490 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
| Decent er S, 183'. 
The florets should he flat, free from notches at the top, and regularly 
recurve. The larger the blooms the better, provided they are free from 
coarseness. In many instances size is regarded as all important by both 
exhibitors and judges, and preference given to flowers that represent a 
liberal use of stimulants rather than culture of the highest class. 
We have now three distinct types of Chrysanthemums with Anemone 
centres, and these, as you are all aware, are known as large Anemones, 
Japanese Anemones, and Pompon Anemones. These all agree in having 
an Anemone or cushiondike centre, surrounded by a fringe of ray florets 
arranged regularly or otherwise according to the section. In the large 
and the Pompon Anemones the ray florets should be flat, arranged more 
or less horizontally, and be circular in outline, and the disc or cushion be 
high in the centre and regular in outline, forming as near as may be a 
half globe. In the Japanese a high full centre is essential; the ray 
florets may be long and drooping, much curled, or otherwise irregularly 
arranged, but the fringe should be full. I would direct special atten¬ 
tion to the importance of having the centres of the Anemones well 
developed, for although some judges prefer huge flowers with perhaps a 
ghost of a centre because they show “ growth,” whatever that may 
mean, flowers perfect in all their parts will in the majority of cases win. 
But I would not unduly exalt the centres, the rays also must be more or 
less perfect, and I would caution exhibitors against the practice which 
very generally obtains of staging old flowers having good centres from 
which the discoloured ray florets have been stripped, for when so 
mutilated they cannot possibly obtain many points. 
One other section remains to be noticed, and that is the Pompons, 
which, if not particularly popular at the present time, are so useful 
as to well merit attention. 1 would, in referring to them, protest 
against the encouragement that is given to blooms of excessive size. 
This is done in some cases by allowing thinning, and in others by 
stipulating that the blooms shall be shown singly. I would submit 
that it is a waste of money to offer prizes that have the effect of 
encouraging cultivators to attempt to produce blooms of Black Douglas 
that will resemble undersized flowers of Julia Lagravere, or flowers of 
President that bear a resemblance to those of Progne when indiffer¬ 
ently developed. Pompons should in all cases be presented in as 
natural a condition as possible, for when unthinned and staged in 
bunches as cut from the plant, they not only give visitors a better 
idea of their elegance and beauty, but are decidedly more attractive. 
I know but few hold the same opinion as myself, but I hope that as 
more correct views obtain, we shall have a reform change effected in 
the manner in which the Pompons are now presented at the public 
exhibitions. But so long as the schedules are prepared and the prizes 
awarded on the present lines, exhibitors have no alternative but to 
continue to grow the Pompons in a manner opposed to the development 
of their true characteristics. 
THE CHISWICK GARDENERS’ MUTUAL 
IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. 
Mbs. S. A. Lee, Chiswick, has, with the object of encouraging 
original research and observation, again very kindly offered a sum of 
£10 10s. to be distributed in prizes for essays on horticultural subjects, 
as defined below. The competition in Classes 1 and 2 is open to ail the 
ordinary members of the Association who have paid their subscriptions 
for the current year before January 30th, and attended ten meetings of 
the current session before February 28th. A first prize of £2, a second 
prize of 30s., and a third prize of £1 will be awarded in Classes 1 and 2, 
and prizes of books to the value of £2 will be awarded in Class 3, pro¬ 
vided the essays are, in the opinion of the adjudicators, worthy of the 
prizes. All members may send in essays in one or both of Classes 1 and 2, 
but no member shall take more than one prize, excepting members 
under twenty-one, who may take one prize in Classes 1 and 2, in addi¬ 
tion to any prize in Class 3. The competition in Class 3 is limited to 
the members of the Association under the age of twenty-one who have 
paid their subscriptions before January 30th, and attended ten meetings 
of the current session before February 28th. 
All essays bearing a motto or nom de plume must be delivered to Mr. 
J. Barry, R.H.S. Gardens, Chiswick, not later than February 28th, 1890, 
each essay to be accompanied by the name and address of the com¬ 
petitor in a sealed envelope bearing the nom de plume, such envelope 
not to be opened until the Judges have made their awards, and at a 
meeting of the Committee. Where a Committee contributes more than 
one essay the same nom de plume to be used for each essay, and all 
essays to be written on white paper. The adjudicators will, in accord- 
ance with the express wish of the generous donor of the prizes, be 
instructed to pay due consideration in making their awards to neatness 
of handwriting, correctness of spelling, and accuracy of grammar, as 
well as to the information contained in'the essays. Should the prizes in 
one or more classes not be awarded, the adjudicators will be empowered 
to award extra prizes in other classes, provided the essays are deserving 
of the awards. Competent Judges will be appointed to adjudicate upon 
the essays. The prizes will be distributed at the annual dinner of the 
Association at the close of the session. 
Class 1.—The selection and cultivation of hardy herbaceous and 
alpine plants. First prize, £2 ; second prize, £1 10s. ; third prize, £1. 
Class 2.—The best essays on any horticultural subject, at the dis¬ 
cretion of the competitors. First prize, £2 ; second prize, £1 10s.; third 
prize, £1. 
Class 3.—The best reports of the work of the session. The prizes in 
this class will consist of suitable books on horticultural subjects, to the- 
value of £2—viz., first prize, £1 ; second prize, 12s. Gd.; third prize, 
7s. Gd. 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS—A CATALOGUE COMMENTART- 
On looking over a good collection of Roses a keen observer, even if 
he be a novice in Rose culture, cannot fail to be struck by the difference- 
observable in what is called “ the habit ” of each sort, for there is almost 
endless variety in wood, leaves, thorns, strength, and manner of growth, 
apart from the blooms themselves. He would also probably notice a 
good many of what he would call “ red ” Roses, very much alike to his 
untrained eyes in general appearance, and he might wonder how they 
could all be distinguished apart. But if he would remember that a 
good shepherd can tell every member of a large flock of sheep by a 
diligent study of their faces, or even that any English-grown Apple can 
be correctly named at the office of this Journal, he will readily under¬ 
stand how a fairly representative bloom of any Rose can be accurately 
distinguished by a thoroughly expert rosarian. 
Descriptions of the different varieties of Roses are to be found in the- 
catalogues issued by growers for sale, and these (like the Roses them¬ 
selves) will be found to be of different sorts—from the one deficient in 
descriptive power, which copies verbatim from another of reputation 
(and might well do worse) to the one which suffers from a superabund¬ 
ance of originality, and repeats a list of H.P.’s with entirely different 
descriptions on the very next page. A good many of these catalogues- 
have full and for the most part good descriptions of the different 
varieties ; but the colours of some sorts, especially of Teas, are very 
difficult to place before the eyes of ordinary readers in language that 
they will clearly understand, for some are naturally variable in their 
tints and others come much fuller in colour when grown strongly. 
The novice student of these seductive pamphlets will require only a 
little knowledge of human nature to enable him to take a fair discount 
off the description given by the raiser himself of any one sort; and he- 
may possibly, the following summer, be inclined sometimes to agree 
with those medical authorities who state that many people are colour¬ 
blind without being aware of their infirmity ; but at any rate he will 
find it advantageous to be acquainted with some slight vagaries in 
catalogue-English which custom has sanctioned. In this language 
“ medium-sized” means “small,” and “pretty” generally implies the 
same. In growth “ moderate ” means weakly, “ free ” describes a plant 
rather weakly but branching, and “ vigorous ” stands for ordinary 
growth. A “ good pot Rose ” would probably show that it would not- 
stand bad weather, a “nearly full” one shows an eye, and one would 
probably be doing no injustice in supposing that a Rose which is “ good 
when caught right ” is bad as a rule. 
These remarks are not meant as a sneer at the cata’ogues and 
descriptions of our professional rosarians. Some of these are most care¬ 
fully and laboriously compiled from a long and wide-spread knowledge 
of the various sorts, and, especially in the account of colours (which is- 
naturally the principal part of their descriptions, and with which, as a 
rule, I shall not meddle), are certainly much better than anything of 
the sort that I could do. But it is a matter of common knowledge how 
unwise it is for a beginner to select his sorts from those blooms which 
take his fancy at an exhibition ; and there are also drawbacks to the 
cultivation of a good many of the show varieties, which we cannot 
expect to find noted in catalogues for sale. For, among Roses, there are 
a great many “ little ways ” belonging to the different tribes, families, 
and individuals, and I would like to point out some of these for the 
guidance of novices who may be thinking of purchasing Roses for plant¬ 
ing, for many an otherwise excellent Rose has a nasty custom of doing 
this or that or the other, which just prevents its being as good as it 
might be. 
I propose going through an ordinary list of Roses, taking, not every 
one grown (I had a catalogue sent me the other day from a continental 
firm containing 1909 different varieties !), but most of the best known, 
following the N.R.S. catalogue in the main, mentioning only those 
which I have grown myself, and taking particular notice of those which 
have especial manners or customs. Besides private habits, either good 
or bad, of their own, Roses may be faulty in any of the following 
points :—An unhealthy constitution, weakness of growth, deficiency of 
foliage, special tendency to mildew or orange fungus, liability to be 
stained, gummed, or rotted by rain, or burnt by the sun, or to “ come ” 
badly, malformed, quartered, or divided, deficiency in stoutness and 
