ORCHARD AND GARDENING NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 20 February 1920, Page 7

ORCHARD AND GARDENING NOTES

(By J. Roiall, F.E.H.S. by Exam,) KITCHEN GARDEN. Advantage shouldi be taken of nil fine days, especially if the ground is dry, to clean up all spent crop*?, such as the .removal cf cabbage stumps, etc., as if these are left the ground is still being exhausted 1 to no purpose. Therefore I strongly oiecommend their removal immediately the heads are cut; not ■ only for the sake of cleanliness, hub, as stated, lor the good of the ground. This is a. good time for making a sowing of onions, especially of the larger kinds, such as Globe, Giant Rock, '.Magnum Bouum, and others of that class. The marvellous size to which they grow, or ca n be grown, and the great weight that can be got from a comparatively small plot, fully justifies a sowing now. To obtain tubers of good size, the .seed must be .sown in tiro autumn. Most soils will grow onions if properly managed, though, perhaps, not to perfection Deep, rich, and. if possible, sand loam is the beet. Trench and manure well. Then upon, the surface, whilst the ground

is rough, spread, soot, with one-fourtl of salt. Spread evenly, and if tin ground is light 'and free,' rake the whole down nice and fine, and tread and. re-rake until the surface is quite firm and smooth. Sow in drills 12in. in width, and not more than *.ir. deep. Draw the soil very gently ove with the bade of the make. Two great points in successful onio n growing arc shallow sowing and a. firm smooth surface. Thin out when large enough to 6in. apart. If the soil is heavy, and: has not been previously dug, it would be better to sow the seed -r boxer,, and transplant in Jhe spring. Care must be taken not to"plant deep, or they will run to nock. They will dc so if the seed is sown deeply. Turnips may still be sown. Snowball, and '(folden Ball are good kinds for sowing now. Sow also Spinach anip! lettuce. Black-seeded Cose and Winter White arc two good kinds foi standing tire winter. Plant cut strawberries, as previously advised : but do not do tills while . the ground is in a. wet state, or it wi! 1 settle down hard, to the disadvantage of the plant, and. ultimately of the crop. THE HISTORY OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS The ■popularity of the chrysanthemum scorns. to be fairly general all. .over the world’; In fact, it would ho difficult- to name any particular country that is a stranger to it Tins hj not to he wondered af, as there' appears to he n ■ limit to the number of its varieties into the diversity of its colon is. New specimens are constantly making their appearance, and among the latter introducti..ns quite -a. stir has been made bv the early single varieties, which, on account of their loveliness ami graceful ness, have found a host of admirers. The early history of the chrysanthemum is somewhat meagre and vague; hut sen-era! noteworthy events about its introduction and evolution have been recorded. In the eighth edition, of Philip Miller's great work, “Tlip Gardener’s Dictionary.” he mentions that he cultivated' the Matricana imlica, at Chelsea in 1764. and this is claimed, 1 as the first appearance of the flower in England, though some authorities doubt whether this specimen was a true chrysanthemum It was imported from .Ningpo, in China, where it was fairly plentiful at that time. Three more varieties were introduced from Chin,- 1, in to Enri'pe in 1789, theis time by Mr. Blanca.d v , a merchant of Marseilles; hut, unfortunately, two of the specimens died, and only a purple ore was fiismcsfully propagated. Some three rears later

an'cther Frenchman, a botanist- named Ramatuelle, was the means of giving cult of chrysanthemum growing a. decided l impetus., and this he did' by sending to the Jardindca Plantes at Paris some hundred plants from the new •variety, where they flourished md multiplied ; and within a few years L his Eastern flower was to he found 1 growing rn gardens in Aix, Marseilles, ‘ad l Toulon. It was somewhere about ! 795 that the history of the chrysanthe--1111,11 redly began, in England. The Botanical 'Magazine for February, 1796, •ecordfe that i.n previous ’November ‘a handsome clnysairthemiu.m of a wimson-purple variety in the nursery of Mr Colvilj, of Chelsea.” A "olmired/ engraving of the bloom was - lv eu in the Botanical Magazine., and was described node!’ the name of C Indionm. which name seemis to have been given l , according to the experts, to a yellow l)l'"om. which had been introduced) prior to this. Between 1795 and 1808 some erglit more varieties j were introduced l into England' from ■bin,a. and these were cilled. the rope, the huff, tire <roldr-n yellow, the s"inhiiT v allow. '*s*<'’ o willed- yellow, the Mine, the Rr’ r ”'iish Brown, and the milled white. Though at fh' - - time 't is recorded that c.hrvsnnfhcmnrns were very popular in Janam, ro irenorfat'ons seem +n have Fee... - made from that rdnre uu-Gi a. w'h hater Jato. so *m Porta tionc, from Eh in-'’, mm l !’- were the means adopted- for the introduction, of now varieties*', though some liad been obtained from sports which originated l in Eng'audi. Progress was fat-rlv eon-

tinnous. as ip 1826 some 18 distinct varieties were recognised/ in England l ; and' in 1829 the. first chrysanthemum show was held, and. that noteworthy .event took place in Norwich. Between 1830 and 1850 English and French growers rahedi many more new and distinct varieties from wee-di, In IB£o, Mr R, Fortune, who had travelled! a good, deal in China, and, Japan, found that everywhere in those countries the chrysanthemum appeared to.,he the favourite (lower, and he noticed’ for the first time the peculiar' forms and colours in the Japanese gardens. At Tod'do he procured about 30 different kindb, and, he discovered that some of them- had their blooms most curiously anidi remark ality fonued, Sum! fl/heir colouring was quite- distinct from those he had seen in China. Only a, dozen or so r.-f these 30 varieties were success full v introduced into England-; hut from [he new strains so introduced a Mr J. Balter marie some decided improvements. and l in a short time had l a large number of new kinds,, which met with much approval. Coming to more recent times, ore is filler with admiration for the great work done by whole-souled enthusiasts, who have practically devote:! l their life's work to the development and.'improvement of this nob'c, flower, often without pecuniary gain., and just for the love they had for horticulture, and the honour to be gained by creating come exquisite bloom that, wil, give pleasure to others. Where so many name* come to one’s memory, it is difficult to give to any one pride of place; hut perhaps the one that a special tribute might he paid to is Mr W. Wells, who. for nearly half a century occupied a place prominent among English chrysanthemum growers. Another English grower, .Mir T. (Joacher, specialised in the early flowering varieties, and that gentleman eventually gave us a practically new race of early flowering kinds that enabled chrymntheimun lovers to have blooms in late summer, arfl from- plants grown in the open, border. American growers whose names have become we’l known are Mir C. H. Tctty audl Mr W, D-uck-hnm, both of New Jersey. Perhaps the grower who is best known in this part of the world is Mr. T. W. Pockett, of Australia., who is fit to rank with the very best. The climate of- Australia is particularly suited for seed ripening, and. this enables * Mr. Pockett eo experiment o n a. large scale, and the remit has been,’ the introduction of a long list of novelties that bulk largely in exhibition) collections all over the world. (To be Continued.)