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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and held in great esteem by the florists of the island of Chusan. 

 Towards the close of the year one of these new flowers, called 

 the Chusan Daisy, was staged at the Society's rooms, but the 

 attention it attracted was of no account until it got properly into 

 the hands of the Continental florists. Then such men as Lebois r 

 Miellez, and Pele proved what it was capable of, and they 

 annually contributed vast numbers of the new species, to which 

 was given the name of Pompon. The labours, too, of Mme. 

 Lebois, who for some years after her husband's decease eagerly 

 devoted her attention to the raising of new seedling Pompons 

 ought not to be forgotten. 



Many and frequent are the lamentations that the Chrysan- 

 themum did not bloom earlier than the end of October or middle - 

 of November. We find no evidence of anything blooming at an 

 earlier time of the year until somewhere about the year 1850. 

 The summer-flowering varieties for many years appear to have 

 been confined to the Pompon section, and made but little pro- 

 gress in the estimation of the public until ten or twelve years ago. 



Towards the close of the fifties a fresh impetus to Chrysan- 

 themum raising was given in the Channel Islands, Charles Smith 

 being the pioneer in the work. In his footsteps shortly followed 

 growers whose names are still famous, such as Thomas Pethers, 

 James Davis, and Alexander Clark. Many of their productions 

 were purchased and distributed by Mr. John Salter and Mr. 

 Bird, of Stoke Newington renown. A marked improvement had 

 already taken place in the form and build of the show Chrysan- 

 themum, and the Incurved bloom had been by competent 

 authorities recognised as the standard of perfection. Large 

 numbers of the Guernsey seedlings were varieties of that section, 

 although among them were found Anemone, Reflexed, and 

 Pompon flowers of the highest merit, many of which still 

 retain a leading position on the snowboards of our foremost 

 exhibitors in this Centenary year. Time prohibits even the 

 briefest enumeration of their gains, but I cannot refrain from 

 observing that, out of all the numerous sports obtained these past 

 ten years, by far the larger proportion have originated from these 

 Guernsey seedlings. So, from 1858 to 1868 were halcyon days 

 for the lover of Incurves, and numerous societies whose special 

 object was the cultivation and exhibition of the Chrysanthemum 

 sprang into existence with surpassing rapidity. 



