664 



HOKTICULTURI:: 



December 15, 1906 



great metropolis. This year a new provision in shape 

 of a neat little span-roof house has been made in which 

 to continue the collection. It is reached by crossing the 

 old English garden, of which a few notes appeared 

 about a year ago in the pages of Horticulture, and 

 wliich at" the time of our visit in October was bright 

 and full of color, out door chrysanthemums, dahlias 

 and many other autumnal flowers being in full bloom. 



The show chrysanthemums in the house are arranged 

 in two sloping banks, all of exhibition size, with a mid- 

 dle path to permit of ingress and egress. There are 700 

 plants grown in 150 varieties, and a capital display is 

 made. For decorative effect a large number of small 

 flowered varieties are grown freely flowered, while the 

 collection properly so called are only three and four 

 blooms on a plant. The Japanese here, as elsewhere, 

 predominate, and in whites comprise fine examples of 

 the most popular new sorts. Purple and pink sliades 

 are represented in numerous forms and size, from the 

 colossal Australie down to the pretty little miniature 

 pompon Mile. Elise Dordon, a perfect gem and a charm- 

 ing contrast to its bigger companions. In bronzy or 

 crimson shades we would mention Baron Hirsch, Lord 

 Alverstone. S. T. Wright. Knstman Bolle. Mafoking 

 Hero. 



Our ne.xt call was at Southwark Park, situated down 

 in the southeast corner of London, in a crowded neigh- 

 borliood of artisans and workers, by the river side. 

 Here there is always an interesting display arranged in 

 a T shaped house." Decorative varieties are also used 

 here, being intermingled with tlie larger specimens. A 

 good representative collection of incurves also finds a 

 place. The Japanese here are very numerous and tlie 

 collection consists of 3600 plants in about 340 varieties. 



Far away to the northeast is Victoria Park, and long 

 before we reach tlie glass house where the collection is 

 staged we see beds of outdoor varieties that do much to 

 enliven the park at this dull season of the year. Soleil 

 d'Octobre is grown here out of doors to a great extent 

 and amply repays the trouble of planting. F>arly flow- 

 ering pompons and Japanese are also conspicuous objects 

 in the beds and borders. Tlie house here is ino feet by 25. 

 The plants arc arranged as at Broekwell, but with this 

 difference that in the rear of each sloping l)ank and at 

 intervals in the group we see grandly flowered plants of 

 the single variety Ladysmith, a pretty rosy pink. 

 Eyecroft Glory, the single Mary Anderson and others. 

 Anemone flowered varieties here are quite common, so, 

 too, are incurves, and the Japanese comprise most of the 

 popular sorts. 



Making our way due north there are two parks — 

 Waterton Park at Highgate. one of the prettiest places 

 of the kind in London, where there is always an inter- 

 esting collection during ihe season, and Finsbury Park, 

 which has really two shows. In the ordinary house a 

 fine, bright, clean looking lot of blooms are staged in a 

 winding, undnlating sloping liank. Space will not 

 permit of an enumeration of the many excellent varieties 

 shown in the front row, of wliich there is a goodly num- 

 ber of pretty little plants of small flowered varieties 

 about a foot high. A few steps away is the Conserva- 

 tory, a veritable winter garden, in which palms, ferns, 

 indiarubber jilants, araucarias, etc.. are arranged, with 

 quite a series of groups of chrysanthemums. Here and 

 there we find a mass of singles. The big blooms set up 

 at intervals include many that we saw in the other 

 house, such as Capt. Percy Scott, The Cossack (a variety 

 probablv 10 years old). Mrs. Greenfield, Charles Long- 



ley, Princess Henry, J. H. Silsbury, Mr. W. Knox, 

 which has been grand everywhere in England and 

 France this year. Mrs. E. Mileham and Commandant 

 Blusset. 



Our last visit was to Battersea Park, away down in 

 the southwest corner. This is a much frequented show, 

 nearly 40,000 persons having visited it in 26 days, which 

 unfortunately included two very wet Sundays. The su- 

 perintendent here lays himself out to obtain the greatest 

 artistic effect possible, and certainly succeeds. The 

 ends, part of the roof and sides of the span-roofed 

 house are simply clothed with a mass of color obtained 

 by training and spreading the branches of many freely 

 flowered plants over as large a surface as possible. The 

 specimen blooms are arranged in two sloping banks 

 with a winding path from the middle. Several of the 

 once popular hairy varieties are grown. Anemone va- 

 rieties and incurves are also interspersed, the remainder 

 of the collection being examples of grandly developed 

 Japanese of every conceivable size and color. A few 

 names may help the reader — the curious green variety 

 Mine. Ed. Roger is in quantity and attracts attention 

 here as at most of the parks. W. R. Church is big and 

 solid, Bessie Godfrey, Mrs. H. Emmerton. Mme. Wal- 

 deck-Rousseau, Comte Lurani, Wm. Seward, Mrs. W. 

 Popliain. Mrs. Coombs, Mrs. Barkley. F. S. Vallis, Good 

 Gracious, Col. W. B. Smitli. Australie, Mme. Paolo 

 Radaelli are all in full form. 



What are Points? 



In "Rules of the Horticultural Society of Chicago, 

 ]ii06," Rule 22 is as follows: "All judging shall be 

 l)v such scale or scales of points as shall be adopted by 

 the Society. No certificate or first premium shall be 

 awarded to any exhibit scoring less than 85 points; no 

 second premium to any exhibit scoring less than 75 

 points, and no third premiums to any exhibit scoring 

 less than 65 points. 



Now, what 1 want lo know is whether the same kind 

 of points are used alike at Chicago, Boston and Phila- 

 delphia, or do they in each case make their own points 

 as blunt or as sharp as they like? 



To illustrate: If the chrysanthemum Mutual Friend, 

 5 1-2 feet in diameter, with a total of 300 blooms, as 

 shown in IToiiTicui.TunF, of Dec. 1 and grown by James 

 Garthly (long may ho live) had been shown in com- 

 petition with those exhibited at Chicago last month 

 (and there is no reason why it or one approximating it 

 might not have been), wouhl the judges have been con- 

 lent to give this as high as 9S points only in comparison 

 with its competitors so as to iiring them within striking 

 distance — there was not a plant that would have scored 

 50 against it, consequently if points counted, no pre- 

 mium would have been awarded — or, would the judges 

 have pointed up the Gartlily plant to 162, so as to bring 

 the others into the zone where 85 points were possible? 

 If so what then would have become of the surplus 62 

 points? This is wlint I am wondering about. 



nA^^W- Ikrrh^ 



