JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  27,  1900. 
28  S 
Daffodils  in  Pots. 
The  value  of  Daffodils  lor  pot  culture  or  for  the  general  embellish¬ 
ment  of  the  conservatory  or  greenhouse  in  the  early  months  of  the 
year  has  been  much  overlooked.  It  is  strange,  too,  that  while  the> 
showier  varieties  1  ave  been  lost  sight  of,  the  Polyanthus  section 
which  includes  all  those  bunch-flowered  forms  that  are,  strictly 
speaking,  varieties  of  Narcissus  Tazetta,  have  been  grown  and  forced 
for  their  flowers.  Very  desirable,  certainly,  are  some  of  these  varieties 
notably  the  Paper  White,  Narcissus  Tazetta  var.  papyraceus,  so 
extemively  employed  by  bouquetists,  but  they  are  not  to  be  compared 
with  the  great  number  of  good  and  useful  Daffodils  which  from  a 
decorative  standpoint  are  in  their  way  unique.  For  the  conservatory, 
from  January  to  April  and  May,  Daffodils  may  be  had,  and  in  the 
latter  months  abundantly  out  of  doors. 
Method  of  Culture. 
Before  proceeding  further  it  may  be  as  well  to  explain  the  best 
method  of  growing  them  in  pots  for  early  flowering.  Those  who  would 
have  a  supply  of  Koman  Hyacinths  to  bloom  early —  say  from 
December  Ist  onward  to  Christmas — would  of  course  procure  the  bulbs 
as  early  as  possible  in  autumn,  and  pot  and  plunge  them  in  the 
ordinary  way  out  of  doors,  so  that  they  may  make  a  plentiful  supply 
of  roots  which  will  enable  them  to  endure  the  heat  to  which  they  will 
be  subjected  by-and-by.  A  great  ded  of  the  after  success  depends  on 
this  alone,  and  this  applies  with  equal  force  to  Daffodils  and  Narcissi 
when  similarly  grown.  Pot  the  bulbs  early,  and  any  soil  that  will 
suit  Tulips,  Hyacinths,  Fuchsias,  and  the  like  will  suit  the  majority 
of  the  Narcis'i.  Stand  them  out  of  doors  on  an  ash  bed,  and  cover 
with  6  inches  depth  of  similar  material,  in  which  they  will  be  safe  for 
some  time  to  come. 
The  length  of  time  they  should  remain  will  depend  on  the  varieties ; 
for  instance,  N.  pallidus  praecox,  quite  a  general  favourite,  may,  without 
forcing,  be  had  in  flower  in  January,  when  Chrysanthemums  and 
many  other  winter  flowers  are  on  the  wane,  then  Dafft  dils  would  be 
not  only  useful,  but  very  welcome.  In  mild  winters  and  favoured 
localities  this  Daffodil  has  flowered  previous  to  Christmas,  and  in  more 
frequent  cases  in  January  out  of  doors.  This  variety  should  be  placed 
in  a  frame  from  which  frost  is  excluded,  and  if  successional  plants  are 
needed  s.  me  may  be  on  the  north  side  of  a  wall,  and  others  in  a  more 
favourable  position.  The  same  treatment  will  be  found  to  answer  in 
the  case  of  N.  scoticus,  which  brings  up  the  succession,  and  is  nearly 
allied  to  the  first  named  in  general  aspect  and  form. 
The  Tenby  Daffodil. 
For  a  variety  producing  b  Id,  sturdy,  golden  cups  in  February  we 
cannot  have  a  better  one  than  the  Tenby  Daffodil,  N.  obvallaris.  This 
is  without  doubt  one  of  the  best  of  all  for  pot  culture  and  forcing;  it 
is  grown  by  tens  of  thousands  for  Covent  Garden  Market,  is  highly 
appreciated,  meets  with  a  ready  sale,  and  is  alw'ays  admired.  It  is 
specially  adapted  hr  pot  culture  owing  to  its  vigorous  and  sturdy 
habit,  so  that  it  does  not  require  sticks  to  keep  the  filiage  in  its  place, 
which  for  some,  particularly  the  varieties  of  N.  incomparabilis,  that 
grow  taller  and  with  more  slender  leave.«,  are  needed  to  keep  them 
from  presenting  a  ragged  neglected  appearance.  This  variety  may  be 
had  in  flower  by  January  if  the  bulbs  are  potted  early  and  introduced 
into  heat,  which  should  be  slight  at  first,  about  the  middle  of 
December,  increasir  g  it  after  a  fortnight  or  so  ;  but  at  no  time  will  it 
be  necessary  to  give  more  than  a  temperature  of  50°,  that  is  if  any 
value  be  placed  on  the  bulbs  afterwards. 
Another  reason  apart  from  the  safety  of  the  bulbs  hereafter,  why  I 
do  not  advise  any  strong  heat  to  be  given  them  is,  that  being  grown 
as  cool  as  circumstances  will  permit,  the  flowers  last  a  much  longer 
time  when  expanded  than  they  do  if  hurried  along  in  strong  heat. 
There  is  little  need  for  this  it  the  successional  varieties  be  taken  in 
band  as  I  shall  recommend,  and  worked  on  judiciously  ;  but  if  flowers 
must  be  had  at  any  risk,  then  my  advice  is  to  get  the  commonest 
varieties  possible,  the  loss  of  the  bulbs  of  which  will  not  be  serious, 
and  pot  them  at  the  end  of  J uly,  so  that  no  chance  will  be  lost  for 
their  making  a  start  as  soon  as  ready.  Such  as  these  may  be  had  in 
flower  at  Chri.«tmas  if  plenty  of  heat  be  at  band,  and  after  blooming 
they  will  be  fit  for  throwing  away.  Do  not  attempt  placing  them  in 
strong  heat  for  a  moment  unless  you  are  fully  convinced  that  abundance 
of  roots  have  been  made,  or  the  chances  are  that  you  will  fail  in 
getting  them  to  flower. — N. 
(To  be  concluded.) 
Cnlinary  Plums. 
Thebe  is  now  no  scarcity  of  really  good  varieties  suitable  for 
providing  a  sufiply  over  a  long  period.  The  great  point  the  cultivator 
has  to  consider  is  to  select  suitable  varieties  for  the  soil  of  his  locality, 
as  Plums,  more  than  most  fruits,  give  widely  different  results  when 
grown  on  different  soils.  The  universally  grown  Victoria  is  certainly 
not  in  the  least  fastidious  in  regard  to  soil,  as  it  will  bear  enormous 
crops  in  light  fairly  rch  soils  as  well  as  in  strong  and  chalky  loams, 
but  when  grown  in  the  latier  the  fruits  are  usually  larger  and  of  better 
flavour  than  those  produced  on  light  soils,  but  this  disparity  may  to 
a  great  extent  be  remedied  by  feeding  the  poorer  soils  liberally.  The 
hard  firm  wood  produced  in  trees  grtjwn  in  light  soils  is  conducive  to 
fruitfulness,  but  when  hot  weather  sets  in  while  the  fruit  is  swelling 
the  ground  dries  quickly,  and  the  crops  suffer  in  consequence,  unless 
fortified  by  liberal  manuring  previously,  or  by  supplies  of  liquid 
manure  at  the  critical  time.  In  gardens  the  latter  practice  may,  and 
often  is,  carried  out,  but  in  large  plantations  and  orchards  it  can 
seldom  be  done. 
Pond’s  Seedling  and  White  Magnum  Bonum  succeed  well  on  a 
variety  of  soils.  The  former  is  the  most  certain  cropper  of  any  very 
large  Plum.  Being  of  fine  appearance  it  is  excellent  for  market 
purposes,  and  is  also  quite  indispensable  in  gardens,  as  the  fruit  is 
big  and  of  very  agree  ible  flavour.  I  have  noticed  this  season  that 
although  the  markets  havebe^u  glutted  this  fine  variety  has  sold  readily 
at  higher  rates  than  many  others,  and  for  that  reason  should,  I  think, 
be  largely  planted.  White  Magnum  Bonum  is  not  so  sure  a  bearer, 
but  in  some  seasons  it  produces  wonderful  crops,  and  is  in  great 
request  for  preserving  Diamond,  although  an  excellent  Plum,  does 
not  seem  to  be  very  largely  grown  as  a  standard.  In  the  strong  soils 
of  Kent  I  have  seen  it  bearing  very  heavy  crops,  but  in  other 
counties  it  is  n(  t  so  satisfac  ory,  except  when  grown  against  walls  ;  I 
should  therefore  never  care  to  plant  it  largely  till  I  had  tested  its 
suitability  for  any  particular  locality.  Too  much  can  scarcely  be 
said  in  praise  of  Monarch,  as  it  succfeds  in  almost  any  soil,  grows 
vigorously,  bears  freely,  and  is  of  excellent  flaw  ur ;  for  both  private 
and  market  gardens  it  is  an  indispensable  variety,  and  will  each  year 
increase  in  favour. 
Yellow  Egg,  a  variety  which  is  so  largely  grown  in  the  Evesham 
district,  is  showy,  sells  well,  and  bears  heavy  crops,  but  is  not  much 
grown  in  other  counties.  Gisborne’.-,  another  yellow-skinned  variety, 
seems  to  be  known  everywhere,  and  on  account  of  its  prolificness  is  a 
general  favourite.  Two  sterling  varieties  for  ripening  in  August  are 
Be  gian  Purple  and  Rivers’  (zir;  both  crop  well  when  grO  'U  in 
standard  form,  and  are  great  favourites  with  market  growers.  For 
providing  a  late  supply  of  medium  sized  fruits,  Wyedale  should  be 
planted,  as  good  Plums  are  appreciated  in  late  October,  a  time  when 
this  variety  i  sually  ripens.  The  following  are  three  good  sorts 
requiring  the  protection  of  a  wall  to  insure  success  :  Blue  Imperatrice, 
Goliath,  and  Prince  of  Wales. 
When  the  fruit  is  cleared  from  standard  trees,  opportunities  of 
doing  the  necessary  pruning  often  occur,  and  should  be  taken  advantage 
of.  While  the  leaves  are  still  banging  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  see 
where  the  branches  are  too  much  crowded,  and  shoots  which  show 
signs  ot  feebleness  can  also  be  readily  detected  and  removed.  After 
such  branches  have  been  cut  away  the  others  should  be  sufficiently 
thinned  to  allow  the  light  and  air  to  penetrate  every  part  of  the  tree, 
and  thus  accelerate  the  purposes  of  wood  ripening.  When  such  woik 
is  performed  early,  more  time  can  be  devoted  in  winter  to  spraying  and 
cleans  ng  the  trees  fnm  moss.  In  orchards  more  attention  might  with 
advantage  be  devoted  to  manuring  before  the  leaves  have  lallen,  for 
when  trees  have  been  exhausted  by  carrying  heavy  crops  the  buds  do 
not  swell  to  their  normal  size  unless  some  assistance  is  given.  The 
consequence  is  that  the  foilowii  g  5  ear  blossom  buds  are  scanty,  or 
imperfectly  developed,  and  the  scanty  crop  is  attributed  to  the 
exhausted  state  of  tne  trees  through  bearing  so  heavy  a  crop  during 
the  previous  year. 
With  high  feeding  Pltfms  should  never  fail  to  bear  through 
exhamstion.  Spring  frosts,  drought,  and  diseases  are  factors  in 
destroying  the  prospect  ot  a  crop,  over  which  we  have  but  little 
control,  but  we  can  see  that  trees  do  not  suffer  through  exhaustion. 
Wtien  abundance  of  dung  is  at  command,  a  liberal  dressing  given  early 
in  0  tober  will  prove  01  great  benefit  to  the  trees.  Where  manure 
cannot  be  obtained,  8  lbs.  of  basic  slag  and  3  lbs.  of  kainit  per 
40  square  yards  will  also  do  much  good.  Half  these  quantities  of 
chemicals  might  also  with  advantage  be  used  in  addition  to  a  dressing 
of  manure.  Pium  trees  bear  heavy  crops  more  frequently  than  the 
majority  of  fruits,  and  for  that  reason  a  great  amount  of  attention 
ought  to  be  given  to  feeding  them  liberally. — H.  D. 
