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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  February  21,  1901. 
Certificated  Plants. — No.  6. 
While  the  Celos’a  in  its  crested  form  as  the  Cockscomb  has 
decidedly  declined  in  popular  estimation,  being  seen  only  occasionally 
at  exhibitions,  the  genus  Cbeirauthus,  as  represented  by  the  common 
Wallflower,  has  been  subjected  to  considerable  improvement,  though 
Mr.  F.  J.  Graham  and  his  Yellow  Perfection,  which  received  a 
commendation  as  far  back  as  1863,  are  nearly  forgotten.  As  a  garden 
and  market  flower  the  Wallflower  is  indispensable  A  subject  so 
powerfully  fragrant  will  always  be  a  favourite  in  gardens.  A  very 
interesting  hybrid  obtained  by  the  Rev.  Harpur  Crewe,  and  bearing 
his  name,  of  slender  growth,  and  carrying  plentiful  spikes  of  pale  yellow 
double  flowers,  though  obtained  in  the  early  seventies,  and  which 
became  widely  distributed,  did  not  gain  an  award  from  the  Floral 
Committee  until  1896,  so  long  a  time  does  it  sometimes  take  for  a 
plant  to  reveal  itself  in  its  best  form.  This  is  a  variety  which,  being 
sterile,  has  to  be  increased  by  means  of  cuttings.  We  have  now 
maroon,  yellow,  purple,  sulphur,  and  other  shades  of  colour  in 
Wallflowers,  and  in  spring  they  are  the  pride  and  glory  of  our  gardens. 
Double .  German  Wallflowers — Cosmos. 
The  double  German  Wallflowers  are  now  rarely  seen,  and  yet 
among  them  there  are  varieties  well  worthy  a  place  in  every  garden, 
especially  those  which  may  be  regarded  as  English  selections.  Colchicum 
autumnale  flore-pleno  obtained  an  award  thirty  years  ago,  because  the 
act  of  doubling  gave  a  greater  surface  of  colouration,  and  rendered 
the  blossoms  more  durable.  One  rarely  sees  the  pretty  trailing 
Convolvulus  mauritanicus  now,  though  it  is  one  of  the  most  charming 
of  basket  and  vase  plants;  it  was  commended  as  far  back  as  1861. 
It  is  cause  for  wonder  that  the  varieties  of  the  Mexican  Cosmos 
bipinnatus  are  not  more  grown  for  cutting.  They  bear  a  family 
resemblance  to  the  Dahlia,  and  flower  about  the  same  time. 
The  American  florists  pay  more  attention  to  this  genus  than  we  do, 
and  some  very  pretty  varieties  have  been  obtained  by  them.  Such 
forms  as  grandiflorus  and  parviflorus  have  obtained  awards  with  us, 
but  later  introductions  eclipse  these. 
Notwithstanding  the  many  introductions  of  new  varieties  of 
A'ernal  Crocus,  only  one — King  of  the  Blues — has  received  an  award. 
With  this  may  be  associated  the  autumn-flowering  Sternbergias. 
S.  macrantha  or  latifolia,  and  the  smaller  form  lutea  do  well  in  a  fairly 
light  soil  with  which  some  lime  rubbish  has  been  mixed ;  the  best 
position  is  within  the  partial  shade  of  trees.  They  have  large  Crocus¬ 
like  blossoms. 
The  Cyclamen. 
The  past  half-century  has  witnessed  a  marvellous  change,  both  in 
the  culture  and  improvement  of  Cyclamen  persicum.  During  the 
seventies  the  Cyclamen  became  greatly  improved  by  means  of  seed, 
and  instead  of  being  regarded  as  a  flower  in  season  in  March,  improved 
methods  of  culture  demonstrated  that  it  can  be  had  in  bloom  in 
October  and  all  through  the  winter.  A  large-flowered  strain  has 
been  evolved,  and  to  something  like  three  dozen  varieties,  small  and 
large-flowered,  certificates  of  merit  have  been  awarded.  Though 
varieties  are  still  named,  the  Fioral  Committee  of  the  R.H.S.  now 
prefer  to  distinguish  strains,  so  numerous  and  good  are  the  varieties. 
The  latest  development  is  that  known  as  the  Butterfly  section 
(papilio)  in  which  the  petals  are  curiously  crested  and  feathered.  A 
tendency  to  doubleness  has  also  been  observed.  The  varieties  of 
C.  Coum  and  C.  europseum  have  undergone  change,  and  some  new 
species,  such  as  the  winter-blooming  0.  libanoticum,  have  been 
obtained. 
Certificated  Chrysanthemums. 
It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  recently  published  list  of  awards  issued 
by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  does  not  contain  the  name  of  any 
Chrysanthemum  as  having  obtained  an  award  from  the  Floral  Com¬ 
mittee  previous  to  1887.  There  must  be  lapses  in  the  record  from 
some  cause  or  the  other,  though  it  is  represented  as  being  inclusive — 
1859-1899 — because  in  1868  the  Floral  Committee  of  that  day  made 
awards  of  certificates  of  merit  to  new  Japanese  varieties  raised  from 
seeds  either  sent  home  by  Robert  Fortune  or  from  the  plants  he 
despatched  to  this  country  in  1862. 
Among  the  first  sent  to  England  were  Bronze  Dragon,  Grandiflorum, 
Laciniatum,  Yellow  Dragon,  and  a  few  others.  Some  of  the  earliest 
to  follow  these  (and  they  were  either  imported  varieties  or  seedlings) 
were  Baronne  de  Prailly,  La  Coquette,  Madame  Godellet,  Nagaski 
Violet,  Prince  Satsuma,  Striatum,  The  Damio,  and  others.  In  1867 
the  late  Mr.  John  Salter  had  succeeded  in  raising  seedlings,  and  the 
following  season  he  exhibited  at  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  such  early  improved  forms  as  Dr.  Masters,  Hero  of 
Magdala,  James  Salter,  and  others.  There  is  no  available  record  I  am 
acquainted  with  issued  by  the  society  of  any  certificate  being  granted 
until  1872,  when  the  well  known  Elaine  was  so  distinguished, 
followed  by  Duchess  of  Edinburgh,  Fulton,  Gold  Thread,  M.  Crousse, 
M.  Lemoine,  and  The  Cossack  in  the  seventies  ;  all  through  the 
decade  commencing  with  1881  awards  were  frequent,  but  the  next 
decade  witnessed  a  great  many  more. 
We  have  witnessed  a  marvellous  development  in  the  Japanese 
varieties,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century  the  rush  ol 
new  varieties  is  greater  than  ever.  What  the  development  of  the 
Japai  ese  Chrysanthemum  will  be  during  the  next  ten  years  we  can 
only  imagine  ;  but  its  culture  has  called  into  existence  at  home,  in  our 
colonies  and  abroad,  a  large  number  of  societies  formed  for  the  purpose 
of  encouraging  the  culture  and  exhibition  of  the  Chrysanthemum. 
The  Japanese  section  has  been  classified  and  divided  into  sections;  the 
spidery  and  plumed  forms  have  been  added  during  the  past  few  years 
as  their  development  occurred,  of  course  later  in  time  than  that,  of  the 
Anemone-flowered  and  single  types. 
The  incurved,  reflexed,  and  Anemone-flowered  types  of  the  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  are  of  older  date,  but  it  was  not  until  the  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society  took  in  hand  the  task  of  classification  that 
any  serious  attempt  was-  made  in  this  direction.  The  first  English 
seedlings  were  raised  in  Norfolk  about  1835,  and  some  were  obtained 
in  Jersey  in  the  following  year.  While  the  late  Mr.  John  Salter  was 
at  Versailles,  France,  from  1838  to  1848,  he  found  himself  in  a 
climate  better  suited  to  saving  seed  than  in  this  country,  and  he 
obtained  some  fine  varieties,  among  them  the  well-known  Queen  of 
England. 
It  was  during  the  forties  that  the  Chrysanthemum  was  first 
exhibited.  In  1846  Mr.  Fortune  brought  from  China  two  forms  of 
the  Chusan  Daisy  or  Chinese  Minimum,  and  from  these  have 
originated  the  numerous  sections  of  Pompon  varieties.  The  French 
florists  in  particular  were  active  in  the  improvement  of  the  type.  An 
Anemone-flowered  form  was  also  developed,  and  some  of  them  are  very 
elegant  and  attractive.  Single  Chrysanthemums  have  been  rapidly 
developed;  while  the  Japanese  section,  the  varieties  of  which  when 
first  introduced  were  tall  in  growth  and  late  in  flowering,  have  given 
us  a  race  of  dwarf  growth,  blooming  abundantly  in  September  and 
October.  Seeing  that  during  the  past  thirty  years  something  like  300 
varieties  have  received  awards  it  is  evident  that  the  Chrysanthemum 
has  been  improved  in  numbers  beyond  any  other  popular  flower. 
The  Cineraria. 
The  Cineraria  has  also  undergone  great  change ;  fifty  years  ago 
the  individual  blooms  were  small,  and  the  habit  of  growth  tall.  Then 
came,  principally  during  the  fifties  and  sixties,  a  time  of  great  activity 
in  the  improvement  of  the  flower,  until  at  the  opening  of  a  new 
century  we  find  in  cultivation  strains  of  singularly  dwarf  growth, 
bearing  flowers  of  enormous  dimensions.  The  naming  of  varieties 
ceased  twenty  years  ago,  and  highly  developed  strains,  as  judged  by 
present-day  developments,  are  generally  very  fine.  But,  as  if  in 
protest  against  the  large  and  ungainly  blooms  now  so  popular,  the 
species  C.  cruenta  has  been  again  taken  in  hand,  and  the  sma'l- 
fbiwered  seedlings,  being  remarkably  profuse  in  blooming,  are  being 
much  grown  for  greenhouse  decoration.  Increased  size  appears  certain 
to  come  as  a  result  of  selecting  the  most  approved  seed  parents.  Very 
fine  double  strains  have  been  secured,  but  they  are  scarcely  popular,, 
as  they  can  be  increased  only  by  division  or  cuttings. — R.  Dean. 
Melons. 
{Concluded,  from  page  111.) 
Some  garden  calendars  of  the  present  day  recommend  that  the 
flowers  should  not  be  fertilised  before  a  sufficient  number  are  out  at 
the  same  time  to  form  a  crop.  I  think  it  makes  little  difference 
when  they  are  fertilised.  I  make  it  a  rule  to  pollinise  the  first 
female  flower  that  opens,  and  continue  to  do  so  as  they  open  ;  and  I 
find  no  difficulty  in  the  plants  setting  a  good  crop  which  swells  off 
freely  and  ripens  satisfactorily.  If  more  fruits  set  than  the  plants  can 
support — which  is  often  the  case — they  swell  for  a  little,  then  turn 
yellow,  and  are  cut  off,  but  this  does  not  interfere  with  the  crop  in 
the  least.  The  plants  on  an  average  mature  from  six  to  eight  large  fruits 
each  the  first  crop;  and  I  have  had  strong  healthy  plants  ripen  as 
many  as  nine  fruits  the  second  crop,  well  finished  fruits,  from  4  lbs.  to 
6  lbs.  each,  which  some  judges  of  Melons  consider  large  enough. 
When  the  fruits  have  grown  to  the  size  of  Cocoanuts  they  are 
supported  from  the  trellis  by  pieces  of  flat  wooden  boards,  5  inches 
square,  with  holes  in  the  centre,  which  allow  any  water  that  collects 
on  them  after  the  plants  are  syringed  to  run  off.  The  boards  have  a 
piece  of  strong  copper  wire  fastened  at  each  corner,  and  when  the  Iruit 
is  placed  on  them  the  wires  are  secured  to  the  trellis  in  a  position 
that  enables  the  fruit  to  swell  away  without  coming  in  contact  with 
it.  This  system  of  supporting  the  fruits  has  the  great  advantage  of 
allowing  them  to  be  easily  lowered  or  raised  as  occasion  requires 
without  giving  much  trouble.  During  the  time  the  fruits  are 
swelling  the  plants  are  liberally  supplied  with  artificial  manures* 
