November 14, 1889. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
417 1 
eluding this portion of his paper by saying he was all in favour of the 
training of young men for the important work in question, “ but they 
must be men of intelligence and high character ; of the strictest pro¬ 
bity, absolute impartiality, and who can completely banish from their 
minds all thoughts of individuals, and concentrate their whole attention 
on the produce before them, with the object of doing strict justice to 
all. They must be prepared to incur displeasure and even abuse ; 
but if they act honestly and make few or no mistakes, the opposition 
of disappointed men will be lightly regarded, and instead of its 
having a weakening will have a strengthening effect on them as 
adjudicators.” 
Turning to methods of judging, he said, generally speaking, and for 
practical purposes there were three distinct forms of exhibits in a 
Chrysanthemum show :—Groups of plants arranged for effect; trained 
•specimen plants ; cut blooms arranged in stands. What was said on 
the merits and defects of groups can only be epitomised here :— 
"High quality blooms, fresh bold foliage, no unsightly stakes and 
stems, with freedom in arrangement, and pot exposure reduced to a 
minimum, are the chief factors in a first-rate group of Chrysanthemums, 
and in proportion as they are represented so will the prizes be 
•awarded." 
He next passed to trained specimen plants, and said that in no 
other form was high culture with skilful manipulation better dis¬ 
played than in the production of the best examples. But many were 
faulty in training. In alluding to good exhibits at different shows 
’the following tribute was paid to a successful grower “ I am sure all 
here who were acquainted with the late Mr. W. Hall of Brixton would 
-if they could scatter over his grave a few of the flowers which he loved 
and grew so well. His grave is in the deep waters, but his gentleness 
of spirit, kindness of heart, devotedness to his calling, and skill as a 
.-grower of specimen Chrysanthemums, will not die while those who knew 
him best and the excellence of his work, live to labour in the floral 
world. When he exhibited a few years ago his were model plants—not 
widely spread out as if to say, ‘ look how big I am,’ but massive in 
-stems, leaves, and blooms—compact without being huddled, and in 
which Art and Nature were so merged that there was not visible line of 
-conflict between them. Not a twisted stem could be seen in those beautiful 
-specimens, about 2 feet high, and bearing from eighteen to two dozen or 
more blooms equalling those in first prize stands, and a mass of dark leaves 
■hanging like thick drapery all round, half hiding the pots. Those are 
the specimens to which judges award silver cups, and the nearer plants 
^approach them in excellence the greater is the pleasure in granting to 
them the awards they merit.” 
Cut blooms were next alluded to. The advance in these during the 
last fifteen years had been marvellous. The best stands of incurved 
.and Japanese varieties even a dozen years ago would not have the re¬ 
motest chance of winning third prizes now in the best competition. 
^Exhibitors had increased in equal ratio, and at no period in the history 
of the Chrysanthemum was the standard of excellence as represented 
in stands of cut blooms so high as it is now. That compelled judges to 
•exercise the greatest discrimination and adopt the best methods known 
-to them in placing the competing stands in their right positions. 
Judging by guesswork would not do nowadays in large close con¬ 
tests, and unless the differences in value are obvious to every judge 
pointing should be resorted to. An instance of its necessity was then 
given, and different methods indicated. Giving equal prizes was con¬ 
demned as an easy way out of a difficulty, but almost always unjust 
<to one of the exhibitors. When a silver cup was provided it was either 
won or lost. When a prize is offered for the champion bloom in a 
•show it is found. He had never known a draw in such a case, and the 
honour divided between two blooms. If a mark of superiority could 
be found in one bloom surely it could be in a second and a third, 
-and so on. That, he thought, ought to settle the matter on giving 
•equal prizes. Mr. Wright concluded :—“ Do you ask what kind of 
blooms score the most points? I answer, Not necessarily the largest 
in the incurved section if they are loose, flat, rough, or stale. They 
must possess depth in proportion with width, firmness, freshness, bright¬ 
ness, clearness, and smartness. There is the difference, to use a familiar 
•simile, between the well formed, well groomed, fine upstanding hunter, 
and the rough, shaggy, burly, slouching carthorse. How to produce and 
present the blooms in the best form is a question for cultivators.” 
JUDGES AT EXHIBITIONS. 
As an exhibitor I should like to protest against the manner in 
which some judges handle the cut blooms which they are adjudicating 
upon. Surely it is sufficient to take them out of the stands to examine 
them critically in close contests without resorting to shaking them 
savagely as a terrier would a rat, pressing outwards the centre petals, 
presumably to see if the blooms contain an eye. For what other reason 
I am at a loss to know they thus treat blooms in the manner named. I 
•cannot help thinking that judges who do as I have seen and described 
cannot have had any experience with the preparation of cut blooms 
for exhibition, or they would not give pain by such barbarous treat¬ 
ment of blooms over which hours and perhaps a whole night has been 
spent in preparing for a show. There are two other reasons why 
blooms at exhibitions should not be treated in the manner indicated. 
Fir3t they are rendered useless for any other exhibition by having their 
petals bruised and displaced. Secondly, the public cannot look upon 
the flowers in their true character after they have been subjected to 
such unnecessary handling. Visitors are apt to remark, “ How roughly 
Mr. So-and-so’s blooms were staged 1 ” through no fault of the exhibitor, 
but entirely owing to the want of knowing better on the part of some 
judges.—A n Exhibitor. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM MISS MARY ANDERSON. 
Single varieties of Chrysanthemums are coming steadily into favour, 
and they are worthy of all attention wherever flowers are largely em¬ 
ployed for decorative purposes. They are easily grown, very free, and 
in the majority of cases extremely light and graceful—exactly adapted 
for arranging in vases or stands. One of the best of the section is 
the variety named Miss Mary AndersoD, which has gained much favour 
FIG. 49.— CHRYSANTHEMUM MISS MALY ANDERSON. 
with many cultivators, and is greatly appreciated in Mr. Ware's nursery 
at Tottenham. The blooms are of moderate size and excellent form, 
the ray florets broad, a soft rosy blush at first, afterwards becoming pure 
white. The blooms are produced with astonishing freedom, some of the 
stems forming natural wreaths or bouquets. A spray from Tottenham 
is represented in fig. 49. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT CHILWELL. 
Judging from the number of visitors to the above nurseries 
during Messrs. Pearson’s annual exhibition, the Chrysanthemum is not 
at all likely to lose its popularity. The Show is unusually good this 
year, the laige house set apart for the purpose being a mass of colour. 
