924 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE. 



November .10, 1912 



EXHIBITIONS 



AND 



MEETINGS. 



National Chrysanthemum 



Society. 



The final exhibition of thin society wa» 

 held in the Km<x Hall, Strand, on Novem- 

 ber 2(), when the exhibition munt have Mur- 

 iKiHHt^i the idean of tlu? committc'C, for tlw? 

 hall wan pa<k+'d to Hueh an extent that 

 lowmotion was practically im|K>««Kible ; 

 while, at tlw tiarno time» the exhibitors ap- 



!M*ar4»d to l>e cramped for room. Th-^ mar- 

 ket element waw very prominent, and their 

 ela>i*iM were cut hu.siasiically criticiiMxI. 



Tihe lIolmcH Memorial (Mialtenjfe Cup for 

 incurved varieties had l>eeu reM?rved tor 

 thifi billow, art the committee thought the 

 large exhil>ition in October too early for 

 t h Ih particular Hinst ion . St ra n jf^* to mi y , 

 however^ there were only three cut rants 

 for the I'liiKH. wttich i« alwHyn ditticult at 

 all times; hut hh the champion, Mr. (*. 

 Hunt, gardener to I'antia Halli. Km\., 

 A>thte<ad Park. Kph4»m. turn^Ml up, the de- 

 ciwion a{>|M»anxl to a for«*gone concJuwon, 

 and Ibenimply ronijMxl honu^ with the trophy; 

 h'vH Howers were good throughout, the whole 

 making a clean, frewh exhibit. The most 

 notew<)rthy Howers were ii. V. Kvans, Mrs. 

 H. J. Jonm, W. ra!4c<H\ Amber Iteauty, 

 Marjorie Shield. May Phillips^ Kmblemi' ' 

 Poitevin, Mrs. (;. fViiyer. Madame IVrlat 

 Colonei Kckruxh. MdlU-. L Faure. Souv.de 

 W. riibran. < i.uj Miss N. Threlfell. 



T>4>ris f?aynoi . I! lit Mm, \li-s \f. f,\ n \ 1 li • 

 I'i^^N })t i.iii , ,in(i I'd will 'I iMirp. I h ■ ^-rnmi 



pn/x^ wa-> ;iu .u ii. (i to M !-.s L.itii^vvort hy 



Holy|>ort. • ■ !!;vW liiir r\aiiii)h*s of 

 Clara Wei I .vans. Mis. IS. ilankey. 



•1- ^^ ; ' II. Cnrtis. .u <l Mi. (I. 



I Nmi \ . ' 1 { h I T'i ft- ■ /.^ ■ I ' ■ ■ (i^- N V Mr 



(irii-'f. Mr. .1 Smi:m|( . Minlv | » n v- 



\ 1' liM 1 f .1 1 j; ! ,1 i Mind 



I ' V *'f iji.irk* r < lirv^.i ithiMMunis 



Mr \"i rfi.i 1! If.iv:^. rr.uiit I'M. f arrivt] <.tl 



H'*^^- ' iinglv brinrht and t'r^'sh. 



A ht* IX cemlwr (ifvUi. WeNteni 



King. <'lir-rn:a. Hut. M.mkI .T. tYir^riea, R. F. 

 Felton. lllark P' m. . M^- 1 - ' T.infithtrow 



and (iodt: i p,.izi^ 



war. awardt d t»> M i .1. I a... . i i.:.r .d Hijrh. 

 way. who adopN d a >iiia'!. i t vp.^ tlo^ri^r 



Violet I.aily. li^'auriiunt. Niv^u^. Dr. lati^ii- 

 hard, Mrs. UiU'ox. ( 'ullirigfordi and "it^ 

 yellow sport, and Kmbleme Poitevin. Me* 

 Crajrir. fr.nT;\-., V and Cragtr ;,ls,. * \h^'> t, i 

 in t h nL' >i*mv \ * : 



I'he lu*>t 



r|). Mr-^ P(.u 



amp!^ J ; . 



Iknit'ord, LxniMut ii ( 'i injM>n. I-ord I > rook. 

 PhiidH\ neccnibiM- Cold. Mr^. Hu( kK.>>. .uul 

 Mat t hi'w H*Hls^''^<in 

 failrd t*' raN h thr 



to a nu'^tt'rv t- ' 



' 'r'i - Old V 



■ 



a nd 



wilt) 



liani 



d< lit i V 



I'M! ' d 



' ■ ^ market 

 gfow^^rs pre^-nf. 



seeunHl tfu 

 awarded M 



Cragtr. Monvalt' N ui^ 

 staged tine va>rs of 

 Jewel, and Sandowu i: ui i.n;i , . 



llu>re wrrr nitu' t>ntrantv for a vaM' of 

 tiintjle varieties. titonj:^ii onlv on»^ prizr u 1^ 

 offered, Thi.s tVli to the !,^: t Mr V. I. old., 

 Swauloy. ^^5^v M.^ d a irraiifl va>.> ot Hron/.e 

 '^*''»'>ly I'^rtinirr. Wotli new vari*^- 



tie^. t hv y. , i>ronze eont hi na t n>n luduir 



ex(p^i^itt^ ^ 



Tht^ eoniprtition for two va-. of .pidrrv. 

 thread-]n'tailed. ponip.^n. or anemone pomp.m 

 varieties ^rell^* d two entrants, tite first 



pr:/,> .,. •,>or won i.v Mis. S (; 



j-odor,, \rir-.ufv:i Hill firardener. 

 *' ' . whf> arranged two very 



^^he following varietifv-.*: 

 Julie I^gravere, W in. 



Ill 



Westlake, Arachnoideum^ Mrs. Carter, a 

 White Haby; while Mr/ T. J. Broom was 

 awarded second prize, having well-built 

 vascH of Mrs. FilkinH, Mrs. VV, Butters. 

 W. Westlake, Timssaint Marrisant^ and 

 Agalina. For a vase of singles there were 

 fine eutricH of disbudded blooms, the first 

 prize falling to Mr. Loo Thomson, Ailsa 

 Oaig. Form by, Liverpool. 



Mr. J, Kmberson, Walthamstow, was the 

 only comiK'tit^>r for a basket of chrysanthe- 

 muniH, and was deservedly awarded the first 

 prize. The sidieme wa^ yellow, gold, and 

 crimson, the following varietien l>eing em- 

 ployed: Romance, Market Red, Chas. Kings- 

 ley, Mrs. Filkimi, Merstham Jewel, and Leo. 



The non-competitive groups were un- 

 doubtedly a feature of the rIiow. Mr. N. 

 Davis. Framtivdd, Sussex, staged a grand ex- 

 hibit in tall pyramids, with vases in frowt. 

 riu» ( hief varieties were Mdme. P. Radaelli, 

 I-4idy TallM>t. Edith Jameson, Mdme. G, Ilivol. 

 Mrs. (;in>ert Drabble, in splendid form, 

 Mrs. (;. <\ Kelly. Prince of Wales, His Ma- 

 jeHtv, Mrs. T. B. Edward«. and (Gorgeous, 

 while the incurveds, pompons, and singles 

 were well rcpreflcnted. Me«srs, W. Wells and 

 Co.^ Merstham, occupied the platform with 

 a fine exhibit. The best features were huge 

 bamboo sftandn of Mrs. Gilbert Drabble and 

 iiueen Mary. Frances JoUiffe, D. B. Crane, 

 and Lady TaUmt were also well represented, 

 while the singles were not only well repre- 

 sented, hut were .staged with tante. 



Mr, P, Laddt*. Swanley, made a great 

 cfTort, his background l)eing formed with 

 iuigi» vases of Japanese varietie^s, which were 

 ot exhibition .size, the finesrt example** l>eing 

 Mrimc P. Radaelli, Mis.s A. Brooker, Mdme. 

 (i. Ilivol. l)eceml>er Gold, and W. Turner; 

 \\ Inio t lie -mailer decorative varieties were 

 M r.. ( nopi r. Framfield Pink, a glorious 

 "■lour, and Freda Bedford. The singles em- 

 ployed were brightand well-developed. Mes^sTg. 

 ' rairir. Harrison, and Cragg staged anplendi'd 

 irroup nf chrysanthemums, typical of the 

 liicrh,>.i tf>rm of market culture. The most 

 -tnkiniT vaneties were F. Cooper a bronz^ 

 sport from Mrs. \\ ^re^*ieee, D. Ingamells, 

 Kxmouth Cnm-oa. Ktliel Thorp, Deceml>er 

 (Jold. Romance, Mrs, Buckhee. Foxhunter, 

 and Mr^. J. Hygate. The wineries were a 

 Erreat feature, uotahlv Miss Hilda Wells, 

 PnrtM Mr^ \V. (Earner, and Pink Beauty.' 



Conference on Soil 



Sterilisation. 



I'li'Te wa^ a larijc at'endane^ at 1^-^ex 

 n;ill durijitr the eveninir to hear a iv; ture 

 'Ml " Soil Stenli^atifui liv Dr. K J. Kust^ell 

 'd' Kothamst<Ml. Mr. Tiio. |^>van presided! 



Dr. Russell ]).iintt-d out that Soil Sterili- 



niean sterilisation as op- 

 i"-ed fo tertility. hut was a term used to 

 induate a pr.n of killin^r oflf most of the 

 nijunous !>aeteria m the soil, and also gome 

 t tiie w.Mki r <d' the useful bacteria. The 

 --Hit nt th;> partial sterilisation waK to 

 ,^nye a fair field to the hardiest of tlie use- 

 tul mmI haotena. and tliu^ inerea.^*^ th"- fer- 

 tility of the ^oil. Various methods of 

 stcrdisation were noted, and >t.^am at a tern 

 Ihn-ature or 21n degrees, at high pres- 

 sure tore.^1 into old and ".ick" soils, wae 

 n.nsKlered the Vn^sf. Heating in a kiln or 

 over a turn.nv ua. considered a gr>od method 

 but there W.I. . possibility of overheating, 



o deteatniix the end in view. Other 

 ' ''»nl petr.d. Of these formaldehvde 

 I'vrulene. ealennn sulphide, earlndic, cresol, 

 f-Inoi. and petrol. Of these formaldehyde 

 .'PIH'ared to lx> the next l,est nietlu>d' to 

 :-team heatuicr. and Dr. Kussell hoixxl that 

 ."_the near future this, or a Mmilar che i- 



r > 



aiul 



Dealing with chrysanthemums. Dr. Ruseell 

 pointed out that cuttings took longer to 

 root in sterili.sed than in ordinary soil; there 

 was 8ome delay in root action, but sul^e- 

 quently the plants grew stronger than \h<m 

 in ordinary soil, and Howered earlier. He 

 showed that soil which had produced 

 tomatoes and cucumbers often contained a 

 very large amount of ?nanurial matter, even 

 when thrown out as useless for further crops, 

 but he showed that such soils, when partiallv 

 Hterilised, producwl fino crops without an'v 

 addition l>eyond the ordinary feeding a» tlte 

 plants progrei^si^, and such soils had biH'n 

 u.s(^d three or four tinu^w over, after fr<»*ih 

 partial-sterilisation, without any apparent 

 decrease in their fertility. By means of 

 lantern slides the wonderful prrduction of 

 masi-es of iibrou.^ roots in sterilised ^oil, as 

 compared with ordinary soil, wa« made very 

 apparent. 



In answer to a question. Dr. Ruswell said 

 that commercial formaldehyde could l>e o\>- 

 tained for alxiut 6d. per lb. He also statid 

 that, where .soiLs remained long frozen, par- 

 tial-sterilination resulted to the great ad- 

 vantage of subsequent crops; and, in reply 

 to Mr. Curtis, he said that the ** drying-out ' 

 of soils had a similarly good effect on sub- 

 lequent crops. Mr. T. Stevenson referred to 

 some experiments made with chrysanthe- 

 mums, and opined that he had overheated 

 h is soil . His plants rooted slowly , and 

 growth was slow for some time, and then it 

 was fatit and strong, but never of the right 

 kind to produce the best results. He a!to 

 said he hiid used one gallon of formaldehyde 

 in 200 gallons of water, and applied it to a 

 plot six yards by twenty yards, to prevent 

 streak " in sweet pea<5, with the result that 

 his plants were 25 per cent, better than 

 previously, and they kept up their vigour 

 all along. 



Mr. Percy Cragg suggested tha!: cuttings 

 were not a success in treated soil, because 

 of the large quantity of food material avail- 

 able, a 8ort of indigestion being set up. For 

 several years they had used treated soil at 

 Hounslow for ferns, and found that the ferns 

 were ready for market two or three weeks 

 earlier than in ordinary untreated soil. Not 

 only did partial sterilsation render more 

 plant food available, but it very largely 

 eliminated disease and other peets. Mr. 

 Hawes referred to a large plant erected in 

 a cucumber nursery, where five tons of soil 

 I>er day could l>e treated, and he suggested 

 that, as this was a commercial matter, there 

 wa.H little doubt as to the efficacy of the 

 treatment. 



Mr. Fairlie, of Acton, told how he placed 

 water in the bottom of a galvanicsed iron 

 dust bin. and over this a sieve of soil; the 

 whole was then placed over a fire until the 

 soil was so hot that it could fecarcely be 

 handled. In soil so treated he had potted a 

 thousand carnations, and the results at pre- 

 sent seemed eminently satisfactory. He 

 asked w^hether sterilised soil was of equal or 

 greater value than first-rate fibrous loam. 

 Dr. Russell suggested that where sweet loam 

 of the very b^t kind could be readily ob- 

 tained, there w^as scarcely any need for 

 sterilisation, but he advised experiments and 

 comparisons. Mr. W. Wells said that at 

 Merstham they sterilised eighty cubic yarde 

 of soil; it was ^steam-heated for'half an hour, 

 and the cost wa« 5s. per yard. But time 

 and money were saved, lxH*au>e the soil 

 proved extremely useful, and all pesU and 

 weed seeds had ^ been killed; he could not 

 have bought new soil of e(junl value at 5s. 

 l>er load. Mr. T. Weston and Mr. Norman 



nf';/r''''fT ^'^T''^': '^^'''^P '^^rA ready meauH Davis also toc)k part in the discussion. 

 aL' :':'^*^^>V"^^^i^^^"& ^<'ni.<nit and unnro. On th. ....fi.. ^r. t>....- Cr.cra 



dnetive soils. He ■;?.gg;;Q'^*f^;^^^^^ 



part 



should l>o ii.od at the rate of 

 I.m.-^a.Kl part, of soil, or about zio. per 

 t..n: l,„t s„,.,.,u,„tiy he said, he belief 

 4oz. to tlie squ«-» yard would be sufficient. 



On thp nintiou of Mr, Perrv Cragg and 

 Mr. D. [{. Crane, a verv liearty vote of 

 thanks wa.-. accorded Dr. Hus-ell," who said 

 that his experiments with chrysanthemums 

 would be continued. A vote of thanks to 

 the chairman concluded the proceedings. 



