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CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT MADISON SCIUARE GARDEN. 



resort to the recognized points of comparison — distinc- 

 tiveness from all known varieties, form and size, and 

 general make-up. 



Cut blooms of chrysanthemums were largely staged 

 with the use of " Bunyard's standard exhibitor. " This 

 is a new and good thing. To those who saw it in use 

 by the side of various older devices, Mr. Thorpe's 

 testimonial that it is the most complete combination of 

 all that pertains to the correct staging of cut blooms, 

 and that it is far superior to any thing previously used, 

 merely confirmed their own judgment. A disc for sus- 

 taining the flower, wired above a tube for holding water 

 — a tube which, being movable, allows the specimen to 

 be raised or lowered at will above the foundation 

 japanned " board," and an adjustable bracket to hold 

 the 12 label cards in their proper order, are some of 

 the features of this new invention. 



A fine mass of dwarf white potted chrysanthemums, 

 which secured the premium for the best group of white 

 not less than 50 feet square, looked more like the every- 

 day flower that amateurs might attain unto than was 

 usually the case. But unfortunately the name of the 

 variety was not made known. This, it may be said, 

 was a rare defect, nearly everything shown being so 

 plainly labeled that all might read. 



F. R. Pierson showed, side by side, some fine cut 

 spikes of the two dwarf cannas — the French seedling, 

 Mad. Crozy, and the American seedling. Star of 'gi. 

 The ground color in the two is almost identical. The 

 latter has possibly the more brilliance, being lightly 

 flaked with a lighter shade, almost orange ; Mad. Crozy 

 has, however, a more rounded form, with petals not so 

 pointed and of better substance apparently. Either 

 forms a fine color mass, if thickly set, and at a short 

 distance it is almost impossible to distinguish between 

 them. A close observer felt pretty sure that the 50-foot 

 mass of "French" cannas shown was French mostly 

 by antecedents, and that Star of '91 helped largely in 

 its make-up. 



But one entry was seen in the class of new roses of 

 American origin, and this not of a sort to call out much 

 enthusiasm at sight. In size, the rose was equal to 

 American Beauty ; in color more pleasing, a good clear 

 pink, some shades paler than the Beauty ; in shape 

 flatter ; in fragrance fine. It might be said that it 

 was distinctly inferior to the old cabbage rose, if ap- 

 pearance only were considered ; yet, should it prove to 

 have vigor, freedom, and continuity of bloom, it would, 

 no doubt, be a good addition to our present list. John 

 Burton, of Philadelphia, was the exhibitor. The sort 

 was thought worthy of a silver cup, but not of a name, 

 as would appear from its lack of a label. 



In the interests of private gardening it might not be 

 amiss to note that two of the chrysanthemum cups went 

 to private gardeners ; James Brydon, gardener to John 

 Simpkins, of Yarmouthport, Mass., and James Griflen, 

 gardener to Adolf Ladenburg. 



A " new and rare" plant in flower, that attracted 



749 



attention, was a Cuphen Llavtc, from Pitcher & Manda's 

 houses, having two deep red petals, a downy violet 

 center and a hairy tube, shading from brownish-red to 

 green. 



Boldly asking admiration among the orchids were 

 two plants from Siebrecht & Wadley, of the lovely 

 Catth'ya Dozviana, the one carrying three, the other 

 four blooms. This plant, though not new, is somewhat 

 rare, on account of the difficulty of importing it; its 

 color combination is fine, the upper petals being fawn- 

 yellow splashed with red, and the lip velvety violet- 

 purple, heavily striped with almost orange-yellow. 

 Siebrecht & Wadley had almost a monopoly of orchids, 

 and the collections of which these formed a part were 

 highly decorated with the coveted blue cards as an ad- 

 dition to the color scheme. This firm also received the 

 magnificent 1150 Cutting silver cup, for the best basket 

 of orchids arranged for effect. 



At the carnation table the interest was great, the 

 duplication of the prizes adding to its duration, and 

 many sorts carried off special certificates. Orange 

 blossom, a lovely shell white, shaded pink at base of 

 petals ; May Queen, shown by John Taylor, of Bayside, 

 Indiana, of pale pink ground color, striped with white ; 

 lago, a dark, but bright, long-stemmed maroon, shown 

 by John McGowan ; Daybreak, an exquisite shell pink ; 

 Hoosier, a very large and well-formed clear red, and an 

 unnamed seedling of fawn-yellow with red splashings, 

 all called for attention. The real queen of the exhibit, 

 however, was rightly named Salmon Queen, a delight- 

 ful pale salmon-pink in color, with almost invisible 

 darker flecks ; large, of fine shape, and well fringed. 

 Among varieties lately introduced, Ohio, Edna Craig, 

 Lizzie McGowan and Louise Porsch, a pale yellow, 

 showed up" well. 



Among growers' houses erected at the Garden, Hitch- 

 ings & Co. showed a commercial rose-house, with large 

 sized glass and light purlins, which hardly seemed to 

 lose any sunshine through obstructing mediums. Un- 

 der the class for the best working model of a green- 

 house for amateur use, the only entry seen was a com- 

 plete house, strictly portable, with double slope of roof 

 and glass also in sides, and with a tiny potting-room at 

 the end. If the price could be put down, this would 

 prove irresistible to thousands of plant lovers; but with 

 the price for the 8x 16 size at $230 aside from the heat- 

 ing apparatus, it will hardly capture the masses, 

 although it did gain the gold medal and was a beauty. 



The new system of bench drainage invented by W. P. 

 Wight, of Madison, N. J., having to do with the very 

 existence of the flowers, and promising great things for 

 the future, was possibly of more interest to the growers 

 than even the flowers themselves. Being porous, per- 

 forated, and corrugated on the undersurface, it promises 

 to prove far in advance of anything now in use. The 

 tiles intended to compose the bottom of the bench are 

 flat, six inches wide by ten to twelve in length, and are 

 to be laid closely upon a bench frame formed of T and 



