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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  11,  1901. 
Decorative  Chrysanthemums. 
The  following  uncommon  varieties  belong  to  the  small  flowered 
section,  and  are  most  useful  for  supplying  cut  flowers  or  to  be  grown 
as  plants  for  indoor  decoration.  Lizzie  Adcock  is  a  bright  yellow  sport 
from  the  popular  Source  d’Or,  and  therefore  needs  few  words  to  recom¬ 
mend  it,  as  the  merits  of  its  parent  are  well  known.  White  Quintus 
has  pure  white,  pointed  florets  ;  it  is  showy  and  useful.  Crimson 
Source  d’Or,  though  not  exceptionally  bright  in  colour,  is  useful. 
Mignonette  belongs  to  the  thread-like  section,  and  is  of  a  pleasing  pale 
yellow  colour.  Lady  Onslow,  deep  yellow;  Mrs.  Butters,  white; 
Miss  Harvey,  pale  pink  ;  and  Cupi  I,  white,  are  four  varieties 
belonging  also  to  the  thread  section.  Black  Hawk  is  the  darkest  of 
all  Chrysanthemums  in  colour.  Edwin  Smith,  narrow  florets,  bright 
red  in  colour,  chestnut  reverse,  is  one  of  the  best  of  decorative  varieties. 
White  Australie  is  an  excellent  variety  for  producing  medium-sized 
blooms  in  quantity.  Glorious  is  an  improved  Cullingfordi,  and  is 
therefore  extremely  valuable.  Isabel  Williams  reminds  one  of  Ethel 
in  the  formation  of  its  flowers,  but  is  more  distinctly  a  white-flowered 
variety. — S.  P.  H. 
Seasonable  Chrysanthemum  Notes. 
The  month  of  April  is  a  busy  time  for  the  cultivator  of  the 
Chrysanthemum,  no  matter  for  what  purpose  the  plants  are  intended. 
Press  of  work  in  other  departments  of  the  garden  renders  the  necessary 
work  amongst  the  Chrysanthemums  more  difficult  to  cope  with  at  the 
proper  time.  Failure  to  arrive  at  that  perfection  with  some  varieties 
that  is  desirable  might  reasonab'y  he  traced  to  a  lack  of  attention  at 
this  seasou  of  the  year.  The  point  I  have  many  times  emphasised  is 
that  of  attempting  to  grow  more  plants  thm  circumstances  properly 
admit.  This  is  a  common  mistake.  It  is  better  to  grow  fifty  plants 
well  than  spoil  double  that  number.  There  is  nowadays  such  a 
craving  amongst  cultivators,  and  especially  exhibitors,  for  the  inclusion 
of  such  a  large  number  of  varieties,  that  overcrowding  too  often  takes 
place. 
To  an  exhibitor  the  inclusion  of. new  and  improved  varieties  in  any 
section  is,  of  course,  a  distinct  gain,  and  for  this  reason  I  advise  at  a'l 
times  a  yearly  overhauling  of  existing  lists  of  varieties  It  is  a 
mistake,  however,  to  add  all  the  sorts  that  are  offered  without  any 
means  of  determining  their  quality  or  suitableness  for  any  specified 
object  beyond  the  vendor’s  description,  except  of  course  due  reliance 
can  be  placed  in  such.  When  adding  new  varieties  a  corresponding 
number  of  older  and  inferior  sorts  must  of  course  be  discarded.  Now 
iB  the  time  to  make  a  final  selection,  and  remember  that  sentiment, 
which  is  really  a  weakness  for  any  particular  kind,  is  but  of  little  avail 
when  competition  on  the  exhibition  table  is  the  object  in  view.  There 
is  no  disputing  the  fact  that  to  the  exhibitor  the  chief  credit  of 
developing  the  finest  blooms  is  due  ;  this  class  of  cultivator  appears  to 
be  more  energetic  than  those  who  simply  grow  large  blooms  for  home 
decoration  only. 
Pottiog  the  plants  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  most  important 
of  cultural  details  to  attend  to.  From  the  time  that  the  cuttings  are 
inserted  until  the  blooms  are  fully  developed  no  check  to  that  freedom 
of  growth  which  is  so  desirable  should  be  given.  Neglect  in  trans¬ 
ferring  the  plants  to  larger  pots  as  the  roots  increase  is  one  of  the  worst 
forms  of  check  a  plant  can  experience.  If  the  cultivator  would  but 
remember  how  the  plants  were  starved  in  small  pots  in  March  and 
April,  when  he  is  complaining  in  August  about  the  loss  of  the  lower 
leaves  from  his  plants,  the  difficulty  of  solving  such  problems  might 
not  be  so  great.  When  a  plant  becomes  “  potbound,”  as  it  is  commonly 
known,  the  moisture  which  it  receives  is  so  much  more  quickly 
exhausted  than  when  more  rooting  space  is  provided  ;  then,  from  want 
of  moisture  at  the  roots,  a  check  takes  place,  either  in  a  premature 
loss  of  leaves  from  the  mam  stem  at  a  later  stage  or  in  a  stunted 
growth  of  the  leading  shoots,  which  also  predisposes  to  an  attack  of 
insect  pests.  Thus  the  beginner  in  Chrysanthemum  culture  will  see 
that  much  harm  may  follow  neglect,  even  in  one  detail  of  culture. 
In  transferring  the  plants  to  larger  pots  various  circumstances  have 
to  be  taken  into  consideration.  For  instance,  a  stock  of  larger  pots 
than  is  usually  employed  for  Chrysanthemums  may  be  in  hand,  as 
these  are  to  be  utilised.  In  a  general  way  pots  9  inches  and  10  inches 
in  diameter  are  large  enough  for  the  final  shift  for  the  bulk  of  varieties 
In  this  case  the  first  shilt  from  the  cutting  pot  should  be  to  those 
inches  wide.  The  next  time  employ  pots  5§  inches  in  diameter, 
and  transfer  the  plants  from  these  to  the  9-inch  pots.  When  using 
larger  pots,  say  10  or  11  inches,  4J-inch  pots  should  be  used  at  the 
first  shift,  next  6J-inch  size,  and  then  into  the  final.  It  is  only 
the  stronger  growing  varieties,  however,  that  require  these  extra  large 
pots  for  single  plants.  I  prefer  placing  two  plants  in  each  in 
preference  to  potting  them  singly,  using  the  weaker  growing  sorts, 
and  always  the  same  variety,  as  the  work  of  arranging  the  plant  or  the 
management  required  in  developing  the  blooms  later  on  might  be 
much  interfered  with  if  two  varieties  are  growing  in  the  one  pot.  To 
prepare  the  plants  for  the  larger  pots  first  place  them  in  3£-inch  size, 
and  then  into  the  5^-inch  s'ze,  which  allows  them  to  be  the  right 
size  to  occupy  the  11-inch  at  the  final  potting.  By  this  means  a  great 
saving  in  space  is  effected,  as  nearly  double  the  quantity  of  plants 
can  be  grown  in  the  same  space. 
The  compost  for  the  present  potting  should  consist  of  turfy  loam, 
two  parts,  to  one  of  half-decayed  horse  manure,  coarse  silver  sand, 
wood  ashes,  and  charcoal  in  sufficient  quantity  to  keep  the  whole 
porous.  To  this  compost  add  1£  lb.  Thomson's  Vine  manure  to  every 
bushel.  Drain  the  pots  carefully,  and  pot  firmly.  If  the  roots  are 
quite  moist  when  potting  takes  place,  and  the  soil  in  the  same  state, 
as  it  should  be,  no  water  will  be  required  for  two  or  three  days. 
Stand  the  plants  in  a  cold  frame,  facing  south,  on  a  thick  bed  of  coal 
ashes,  and  keep  the  lights  partly  closed  for  a  time,  to  induce  the 
plants  to  make  new  roots  quickly,  when  air  in  quantity  should  be 
given  to  induce  a  stocky  habit  ot  growth.  To  further  contribute  to 
this,  draw  the  lights  off  entirely  when  fine  during  the  day.  Do  not 
expose  the  plants  to  cutting  winds  from  the  east,  as  such  exposure 
is  all  in  favour  of  the  inception  and  growth  of  the  mildew  fungus. 
Abundance  of  air  is  relished  by  Chrysanthemums  when  not  in  the 
shape  of  a  draught. 
Carefully  attend  to  the  plants  for  water,  never  allowing  the  roots 
to  suffer  for  want  of  it,  but  remember  that  too  much  causes  a 
stagnation  about  the  roots,  which  is  often  the  cause  of  a  loss  of 
chlorophyll,  or  colouring  matter,  from  the  leaves.  To  remedy  such  a 
loss  keep  the  soil  on  the  dry  side  for  at  least  a  fortnight,  and  with 
warmer  weather  a  change  for  the  better  will  soon  be  apparent.  In 
stubborn  cases  dissolve  half  ounce  sulphate  of  iron  in  one  gallon  soft 
wa^er,  and  give  the  roots  an  occasional  soaking  with  it.  Where 
mildew  is  preseut  apply  the  usual  remedy  of  dusting  the  affected 
parts  with  flowers  of  sulphur,  and  maintain  the  atmosphere  in  a 
buoyant  state. 
Never  crowd  the  plants  under  any  pretext,  remembering  that 
maturity  of  the  stems  and  leaves  is  the  secret  of  high  class  blooms. 
Such  maturation  cannot  be  obtained  by  exposure  to  the  full  sun  for  a 
week  or  two  in  the  autumn,  or  by  the  application  of  fire  heat  alter  the 
plants  are  housed  in  September.  Mature  the  growth  as  it  proceeds, 
and  the  leaves  will  show  by  their  russetty  appearance  in  the  early 
autumn  that  such  has  taken  place.  The]  initial  steps  for  this  phase, 
then,  must  be  laid  at  the  present  time  by  allowing  abundance  of  space 
for  each  plant  to  grow  and  develop  its  resources  thoroughly.  This  is 
really  ma  uration. — E.  Molyneux. 
Jottings  About  Tomato  Growing. 
The  demand  for  fresh  juicy  looking  Tomatoes  seems  to  grow 
apace,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  an  enormous  area  of  glass  is 
devoted  to  the  growth  of  this  particular  crop,  there  is  still  less 
fluctuation  in  the  price  of  English  Tomatoes  in  early  summer  than  in 
the  case  of  almost  any  other  crop.  It  is  during  August  and 
September,  when  the  outdoor  crops  come  in,  that  the  price  drops 
sharply,  but  the  go-ahead  cultivator  has  by  that  time  gathered  the 
bulk  of  his  fruits  grown  under  glass.  Foreign  supplies  are  now  sent 
into  the  market  in  fine  condition  in  regard  to  appearance,  but  when 
tested  in  point  to  flavour  they  bear  a  very  unfavourable  comparison 
with  home-grown  Tomatoes.  This  gives  the  British  grower  a 
considerable  advantage,  which  can  be  maintained  by  allowing  the  fruits 
to  become  coloured  before  they  are  picked,  instead  of  ripening  them  on 
shelves,  which  is  always  detrimental  to  their  flavour.  Throughout 
April  millions  of  Tomatoes  are  planted  under  glass,  and  it  is  surprising 
how  varied  are  the  conditions  under  which  they  are  grown.  The 
market  grower,  with  specially  constructed  houses,  sets  his  plants  in 
the  natural  soil,  which  has  been  previously  prepared  by  digging  and 
manuring.  A  suitable  distance  apart  to  plant  in  such  cases  is  in  rows 
2  feet  apart,  the  plants  being  from  12  to  15  inches  asunder.  Some 
cultivators  plant  more  closely,  but  I  have  never  seen  anything  to 
convince  me  of  the  wisdom  of  such  a  practice,  and  I  have  seen  many 
instances  in  which  it  has  resulted  in  a  light  crop  during  a  dull  season. 
A  simple  and  effectual  method  of  supporting  the  plants  is  to  strain  a 
wire  just-  above  the  surface  of  the  soil,  secure  it  every  2  yards  to  a 
