332 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  8,  1903 
Cultural  Notes. 
Plants  growing  to  produce  large  blooms,  whether  for  exhibi¬ 
tion  or  home  decoration,  should  now  be  under  cover,  except  in 
the  case  of  ,  those  intended  for  veiy  late  blooms.  Plants  de¬ 
veloping  early  buds  cannot  be  retarded  out  of  doors  after  they 
show  the  colour  of  their  petals;  therefore  it  is  better  to  take 
them  inside  and  have  the  benefit  of  the  flowers,  as  moisture  on 
the  buds,  no  matter  whether  it  be  from  rain  or  heavy  dews, 
quickly  causes  the  petals,  to  decay. 
Plants  intended  for  extra  late  blooms  still  out  of  doors  should 
have  some  slight  protection  at  night  in  the  case  of  frost,  as  this 
is  likely  at  any  time  now.  Frost  upon  the  buds  quickly  injures 
the  calyx,  thus  preventing  perfect  development  of  the  florets. 
The  smaller  the  buds  the  Jiiore  easily  are  they  affected.  Light 
tiffany  stretched  on  poles  will  ward  oft  several  degrees  of  frost; 
in  fact,  all  that  may  reasonably  be  cixpected  for  some  time  yet. 
Plants  under  cover  must  have  abundance  of  air;  a  too  sudden 
change  from  outside  conditions  to  a  warm  greenhouse,  for  ex¬ 
ample,  cannot  be  an  advantage  to  the  plants.  If  the  weather 
keeps  warm  and  dry,  an  occasional  syringing  of  the  foliage  will 
be  an  advantage,  say  once  a  day. 
Mildew  and  Rust. 
If  the  plants  show  signs  of  rust  or  mildew,  they,  of  course, 
should  not  be  syringed ;  quite  a  dry,  buoyant  atmosphere  is 
what  is  best  in  that  case.  Mildew  upon  the  leaves  in  serious 
quantity  should  be  got  rid  of  as  quickly  as  possible,  or  the  leaves 
will  fall  off  the  plants  prematurely,  and  that  would  be  in¬ 
jurious.  A  plentiful  supply  of  foliage  assists  the  development 
of  the  blooms,  not  only  in  size,  but  in  the  quality  and  solidity 
of  the  florets  as  ivell.  A  slight  attack  of  mildew  may  be  met 
w'ith  dusting  the  leaves  wuth  sulphur  ;  that  of  a  brown  colour  is 
best.  It  is  quite  as  efficacious,  and  has  not  the  objectionable 
colour  of  the  ordinary. 
It  is  not  enough  to  apply  the  sulphur  to  the  surface  of  the 
leaves  only;  the  underneath  side  should  be  dusted  also.  A  pair 
of  Malbec  bellows  is  the  easiest  means  of  applying  the  sulphur. 
In  a  case  of  bad  attack  more  drastic  measures  should  be  taken 
to  rid  the  plants  of  this  fungus.  The  most  effective  method  of 
ridding  the  plants  is  the  following.  Lay  the  plants  on  their 
sides,  syringing  them,  thoroughly  wetting  every  part  with  the 
following  mixture :  Place  21b  sulphur  and  21b  lime,  which  has  not 
been  slaked,  in  ten  quarts  of  water,  and  boil  for  twenty 
minutes. 
For  syringing  on  the  plants  use  two  wi'neglassfuls  of  the  mix¬ 
ture  to  four  gallons  of  clean,  cold  water.  A  syringe  with  the  jet 
affixed,  causing  a  single  stream,  is  the  best  method  of  applying 
the  liquid;  by  placing  the  forefinger  over  the  orifice  the  liquid 
can  be  directed  upwards  and  spread  over  the  plant,  w'here  re¬ 
quired.  If  a  slight  discolouration  of  the  leaves  follows  from  the 
sediment  of  the  mixture,  it  will  not  be  injurious,  but  can  be 
removed  if  desired  by  a  vigorous  washing  with  clean  water. 
Housing.  . 
Ample  space  .should  be  given  the  plants;  overcrowding  is  a 
great  mistake.  Far  better  grow  fewer  iilants  than  spoil  all.  The 
foliage  mu.st  be  retained  until  the  blooms  are  half  developed, 
at  any  rate  ;  longer  if  possible.  Abundance  of  light  overhead 
is  an  absolute  neces.sity,  or  weak  peduncles will  be  the  result, 
and  how  can  good  blooms  be  expected  through  weakened  flower 
stalks?  Too  often  the  plants  have  to  be  crowded  into  vineries 
or  Peach  houses,  where  at  times,  owing  to  an  existing  crop  of 
fruit,  as  much  light  cannot  be  given  the  Chrysanthemums  as  is 
desirable. 
If  the  crop  has  been  removed  from  the  Vines  there  is  no 
harm  in  cutting  back  the  shoots  coming  from  the  spurs  to  wdthin 
a  foot  of  their  base,  provided  the  Vines  are  in  a  proper  ripened 
condition.  Vineries  facing  south  with  a  tolerably  high  roof 
afford  a  capital  site  for  Chrysanthemums,  arranged  in  bank-like 
form  to  face  the  path,  which  usually  runs  parallel  to  the  back 
wall.  Here  the  plants  obtain  ample  light  as  the  leaves  fall  from 
the  Vines ;  if  these  latter  are  early  varieties,  so  much  the 
better. 
The  aspect  wdiich  the  Chrysanthemums  occupy  dispenses  with 
the  necessity  for  shade  for  the  plants.  This  is  a  convenient 
manner,  too,  in  attending  to  the  pvlants,  and  produces  a  capital 
effect  when  in  bloom. 
As  previously  stated,  abundance  of  air  night  and  day  is 
an  absolute  necessity,  especially  at  first.  Extra  care  will  be 
needed  in  supplying  the  plants  with  water  at  the  root.  Whereas 
the  soil  required  watering  twice  daily  when  the  plants  were 
outside,  they  may  not  require  it  once  a  day  now. 
Feeding. 
By  no  means  allow  the  plants  to  suffer  for  want  of  it. 
Whatever  is  needed,  give  it  in  the  morning,  so  that  sui-plus 
moisture  will  be  dissipated  before  night,  as  the  air  can  then 
be  kept  in  more  buoyant  condition.  Stimulative  food  should 
be  regularly  given ;  in  fact,  every  time  the  plants  require  water, 
lirovided,  of  course,  wliatever  is  given  is  not  too  strong.  Liquid 
from  sheep,  cow,  or  deer  droppings,  with  a  little  soot  added, 
cannot  be  excelled  as  a  stimulant.  A  change  to  Clay’s  fertiliser, 
Standen’s  or  Thomson’s  manure  will  be  beneficial. 
Backward  plants  may  be  hastened  by  giving  them  a  pinch  of 
nitrate  of  soda  once,  powdering  it  finely,  sprinkling  it  over  the 
surface,  and  watering  in  at  once.  Plants  that  exhibit ’a  lack 
of  chlorophyll,  or  colouring  matter,  in  the  leaves  may  be  im¬ 
proved  by  a'  judicious  use  of  sulphate  of  ammonia.  Plants  that 
have  not  an  abundance  of  roots  should  not  have  this  chemical. 
Dissolve  one  tablespoonful  in  four  gallons  of  weak  liquid  manure, 
and  apply  it  to  the  plants  once  a  week.  Some  growers  sprinkle 
the  ammonia:,  on  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  water  it  in ;  but 
this,  I  hold,  is  dangerous  to  the  surface  roots.  These  should 
be  encouraged  in  every  way,  as  they  are  the  main  feeders  of  the 
lilants. 
Some  growers  advise  that  feeding  be  discontinued  as  soon  as 
the  bloom  buds  show  colour ;  but  in  my  opinion  that  is  just  when 
assistance  is  required  to  develop  the  blooms.  Continue  to  feed 
the  plants  until  the  blooms  are  three-parts  expanded.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  weak  growing  sorts  should  not  be  fed  so  often, 
nor  with  so  strong  a  stimulant,  as  the  more  vigorous. 
Insect  Pests. 
Insect  pests,  especially  earwigs  and  snails,  must  be  closely 
watched  for  and  destroyed,  as  both  of  these  are  strong  enemies. 
In  addition  to  trapping  the  earwigs  in  the  usual  wAy  with  Bean 
stems,  lengths  of  Bamboo  cane  and  rolls  of  cloth  thrust  amongst 
the  foliage,  carefully  examining  them  every  morning,  _they  must 
be  searched  for  by  artificial  light  when  they  are  at  work  upon 
the  succulent  florets  The  least  shake  of  the  plants  disturbs  the 
insects;  quietly  search  for  them  with  a  lamp,  and  pick  them  off 
with  a  pair  of  steel  tweezers.  Slugs  and  snails  quickly  play 
havoc  with  blooms,  especially  the  incurved  sorts,  which  seem  to 
have  an  especial  temptation  for  large  brown  snails.  Directly 
their  presence  is  detected  by  the  slime  they  leave  on  the  plants, 
pots,  or  walls,  rest  assured  they  will  come  again. 
The  best  trap  is  a  handful  of  bran  sprinkled  on  the  pots  or 
floor.  To  this  they  quickly  resort,  when  they  should  be  caught 
at  night.  See  that  all  peduncles  of  a  weak  nature  have  suffi¬ 
cient  support  to  prevent  snapping  off  by  their  own  weight  as  the 
flowers  expand. — E.  Molyneux. 
Four  Good  Chrysanthemums. 
The  quartette  of  flow'ers  named  and  figured  on  page  333  are 
found  in  the  front  rank  of  exhibitors’  collections  in  this  year 
of  grace,  and  they  have  been  duly  respected  since  first  they 
became  known  a  few  years  since.  As  varieties  they  are  each 
distinctive,  and  they  possess  the  grand  merit  of  vigorous  constitu¬ 
tions.  Beyond  this  there  is  nothing  one  need  say  further  in 
their  praise,  and  if  any  of  our  readers  have  cultural  hints  they 
Clan  add  beyond  what  w^e  have  published  heretofore,  pray  -  let 
them  pen  a  note.  But  W'e  extend  the  invitation  to  Ohrysan- 
themums  in  general,  for  the  reign  of  the  Autumn  Queen  has 
begun,  and  the  chroniclers  should  keep  apace. 
Securing  Terminal  Buds. 
The  majority  of  the  buds  it  is  possible  to  select  now  are 
those  known  as  terminals.  Many  varieties  produce  the  best 
flowers  on  these  buds,  while  others  wall  only  produce  them  small 
I  and  late.  Plants  for  decoration  and  cutting  from  are  almost 
invariably  grown  with  terminal  buds,  size  of  blooms  not  being  so 
important  as  good  colour,  quantity,  and  form.  Abundance  of 
flowers  can  also  be  secured,  but  it  is  usually  best  to  regulate  the 
number  by  partial  disbudding.  If  the  largest  possible  blooms 
must  be  secured  on  terminal  buds,  the  disbudding  of  the  side 
buds  must  be  commenced  early,  the  central  bud  in  the  cluster 
then  swelling  and  developing  to  a  large  size. 
Shoots  bearing  several  flowers  are  appreciated  for  cutting  as 
sprays,  as  well  as  for  remaining  on  the  plants,  which  serve  as 
decorative  specimens  in  groups  in  greenhouses,  conservatories, 
or  verandahs.  More  formal  specimens  trained  and  tied  with  the 
blooms  equidistant  mu,st  be  confined  to  single  flowers  on  each 
shoot . 
Enemies. 
The  most  troublesome  insects  to  Chrysanthemums  after 
housing  are  earwigs,  and  sometimes  green  fly  makes  its  appear¬ 
ance.  Traps  should  be  set  for  the  former,  these  consisting  of 
folded  strips  of  brown  paper  placed  among  the  plants,  or  small 
pots  half-filled  with  hay  inverted  on  sticks.  Another  good  trap 
