362 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 18, 1888. 
the free play of light and air, and then conceal the pruning knife lest 
anyone should venture to cut back the long rods, and so renew the old 
warfare between useless wood and useful fruit. 
Pyramid trees of many sorts of Pears will acquire beauty of contour, 
and become regularly furnished, and will produce abundance of fruit 
without any pruning whatever, as I have shown by my trees that for 
fifteen years continuously were never touched with the knife. The 
lower branches of pyramid trees never bear fruit, probably from prox¬ 
imity to the ground and its exhalations, as well as from the low tempe¬ 
rature that often prevails at that level. When left to form themselves, 
or aided in quite an infinitesimal degree, they remain open to light and 
air, and soon become well clothed with spurs that ripen perfectly and do 
their duty. The dense, leafy pyramids are useless in proportion to their 
leafiness, and very often it may be said that the free bushes and 
standards are useful in proportion to their leanness, and it must be 
owned that many of the lean trees are amongst the most profitable. 
Long rods pay, short rods are more plague than-profit. 
A most instructive contrast between the useless pyramids and profit¬ 
able standards has occurred in the garden planted many years since by 
my friend, Mr. J. B. Saunders, then of The Laurels, Taunton, now of 
Teignmouth. Mr. Saunders was proud of his pinched pyramid trees, 
and managed them with orthodox care. They were but moderately 
fruitful, though models of form, and as handsome in leafage as Camellias. 
In the course of time, my friend having left Taunton, a portion of his 
beautiful garden, of which many of the pyramid trees were occupants, 
came into the possession of Mr. Godding, nurseryman, of that town. 
This gentleman soon discovered that the pyramids would never pay rent 
for the land they covered, and he determined that they should pay 
liberally, and cover no land at all. He cut them back to sheer stems of 
7 to 10 feet or so, according to their form and stature, and allowed them 
to form free heads over the gravel walks. They have done this ; he 
crops the borders under them to their very stems, and they arch over 
the walks, forming rustic bowers, and their fruitfulness is such that it is 
necessary to provide artificial support to save them from self-destruction. 
You have never seen pinched pyramids in the deplorable condition of 
needing artificial support. 
Of wall and cordon trees I do not propose to say anything at this 
time, except that they must be amenable to common sense, and Nature 
must have some freedom even where the trees are so fettered. Of one 
thing I am satisfied, that any system of pruning that promotes a late 
summer growth is pernicious, for it is not in this climate that fruit 
trees can make and mature useful wood after the passing of Midsummer 
Day. _ 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN THE METROPOLIS. 
The annual public display of Chrysanthemums in the Inner Temple 
Gardens, under the charge of Mr. Newton, will by the permission of the 
Benchers, be opened to-day (Thursday). The plants are looking very 
promising, and some of the earlier varieties are already in flower, 
but they will not be in their best condition before the end of 
the month. The Chrysanthemum Show in Finsbury Park, which for 
several years now has attracted so many visitors, will be opened on 
Saturday, October 20th. We had the pleasure of seeing the large stock 
of plants a few weeks ago, and they were then looking exceedingly well 
indeed; itseemedasif previous successes were likely to be surpassed 
this season. The collections at both places include examples of the 
best old and new varieties. 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. 
The usual autumn general meeting of members took place at 
Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, E.C., on Monday evening, the 15th inst., 
Mr. E. Sanderson, President, in the chair, among those present being 
Messrs. R. Ballantine (Vice-President', E. C. Jukes, C. Harman Payne, 
G. Stevens, Blake, R. Dean, G. Gordon, and many other leading sup¬ 
porters of the Society. The minutes of the annual general meeting, held 
in January last, having been read, the Hon. Secretary, Mr. W. Holmes, 
reported in reference to the provincial Show of the Society to take place 
at Sheffield on November 10th and 17th, that the Midland Railway 
Company had offered to convey exhibits to the Show and back for a 
single fare, provided they were allowed to remain there all the time the 
Show was open ; also that they were prepared to place at the disposal 
of those going from London to the Show two saloon carriages, if there 
were a sufficient number of travellers to justify them in doing so. The 
Hon. Secretary also reported that he had paid the sum of £70 in prizes 
awarded at the September Shows, and four silver medals had been sent 
to their respective winners. He stated that complaints had reached him 
from some of the smaller trade growers, that as all the trade classes 
were open to the large growers, they had but little chance in the com¬ 
petitions. He suggested that in the future the General Committee 
should name the sum they would be willing to give for Dahlias, and then 
request representatives of the Dahlia growers to meet and prepare a 
schedule of prizes, also that they should nominate judges in the Dahlia 
classes. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to those members who 
acted as stewards on the occasion of the Show. Mr. C. Harman Payne 
reported that the labours of those appointed to revise the catalogue of 
the Society were at an end ; that their work had lasted seven months ; 
that the revisers had received valuable assistance from the thirty 
members of the Catalogue Committee, also from outsiders, and they had 
made use of those suggestions likely to be of service to the Society. 
They had followed the programme laid down for their guidance as nearly 
as possible, and he thought the Society could be congratulated upon the 
possession of a catalogue of a very valuable character. The Hon. Secre¬ 
tary then moved the following resolutions, which were seconded by Mr. 
George Stevens, and carried by acclamation :—“ That the members of 
the National Chrysanthemum Society desire to place on record their high 
appreciation of the very valuable work accomplished by those gentle¬ 
men who have prepared and published the 1888 edition of the Society’s 
catalogue. To each of those who constituted the specially selected 
Committee, and who prepared reports on the several sections consigned 
to their care, the members tender their very sincere thanks, and especially 
to the Revision Cimmittee, who received these reports, revised and 
tabulated the same.” Further, “ That the silver medal of the Society be- 
duly and suitably engraved, and presented to Messrs. Lewis Castle,. 
George Gordon, and C. Harman Payne, in recognition of the admirable 
result of their painstaking and arduous work ; also, That a copy of 
this resolution be entered upon the minutes, and a lithographed copy be 
prepared and furnished to each member of both Committees.” It was 
further proposed by the Hon. Secretary, seconded by Mr. R. Ballantine, 
and carried unanimously, “ That the Society appoint a Permanent 
Revision Committee, to take such notes as may be necessary with a view 
to further revision at a future period, and that such Committee consist 
of Messrs. C. Harman Payne, L. Castle, and G. Gordon.” Two new 
Fellows and sixty-one ordinary members were elected, bringing the 
total of the latter up to 572. A cordial vote of thanks to the Chairman 
brought the proceedings to a fclose. 
LADIES’ CHALLENGE CUP AT WINCHESTER. 
I enclose an advertisement for the next issue of the Journal, in 
which you will observe the ladies of Winchester, through the Mayoress, 
have subscribed for and presented the Society with a very handsome- 
silver challenge cup, value £15, on the express condition that it is 
offered for competition annually at our autumn show for Chrysanthemums 
as long as our Society remains in existence ; and if at any time the- 
Society should cease to exist it should pass to the Corporation of Win¬ 
chester, to be disposed of as they should think fit. I should be much 
obliged by the insertion of this paragraph in the Journal, as the time is 
drawing somewhat near. Trusting that we shall have a good show 
season.— On a loner, Shenton, lion. Secretary Winchester Horticul¬ 
tural Society. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM MRS. BURRELL-EARLY FLOWERING. 
Permit me to recommend your correspondent who inquires about 
the best early flowering Chrysanthemums to add this to his list. It is a 
deep primrose yellow, and, if I remember aright, a “sport” from the 
very useful Mdme. Desgranges, but I do not know its origin—perhaps 
you would say. At all events, for most decorative purposes during* 
September and October it can be relied on just as much as its foster¬ 
parent aforesaid—if the term can be applied. I saw some fine bunches, 
evidently of this, in the Waverley Flower Market in Edinburgh, about 
a month since, while my plants are only flowering now, being grown in 
the open air until commencing to bloom. I think Mr. Canned of 
Swanley, who has given flower lovers so many good things, deserves the 
credit of having introduced this, but I am speaking from recollection. 
Here, where there are so many exhibition growers, I am proud to say the 
frost of the first week in October did little harm.—W. J. Mubphy, 
Clonmel. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT PUTNEY. 
Although Mr. Stevens grows as many as 10,000 plants for flower¬ 
ing in the St. John’s Nursery, Putney, it is surprising how well they 
look and how few plants there are which do not seem capable of pro¬ 
ducing good blooms. Besides growing a large general collection for 
flowering and supplying cuttings later on, large numbers of particular 
sorts are here cultivated ; for instance, Elaine is represented by two 
long rows of about 1000 plants, very healthy and almost as even as a 
clipped hedge, so uniformly have they grown. The cuttings are rooted 
early in November ; the points are pinched when the plants are 6 inches 
high, and again at 10 inches high, the result is nine to twelve branches, 
producing that number of fine blooms which meet with a ready 
sale. A high opinion has been formed of M. W. Holmes, an early 
flowering Japanese variety, chestnut red, inclining to dark crimson, the 
florets, which are tipped with gold, rendering it very attractive. The 
growth of this variety is striking, being robust with good foliage, the 
height being medium. As many as 800 of this variety are cultivated. 
Then, again, Princess Blanche, which is regarded as one of the best late- 
