THE FLOEAL WORLD AND aARDEN GUIDE. 



267 



specimen plant of Lady Hardin;?, 

 covered with beautiful blooms, prov- 

 ing beyond a doubt that this variety 

 is one of the best which has yet been 

 raised. The specimen plants of poin- 

 pones were very excellent, Mr. Ward 

 (gardener), of Tottenham, and Mr. 

 Parker (amateur), of Stratford, pro- 

 ducing the finest specimens. Among 

 tlie nurserymen, Mr. Forsyth, of 

 Stoke jM'evvington, took the lead both 

 with plants and blooms ; a magnifi- 

 cent specimen of Lady St. Clair Ijeing 

 especially worthy of admiration ; and 

 Mr. Oiibridge, of Sr,oke JSTewington, 

 had a fine plant of Beaute du Nord, 

 which was conspicuous among the 

 highest-coloured varieties by its glow 

 of fiery crimson. 



The collection of plants which 

 most particularly claimed universal 

 admiration was Mr. Whitbread's 

 group, staged for effect. It comprised 

 six standards and about a dozen pyra- 

 mids and bushes, and was unques- 

 tionably the best display of the kind 

 ever yet accomplished. They Avere 

 grouped with admirable taste and 

 skill, and formed such a brilliant mass 

 of colours, that they were conspicuous 

 from every part of the building. The 

 varieties were : Standards — Mus- 

 tapha, St. Thais, Antonius, Helene, 

 Cedo NuUi, and Bv^b ; Bushes — An- 

 tonius. Queen, Alma, White Christine, 

 Mad. Eugene Doraage, Salomon, Gen. 

 Canrobert, and Helene. 



At Stoke Newington the society 

 maintained its reputation for always 

 having the leading local exhibition of 

 the season. It was the seventeenth 

 show of the oldest Chrysanthemum 

 Society, and was, all things considered, 

 worthy of its predecessors. Here 

 may be always found some of the 

 best plants and blooms of the season, 

 and perhaps the largest collection of 

 really beautiful cut fiowers to be 

 found at a local show. One of the 

 most interesting features this year 

 was brought out by the extra prizes 

 offered by Mr. Shirley Hibberd for 

 the new varieties since 1860. These 

 prizes had the effect of bringing to 

 the show magnificent plants of Lord 

 of the L-les. Lady Harding, Lord 

 Ranelegh, White Christine, Orange 

 Perfection, Draco, Golden Eagle, 



llifleman, The Globe, and Lady St. 

 Clair, and of establisliing their repu- 

 tation as thoroughly first-class and 

 desirable varieties. 



The South Essex Ciirysanthemum 

 Society held their exhibition at 

 Eokeby House, Stratford, on Nov. 16, 

 and it was highly satisfactory in every 

 particular. This society makes itself 

 conspicuous by the great perfection 

 to which its members brmg their 

 standard pompones. There is aivrays a 

 long row of them standing down the 

 centre of the room — strikingly beau- 

 tiful objects, rivalling in beauty the 

 finest standard roses. No other so- 

 ciety we visit can produce such stand- 

 ards as the growers round Stratford, 

 wlio take an honest pride in this 

 department of their exhibition. 



But perhaps the society at Brixton 

 know best of all how to make a 

 chrysanthemum show thoroughly at- 

 tractive and charming. This they 

 effect by showing with the chrysanthe- 

 mums, stove and greenhouse plants, 

 etc., and fruit ; the manner in which 

 the exhibition is conducted being 

 deserving of all praise. The present 

 season's display, which took place on 

 the 17th and 18th November, was 

 decidedly superior to any of its pre- 

 decessors. The large room of Christ 

 Church Schools, Brixton Hill, was 

 appropriated to the plants and flowers, 

 and the small room to fruit and vege- 

 tables. At the end of the large room 

 opposite the entrance, the specimen 

 pompones were staged upon a raised 

 gallery occupying the whole end of 

 the building, and made a gorgeous 

 mass of colour. Along each sideof 

 the room were tables covered with 

 crimson cloth, upon which the large 

 flowering chrysanthemums and stove 

 and greenhouse plants were placed in 

 alternate groups, looking very beau- 

 tiful by contrast. A broad table 

 along the centre of the room was set 

 out in the following manner: — Down 

 the middle was placed a row of tree 

 mignonettes, which diffused a re- 

 freshing fragrance over the room; 

 on each side of them were rows of 

 beautiful pyramid pompones, and 

 outside these the cut blooms and a 

 large number of beautifully bloomed 

 ' plants of PrimiJa Sinensis : the whole 



