112 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 8,U894 
Chrysanthemums from Portugal. 
During the early part of December I received some blooms from a 
cultivator in the Isle of Man, the produce of seedling;s raised from seed 
direct from Portugal. I was not aware that that country was at all 
famed for Chrysanthemum seed production. The blooms in question 
possessed much merit, being massive without being coarse in the florets. 
In colour the best was a pleasing golden bronze. 1 shall look forward 
with some interest to the development of blooms of this variety in the 
South of England, as I am growing plants of it this year. The result 
the first year from the seed is certainly encouraging to the country from 
whence the seed came.— E. Molyneux. 
Chrysanthemum, Mrs. L. C. Madeira. 
If Mr. W. Wells will carefully read what I wrote on page 55, he 
will see that I referred to this variety most favourably as a late decora¬ 
tive sort, but as an exhibition flower I feared it resembled Mabel Ward 
in the manner of its floret formation. I said not one word as to its 
colour, therefore Mr, Wells has little cause to complain in that respect. 
I have no reason to doubt but that the blooms I saw in 1892 were 
other than Mrs. L. C. Madeira. My object in referring to it was to 
disseminate information, gained from actual observation, amongst a 
class of cultivators which are largely interested in all new introductions, 
irrespective of the financial value of any particular variety.—E. M. 
Wolverhampton Chrysanthemum Society. 
Amongst the most successful Chrysanthemum Shows of 1893 the 
first Exhibition of the Wolverhampton Chrysanthemum Society can be 
placed. This has been brought about by a most energetic Committee 
and indefatigable Secretaries (Mr. R. Craigie, Mr. Wheeler, with Mr. 
A. Dobbs as Amusement Secretary), and Mr. Macpherson, Treasurer. 
Several unsuccessful Shows have previously been held. I enclose you 
the balance-sheet to show what a success we made of it. It is wonderful, 
considering that the plants were half grown before the Society was 
started, and you can judge the amount of work that was done by the 
Committee. To prove what individual members can do, Mr. Bradley 
(the Vice-Chairman) and myself collected close upon £50 in a few weeks. 
With the financial assistance of the surrounding gentry and the still 
indomitable spirit of the Committee, and with a more extensive schedule, 
a greater success is anticipated for 1894. The Society emanates from 
the Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society, which also was started last 
year, and has now upwards of 100 members. 
Now I am writing I would like to inform the readers of the Journal 
in this district that I should be pleased to see them at the lecture 
on the “ Cultivation of Fruit, Flowers, and Vegetables,” illustrated by 
limelight views to be given by myself at the Lecture Hall Free Library 
on February 10th.—G. A. Bishop, Wightmich Manor Gardens, 
[The balance-sheet shows a satisfactory and creditable record in the 
time. Expenditure, nearly £200; balance, upwards of £22.J 
The Japanese Chrysanthemum Election. 
It seems that Mr. Rainton (page 93) is anxious to know why 
Mrs. A, Hardy Chrysanthemum was so low down in the voters’ list. My 
answer is this ; Would anyone be doing the right thing, or doing justice 
to those whom the selection was compiled for, to vote or add a variety 
which I should say not one grower out of fifteen could grow, or 1 might 
say get a bloom fit for exhibition? Why this is so I cannot understand, 
and I must say I can endorse all that Mr. Rainton says in its favour. I 
have grown it fairly well myself ever since it was sent out; in fact 
I have shown blooms every season except the year before last, then the 
flowers were very late with me. Growers who could get blooms of 
Mrs. A. Hardy like Mr. Rainton speaks of, would do well to have one in 
their stand of twenty-four Japanese, 1 should like to say a few words 
about another Japanese. No doubt many would wonder why I placed 
Robert Owen so high up in my list, but left it out of the twelve. It 
is my opinion that Robert Owen is the grandest incurved Japanese yet 
in commerce, but would it be in its right place on the twelve bloom 
stand ? I do not think so, I should like to see good prizes offered for six 
blooms : two of Robert Owen, two of Duke of York, and two of Miss 
Anna Hartshorn, this would be a very pretty stand.— John Aplin, 
Hasfield Court Gardens, Gloucester. 
Your correspondent Mr. J. Rainton (page 93) asks why Mrs. Alpheus 
Hardy takes so low a place in the voting list. Speaking for myself, and 
I imagine for many others of those who voted, the reason is to be found 
in the fact that the selections requested were mainly to assist those 
“ who are taking up the cultivation of the Chrysanthemum for the first 
time,” i.e., beginners. 
Like your correspondent I have experienced no great difficulty in 
obtaining good show blooms of the variety in question, although I must 
confess that they have not quite attained the dimensions which he gives 
us, “Upwards of 8 inches in diameter” is large for Mrs. Alpheus 
Hardy. But who would call the variety a “beginner’s” flower? It 
is notorious that, for some reason or other, many growers, not by any 
means to be classed as “ beginners,” have experienced a certain difficulty 
with this variety, a fact which is amply attested by the comparative 
rarity of its appearance on the show board. 
For the same reason I had excluded from my selections many 
“experts’” varieties. For example. Silver King. I see that seven 
voters included this within their twenty-four ; but, although it is a 
seedling of my own raising, I did not vote for it. It is unquestionably 
an “expert’s” variety, difficult for the beginner, but capable of fine 
development at the hands of the more experienced. Mr. E. Beckett, 
who includes it in his list, showed it splendidly at Watford, but then 
Mr, Beckett is an “ expert” in the first rank. 
I think that the selections must be interpreted through the medium 
of the terms of the invitation issued, and, if this be done, the position or 
absence of many varieties will be the better understood,— Charles 
E. Shea. 
The idea of getting the opinion of the principal growers and judges 
to give their selection of what they consider to be the best varieties now 
in cultivation is a good one, and must be of immense service to provincial 
growers and others who have not the opportunity of seeing and knowing 
the latest addition to this ever popular section. It has come at a most 
opportune season, for extensive lists are published by trade growers, and 
many of the varieties are no doubt most beautiful, but it would be 
almost impossible for a private grower to try them all. 
The thanks of all cultivators are due to the Editor of the Journal 
of Horticulture and Mr. Molyneux for carrying out the suggestion of 
“ A D.,” for it will be wonderfully interesting in a few years’ time. The 
publication of the list forms food for reflection, independent of the revert¬ 
ing thoughts on the rise and progress of the Japanese section. Then there 
are the concensus of opinion as to what constitutes a good and typical 
Japanese Chrysanthemum, and the unanimity of judges showing the 
standard that exhibitors should work up and aspire to. In the varieties 
at the head of the list we have all the requirements in size, form, colour, 
and habit. When we get away from the top it would be a difficult 
matter to put them in order according to merit, or to give one the 
preference over the other. It is a question of colour entirely ; hence in 
the selection for twelve many would prefer to grow Mdlle. Marie Hoste 
to Stanstead White, or G. W. Childs to Wm. Seward, Some varieties 
are good at times, but are not so constant and reliable as one would 
wish, while others have some little defect that removes them slightly 
from the typical flower, but no exhibitor could possibly do wrong by 
growing the first fifty ; although the end of the list embraces many 
sterling varieties seen out for the first time this year, and consequently 
are little known, but probably some of them of sufficient merit to oust 
others from the front rank in a few years’ time. 
The fact of only having one vote does not detract from the merit of 
the selection. By publishing the individual lists as you are doing, it 
will show the estimation held of some varieties in different parts of the 
country, and it will no doubt confirm what I have observed for a long 
time—the partiality, if I may so term it, of certain varieties to some 
localities. In officiating for some years in various parts of the king¬ 
dom I have constantly noticed how well a certain variety is grown in a 
particular place. Some few years ago I used to be amazed at the fine 
examples of that peculiar variety Triomphe de la Rue des Chalets 
exhibited year after year at Ascot. At Northampton the incurved 
variety Jardin des Plantes comes fine, and is very conspicuous in the 
stands. Mrs, Alpheus Hardy seems to enjoy the air at Bournemouth, 
for it was exhibited more frequently and in better condition than usual, 
and for the past two seasons Mdlle. Marie Hoste has taken the lead 
amongst the whites at Winchester, being shown exceptionally good. 
Some most interesting information from America of the peculiar 
behaviour of some of our leading and standard varieties tends to con¬ 
firm my observation, which is the result of one of two things. Either 
the soil or air suits the varieties in particular, or the growers there 
are in possession of an extra good strain. 
In dissecting the colours of the first twenty-four varieties I find they 
are seven pink and rose shades, six bronze and orange, five whites, four 
yellows, and only two crimsons ; and in the twelve selection there are 
two pinks, three bronze, three whites, two yellows, and two crimsons, a 
very good proportion for a stand of twelve varieties. 
Although we have been loth to recognise the type of the Japanese 
incurved as varieties to be encouraged, there is no doubt but that, with 
such varieties as Robert Owen, Louise, and Viscountess Hambledon as 
pioneers, they are boldly pushing their way to the front, and there 
will soon be room for a separate class for them, No one can look 
on the fine, solid, shell-like florets built up and forming a flower of 
such substance without a note of admiration for this section. The 
blooms of Robert Owen exhibited at Kingston were very fine, and I 
must say, although not a typical Japanese form, one or two in a stand of 
twenty-four or forty-eight varieties adds variety and a charm to the 
exhibit,—C. Orchard, Bemiridge, I.W, 
No one can have welcomed more heartily than myself the appear¬ 
ance of Mr. Molyneux’s very interesting and valuable Chrysanthemum 
election (page 63) ; in fact, it has supplied a want long felt by a large 
class of Chrysanthemum growers—so numerous and bewildering have 
the lists of new varieties become, and so very recently have many of 
these new varieties been introduced. 
