190 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  27,  1903 
Feeding  Planted-out  Stock. 
The  question  of  when,  how  and  what  to  feed  his  plants  is  often 
the  most  difficult  problem  confronting  the  novice.  When  to  feed 
is  a  question  that  the  condition  of  the  plants  themselves  will 
best  answer.  As  long  as_  they  are  keeping  a  dark,  healthy  green 
and  making  large  foliage  they  will  not  need  feeding  to  any 
extent.  We  generally  commence  feeding  about  ten  weeks  after 
planting,  Avhich  is,  say,  by  August  1.  At  this  time  a  top-dress¬ 
ing  of  bonemeal  and  rotten  manure  is  applied,  and  from  then  on 
liquid  manure  is  constantly  given.  Some  growers  think  it  better 
not  to  feed  before  the  bud  is  set,  but  while,  as  before  stated,  you 
must  be  guided  by  your  plants,  whether  the  bud  is  set  or  not  is 
of  little  importance  if  the  plants  are  needing  nourishment.  We 
always  use  a  Kinney  pump  in  applying  liquid  fertilisers,  and  find 
it  saves  much  labour.  We  use  chiefly  sheep  manure  for  making 
liquid  with  a  change  of  sulphate  of  ammonia  or  nitrate  of  potash 
in  between,  using  these  la.st  in  the  proportion  of  one  pound  to  a 
60-gallon  barrel  of  water.  As  each  variety  shows  colour  we  dis¬ 
continue  feeding,  as  experience  has  taught  us  to  keep  well  on 
the  safe  side,  and  feeding  too  long  means  a  soft,  flabby,  ea.sily 
injured  flower,  if  nothing  worse. 
Bud  Selection. 
It  is  at  this  point  where  many  growers  even  yet  make  their 
grand  mi.stake.  Why  this  is  so  in  the  face  of  all  that  has  been 
written  and  spoken  about  the  difference  between  crown  and  ter¬ 
minal  buds,  it  is  difficult  to  say,  but  many  growers  still  rub  off 
the  crown  bud,  and  with  it  goes  their  cliance  of  winning  fame. 
Plants  propagated  in  March  produce  buds  about  right  in  August. 
Mums  so  treated  will,  broadly  speaking,  produce  a  bud  in  June 
after  they  have  commenced  to  grow  vigorously.  This  is,  of  course, 
removed,  and  then  another  will  be  produced  about  th'e  end  of 
July.  When  this  also  is  removed,  you  will  get  a  large  per¬ 
centage  of  your  plants  to  produce  another  crown  bud  about  the 
third  or  fourth  week  in  August,  which  will  be  a  good  time  to 
retain  them. 
This  rule  will  not,  of  course,  work  out  in  handling  varieties  of 
the  Viviand  Morel  type,  which  persist  in  throwing  buds  in  season, 
out  of  season,  or  any  odd  time  they  feel  like  it,  but  in  a  broad, 
general  way  it  can  be  depended  on.  With  most  varieties  it  is  safe 
enough  tO'  take  the  first  bud  that  appears  after  the  21st  of 
August.  There  are  a  few  exceptions,  however,  many  of  the  pink 
varieties  producing  better  coloured  flowers  from  buds  taken  in 
September.  The  idea  used  to  be  that  one  could  not  get  the 
foliage  well  up  to  the  flower  if  crown  buds  were  taken,  but  where 
the  plants  are  grown  right,  that  is,  with  a  short -jointed  growth, 
the  neck  is  not  too  painfully  apparent. 
As  the  flowers  develop,  less  water  is  needed,  and  a  crack  of 
air  should  always  be  left  on  top  of  the  house  at  night  to  keep  the 
atmosphere  dry  and  moving.  Some  shading  of  the  pink  and  red 
varieties  may  be  necessary  during  the  bright  days  of  October; 
in  fact,  we  always  shade  our  entire  house  by  spraying  a  lime-wash 
over  the  roof. 
Packing  and  Transit. 
The  packing  and  transit  of  the  blooms  is  also  an  important 
item,  for  it  is  useless  to  have  good  flowers  if  they  get  bruised 
during  transit  to  the  exhibition  hall.  After  considerable 
thought  on  the  subject  of  packing  and  noting  the  different  styles 
adopted  by  the  different  growers,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  as  good  a  way  as  any,  and  certainly  the  least  troublesome,  is 
to  pack  the  blooms  flat,  with  a  good  pillow  of  paper  for  the  neck 
of  the  flower  to  re.st  on.  If  lots  of  tis.sue  paper  be  u.sed  round  the 
flowers,  I  am  convinced  that  the  rubbing  and  bruising  is  less  by 
this  method  of  shipping  than  by  any  other. 
Diseases  and  Insect  Pests. 
While  not  exceptionally  numerous,  they  are  yet  numerous 
enough  to  keep  a  man  on  the  anxious  seat  all  the  season.  The 
various  leaf  Spot  diseases  may  be  kept  in  check  by  the  timely  use 
of  bordeaux  or  sulphide  of  potassium,  the  proportions  of  the  bor- 
deaux  being  one  in  50,  and  of  the  potassium  sulphide  half  an 
ounce  to  a  gallon  of  water.  Black  and  green  fly  may  be  easily 
kept  under  by  the  use  of  tobacco.  The  green  fly  is  the  wor.se  of 
the  two,  as  it  works  down  in  the  extreme  growing  tip  of  the  plant, 
and  its  pre.sence  is  not  suspected  until  considerable  damage  has 
been  done.  Thrip,  red  spider,  grasshoppers,  caterpillars  and  a 
general  assortment  of  “bugs”  have  their  day,  more  virulent 
some  seasons  than  others,  but  success  in  any  business  only  comes 
by  careful  close  watching,  and  Chrysanthemum  growing  is  no 
exception.  .  ,  ,  r  .  i 
I  give  you  herevitli  ci  list  of  "wliat  I  consider  tlie-creani^r  the 
varieties,  and,  remember,  unless  you  keep  up  to  date  with  your 
varieties,  you  are  liable  to  be  turned  down  in  a  very  close  com¬ 
petition.  1 
'White.— Nellie  Pockett,  Mrs.  :  Weeks,  Mine.  Carnpt,  and 
Timothy  Eaton.  '  ,  A  it-, 
Yellow. — Mrs.  T  W^.  Pockett,  Mabel  Morgan,  Colonel  1). 
Appleton,  Mrs.  Thirkell,  Yellow  Carnot,  Matthew  Smith,  and 
Lord  Salisbury.  These  two  last  named  are  spotted.more  or  less 
with  crimson,"  but  they  are  very  large  flowers,  and  will  make 
their  mark.  .  ^  ^  -n,  m-  tt-  •  i 
Pink. — Mrs.  Coombes,  Ylarie  Liger,  A.  J.  Balfour,  V  iviand 
Morel,  Mrs.  Barkley  and  B.  E.  Richardson.  ^ 
Any  Other  Colour. — Kate  Broomhead,  W.  R.  Church,  Mr. 
Carrington,  Millicent  Richardson,  Chas.  Longlcy  and  Rady 
Anf^lesey.  This  list  could  be  much  extended,  but  if  I  were  con- 
fin^d  to"  a  given  number  they  alone  would  be  my  .selection. 
— W.  H.  T. 
Book  Notice. 
Sweet  Violets  and  Pansies.' 
Such  precious  little  garden  flowers  as  these  deserve  to  have 
the  history  of  their  development  recorded  in  book  form.  Ine 
work  is  written  by  specialists,  and  edited  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Cook. 
The  Pansies  of  the  flower  show,s-ygorgeous  and  h^dsome 
follows- — are  evolved  from  the  native  tricoloured  A  iola  oi  Heart  s- 
ease,  which  one  finds  north,  as  well  as  far  south  in  Great  Britain. 
It  has  a  good  many  varieties,  and  some  of  these  were  secured  to 
.start  with,  cross-bred,  and  carefully  cultivated.  Soon  named 
varieties  arose,  and  the  progress  of  improvement  is  still  in  opera¬ 
tion  amongst  Pansy  lovers.  N-.  altaica  was  probably  also  a  parent 
to  the  earliest  Show  and  Fancy  Pansies.  i  i,-. 
The  English  Show  Pansy  is  classified  as  yellow  grounds,  -white 
grounds,  or  seifs;  and  what  the  characteristics  and  pro^rGes  of 
a  perfect  flower  are,  have  been  told  in  this  bqok.  Mr.  R.  Bean, 
the  writer,  furnishes  some  cultural  hints,  with  selected  lists  oi 
varietie,s.  “  The  Show  Pansy,”  he  says,  “  is  essentially  a  nortbern 
flower,  and  it  is  always  well,  when  a  collection  is  seimred  tor  the 
south,  to  have  the  flowers  from  a  northern  locality.  . 
Then  there  are  the  Fancy  Pansies,  the  term  Fancy  having 
been  applied  many  years  ago  to  flowers  which  could  not  be 
brought  into  line  with  the  yellow  grounds,  the  white  grounds, 
and  the  self-coloured  Show  varieties.  ..  • 
We  find  a  protest  against  the  showing  of  Pansies  m  paper 
collars,  and  overdressing.  To  quote :  “  They  are  dressed  so 
elaborately  that  the  dressing  only  stops  short  of  applying  actual 
paint  and  perfumery,”  which  is  true  in  some  cases.  And  the  term 
“bedding  Viola,”  is  railled  against.  These  should  be  called 
'  “  Tufted  Pansies,”  being  “  hybrids  of  Pansies  and  alpine  Violas 
rV.  cornuta.]  There  are  Violas  that  are  tufted  and  Violas  that 
are  not — the  German,  French,  and  other  Pansies  do  not  spread 
at  the  root  as  other  Pansies  do.  .  .  .  The  term  Pansies  is 
a  good  one  in  all  ways;  for  without  an  Englrsh  name  we  shal 
always  have  confusion  with  the  Latin  name  for  the  name  of  wild 
species  .  .  .  Cross-bred  garden  plants  should  have  popular 
English  names.”  At  the  same  time  we  cannot  overlook  the  fact 
of  the  Origin  of  the  whole  race — they  are  essentially  \  lolas. 
The  rayed  and  rayless  Pansie.s',  also  the  miniature  flowered 
section,  which  includes  the  exquisite  Violetta,  Robin,  and  others, 
are  well  treated  here.  The  alpine  and  lowland  species  of  Viola 
are  tabulated  alphabetically,  and  their  various  characters  dis¬ 
cussed ;  while  the  “Violets”  of  the  gardener  (which  are  varieties 
of  V.  odorata),  receive  ample  attention.  The  yellow  variety, 
V.  sulphurea,  does  not,  however,  seem  to  be  mentioned 
Those  who  are  really  interested  in  the  genus  \iola,  and  its 
hybrid  and  crovss-bred  offshoots,  will  find  much  of  value  to  them  in 
the  'work  to  which  we  have  dra'wn  attention. 
A  Noted  Shrewsbury  Fungologist. 
The  Shrewsbury  Town  Council  recently  conferred  u^n  Mr. 
V  Phillips,  Shrewsbury,  the  honorary  freedom  of  the  borough, 
n  appreciation  and  recognition  of  the  emuient  services  he  had 
•endered  to  it.  The  Mayor,  after  Mr.  Phillips  had  taken  the 
lath  of  alTegiance,  spoke  of  his  valuable  researches  in  the  history 
)f  Shropshire,  of'  his  work  as  an  archseologist,  and  as  a^  botanist, 
•emarking  that  hb  had  written  tlie  acknowledged  best  book  on 
Fungi.  He  was  also  regarded  as  an  European  autlionty  in  crypto- 
ramic  botany.  In  ishooting,  too,  Ee  has  distinguished  , 
leing  the  holder  of  the  bronze  niedal,  won  at  M  imbledon  in 
md  the  Memorial  Challenge  Hup,  presented  by  Major  Chol- 
nondeley,  and  won  outright  in  1866. 
i(  VJrtlzifo  nnil  PntlsiftS. 
