November 13, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
417 
'QINCE the Chrysanthemum Centenary Festival, which was 
O opened at Westminster on Tuesday last, must be regarded as 
the crowning event in the history of the National Society, the time 
is an appropriate one for a consideration of the origin, progress, 
and w r ork of the organisation which for so many years has been 
devoted to the encouragement of Chrysanthemums and their culti¬ 
vators. No special society has attained such a powerful and 
important position in the horticultural world as this, and there 
must be some substantial reason for so remarkable an advance. 
Its origin w r as lowly, and for many years its work was confined to 
a very limited area, yet within less than ten years it has sprung 
into the first rank of horticultural societies both as regards the 
number of members, the scope of its influence, and in general 
'usefulness. First it is evident in endeavouring to explain this 
phenomenal progress, it must be assumed that a central authorita¬ 
tive Society was urgently required. Secondly, the system of 
management adopted must have been exactly what the circum¬ 
stances demanded, and the workers selected for assistance in the 
various projects must have combined earnestly in the performance 
of their honorary duties to have effected such results. 
The contrast of the present condition of the Society with that 
of its earlier years is indeed astonishing, and one old cultivator has 
given an excellent review of matters in the following words :— 
“ What a host of pleasant reminiscences is started by a glance 
at the names of some of our Chrysanthemum fathers ! Perhaps 
the very first that are entitled to recognition are the founders of 
the original Stoke Newington Chrysanthemum Society, Messrs. 
Holmes, Tant, and James. How r little they ever dreamt that their 
mutual resolve, while returning from the Vauxhall Dahlia Show 
of 1845, on the top of a ’bus, to hold a friendly competition at the 
old Rochester Castle in the following November (the loser to pay 
for a steak supper), would have resulted in such an organisation as 
The National Society of to-day. Truly, it was the ‘day of small 
“things,’ but was none the less the foundation of one of the most 
successful and useful florists’ societies that -we have yet seen. It 
was not long ere the ‘ mum ’ fever spread like wildfire throughout 
the north of London ; and amongst those who had the opportunity 
of visiting these early shows, who will forget the truly gigantic 
plants staged by Holmes ; the smaller, but none the less creditable^ 
Poms ’ of James, or the blooms of Tant ? They were indeed the 
marvels of the hour. Yery soon other competitors appeared on 
the scene, and made their mark. Amongst them, none will forget 
Old George Taylor,’ who wrote, it is said, the first treatise on the 
culture of the Chrysanthemum ; Tom Merry, too, with his box of 
cut blooms, was for many years a prominent competitor ; E. Hutton, 
of the Bank of England, represented the amateurs of the day ; 
Arthur Wortley, later on Secretary of the Society, was often well 
to the fore with his flowers, mostly cut from plants grown in 
the open border, and trained against the wall, with no other pro¬ 
tection than a weather board above them ; Scruby and Dan Monk 
each scored their victories—aye, and well-earned they were ; while 
our old esteemed Edwafd Sanderson was then often the recipient 
of the highest honours, as witness the store of cups and trophies 
lie cherishes at Willesden. Proud he may well be of his share in 
developing the love of the ‘Autumn Queerj.’ Charles Wilkinson 
and Williams, the then beadle of West Hackney Church, each had 
their day of fame, and were recognised amongst the growers of the 
time. A few years later, and who will not remember the specimen 
Pompons of David Hutt’s culture ? Have they ever been equalled ? 
Certainly never surpassed.” 
To briefly review the history of the Society it may be stated 
that the year following the conversation above recorded was 
practically the commencement, the first public show being held 
in 1847 at the inn named, and from then until 1864, shows 
were held annually either at the Rochester Castle or the 
Manor Rooms. Daring this time the show improved considerably 
both in the number and quality of the exhibits, and meetings for 
discussion were also held. At one of these, on March 28th, 1850, 
Mr. W. Holmes (father of the late Hon. Secretary), read the 
first essay on the culture of the Chrysanthemum, and in the follow¬ 
ing year, on February 27th, Mr. George Taylor contributed an 
essay on the same subject, which was afterwards amplified and 
published as a book that was for years the recognised authority 
on all points relating to specimen plants. In the same year— 
namely, 1851, Mr. John Edwards became President, and Mr. 
E. Sanderson was appointed Secretary. In 1873, after holding 
several shows with varying fortunes in the Defoe Road, Stoke 
Newington, and elsewhere, the Society was converted into the 
Borough of Hackney Chrysanthemum Society, and the exhibitions 
were continued in the Defoe Road until 1877, when they were 
transferred to the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, and an important 
era in the life of the Society was commenced. This proceeding 
did not, however, meet with the approval of all the members, and 
some retired, forming a new Society at Stoke Newington, which 
has not had a very successful career. The late Mr. William Holmes 
became the Hon. Secretary in the year of migration to Westminster, 
and a rapid improvement was soon seen, for the number of mem¬ 
bers increased from fifty-two in 1877 to 200 in 1883. A rapid 
advance under a vigorous and progressive policy justified the 
adoption of the title “National Chrysanthemum Society” in the 
year 1884. 
Progress still continued in a remarkable manner, and after 
two or three years it became evident the Society must still further 
extend its sphere of operations. One of the projects taken into 
consideration early in 1888 was arranging for holding a show at 
some provincial town in connection with the local Society. Letters 
were received from the secretaries of several affiliated societies, and 
ultimately it was resolved to hold a Show at Sheffield in November, 
1888. Another important matter was also taken in hand in that year 
—namely, the preparation of an authoritative catalogue of Chrys¬ 
anthemums that would be likely to prove of real service to cul¬ 
tivators. A Committee, comprising thirty of the leading experts 
in Great Britain, was appointed, with a Revision Committee of 
three. The work was issued early in the autumn, and was well 
received. A permanent Revision Committee, comprising Messrs. 
Lewis Castle, G. Gordon, and Payne, was then appointed, and 
each member was presented with a silver medal for the services 
rendered in the preparation of the work. A supplement was 
issued in 1889, and a revised edition in the present year, including 
the varieties brought into notice since the autumn of 1888. 
At the close of the eventful year named Mr. Edward Sander¬ 
son, who had been connected with the Society for forty years, 
during thirty of which he held the office of President, resigned his 
post greatly to the regret of all members. A sub-committee, 
comprising Messrs. Jukes, Wynne and Castle, was appointed to 
revise the rules of the Society and suggest names for President 
and Yice-Presidents, with the result that some important alterations 
were effected. The rules were rendered more uniform and 
systematic, and Mr. Castle having obtained the consent of Lord 
Brooke to act as President, he was unanimously elected at the 
annual meeting in January, 1889, to that office, with the Earl of 
Lytton, Lord Ebury, Sir Guyer Hunter, Sir Edwin Saunders, 
Dr. Robert Hogg, J. Wormald and E. Sanderson as Yice-Presidents, 
No. 542. —Vol. XXI., Third Series 
No. 2198 .—Vol. LXXXIIL, Old Series. 
