October  2,  1S02. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
307 
An  Early-Flowering  Chrysanthemum  Show. 
At  Bolehall  House  Gardens,  Tamworth,  on  Saturday  last,  when 
a  number  of  growers  met  at  a  friendly  meeting  on  the  invitation 
of  Mr.  W.  Sydenham,  cups  for  the  following  four  classes  were 
offered; — Twelve  bunches  early-flowering  decorative  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  distinct;  twelve  bunches  early-flowering  Pompon 
Chrysanthemums,  distinct ;  six  bunches  early-flowering  decorative 
Chrysanthemums,  distinct,  catalogued  in  1900  or  since ;  six 
bunches  (three  yellows  and  three  whites)  distinct  early-flowering 
decorative  Chrysanthemums.  All  had  to  be  grown  by  the 
exhibitor  in  the  open,  and  not  disbudded.  An  exhibitors’  lunch 
was  given  at  one  o’clock.  Air.  W.  Sydenham’s  own  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  at  least  3,000  plants,  wrere  available  in  their  beds,  to 
show  habit,  Ac.,  and  for  reference  in  case  of  need. 
October  Flowering  Chrysanthemums. 
When  frosts  come  and  despoil  the  beauty  of  flowers  in  tho 
open,  and  there  is  generally  a  scarcity  of  flowers  in  the  majority 
of  gardens,  unless  a  speciality  is  made  of  growing  in  pots  a  good 
batch  of  Chrysanthemums  which  bloom  somewhat  early.  There 
are  now  in  commerce  some  splendid  varieties  for  the  purpose, 
which  if  grown  tvell  will  give  fine  results.  Some  which  I  shall 
include  in  my  list  may,  by  taking  the  early  kinds,  be  flowered 
throughout  September,  but  all  can  be  so  managed  as  to  bloom 
in  October.  Comtesse  Fouclier  de  Cariel  (orange  bronze),  one  of 
the  best  of  that  colour ;  Goacher’s  Crimson  (light  crimson),  a 
great  acquisition.  Mdlle.  Marie  Masse  (lilac  mauve). 
Market  White. — Few  Chrysanthemums  are  finer,  and  it  has 
proved  a  grand  variety  for  flowering  from  the  middle  of  September 
till  the  middle  of  October ;  the  flowers  are  perfectly  white,  and 
are  fuller  than  those  of  Madame  Desgrange.  The  only  objection 
I  have  to  it  is  that  when  cut  the  blooms  seem  to  fade  quickly. 
This,  however,  may  be  because  the  wood  is  etxra  hard,  as  I  have 
found  that  when  the  stems  are  cut  to  the  soft  wood  the  flowers 
last  better.  Matters  may,  however,  be  improved  in  this  direc¬ 
tion  by  feeding  the  plants  liberally,  as  the  value  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  often  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  can  be  cut  with  long 
stems.  Perhaps  others  will  give  their  experience  of  this  variety. 
Parisiana. — T  have  this  season  seen  a  few  flowers  of  this  new 
introduction,  and  I  have  formed  a  very  high  opinion  of  it.  Those 
who  have  opportunities  of  keeping  thoroughly  up-to-date  should 
certainly  try  it.  Rvecroft  Glory,  well  known  yet  still  indis¬ 
pensable.  Sadi-Tahih-Bey  (pink),  good  for  cutting.  O.  J. 
Quintus  and  its  white  sport  are  good  varieties  to  grow  in 
quantity,  so  also  is  Lady  Selborne  and  Yellow  Lady  Selborne. 
Mytchett  Beauty  is  a  grand  yellow  with  stiff  stems,  fine  for 
supplying  pot  plants  or  for  cutting.  Albert  Galy  (terra  cotta) 
is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  of  its  class. — H.  D. 
A  Time  for  Watchfulness. 
A  season  when  great  watchfulness  is  needed  has  now  arrived, 
as  much  damage  is  frequently  done  to  unprotected  plants  in  the 
open  air,  when  sharp  frostsoccur  during  the  last  weekin  September. 
Some  cultivators  take  it  for  granted  that  Chrysanthemum  and 
similar  plants  are  safe  in  the  open  air  until  the  first  or  second 
week  in  Octqber.  In  our  treacherous  climate  it  is  not  wise  to 
entertain  this  belief,  but  to  be  prepared  for  emergencies  not 
later  than  the  present  time.  During  ordinary  seasons  no  harm 
may  be  done,  but  ever  and  anon  those  caught  napping  receive  a 
severe  lesson,  as  was  the  case  some  years  ago,  when  thousands  of 
Chrysanthemipns  in  pots  were  utterly  ruined. 
In  some  private  gardens,  where  the  Chrysanthemum  quarters 
are  surrounded  by  walls  or  buildings,  or  partially  protected  in 
a  similar  way,  the  plants  escape  when  those  grown  in  open 
positions  in  the  same  garden  are  ruined  unless  protected.  Position, 
therefore,  needs  to  be  taken  into  consideration.  It  seems  quite 
probable  that  sharp  frosts  may  occur  suddenly  this  year,  as  the 
temperature  of  the  ground  is  already  unduly  cold,  owing  to  the 
wet,  sunless  season,  and  I  have  often  noticed  that  after  such 
seasons  real  autumn  weather  comes  very  suddenly.  I  do  not 
advise  gardeners  to  rush  their  plants'  under  cover  at  once, 
because  I  know  full  well  the  advantage  of  leaving  them  in  the 
open  air  as  long  as  possible  provided  the  buds  have  not  begun 
to  burst,  as  the  practice  not  only  tends  to  prolong  the  display, 
bUt wi  t0  keep  t*ie  Plants  sturdy,  and  the  flower  stems  stiff. 
When,  however,  the  buds  are  swelling,  a  slight  amount  of 
frost  injures  them  and  prevents  the  petals  from  unfolding  satis¬ 
factorily  even  if  the  buds  continue  to  swell.  Such  plants  should 
bo  placed  under  glass  at  once,  or  be  protected  at  night  by  canvas 
or  other  suitable  material.  As  far  as  possible  houses  should  be 
got  in  readiness,  so  that  when  danger  threatens  many  plants  can 
be  housed  quickly.  We  always  get  some  warning.  I  have  never 
known  Chrysanthemums  badly  injured  by  an  isolated  night’s 
frost.  When,  however,  we  get  five  or  six  degrees  in  one  night  it 
is  necessary  “  to  look  out,”  as  the  following  one  may  prove 
ruinous. 
Good  measures  to  take  at  such  times  are  the  following:— 
Place  under  glass,  temporarily,  in  a  building  all  plants  well 
advanced.  Others,  which  must  be  left  in  the  open  air,  should  be 
removed  to  sheltered  position,  where,  if  possible,  some  kind  of 
framework  can  be  placed  over  them,  and  covered  with  mats  or 
canvas.  Even  this  cannot  always  be  done  where  there  are 
hundreds  of  plants  to  be  dealt  with.  A  good  plan,  then,  is  to 
get  a  heap  of  dry  straw  or  bracken  in  readiness  under  cover  and 
watch  the  weather  closely.  If  at  any  time  during  the  evening 
there  is  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  whether  or  not  the  frost  wilt 
be  severe  enough  to  injure  the  plants,  be  on  the  safe  side,  turn 
the  pots  down  on  their  sides,  and  cover  pot  and  growth  with  the 
material  in  readiness. 
The  shoots  of  Chrysanthemums  are  this  year  far  from  ripe,  and 
special  attention  will  be  needed  to  prevent  injury  by  frost.  The 
above  are  measures  which  I  have  often  successfully  adopted,  and 
by  doing  so  have  saved  hundreds'  of  valuable  plants,  when  many 
others  in  the  same  district  have  been  ruined.  That  is  why  I  have 
penned  this  note,  as  I  think  it  is  not  always  the  man  who  writes 
in  the  most  fluent  style  who  does  the  most  good,  but  rather  he 
who  hits  the  right  nail  on  the  head  at  the  right  time.  The  motto 
from  the  present  time  onward  should  be  watchfulness. — 
Chrysanthemum  Grower. 
The  Fern  Mite. 
In  the  Journal  for  September  4,  under  the  heading  “The 
Destruction  of  Unhealthy  Plants,”  readers  are  asked  to  give  their 
experience  with  certain  pests  infesting  Ferns,  i.e.,  Macrobiotus 
Hufelandi  and  Oribata  demersa.  From  lack  of  knowledge  as  to 
the  identity  of  the  pests  named,  I  do  not  know  whether  I  am 
right  in  assuming  either  of  them  to  be  identical  with  a  very  small 
pest  we  call  “  Fern  mite,”  and  one  which  has  been  most  destruc¬ 
tive  in  many  establishments  at  Edmonton  in  North  London,  during 
the  past  year  or  so,  particularly  among  the  general  market  species 
and  varieties  of  Pteris.  The  first  indication  of  their  presence  is 
a  rusty  and  disfigured  appearance  of  the  young  fronds,  as  they 
are  throwing  up,  and  in  a  comparatively  short  time — only  a  few 
days  in  many  cases- — the  plants  present  such,  a  crippled  and  un¬ 
sightly  appearance  that  they  are  absolutely  of  no  use  for  the 
purpose  they  are  grown. 
At  first  we  were  at  a  loss  to  aocount  for  this  unnatural  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  plants,  and  as  your  correspondent  suggests,  the  man 
in  charge  was  suspected  of  being  neglectful  and  careless  in  his 
watering,  but  afterwards,  when  whole  batches  of  plants  were  thus 
affected,  we  found  them — on  examination  with  a  pocket  lens — to 
be  infested  with  a-  small  mite  similar  to  red  spider,  though  much 
smaller;  and  more  recently,  with  the  aid  of  a  small  microscope, 
I  have  been  able  to  examine  them  more  closely.  With  but  a 
limited  knowledge'  of  the  subject  and  the  life  history  of  the  pest, 
I  cannot  offer  an  opinion  as  to  its  exact  identity,  but  should  be 
pleased  if  your  correspondent  could  give  us  a  fuller  account  of  his 
observations  and  experience,  and  also'  if  he  can  suggest  any 
preventive  measures  or  efficacious  remedy  whereby  they  can  be 
destroyed  without  injury  to  the  plants. 
My  own  experience  so  far,  is  that  the  furnace  is  the  best  place 
to  destroy  them  so  soon  as  their  presence  is  detected.  When  one 
has  several  thousand  plants  thus  affected,  it  means,  however,  a 
serious  loss  to  dispose  of  them  in  such  a  manner,  especially  after 
growing  them  for  seven  or  eight  months,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
expecting  to  get  sixpence  each  for  them.  I  may  say  that  we  have 
tried  dipping  the  plants  and  syringing  them  with  many  insecti¬ 
cides  and  concoctions,  all  with  very  little  effect,  and  have  also 
placed  individual  mites  in  a  small  cavity  on  a  piece  of  glass  into 
which  a  drop  of  the  various  solutions  has  been  placed,  and  watched 
them  through  the  microscope  struggling  to  free  themselves,  and 
eventually  crawl  away  little  worse  fo”  the  bath. 
Aridity  of  the  atmosphere  is  said  to  be  the  cause  of  their 
appearance,  but  I  have  syringed  and  damped  the  plants  overhead 
daily,  maintaining  the  atmosphere  almost  at  saturation  point 
continuously  from  the  time  of  potting  up,  without  any  appreciable 
effect  upon  the  “  mite,”  and  I  know,  sir,  there  are  many  growers 
besides  myself  who  will  feel  very  grateful  for  any  hints  that 
expert  or  scientific  opinion  can  give,  that  will  enable  us  to  combat 
successfully  with  this  pest,  and  thus  confer  that  benefit  upon 
employer  and  cultivator  which  Mr.  Ollerhead  so  aptly  concludes 
would  result  in  public  good.  What  a  vast  field  for  knowledge  and 
research  in  this  direction  there  is  for  the  cultivator  of  plants  ;  but, 
alas !  £1  a  week  is  hardly  likely  to  induce  or  permit  of  an  invest¬ 
ment  ip  microscope,  nor  many  microscopic  works. — Trem. 
