402 
JOURNAL OF' HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 10, 1887. 
.place in the minds of honourable men. Mr. Udale writes, to quote his 
own words :— 
“ It is not possible to form a perfectly correct opinion of this matter, 
because we are not informed whether Mr. Mease entered the flowers in 
his own name, or whether he entered them in the name of his employer.” 
Notwithstanding- Mr. Udale’s admitted ignorance of the facts, he 
still apparently considers himself qualified to sit in judgment on the 
casIt is peifectly true, that by one rule of this, as of many other 
societies, the Committee “ reserve to themselves the right to reject any 
exhibit.” This rule, however, was never intended to be applied in such 
a case as this. If it could be so used, a Committee mLht always avail 
themselves of it whenever there was danger of a piece of challenge 
plate being finally won. In this case it so happens that the rule was 
never even thought of. Mr. Udale’s own good sense ought to have saved 
him from making such uncalled for remarks. 
The conditions affecting the challenge vase are as follows :— 
“ The winner to hold the vase until the next exhibition, when it 
shall be returned to the Society. Should the same exhibitor win the 
vase twice consecutively or three times altogether, it shall become his 
property. The vase to go to the employer, the money to the gardener.” 
These conditions, and these only, were considered by the Committee, 
and are those upon which the opinion of legal and horticultural authori¬ 
ties was asked. 
The entry last year was made by Mr. Mease in the name of his em¬ 
ployer, the late Mr. C. W. Neumann ; therefore I think even Mr. Udale 
will admit that Mr. Mease, j ersonally, has no vested interest in the 
vase whatever ; and as regards any interest which Mr. Neumann’s 
executors might have in it, our legal adviser is of opinion that the 
interest in it was personal to Mr. Neumann himself, and died with him. 
This being so, the Committee, much to their regret, have no alternative 
but to decide that Mr. Neumann’s executors cannot count last year’s 
win ; it would be manifestly unfair to the winner of the vase in 1885 
if they came to any other decision, for it must not be forgotten that the 
Committee have their duty to the latter as well as to the former. They 
have endeavoured to act in an impartial manner, and if their sympathy 
with Mr. Mease led them to an illegal course of action, it would no doubt 
be called in question by the other winner. 
Either Mr. Neumann’s executors or Mr. Mease, are however, perfectly 
at liberty to compete as new exhibitors, and if any means can be found 
by which the former may be allowed to count last year's win, I am con¬ 
vinced our Committee will be only too pleased. 
In conclusion I may mention that I saw Mr. Mease at tlw Bradford 
Chrysanthemum Show last Friday, and am happy to be able to state 
by his authority that he imputes no wrong motives whatever to 
our Committee.—It. Falconer Jameson, Chairman Hull and East 
Biding Chrysanthemum Society. 
VIOLAS. 
T DO not think Mr. Steel has read my communication rightly, or 
he would not attribute to me any desire of absolute exclusion of any 
Violas ; they are too highly esteemed by me for that. If Mr. Steel wiil 
read my note again at page 323, he will find that I merely exclude 
those varieties with rounded flowers formally, and refer them to the 
bedding Pansies. lie also infers that Mr. Dean and myself are not 
agreed as to Archie Grant, but my statement runs thus—“If we 
rigidly pursue this course— i.e. calyx with unequal sepals, we shall 
exclude the best Violas, such as Countess of Hopetown, Lady Pohvarth, 
and Archie Grant, and all those flowers having the same rounded 
tendency. These, then, would eo to the bedding Pansies, while such 
as Sirs. Grey, elegans, Grievi, lutea grandiflora, and such like, would be 
retained as Violas and if be will compare Sir. Dean's remarks with 
the above quotation he will find that the latter and myself are quite 
agreed save in the case of Countess of Hopetoun, which Mr. Dean, on 
account of its dense habit, early and continuous blooming, would place 
among the Violas. But if this be so, Sir. Steel and Mr. Dean are not 
agreed, for in Countess ot IToptoun we have a decided self, and if the 
distinction is to be followed of close or dense habit, we must admit 
such as Sirs. Chas. Turner and Lady Polwarth, while Pilrig Park, 
Champion Bullion, with pencilled or rayed flowers, cannot be regarded 
as seifs in the same way as Countess of Hopetoun. Still, I do not 
S 2 e the necessity for such a classification as this, and I think the whole 
might be more conveni ntlv grouped under two heads—viz., Violas and 
Bedding Pansies : beyond this, if occasion required, they may be grouped 
to colour, while the miscellaneous varieties, such as York and Lancaster, 
may be grouped as Fancies. Although Mr. Steel takes exception to 
the answer I give to his question —“ What are the characteristics of a 
Viola? he has not himself advanced anvthing more obvious, and re¬ 
quests me to examine a Pansy, but the Pansy has no existence botam- 
cally, and must be referred to the fountain head of Viola tricolor var., 
therefore the difference between a Viola and Pansy is nothing botanically, 
since they are, in the majority, the decendants of one specks. Our 
florists past and present have lifted the Pansy to its present standard 
of perfection, and very naturally laid down hard-and-fast rules for 
their own guidance. One of these is form, which I take to mean 
symmetry, ther fore nothing but a well rounded flower having all other 
qualities would be admissible, hence my reason for drawing the line at 
*’ unequal sepals for though this was allowed in the Pansies of fifty 
years ago, it is not admitted now, while Violas, such as Mrs. Gray, 
Elegans, Ardwell Gem, and many others, all have unequal sepals, which 
I have always regarded as typical of the Viola.—E. Jenkins. 
A full meeting of the Executive Committee of the Gar¬ 
deners’ Orphan Fund was held on Friday evening last at the “Cale¬ 
donian Hotel,” Adelphi, London, Mr. G. Deal presiding. Mr. Sherwood 
and Mr. John Lee were unanimously elected Vice-Presidents. After a 
careful consideration of the most convenient and absolutely safe method 
of investing a sum of money, it was resolved to place £500 in three per 
cent, consols, leaving a working balance at the bankers. Letters were 
read from gardeners of standing in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, ex¬ 
pressing their willingness to become local secretaries, and seven were 
appointed in Ireland and four in Wales ; an addition was also made to 
the list in England, which now numbers nearly sixty. Messrs. Pope 
and Son, Birmingham ; Messrs. Wood & Ingram, Huntingdon ; and 
Messrs. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, kindly offered to distribute circulars' 
containing a summary of the rules and subscription forms in their cata¬ 
logues, &c., and a number were ordered to be printed for that purpose. 
At the Dext meeting, which will be held in December, it is not impro¬ 
bable that preliminary steps will be taken and methods formulated for 
dispensing such portions of the fund as may be justifiable, according to 
the rules, for the object for which it is being established. A feeling of 
satisfaction pervaded the meeting with the position attained, and with 
the co-operation of all who are willing to give it a great success is antici¬ 
pated and reuch good expjeted to be done through the agency of the 
Institution. 
- The Postponement of Shows.— We have already announced 
the postponement of the Liverpool Show to the 29th inst. in consequence of 
the Assizes, and the Southend Show has also been postponed to the 15tb- 
inst. Probably we shall also hear of others, but it is a serious matter to- 
alter the dates of exhibitions so late in the season as this, and Com¬ 
mittees should be very careful before doing so to consult the intending 
exhibitors, or they may do a great injustice to some persons who have 
successfully contended against the retarding effects of the season. An 
experienced grower remarks that he considers “the greatest skill is 
shown when a competitor has his blooms up to time in an unfavourable 
year, and a week’s delay will often render all his efforts useless.” Still, 
when it is the general desire that a date should be altered, it is advisable- 
to do so rather than sacrifice the show. 
- A visitor writes :— -“I was much interested in Mr. Gilbert’s 
Vegetable Novelties at South Kensington the other day, but what 
pleased me the most was the Universal Savoy. This seems likely to be 
a really useful vegetable, the hearts solid and compact, such as would 
take up little space in a garden and give good returns. I shall try this 
the first opportunity. The Chou de Universal (what [an extraordinary 
name) failed to impress me as a good addition to our vegetable list. It 
resembled a very strong coarse strain of Brussels^ Sprouts, but perhaps 
it possess s some quality I could not detect.” 
- Messrs. J. Veitch <Sc Sons exhibited specimens of their in¬ 
teresting hybrid Begonia Adonis at a recent meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, South Kensington, and the plant has also been- 
attractive in their nursery for some time past. It will be remembered 
that Begonia John Heal resulted from a cross between B. socotrana and 
a tuberous variety, the former being the seed parent, and is remarkable 
for only producing staminate flowers. The pollen from this was applied 
to one of the best of the modern Tuberous Begonias, and from the seed 
thus obtained was raised Begonia Adonis. Much of the B. socotrana habit 
is observable in the seedling, the leaves being large and rounded, but 
the growths are those- of the ordinary tuberous ty pe. The flowers are 
large, with broad rounded petals, and the colour a pleasing rosy scarlet- 
It is not so free as B. John Heal, but is attractive and no doubt useful. 
If white or double varieties of B. John Heal *could be obtained they 
w'ould be welcome additions to_the winter flowering section. 
- The Watford Chrysanthemum Society will hold their 
second annual Show in the Agricultural Hall, Watford, on Tuesday anc? 
Wednesday, November 15th and 16th. The fourteen classes are in six 
divisions, for all exhibitors, mtmbers employing two or more gardeners* 
