MONTHLY SUMMARY. 757 



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XCV.— MONTHLY SUMMAEY. 



December 1, 1862. 

 Chrysanthemum Show. — This was a concession to the wishes 



of the floral element of the Society, In originally laying out the 

 scheme for the year, the Council took into consideration the pro- 

 priety of having a Chrysanthemum Show in November, but 

 thinking that London would by that time be sated with sight- 

 seeing, they resolved against it. In the month of September, 

 however, a representation was made to them by the Floral Com- 

 mittee expressing their desire that a small Chrysanthemum Show 

 should be held coincidently with their Meeting on the 11th of 

 November; and to meet the wishes of so highly esteemed a 

 portion of the Society, the Council complied %vith their request, 

 and placed prizes to a small amount at their disposal. The 

 result showed, however, that the original decision of the Council 

 was the wisest, for although there was an excellent Chrysan- 

 themum Show, only a very small number, either of Fellows or 



the public, came to see it. . 



Its most important feature was some new kinds of Chrysanthe- 

 mums from Japan, exhibited by Mr. Standish. The Japanese, as 

 well as the Chinese, are very fond of Chrysanthemums, and not 

 only cultivate them in great quantities, hut with great success. 

 It so happens, no doubt, that sometimes their florists do not take 

 the same qualities as their standard of excellence which ours do ; but 

 given an object, they pursue it with equal persistence and success. 

 Size seems to be one of their points, and for this they have a 

 great help in their climate. They have a long and most delicious 

 autumn, the sun shining bright from morning to night, when we 

 have the hoar frosts of October and the fogs of November. One 

 or two of the species exhibited by Mr. Standish (a yellow and a large- 

 petaled tawny kind) bore flowers of a good size, but nothing to 

 what they are said to be in Japan. According to Mr. Fortune, 

 there they are as large as the crown of a man's hat. Two more 

 varieties likely to be worth more to the English cultivator, were 

 one with the petals tubular and frilled at the tips, and a 

 striped or blotched kind, Avhite and deep red or carmine. It 

 is large, irregular, and ill-shaped, but the speckling will be most 



vol. ir. ^ ^ 



