202 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Match 9, 1893. 
Eugby and District Chrysanthemum Society. 
The seventh annual Exhibition of this Society will take place on 
November 15th and 16th, and from the schedule to hand we observe 
some liberal prizes are offered. 
The Hull Schedule. 
/ 1 The Hull and East Riding Chrysanthemum Society have issued a 
full and excellent schedule of prizes for the next Show, which opens on 
November 15th. Besides the 20-guinea challenge cup in the group 
class, with money prizes of £6, £5, £4, and £2, silver cups with £10, 
£5, and £2 10s. prizes are offered for twenty-four Japanese blooms, also 
for twenty-four incurved blooms in separate classes. An entirely new 
class is also provided, with prizes of £5 53., £3, and £1 10s., described 
as follows :—Twenty-four blooms, Japanese, distinct, arranged for 
effect, and set up in any manner the exhibitor desires, with or 
without ^Chrysanthemum or other foliage, on a table space not ex¬ 
ceeding 6 feet in length by 2 feet 6 inches in width. The object of 
this class is to introduce a more tasteful system of staging highly 
developed flowers, therefore first quality blooms are indispensable, and 
their merits will be estimated by points in the usual manner. At 
the same time artistic arrangement is essential, and will be fully 
considered by the judges and receive due weight in the adjudication. 
Judging Cut Blooms. 
In addition to the method of judging cut blooms which I condemned 
on page 180 of the Journal of Horticulture there is still another that I 
do not generally approve of, although under special circumstances 
something may be said in its favour. I refer to the system of attaching 
so much weight to the greater variety of colours that one stand may 
contain over its opponent. It is not an uncommon occurrence to hear 
that “ Mr. So and So was an easy first by the greater variety of colour 
his stand contained.” My contention is the blooms should be examined 
individually and carefully noted accordingly if the competition is keen, 
not allowing the appearance of the stand, as a whole, to have so much 
influence over the minds of the judges, as I fear in many cases it does. 
I agree when the blooms individually are close as regards merit that 
the greater variety of colour should then score a point or two, sufficient 
to place the balance in favour ; but where there exists a wide contrast 
in point of the individual quality, then, I think, the great leaning to the 
extended variety in colour is a mistake. Where the conditions of the 
class is clearly defined, that the prizes are offered for so many distinct 
blooms, then they ought to be distinctly examined and appraised accord¬ 
ing to their merit. For example, we may take a stand of twenty-four 
blooms in not less than eighteen varieties. No judge would award the 
premier prize to an exhibitor who staged the whole twenty-four blooms, 
distinct, simply because they were dissimilar and of inferior quality. 
The exhibitor who complies with the stipulated conditions of eighteen 
varieties, and fills the remainder of the class with blooms of high 
quality, even if they are duplicates, should win premier honours. As 
long as a competitor conforms to the expressed conditions of the class he 
is at liberty to employ what extra blooms he thinks best. The judges 
who make their awards based on this method are, in my opinion, wrong, 
and possess taste which shows a decided leaning to so-called artistic 
ideas rather than to carrying out the practical definitions that are, as a 
rule, S 0 clearly defined in the schedule of prizes. 
I expect to find a conflict of opinion as to the soundness of my ex¬ 
pressed view on this phase of judging Chrysanthemums. I hope, 
therefore, that those persons who object to my dictum will remember 
that where the competing stands are close in point of individual merit of 
the blooms that I approve of the plan of awarding prizes for variety in 
colour, but not otherwise.— Sadoc. 
National Chrysanthemum Society. 
A MEETING of the General Committee of this Society was held on 
Monday evening last at Anderton’s Hotel, when Mr. E. C. Jukes 
occupied the chair, owing to the unavoidable absence of Mr. Ballantine. 
The Chairman said he was pleased to see so many representatives of 
affiliated societies present, and assured them that they would always be 
welcome and their suggestions carefully considered. The minutes of 
the previous meeting were then read and confirmed, and a letter from 
Sir Edwin Saunders expressing thanks for having once more been 
elected to the presidency of the Society. The Secretary announced that 
the schedule for the current year was in the printer’s hands, and he 
hoped the same would soon be ready for distribution. 
The most important part of the business was the election of new 
members to the Floral Committee. Hitherto, it has consisted of fifteen 
members, one-third of whom retire annually, but are eligible for re- 
election. By the new rule the constitution of this body is slightly 
altered, there being now eighteen members, and a chairman elected 
from among that number. There were therefore on this occasion eight 
members to be elected, five to replace those retiring, and an additional 
three to makw up the total prescribed by the new rule. Fourteen 
candidates in all were nominated, and as there is no rule as to the 
ballot being employed, some discussion as to its legality in this 
instance was raised. Mr. Wright of the Temple objected to it on the 
ground of its secrecy, and thought members ought not to be ashamed 
to hold up their hands. The Chairman was of opinion that by that 
method no one could tell whether a member voted for more than the 
proper number of candidates required to fill the vacancies. Mr. Geo. 
Stevens moved that the votes be taken by a show of hands, but Mr. 
G. A. Addison made an amendment to the effect that the ballot be 
resorted to, and his amendment was easily carried. Messrs. H. A. Needs 
and T. W. Sanders were appointed scrutineers, and announced the result 
as follows—Messrs. C. Gibson, H. J. Jones, G. Gordon, W. E. Boyce, 
C. E. Shea, W. H. Fowler, H. Cannell, and E. Beckett. 
The reserve fund, which stood at £14 15s. 6d. a few weeks since, has 
been increased to £19 9s. 6d., and the Secretary stated he would like to 
see the amount increased still further that evening. Mr. Fowler at once 
offered £5, Mr. Jones £1, Messrs. J. Laing & Son £1 Is., Mr. Harland of 
Hull £1 Is., and Mr. Owen £6 lOs., originally intended for special prizes 
for new classes in the schedule. It is pleasing to record that the reserve 
fund was in a few minutes increased to the sum of £34 Is. 6d. 
The election of Chairman for the Floral Committee for 1893 resulted 
in Mr. C. E. Shea being appointed. Only two names were proposed— 
viz., Mr. Shea and Mr. G. Gordon, the latter being defeated by one vote 
only. The meetings of the Floral Committee will be held at the Royal 
Aquarium on 6th and 27th September, 11th and 25th October, 8th and 
22nd November, 5th and 13th December. The Catalogue Committee, 
consisting of Mr. E. C. Jukes, Mr. W. H. Fowler, Mr. H. Shoesmith, Mr. 
A. Taylor, and Mr. C. Harman Payne were elected, and this brought the 
meeting to a close. _ 
The controversy which has lately been going on re the National 
Chrysanthemum Society has been interesting not only to those who make 
the growth of Chrysanthemums a speciality, but doubtless also toothers, 
who, like myself, take a more general interest in these matters. I have 
carefully read the report of the Society’s last meeting, and do not feel 
myself able to agree with the opinion you express when you say in 
effect that Mr. Addison’s motion for a rule providing for the expulsion 
of any member guilty of irregular or dishonourable conduct is fairly 
met by a rule which provides for the erasion of the names of members 
who are in arrears. 
In view of the still unanswered charges against a member of the 
Floral Committee re the Beauty of Exmouth case, and the proven 
charge against a member of the Floral Committee re the Wells case, 
it is abundantly clear that it is necessary some stringent rule should 
be made, and not only made but enforced, if the N.C.S. is to hold its 
position as a “National” Society. “National” characteristics are 
generally believed to be manliness, pluck, and upright conduct. Surely 
the conduct of which the member referred to has been found guilty of in 
the one case, and he, or another, accused of in the other case, is not 
deserving of any of the above adjectives ; and to go still further, it does 
not seem too clear that the Society generally too well deserves them 
if it is to allow one of its members to sneak behind it under the pretence 
that there was danger of a libel suit. Now, forsooth, it is argued 
that it is difficult to decide what constitutes dishonourable conduct, and 
yet the member who put forward this argument would no doubt feel 
mightily offended if anyone should venture to cast a doubt upon his 
claims to intelligence. But what sensible man could have a doubt as 
to the want of honour in the Wells case, which has been proved, or in 
the Beauty of Exmouth case, if the charges are true; and that the Society 
should avoid putting the truth of these to the test gives to outsiders at 
least a strong impression of their being well founded ; let me repeat the 
charge in case some of your readers should have forgotten it. It is 
stated that a member of the Floral Committee opposed the granting of 
a certificate to an advanced type of Chrysanthemum, and afterwards 
coolly informs the exhibitor that he did so because this variety would 
cut out one of his introduction ; and he further offers to buy Beauty of 
Exmouth at a large price. In order to clear the Society of the slur 
which has been thrown upon it, Mr. W. H. Fowler suggested that the 
case should be fully gone into, both parties waiving their legal rights. 
The accuser agrees at once, the accused makes no sign ; what inference 
is to be drawn ? If the Society has gained strength by the controversy, 
why the bitterness with which Mr. Dean pointed out that two provincial 
growers who were proposed as members of the Comimittee had taken 
part in it, and suggested that therefore they ought not to be elected ? 
As a matter of fact they were not elected.—G. Matthew. 
Being a reader of the Journal of Horticulture for over thirty years, 
and a member of the above Society, though not knowing any member 
of the Committee, I think enough space has been given to Messrs. 
Godfrey & Co. and the N.C.S. Committee. Doubtless, Mr. Godfrey may 
be right in advertising his Beauty of Exmouth, which he mentions four 
times on page 180. 
I see Mr. Godfrey aspires to one of the National’s “very best” 
medals. 1 assure him I for one will attend the meetings, and vote him a 
Holmes’ Memorial cup, on condition that he publish the letter we have 
heard so much of lately in his pamphlet, so that we who are not in the 
“ know ’’may judge if the best is being done by all the members of the 
Committee for such a good cause as the improvement of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums. 1 am sorry that some readers seem to think you favour the 
Godfrey-Wells side of the dispute, but I presume they are allowed to 
state their case, as are others to refute it. 
Regarding discussion on matters horticultural, let us have plenty of 
