November 22, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
463 
the flowers at the top in pairs, the sepals and petals bright green, 
the lip broad and yellowish with a dark blotch at the base, and 
■directed to the upper portion of the flower. The column is 
slender, curved, green, and in the position where the lip is usually 
seen in Orchid flowers. The plant is of strong habit, requiring a 
compost of peat and sphagnum, with the temperature of the 
Cattleya house, supplying abundance of water and moderate shade. 
Flowers of a plant of C. chlorochilon recently exhibited are shown 
of their natural size in the illustration, fig. 54, page 471. 
DENDROBIUM WARDIANUM. 
To grow plants of this Orchid to perfection they should at this 
'time of the year be kept in a house of which the minimum and 
maximum temperatures are about 40° to 50° respectively, and should 
be so kept until the buds begin to swell, when they may be taken 
to a warmer house to open their flowers. Of course during the 
time the plants are subjected to this cool treatment water must be 
withheld, but when the flowers are opening a little must be given. 
In treating Dendrobium Wardianum in this manner the flowers will 
bt larger and of finer substance ; furthermore, it stops the young 
growths from pushing till after the flowering season, when they will 
come much stronger than if allowed to grow at the same time the 
flowers are expanding. — En Avant. 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY’S 
CONFERENCE AND SHOW AT SHEFFIELD. 
November 16th and 17th. 
Tt was proposed some time since that a Conference of Chrysanthe¬ 
mum growers should be held in conjunction with the National Society’s 
Exhibition at Sheffield, and the idea was carried into effect under 
direction of Mr. W. K. Woodcock. Mr. Tunnington of Liverpool and 
Mr. E. Molyneux of Bishops Waltham were invited to contribute 
papers as a basis for discussion, and both most willingly complied, 
tl;e former choosing as a title for his subject “ A Chat about Chrys¬ 
anthemums,” and the latter “The Influenceof Wood Ripening on Buds 
and Blooms.” Mr. John Wright was unanimously desired to take the 
chair, and the Conference was opened at 6.30 p.m. on Friday last in one 
of the large rooms in the Maunche Hotel. The room was crowded, 
amongst those present being Messrs. R. Ballantine, William Holmes, 
IT. Tunnington, E. Molyneux, W. K. iWoodcock, George Gordon, Lewis 
Castle, W. Bardney, R. Falconer Jameson, E. Harland (of Hull), 
J. Udale, and G. Harris (Alnwick). After a few introductory remarks 
By the Chairman, in which he commented on the valuable services 
irendered by Mr. Tunnington in promoting the culture of the Chrys¬ 
anthemum, the latter proceeded to read the following paper :— 
A CHAT ABOUT CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Many years ago, probably near upon a quarter of a century, the 
Chrysanthemum was a favourite flower in the neighbourhood of Liver¬ 
pool. About that time the late Mr. Broome of the Inner Temple Gar¬ 
dens paid us a visit, and brought with him trained plants of Cedo Nulli 
t q - show Liverpool growers how plant-growing, or more correctly speak¬ 
ing perhaps, how the training of the Chrysanthemum was carried out in 
the south. For this the then existing Society presented him with a 
handsome walking stick. We have had several teachers, if I may so 
term them, for although they may not have actually taught us very 
much, they inspired Liverpool growers with a determination to excel 
iE the culture of this particular flower. If my memory serves me 
right, Mr. Hobbs Of Bristol next came upon the scene with small but 
neatly dressed flowers. In this respect they surpassed those grown 
with us, but we had size on our side, a feature that has characterised 
Liverpool flowers even up to the present time. I have said the Bristol 
flowers surpassed Liverpool flowers in neatness, for dressing was not 
then practised by us. The very same character marked the flowers 
contributed at a later date (about seventeen years ago) by Mr. Rowe of 
Roehampton. At this particular time I had to be content with a 
third place with large but undressed flowers. As I could see dressing 
was an essential that could no longer be ignored if the post of honour 
was to be gained, so I set about the manufacture of my own tools ; 
they are rough examples in comparison to what are used by growers 
at the present time, but they answered my purpose, and I still use 
them. About this time the late Mr. Hignett and Mr. John Wilson of 
Sandfield Park were the foremost trained plant growers, and the late 
Mr. Wm. Briggs, also of Sandfield Park, was the first to show trained 
filants of Japanese at the Liverpool Show. Plant-training steadily im¬ 
proved, and here I in'end to leave them, having only referred to the 
Japanese for the purpose of showing that no progress was made in the 
culture of this class before 1878. They were never exhibited as cut 
flowers until that year, when I staged a box of eighteen varieties that 
seems to have attracted particular attention. 
But during all these years considerable attention was devoted to the 
incurved section, and every exertion seems to have been put forward by 
growers to secure a leading position and keep it. Steady, but sure, had 
been the progress made in the culture of the Chrysanthemum (especially 
the incurved). Since then we have marched forward at a very rapid 
rate. The few incidents that took place ten years ago stirred up 
growers all over the country. We can only perceive what rapid progress 
has been made when we contrast the number of growers then and now, 
the number of Chrysanthemum exhibitions and the money offered then 
and at the present time, and the difference between the flowers staged 
then in various parts of the country and the perfection in which they 
are staged now. 
Before passing to the few cultural details I intend troubling you 
with, I may be permitted to briefly note the cause that largely 
brought about such a revolution in the culture of this favourite autumn 
flower. In 1878 ten guineas were collected from those interested in the 
neighbourhood of Liverpool, and offered in three piizes for twenty-four 
incurved blooms as an inducement to our southern friends to compete 
against us. This really was the outcome of a discussion of the merits of 
the two growers, north and south. But time prevents me touching farther 
on that matter ; suffice it to say, this offer only brought one competitor 
from the south, and if I may be permitted to class it as a representative 
one, it displayed a more marked difference than I anticipated would be 
the case between northern and southern growers. The flowers were 
very similar to those staged years before by Messrs. Hobbs & Rowe, while 
Liverpool flowers had increased in size and vastly improved in neatness. 
The spirit of rivalry that had been created could not stop ; it is well it 
did not. It brought about the Chrysanthemum tournament induced by 
the liberal challenge trophy that was presented by the President of the 
Kingston-on-Thames Society in 1879. Though I had grown Japanese 
for many years this was my first attempt for competition. At that time 
I may fairly claim for the north the foremost position for incurved 
flowers, and at the same time admit our southern friends were ahead of 
us with Japanese, simply because they possessel the best varieties. 
Great progress has been made in Liverpool, and even greater progress, 
perhaps, in the neighbourhood of many northern provincial towns. I 
do not doubt that the same marked progress has taken place in the 
south. I cannot help thinking that growers were not in real earnest 
prior to 1878, except perhaps in their own immediate neighbourhood, 
The bold stand of the south, and the even bolder stand of the north 
about that period, seems to my mind to have fanned the flagging 
enthusiasm of growers to do their utmost to gam the victory in the 
friendly struggle that was to be waged between their respective growers. 
My successful journey from home encouraged others, and in the follow¬ 
ing year several ventured from home for the first time, and the result 
has been wonderful progress in Chrysanthemum growing in the 
immediate vicinity, at least of many large centres in the northern 
provinces—in fact all over the country. I shill now give a few details 
of northern culture; or, perhaps, more correctly, my own views and 
practice that I have found to result satisfactorily. 
I shall not waste your time by minutely detailing how the plants 
should be treated after flowering ; suffice it to say they should be placed 
in a light position near the glass in a cool airy structure to induce the 
production of strong sturdy cuttings. 
THE BEST TIME TO STRIKE CUTTINGS. 
This is a point on which a variety of opinions exist. My experience 
has led me to divide the plants into two sections, and treat them differ¬ 
ently. In this matter I have found that Japanese require a longer 
season of growth than the incurved section, except a few varieties such 
as Barbara, Eve, Mabel Ward, &c., which should be rooted with the 
Japanese ; those we strike in December, and the incurved by the end of 
January or any time during February. I have always succeeded in 
obtaining better flowers with broader florets by late than early striking. 
T his applies especially to the Empress and Queen family. 
STRIKING THE CUTTINGS. 
All the growers about Liverpool do not strike their cuttings on the 
same principle. Some insert them in cold frames, some place them 
thickly together in pots and place them on a shelf, and are not par¬ 
ticular about them flagging and so on. I make up a slight hotbed in 
a vinery about to be started, with leaves and a small quantity of 
manure. Particular care is taken that the heat is only of the gentlest 
description in order to prevent the cuttings from flagging, and at the 
same time assist them to root in less than half the time than would 
be the case by cool treatment. Weak growers are rooted singly in 
small pots, and also those intended for trained specimens. Others are 
rooted together in 5 or 6-inch pots. By the time the plants are rooted 
