plants  it  will  tend  the  more  certainly  to  the  production  of 
liealthy  and  vigorous  bulbs  if  the  flowers  as  soon  as  they  have  reached 
their  floral  maturity  be  cut  instead  of  being  left  to  grow  and  exhaust 
the  energies  of  the  plant  by  “running  to  seed.” 
The  Canna,  many  beautiful  variations  of  which  in  recent  years 
have  been  introduced,  is  subjected  to  the  same  rule.  If  we  would 
have  flowers  we  must  cut  them,  and  not  allow  the  plant  to  run  to 
seed.  In  this  case  the  Ganna  parpetuates  itself  by  means  of  its 
rhizome  or  root-stock,  which  is  an  elongated  fleshy  part  of  the  stem 
lying  underground,  and  upon  which  buis  or  “eyes”  are  developed  to 
serve  for  the  new  shoots  of  the  succeeding  season.  When  the  plant 
is  allowed  to  produce  seeds  the  development  of  the  rhizome  does  not 
proceed  with  any  vigour ;  but  when  the  flowers  are  cut  in  time  to 
prevent  exhaustion  of  the  energies  of  the  plant  by  the  production  of 
seed,  then  the  development  of  the  rhizome  goes  on  satisfactorily,  and 
the  grower  may  count  with  reasonable  certainty  on  having  flowers  on 
new  stems  the  succeeding  season. 
With  Roses  the  same  maxim  may  be  carried  into  practice.  Cut 
Roses,  and  have  Rjses.  Here,  in  the  case  of  the  Rose  bush,  the 
cutting  of  the  flowers  on  reaching  perfection  prevents  exhaustion  of 
the  plant  by  the  lormation  of  seed.  It  thus  keeps  up  the  tendency  of 
flower  buds  to  form,  and  a  Rose  tree  thus  treated  will  present  a 
prolonged  period  of  bloom,  and  the  flowers,  in  addition,  will  be  finer 
than  under  a  less  attentive  treatment. 
In  Bermuda  very  great  success  has  attended  the 'cultivation  of  the 
Japanese  Ldy  introduced  now  many  years  ago.  The  so-cal  ed 
Bermudian  Lily  is  ready  of  foreign  origin,  but  in  its  cultivation  in 
Bermuda  the  practice  involved  in  the  maxim  of  “  Cut  flowers  and 
have  flowers”  is  ihorougtily  understood  and  most  strictly  carried  out. 
The  flowers  are  cut  at  the  season  of  most  perfect  flowering  just  a  day 
or  two  earlier  than  the  period  of  perfect  bloom,  and  they  are  shipped 
to  New  York,  where  they  find  a  ready  market.  The  plants  deprived 
of  their  flowers  still  have  their  leafy  stems  to  provide  nutrition  for  the 
bulbs,  which  in  due  season  are  harvested. 
Mr.  Harris,  in  the  Report  on  the  Hill  Garden  at  Resource  (1899) 
gives  some  account  of  an  attempt  to  cultivate  the  Bermudian  Lily  in 
Jamiici.  He  writes  : — “Tne  bulbs  of  the  Bermuda  Lily  were  lifted 
in  July  and  August  last,  gradually  dried,  and  sent  to  Hope  to  be 
packed  and  de.' patched  to  their  owners.  They  were  not  a  success 
from  a  commercial  point  of  view — that  is,  the  bulbs  did  not  increase 
in  size  and  qumtiiy  as  it  was  hoped  they  would  do;  but  horticulturally 
they  were  ever\  thing  that  could  possibly  be  desired.  With  just 
ordinary  field  cultivation  they  were  in  flower,  more  or  less,  all  the 
year  round,  and  from  March  to  June  the  field  was  simply  a  sheet  of 
magnificent  blooms.” 
There  is  no  mention  here  of  any  marketing  of  the  cut  flowers,  and 
obviously  that  was  not  attempted.  But  may  not  the  want  of  success. 
“  from  a  commercial  point  of  view,”  have  existed  in  this  very  fact  ? 
It  would  be  interesting  to  have  the  trial  of  cultivating  Japanese  Lilies 
in  Jamaica  repeated  under  conditions  more  closely  similar  to  those 
which  obtain  in  Bermuda.  In  order  to  procure  bulbs  of  good  quality 
and  profitable  in  size  and  quantity,  the  flowers  must  be  cut  (and 
disposed  of  profitably,  if  practicanle),  and  then  the  energies  of  the 
plants,  no  longer  expended  on  maturing  the  flower  and  its  seed,  will 
be  given  to  enlarging  and  multiplying  the  bulbs.  In  this  way  the 
grower  may  be  successful  commercially  as  well  as  horticulturally, 
by  acting  on  the  lines  of  the  maxim  “Cut  flowers  and  have  flowers.” — 
Jas.  Neish  (in  the  “  Journal  of  the  Jamaica  Agricultural  Society.”) 
- - 
Early-flowering  Chryaanthemuma  in  Pots. 
The  sorts  that  bloom  in  September  and  early  October  are  more 
associated  with  outd  lor  culture,  but  they  well  repay  more  care  as 
pot  plants.  With  the  exception  of  the  white  variety  Madame 
Desgrange,  it  is  not  usual  to  see  them  so  cultivated,  yet  there  is  now 
abundant  material  lor  variety  in  colours.  The  ab  ive-named  and 
Lady  Fitzwygram  for  whites  have  the  de>irable  qualities  of  bushy 
habit  and  freedom  to  bloom.  Madame  Marie  Masse  is  an  excellent 
pink,  and  the  si-called  “crimson”  Marie  Masse  is  equally  fine,  but 
the  colour  is  bronzy  red.  Ivy  Stark,  deep  yellow,  is  capital,  so  is 
Lemon  Queen,  which  has  flowers  of  a  very  rich  shade.  Ambrose 
Thomas,  red  bronze;  Harvest  Home,  crimson  and  gdd,  and  R  li  des 
Prdcjces,  crimson,  are  also  good  varieties.  Flara  b^ars  sm  ill  yellow 
flowers,  but  makes  a  good  bush  plant.  Midame  Eululie  Morel  is 
admired  for  its  shade  of  salmon-pink  blooms,  and  the  ye  low  sports 
from  Desgrange,  named  Mrs.  Burrell  and  G  Wermig,  are  as  u-ieful  as 
the  parent.  Somewhat  later  than  the  above  to  bloom  is  Ryecroft 
Glory,  bronzy  yellow ;  this  makes  a  splendid  bush  plant.  The  sport 
from  it,  Nelly  Brown,  differs  in  colour,  being  a  reddish  shale. 
Ryecroft  Scarlet  is  fine  in  co.our,  and  the  plant  torms  a  nice  bush. 
In  the  way  of  culture  we  do  not  pinch  the  shoots  of  these  plants  at 
any  time.  Their  natural  growth  forms  readily  into  bu'hy  specimens, 
and  when  topped  in  any  way  they  seem  to  grow  less  symmetrical. 
The  cuttings  should  be  rooted  in  early  April,  and  duly  potted. 
Finally  they  are  put  into  those  of  6-inch  and  7-inch  sizes,  which  are 
large  enough,  as  the  early  sorts  are  less  gross  than  most  Chrys¬ 
anthemums. — S. 
Seedlings  and  Sports. 
Mr.  Pockett’s  notes  on  page  196  of  the  Journal  are  very 
interesting,  and  his  experience  coincdes  with  thit  of  many  other 
raisers.  As  a  seed  parent  the  variety  Elwin  Molyneux  is  very 
unsatisfactory,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  Midame  Carnoi', 
although  an  Australian  raiser  informs  me  that  he  has  succeeded  in 
raising  a  seedling  from  it,  which  is  even  siqieiior  to  the  parent,  but 
time  will  tell  whether  such  be  the  case.  In  my  experience,  every  tuing 
considered,  the  best  blood  has  been  obtained  from  that  miffy  and 
insipid  grower,  Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy,  and  the  brittle  nature  of  the 
growth  can  be  traced  through  several  of  its  progeny.  Mrs.  W.  J. 
Godfrey,  a  seedling  from  it,  has  been  grown  to  an  excellent  form,  but 
owing  to  the  habit  of  losing  the  tips  of  the  shoots,  it  is  not  now  much 
grown.  Another  f  its  seedlings,  Mrs.  H.  Weeks,  aliho'’gh  growing  to 
treble  the  height  of  the  last  named,  has  brnn  shown  occa-.ionilly  in 
magnificent  form.  Both  of  these  varieties  follow  their  [lareut  in 
colour,  and  have  broad  handsome  petals,  wi  h  healthy  dark  foiiage. 
I  believe  most  of  the  fine  varieties  raised  by  Mr.  Weeks  are  of  the 
family  of  Mrs.  A.  Hardy,  and  what  variety  in  size  of  loliage,  sturdy 
and  healthy  constitution,  combined  with  an  immense  bloom,  can 
compare  with  Mrs.  Barkley  ? 
Some  raisers  say  it  is  useless  to  expect  mvny  dark  crimson 
seedlings  from  parents  of  the  same  colour  unless  we  can  be  assure  1  that 
this  colour  predominated  in  many  preceding  cros-ies.  My  experience 
is  that  the  majority  of  seedlings  gre  itly  partake  of  the  seed  parent  in 
one  or  more  particular.  I  am  growing  this  season  several  hundred 
seedlings  produced  by  using  the  pollen  from  Master  H.  Tucker  on 
Mons.  Chenon  de  Leche  and  vice  versa,  an  I,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  seedlings  trora  the  latter,  a  dwirt  growing  virietv,  are  much  more 
robust  and  tdler  than  those  from  the  seel  of  Mi-te'-  H.  rocker,  which 
most  growers  know  to  be  of  tall  growth. — W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exinouth. 
