712 



HORTICULTURE 



November 



1912 



NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SO- 

 CIETY, ENGLAND. 



The great anuiial Autumn fete and 

 exhibition of this society was held on 

 October 29, 30 and 31 at the Crystal 

 Palace, Sydenham, and an excellent 

 show it was in all respects as regards 

 quality and competition, but to our 

 mind it would have been more gener- 

 ally artistic had the show filled a little 

 less space and the exhibits been ar- 

 ranged with more cohesion. But, as a 

 French critic recently said, the differ- 

 ence between the English flower show 

 and a French one is easily seen at a 

 glance. The English exhibitor is an 

 individualist, he cares nothing for the 

 general aspect of the show so long as 

 his particular lot is set up to his satis- 

 faction. "Each man for himself and the 

 devil take the hindmost" is his motto. 



At this great show, which the N. C. 

 S. has held in some place or other for 

 65 years consecutively, there are now- 

 adays one or two salient features. They 

 may be described as the trade groups, 

 the competition in the big cut bloom 

 classes, the artistic decorations. The 

 trained specimen plants, once so im- 

 portant a part of the show, have disap- 

 peared altogether. On the continent, 

 however, these form a most attractive 

 feature of the shows, especially at 

 Paris, where some of the growers pro- 

 duce many very attractive objects in 

 trained plants. 



But we are dealing with the N. C. 

 S. show as It is. Norman Davis, a 

 veteran grower and exhibitor, is 

 awarded a large gold medal for a mag- 

 nificent display about 85 ft. in length 

 enclosed within a border of Isolepis. 

 gracilis and ferns. 



On the other side H. J. Jones has ar- 

 ranged a similar group rivalling the 



other in extent and in artistic display. 

 A serpentine edging of crumpled crim- 

 .son velvet with a border of adiantum, 

 then a row of small blooms of Japs 

 with huge vases in the rear, the whole 

 mingled with autumn foUiage, palms 

 and other greenery justly entitled the 

 exhibitor to the gold medal awarded. 



W. Wells & Co., Ltd., set up a group 

 on the ground level the same as the 

 two preceding. A gold medal is 

 awarded to them also. If anything 

 this group seems to be fuller of color 

 and the artistic design in which the 

 charming shades of American oak and 

 autumn foliage vie with the more bril- 

 liant colors of the flowers is one that 

 attracts the greatest possible attention. 

 Decoratives are well represented by 

 what we call the "Cap" family, that is 

 a series of varied sports from Caprice 

 du Printemps, a most effective little 

 Jap, probably well known in the states. 

 Singles are numerous and in good 

 form. Japs are a study and are staged 

 in giant examples of all the best novel- 

 ties. Specially fine are Wm. Turner, 

 Queen Mary, H. E. Converse, Mrs. R. 

 A. Witty, Mrs. R. Lusford, Mrs. C. H. 

 Totty, Mrs. G. Lloyd Wigg, Mrs. G. C. 

 Kelly, Mrs. Gilbert Drabble, varieties 

 that will become historic. 



A small gold medal was awarded to 

 John Peed & Son for a circular group 

 of big Japs filled in with singles and 

 decoratives. Wm. Howe won the first 

 prize for a pretty miscellaneous group 

 of chrysanthemums, ferns and foliage. 

 Cragg, Harrison & Cragg staged a 

 dwarf group of finely grown singles 

 with a border of ferns in variety. A 

 small gold medal was awarded. Henry 

 Cannell & Sons (silver gilt medal) 

 staged zonal pelargoniums and chrys- 

 anthemums, the brilliancy of the form- 



er did not in any way detract from the 

 latter which included some of the 

 old anemone type, incurves, fine singles 

 and Japs. The competitive classes 

 were well filled. In the affiliated so- 

 cieties competition the Wulwich So- 

 ciety won the challenge shield. Thomas 

 Stevenson was the champion in the big 

 bloom classes. In one class Stevenson 

 had to reckon with thirteen competi- 

 tors. 



All the other competitive classes 

 were more or less well filled. For a 

 dozen incurves G. Hunt was first with 

 a fine collection of beautifully grown 

 blooms. 



Hobbies' Limited made a pleasing 

 presentation of roses and coUerette 

 dahlias. Young & Co. staged carna- 

 tions (silver medal). A very effective 

 display of ferns came from H. B. May 

 & Sons enlivened by the additions of 

 Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, cyclamen 

 and Primula obconica. There were 

 several exhibits of tables of singles 

 and a new feature was a class for cut 

 blooms, a dozen, of large Japs ar- 

 ranged on a table with decorative 

 ferns, foliage, etc. Some of these 

 were prettily arranged and quite origi- 

 nal in design. 



The artistic floral decorations were by 

 no means the least attraction of the 

 show. In the dinner table decorations 

 there were ten entries in the yellow 

 and bronze colors only and in the same 

 for any other color twelve competitors 

 entered. There was quite a large show 

 of bouquets, vases, baskets and other 

 designs in the artistic section, attrac- 

 tive to the visitors and to the friends 

 of the exhibitors but having no inter- 

 est perhaps for the general reader. 

 The luncheon was presided over by 

 Mr. Thos. Bevan, who welcomed sev- 



General View of St. Paul Show 



