January  3,  1901 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3 
Sundries, 
I  Last  year  gave  you  my  first  experience  of  Chrysanthemum 
damp  (?),  so-called,  as  I  understand  the  description  given  in  Mr. 
Molyneux’s  valuable  little  work.  If  it  be  really  damp  I  can  only  think 
that  damp  has  two  effects.  In  the  one  caused,  T  believe,  by  a  drop 
of  wet  on  the  bloom,  and  if  it  be  a  very  full-petalled  flower  the  base 
of  floret  seems  to  rot,  and  at  last  the  whole  bloom  mav  fall  from  the 
stem.  This,  to  my  thinking,  is  not  the  damp,  and  not  to  be  dreaded 
like  the  “genuine  article”  mentioned  in  Molyneux.  There  the  bloom 
is  spotted  with  a  number  of  little  pinky  brown  spots  not  larger  than 
a  pin’s  head.  These  very  rapidly  enlarge,  coalesce,  and  the  whole 
flower  is  irretrievably  ruined  ;  indeed,  no  light  coloured  bloom 
can,  in  my  experience,  become  perfect  after  the  minute  spots  have 
appeared.  Last  year  it  appeared  when  the  fire  had  been  given  up 
two  or  three  days,  Mutual  Friend,  and  the  Carnot  varieties  being  the 
chief  victims. 
This  year  I  have  not  dropped  the  fire.  The  plants  were  all  housed 
by  October  3rd,  but  more  crowded  than  they  would  be  if  my  pocket 
were  better  filled,  and  certainly  much  sooner  than  I  should  have  housed 
them  had  I  been  able  to  foresee  so  mild  a  time.  A  slight  dusting  of 
anti-blight  powder  was  given  to  the  pl?*nts  once  or  twice,  and  I  began 
to  hope  it  would  not  appear  ;  but  then  a  bloom  of  Mrs.  Mease  and 
one  or  two  Carnots  showed  signs,  the  former  being  very  decidedly  the 
worst.  This  first  flower  was  then  well  dusted,  and  the  application 
repeated  several  times,  and  although  the  florets  first  attacked  slowly 
yielded,  the  fresh  one  coming  out  of  the  centre  of  the  bloom 
resisted  the  influence  of  the  disease,  and  showed  no  symptoms  at  all. 
The  only  flower  on  which  the  anti-blight  seemed  to  have  no  power  was 
A.  G.  Miller.  I  forgot  till  too  late  this  year  to  put  some  boxes  of 
quicklime  about  in  the  houses.  Again,  I  noticed  that  the  terminal 
blooms  succumbed  most  frequently.  I  certainly  think  the  anti-blight 
and  bellows  have  a  very  good  effect  in  arresting  this  disease,  which 
I  quite  believe  is  fungoid  in  origin.  Whether  it  be  that  I  cannot 
say ;  but  I  feel  almost  certain  that  sulphur  enters-into  the  composition 
of  anti-blight,  and  if  the  idea  is  correct  it  accounts  perhaps  for  its 
power  of  arresting  the  disease. 
I  go  fully  with  “  G.  H.  H.”  in  the  i-sue  of  20th  ult.  relative  to  one  of 
the  effects  of  hybridisation  and  new  varieties.  I  amuse  myself  a 
little  in  that  way,  and  of  course  every  parent  worthy  the  name  thinks 
its  own  babe  the  most  beautiful — in  fact,  “there  never  was  such  n 
child;”  and  it  is  just  the  same  with  the  “improved”  va'ieties  of 
flowers,  when  the  only  difference  may  be  a  slightly  deeper  shade  of 
the  colour. 
Much  to  my  surprise,  this  year  the  National  Rose  Society  seems 
to  have  been  horror-struck  at  its  former  audacity  in  making  a 
list  of  “  too-much-alike  ”  Roses,  and  proposed  to  rescina  a  portion  of 
the  decision,  and  I  believe  carried  it  ;  bur,  personally,  I  fail  to  detect 
any  real  difference  between,  for  instance,  Mens.  Boncenne  and  Baron 
Bonstetten,  and  I  question  much  whether  the  most  knowing  judge, 
presented  with  a  leafless  bloom  of  each,  would  be  able  to  tell  “t’other 
from  which:”  and  after  all,  as  I  have  often  remarked  to  nurserymen, 
we  do  not  grow  either  Roses  or  Chrysanthemums  or  Liliums  for 
foliage. 
Then  I  st mpathise  with  “The  Missus”  in  her  “Gossip.”  Yes,  it 
would  be  a  giand  thing  “if  boys  and  men  could  be  trained  to  tidy 
up  as  they  go  along,”  but  this  is  a  fault  of  local  authorities  and 
corporations.  These  might  set  us  a  better  example.  How  often 
do  we  find  in  towns  even  the  mud  carefully  brushed  up  by  the  side  of 
the  street  into  heaps,  and  then  left  for  days  to  be  spread  about  again 
by  carts  driving  through  it  or  the  street  arab  kicking  it  about  ?  A 
sudden  frost  of  severity  may,  as  I  have  known,  find  from  these 
hardened  masses  food  for  the  coroner’s  court,  and  even  then  eyes  are 
not  opened.  The  steady  use  of  eyes  is  a  most  difficult  thing  to 
teach  boys  and  children  of  a  larger  growth.  My  lad  at  present  has 
Btrict  orders  to  go  round  the  paths  every  night  before  leaving  and 
remove  any  weeds  pulled  up.  I'll  give  him  his  due  as  to  the  going 
round.  He  marches  round  $t  a  swinging  pace  with  an  air  as  if  not 
only  the  land  he  treads  on,  but  the  very  air  he  breathes  is  made  for 
himself  alone.  He  walks  over  a  lovely  piece  of  groundsel  in  the  path 
day  after  day,  and  several  times  in  a  day  ;  but  the  offending  weed 
escapes  his  eye,  and  at  last,  in  self-defence,  I  fall  foul  ol  it  myself. 
And  yet,  as  boys  go,  he  is  not  a  bad  boy  ;  he  is  only  following  the 
example  of  the  corporations  and  other  authorities — -the  guardians  and 
supporters  of  education. — Y.  B.  A.  Z. 
Tlie  Gardener’s  Assistant. 
After  nine  months  from  the  appearance  of  the  first  volume  we 
have  to  welcome  the  second  instalm-nt  of  this  old  friend  with  a  very 
new  face.  If  it  were  only  in  the  matter  of  taste  and  form  the  new 
edition  is  a  great  advance  upon  its  predecessors,  and  not  the  least  of  its 
advantages  lies  the  greater  handiness  and  neatness  of  the  individual 
volumes. 
The  striking  feature  of  the  present  volume,  as  compared  with 
the  first,  is  the  great  number  and  variety  of  the  illustrations, 
serving  in  the  main  to  convey  some  life  to  the  numerous  lists  of  trees, 
shrubs,  perennials,  annuals,  and  other  plants  uted  in  the  decoration 
and  setting  out  of  pleasure  gardens.  In  matters  horticultural,  more 
than  in  any  other  department  of  literature,  the  growing  tendency  to 
wealth  of  illustration  operates  most  beneficially,  for  it  serves  to  instruct 
as  well  as  to  entertain.  Much  of  modern  illustration,  especially  in 
works  of  fiction,  is  trivial  and  overwrought,  but  in  the  case  of  trees, 
plants,  and  flowers,  it  reproduces  in  best  combination  the  good,  the 
bea  itiful,  and  the  true.  Many  a  young  gardener,  to  whom  botanical 
nomenclature  is  a  stumblingblock,  will  be  encouraged  to  pore  over 
these  pa:es,  and  gra  lually  to  become  familiarised  with  names  which  at 
first  sight  he  found  absolutely  repellant. 
It  can  scarcely  be  said  that  there  is  quite  so  much  scope  for 
originality  in  this  volume  as  in  the  last,  the  chapters  on  propagation, 
transplanting,  and  pruning  being  much  on  the  old  practical  lines. 
The  designiug  ol  treasure  gardens  also,  which  is  in  itself  an  in- 
exhaustib  e  subject,  and  woithy  of  a  separate  took,  can  only  be 
generally  treated,  and  consequently  is  chiefly  serviceable  to  those 
possessing  some  natural  genius  in  this  branch  of  art.  I  i  speaking  of 
trees  suitable  for  large  towns  it  is  surprising  to  find  that  the  Lime  is 
recommendtd  in  conjunction  with  the  Plane  and  the  Sycamore. 
Certainly  this  advice  is  not  true  for  London  now,  and  with  the 
growing  desiccation  of  the  soil  its  unsuitability  for  the  Lime  must 
continue  to  increase.  In  these  aays  Cousin  Jonathan  pjkes  his  nose 
into  every  English  sanctuary,  and  hangs  up  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
there.  He  lias  now  been  painting  his  sign  upon  our  gardens.  Thus 
we  read  of 
The  American  Garden. — This  term  is  usually  applied  to  a  piece  of 
ground  set  apart  for  plants  which  enjoy  a  moist,  peaty  soil.  Many 
of  them  are  natives  of  North  America,  and  they  have  come  to.  be 
known  collectively  as  “  American  plants.”  In  its  geographical 
application  the  term  is  somewhat  misleading,  numerous  shrubs 
belonging  to  this  group  being  natives  of  Japan,  Europe,  and  even  of  the 
British  Isles.  “  American  plants”  are  for  the  most  part  included  under 
the  two  natural  orders  Ericaceae  and  Vacciniactse,  and  some  of  the 
chief  genera  comprising  the  group  are  : — Rhododendron,  Azalea,  Kalmia, 
Erica,  Arbutus,  Andromeda,  Clethra,  Pernettya,  Vaccinium,  Ledum, 
Gaultheria,  Daboeoia,  Arctostaphylos,  Pieris,  Leucothoe,  Lyonia, 
Zenobia,  Menziesia,  &c.  Their  special  value  lies  in  their  neat  dwarf 
habit,  the  beauty  and  profusion  of  their  flowers,  and  their  rich  green 
and  mostly  persistent  foliage.  A  few,  however,  like  the  Azaleas,  are 
deciduous. 
American  plants  prefer  a  moist,  cool  soil,  and  generally  they  dislike 
lime,  so  that  in  many  limestone  districts  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  grow 
them  unless  in  specially  prepared  soil.  It  is,  however,  interesting  to 
note  that  some  few  of  the  Heath  family  thrive  even  better  where  it  is 
present :  Rhododendron  hirsutum  and  Rhodothamnus  Chamsecistus  are 
cases  in  point.  Several  of  the  Ericas,  too,  thrive  in  chalkv  districts, 
such  as  E.  mediterranea  and  E.  cinerea.  Where  the  natural  soil  is 
free  from  chalk  the  stronger-growing  species  may  be  used  in  shrubbery 
borders.  The  soil  most  suitable  is  undoubtedly  one  of  a  peaty  nature, 
but  many  of  them  may  be  growu  in  a  loamy  soil,  if  free  from  chalk  and 
of  sufficient  depth  of  body  to  retain  moisture  during  long  spells. of  dry 
weather.  Rhododendrons,  for  instance,  will  sometimes  grow  in  stiff 
The  best  position  for  American  plants  is  a  sheltered  hollow  or 
ravine  opening  to  the  south  or  west.  Such  a  position  aff  >rds  abundant 
scope  for  varied  and  informal  arrangements,  especially  if  a  few  other 
trees  and  shrubs  are  introduced,  such  as  Magnolias,  Acers,  and  the 
hardiest  Bamboos. 
The  work  is  replete  with  so  much  information  that  we  can  only 
briefly  indicate  a  few  of  the  main  feature*.  Perhaps  the  most 
attractive  chapter  is  that  upon  aquatic  plants  and  the  bog  garden. 
The  planting  of  the  rock  garden,  the  seas  de,  and  town  parks  are 
noteworthy  Actions,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  Auricula  receives  the 
special  treatment  of  a  florist  who  loves  it.  We  learn  that 
The  Auricula  (Primula  Auricula)  ranks  among  the  oldest  of  garden 
flowers.  In  Gerardo’s  “  Historic  of  Plants,”  published  in  1597,  eight 
varieties  of  Beares  Eares”  are  figured  and  described,  some  of  them 
being  varieties  of  the  Auricula,  whilst  others  are  not.  According  to 
Parkinson  the  Auricula  must  have  been  a  favourite  garden  fl  >wer  in 
-:i;  “The  Gardener’s  Assistant.”  A  new  edition  by  William  Watson, 
The  Gresham  Publishing  Company,  Farringdon  Avenue,  London. 
