December  6,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
509 
Good  cutting;!  are  necessary  to  produce  the  best  results  in  plants 
and  blooms,  so  if  such  can  be  secured  from  any  variety  at  this  or  a 
subsequent  early  date,  it  is  good  policy  to  secure  and  insert  it.  No 
hard  and  fast  line  can  be  laid  down  as  to  the  exact  time  when  cuttings 
may  be  propagated,  because  the  plants  differ  in  their  capability  of 
producing  cuttings.  Some  varieties  are  very  shy  in  throwing  up 
suckers,  which  are  always  considered  to  form  the  best  material  for 
propagation,  hence  it  is  necessary  to  wait  until  cuttings  of  sufficient 
length  and  strength  can  be  procured  from  them.  The  general  rule  in 
the  propagation  of  Chrysanthemums  is,  however,  that  late  varieties 
should  be  inserted  in  November  and  December,  midseason  varieties 
at  the  end  of  December  and  in  January,  and  early  flowering  sorts 
in  January,  February,  and  March. 
All  these  varieties  may  be  propagated  during  this  month  and  the 
first  three  months  of  the  year,  just  whenever  good  cuttings  are 
obtainable,  but  if  they  are  ready  at  the  right  time  adhere  to  the  rule 
concerning  them.  It  is  better  to  wait  and  insert  strong  and  sturdy 
cuttings  than  to  attempt  the  rooting  of  weak  cuttings,  or  those 
having  a  flower  bud  in  the  centre.  Stem  cuttings  are  not  advisable, 
but  must  be  employed  rather  than  lose  a  valuable  variety. 
Sucker  growths,  which  form  the  best  cuttings,  are  usually  found 
well  away  from  the  stem.  They  should  be  3  or  4  inches  in  length, 
and  are  to  be  preferred  without  roots  attached,  as  this  necessitates  the 
retention  of  more  woody  stems  at  the  base  than  is  desirable  for  free 
growth.  In  my  opinion,  too,  these  sucker  growths  root  better  when 
little  of  the  white  underground  stem  is  retained,  and  the  base 
formed  of  the  greener  tissue.  Let  the  base  of  the  cutting  be  cut  close 
under  a  joint. 
Some  cultivators  insert  the  cuttings  singly  in  small  pots,  but 
several  can  be  rooted  round  the  edges  of  pots  3  inches  in  diameter. 
They  should  be  clean  and  well  drained.  Loam,  leaf  soil,  and  sand  in 
equal  parts  form  a  suitable  compost.  This  should  be  introduced  into 
the  pots  firmly  and  surfaced  with  sand,  fine  dry  silver  sand,  which 
will  fall  down  into  the  holes  when  these  are  made  for  inserting  the 
cuttings.  Use  a  blunt  ended  stick,  and  see  that  the  base  of  the 
cuttings  touches  the  bottom  of  the  hole.  Press  the  soil  evenly 
round  and  at  cnce  water  them  with  a  fine-rosed  water  pot.  The  pots 
are  best  placed  on  a  moist  base  in  a  frame  or  under  hand-lights  in  a 
cool  house.  A  deep  box  covered  with  loose  panes  of  glass  suffices  if 
the  other  conveniences  are  lacking.  Confining  the  cuttings  helps  to 
keep  them  fresh  and  accelerates  the  rooting,  but  the  inside  of  the 
glass  ought  to  be  wiped  dry  once  a  day.  Too  much  fire  heat  is  not 
good,  as  it  will  weaken  the  first  growth  following  rooting. 
All  the  cuttings  will  not  root  at  the  same  time.  Some  will  form 
roots  quickly  and  at  once  grow.  These  should  be  placed  in 
another  division  and  gradually  given  additional  amounts  of  air  each 
day  until  they  bear  without  flagging  the  external  air  of  house.  Then 
elevate  close  to  the  glass.  Do  not  give  the  cuttings  more  water 
than  necessary.  A  light  sprinkling  may  be  required  occasionally 
before  rooting.  Afterwards  more  water  will  be  necessary,  as  the  soil 
ought  not  to  become  dry.  Pot  singly  when  plenty  of  roots  are  formed. 
— E.  D.  S. 
The  Rust. 
The  scare  that  was  aroused  by  the  advent  of  this  new  disease  has 
apparently  subsided  somewhat,  since  very  little  reference  has  been  made 
of  late  by  writers  and  growers.  It  is  however,  still  with  us,  as  most 
gardeners  know  only  too  well.  The  remedy  that  can  stamp  it  out  has 
not,  as  far  as  I  am  aware,  a  name  yet,  although  we  are  told  there  are 
such.  There  are  isolated  cases  where  the  “  rust  ”  has  been  virulent 
this  year.  One  excellent  grower  of  my  acquaintance  last  year  made  a 
determined  effort  to  rid  his  plants  of  the  foe,  but  he  was  bound  to 
admit  at  the  end  of  the  season  that  he  was  beaten.  Meeting  him 
this  autumn,  I  inquired  how  he  had  fared  for  “  rust  ”  this  year,  and 
what  was  his  remedy.  His  reply  was  that,  though  he  had  still  a 
stock  of  infested  plants,  he  was  so  disappointed  by  his  last  year’s 
efforts  and  results  that  he  determined  to  allow  it  to  run  its  course  this 
season.  The  disease  never  attained  to  its  former  vigour,  and  the 
plants  carried  the  foliage  to  the  end  of  the  season,  and,  what  is  of 
equal  importance,  his  blooms  were  of  prizewinning  quality. 
It  is  curious  how  susceptible  some  varieties  are  to  this  leaf 
disease,  and  how  free  others  keep  from  it,  even  when  growing  together. 
Softsoap  and  petroleum  boiled  together  in  equal  quantity,  and  to 
which  was  added  a  little  sulphur,  was  our  antidote,  and  by  weekly 
spraying  with  an  “  Abol  ”  syringe  (which  I  find  most  excellent)  we 
were  enabled  to  keep  the  pest  from  spreading  seriously.  An 
acquaintance  who,  having  a  perfectly  clean  stock  last  year,  refused 
offers  of  cuttings  from  friends,  and  decided  not  to  run  any  risk  by 
purchase  lest  his  stock  should  become  tainted,  was  disappointed 
in  his  dreams  of  exemption,  for  this  year  the  visitation  of  rust 
included  this  once  clean  stock  within  its  grasp,  and  his  is  now 
“an  infected  area.” 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  mystery  surrounding  thi->  rust  trouble — its 
origin  and  source  is,  like  influenza,  not  well  understood.  There  are, 
however,  both  hope  and  consolation  in  the  knowledge  that  it  is  less 
destructive  than  it  was  on  its  early  acquaintance  ;  but  at  the  same 
time  lethargy  must  not  be  the  policy  of  growers  chosen  for  the  future, 
or  probably  a  relapse  into  its  original  state  m,ay  ensue,  invoking  with 
it  new  terrors  and  troubles.  Veltha,  the  great  specific,  which  has  had 
so  large  a  use  among  specialists,  may  account  to  some  extent  for  the 
decline  of  the  Chrysanthemum  disease,  and  must  be  employed  in  the 
near  future  as  a  safeguard  against  an  insidious  attack.  I  do  not 
think  overfeeding  can  be  claimed  as  an  invariable  cause  of  the  disease, 
because  among  bush  varieties  that  have  more  rational  treatment  there 
is  sometimes  the  most  infection.  What  is  the  opinion  of  other  readers 
on  this  subject  ? — W.  S. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society— Annual  Dinner. 
The  company  that  met  at  the  Holborn  Eestaurant  on  Wednesday 
evening  last,  to  celebrate  the  annual  dinner  of  the  National  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  Society,  was  a  comparatively  small  one,  and  it  cannot  be 
said  that  the  chairman  was  properly  supported.  The  committee 
issued  a  special  invitation  to  ladies,  but  they  were  not  present  in 
strong  force.  Amongst  those  who  supported  Mr.  T.  W.  Sanders  were 
Sergeant  H.  G.  Bourne,  of  the  Army  Medical  Corp«,  and  Messrs. 
T.  W.  Wilkinson,  C.  E.  Wilkins,  H.  J.  Jones.  C.  Harman  Payne, 
J.  H.  Witty,  T.  Bevan,  D.  B.  Crane,  W.  Higgs,  Vallis,  and  Richard 
Dean,  V.M.H.,  the  secretary.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  more  members 
of  the  society  will  see  their  way  to  attend  on  future  occasions  ;  the 
evening  is  always  an  enjoyable  one,  and  the  committee  evidently 
works  hard  to  make  the  meeting  a  great  success. 
Letters  and  telegrams  regretting  inability  to  be  present  having 
been  received  and  read,  and  the  customary  loyal  toasts  carried  with 
acclamation,  the  chairman  rose  to  propose  the  toast  of  “  The  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society.”  Mr.  Sanders  expressed  the  great  pleasure  . 
it  gave  him  to  be  enabled  to  congratulate  the  society  on  its  continued 
prosperity,  a  prosperity  he  hoped  would  be  more  than  maintained  in  the 
future.  He  referred  to  the  enthusiasm  that  animated  private  and 
trade  growers  alike,  and  pointed  to  the  fact  of  the  continued  introduction 
of  new  varieties  as  a  proof  of  the  prolonged  popularity  of  the 
Chrysanthemum.  The  Floral  Committee  had,  he  observed,  awarded 
seventeen  first-class  certificates,  eight  awards  of  merit,  with  numerous 
commendations,  during  the  present  season.  The  society  had  now  a 
membership  of  837,  comprising  742  ordinary  members  and  95 
extraordinary  members,  whom  Mr.  Sanders,  we  presume  facetiously, 
designated  Fellows.  From  this  he  hoped  there  would  be  no 
retrogression,  but  rather  that  the  numbers  would  be  vastly  increased. 
He  adverted  briefly  to  the  pre-eminence  of  the  Japanese  section,  but 
marked  with  great  pleasure  the  perceptible  improvement  of  the 
incurved  flowers.  Looking  at  the  affairs  of  the  society  from  a 
financial  point  of  view  he  thought  they  were  most  satisfactory.  The 
society,  some  time  back,  passed  through  a  period  of  trouble,  when  the 
reserve  fund  had  to  be  encroached  upon,  but  now,  through  the  energy 
and  perseverance  of  the  several  officers,  the  sum  held  in  reserve  was 
again  brought  up  to  £100,  which  he  considered  none  too  much  for  a 
society  doing  such  an  excellent  work.  In  conclusion  he  said  that  so 
long  as  the  members  gave  their  support  to  the  committees  and 
officers,  the  society  would  prosper,  and  continue  in  its  path  of 
usefulness.  The  toast  was  received  with  enthusiasm. 
Mr.  C.  E.  Wilkins,  the  treasurer  of  the  society,  was  entrusted  with 
the  task  of  thanking  the  donors  of  special  prizes.  He  admitted  their 
value  and  the  aid  they  gave  to  the  parent  society  as  well  as  to  the 
many  provincial  ones  affiliated  therewith,  but  would  suggest  that  they 
give  their  prizes  to  the  committees  to  be  awarded  at  the  discretion 
of  these  bodies,  and  not  to  accompany  them  with  any  stringent 
regulations.  In  some  cases,  he  asserted,  where  special  prizes  were 
offered  in  the  manner  indicated,  instead  of  being  of  benefit  to  the 
society  they  were  actually  an  expense,  and  for  that  reason  he  made 
the  appeal.  Mr.  J.  T.  Simpson  replied.  Amongst  those  who  have 
promised  special  prizes  next  year  are  Sir  E.  Saunders  and  Messrs. 
P.  Waterer,  J.  T,  Simpson,  H.  Deverill,  W.  Wood  &  Son,  E.  Webb 
and  Sons,  R.  Sydenham,  J.  Peed  &  Son,  and  C.  W.  Richardson. 
One  of  the  most  important  events  at  this  function  is  the  presentation 
by  the  chairman  of  the  national  challenge  trophy  and  other  cups  and 
medals.  The  national  challenge  trophy  went  for  the  second  time  to 
the  Portsmouth  and  District  Horticultural  Society,  while  the  Holmes 
Memorial  cups  went  to  Messrs.  W.  Higgs  and  Vallis.  Gold  and  silver 
medals  of  both  the  French  and  English  Chrysanthemum  societies 
were  also  awarded  amidst  the  greatest  enthusiasm. 
On  the  conclusion  of  this  pleasant  duty  the  toast  list  was  resumed, 
and  carried  to  a  completion  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  good  humour. 
The  musical  arrangements  were  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Gurney 
Russell.  . 
