500 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 29,1891. 
of those we find at country shows will, I fear, take some time to arrive 
at this stage. Nevertheless I am delighted to see one step forward in 
the direction of progress, and that is the mixing of Palms, Ferns, and 
foliage plants with Chrysanthemums, and trust every society aiming 
at being “ up to date ” will adopt it in their next schedule, and so let 
the judges and public (who are now becoming educated in taste by 
means of the art schools throughout the country) see that there are new 
ideas, which may be developed into shapes of beauty and schemes of 
colour, which no Cabbage bouquet, however large and glaring, can pro¬ 
duce.—F. 0. Devereux. 
[We do not think it by any means impracticable to formulate con¬ 
ditions for exhibiting and judging that would be helpful in this 
reference, and which would have a tendency to change the character 
of many groups that are a burlesque on tasteful arrangement.] 
Some New Incurved Varieties. 
For a long time past the raisers do not seem to have been able to 
impart to the seedling incurved Chrysanthemums anything like the 
richness of colour to be found in the Japanese. The whites and yellows 
are, of course, very clear and good, but the higher tones seem to be a 
long way off. 
During the present season some capital varieties of the incurved 
type have been seen, some quite new, others perhaps a year old, or even 
more. Of these Madame J. Maureau is a good deep flower with broad 
florets, colour silvery lilac, a novelty from France, where very few 
of this race have come from. William Tunnington, very perfect in 
form and finely grown by Mr. Owen, is a rich brown crimson with a 
golden buff reverse, shaded crimson and tipped yellow. Crimson Per¬ 
fection is another from the same source, a full, deep, regularly incurved 
flower with stiff florets arranged in perfect form ; the crimson colour in 
this is rich and bright. Globe d’Or, shown by Messrs. Cannell & Sons 
at a recent meeting of the Floral Committee of the N.C.S., is of a rich 
brown buff and orange, the outer florets rosy bronze, and will probably 
be relegated to the Japanese incurved section later on. C. Curtis is a 
very large flower of a rich golden yellow shade with narrow pointed 
florets, and may make a fine variety, although as shown when certificated 
it was rather flat in build. J. Agate, sent out last year as a Japanese 
incurved, looked more like one of the old show type when staged for a 
certificate on November 7th. The blooms are semi-globular, very regu- 
larly incurving florets with a well rounded tip, colour white. M. P. 
Martignac is another incurved from France, a yellow variety of good 
build, but not over-large. 
It is curious to notice that in some of the so-called incurved Chrys¬ 
anthemums there is a mixture of blood which is strongly suggestive of 
Japanese parents. Those incurved with narrow, sharp pointed florets 
will hardly compare with some of the good old favourites. In this 
class it seems essential that the properties should be maintained, and a 
high standard of form adhered to.—C. H. P, 
Disqualified Exhibits. 
I THINK, with Mr. E. Filkins (page 450), the judges were right in 
disqualifying Mr. Wells’ exhibits at the Kent County and Battersea 
Chrysanthemum Shows if the regulations are as plain as he quotes. On 
the other hand, in my opinion, it would have been a great injustice to 
the other exhibitors had the judges passed it over. Exhibitors cannot 
be too particular in keeping to the ruleg, of the different societies, 
and I know from experience that committees spend a deal of time 
in drawing up the rules and regulations for their guidance. Every¬ 
one knows that some Japanese blooms cannot be seen to advantage 
on a 6-inch board, and the only way out of the difficulty, as far as I can 
see, is to insert a clause in the schedules giving exhibitors the option 
of showing Japanese blooms on a larger board, up to a certain limit, 
provided they give the Secretary notice at the same time as they send 
in their entry. What do others say to that ? 
For incurved and reflexed blooms there is space on the 6-inch board. 
I noticed a very good arrangement at the Bristol Show for twenty-four 
blooms to be shown in bottles, three in a bunch, with Ferns in pots or 
otherwise, but I think it would have been better had the Committee 
left the question of height at the back to the discretion of exhibitors, 
as the National Chrysanthemum Society has done in class 51. In the 
present instance, in my opinion, the exhibits looked rather flat, 15 inches 
formed the height allowed.—H. Osman, Brentry, 
I HAVE read the letters of Mr. Wells (page 427) and of Mr. 
R. Filkins (page 450). The latter fails “ to see where the riddle comes 
in.” So do I ; but in a sense opposed to the view of Mr. Filkins. 
Your correspondent goes on to say that Regulation 8 of the Kent 
County Chrysanthemum Society “ definitely states that the boards 
shall be 24 inches long and 18 inches wide.” This is exactly what 
it does 7iot do. The regulation in question merely “requests” that 
exhibitors will conform to the metropolitan plan. It has repeatedly 
been held that a mere “ request” has not the weight of a condition, and 
must, at most, be construed as an expression of the desire of the party 
making the request; and, in the present case, were “ ambiguity ” 
pleaded in support of the Committee’s action, it would be held that the 
point must be decided adversely to the party— i.e., the Committee— 
which had it in its power, in the drawing up of the regulations, to 
avoid the ambiguity. But, as I have stated, there is no ambiguity 
whatever in the matter. The rule of law is well recognised, and 
lam of opinion that Mr. WeUs was wrongfully disqualified on this 
occasion. 
I have not the rules of the Battersea show before me, so offer no 
opinion upon that matter, but I note that the regulations of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society permit a discretion in the size of 
the board when Japanese Chrysanthemums are exhibited, and if 
affiliated societies are bound to abide by the rules of the N.C.S. in this 
respect, then it would appear that Mr. Wells was wrongly disqualified 
at Battersea. However, in the absence of definite knowledge upon this 
point I will offer no certain opinion. 
Probably Mr. Wells will be satisfied with his protest, and will not 
think it necessary to reopen the matter in anymore practical sense. 
The public recognition of his admirable exhibits will doubtless be a 
sufficient solatium. — Lex. 
Chrysanthemum J. Agate. 
Is it quite correct of Mr. Bradner (page 468) to infer that the 
National Chrysanthemum Society had placed the variety J. Agate 
amongst the Japanese Chrysanthemums ? It was certainly exhibited in 
a stand of Japanese at the exhibition on the 6th because it was intro¬ 
duced and described as a Japanese incurved by Mr. H. J. Jones in his 
catalogue this spring. Although passed then by the judges, being a new 
introduction, many of us thought it was in the wrong place, and the 
next day it was brought before the Floral Committee by Mr. Myers of 
Hitchinbrooke, and received a first-class certificate as an incurved 
variety (vide Jour/ial of Horticulture, page 428). That fact alone will 
prohibit it being exhibited as a Japanese again. 
I have the variety under notice. It is totally distinct ingrowth from 
Empress of India, and although superficially it resembles in its fine 
build a well grown Empress, the character of the individual florets are 
quite distinct. I have another fine variety of similar type, Mr. J. W. 
Moorman, sent out this year by the same firm. It is a creamy white, a 
well built flower, florets rather longer than James Agate, too long, 
I think, to make a true incurve, hut no longer than the variety Robert 
Cannell comes at times. It takes more than one season’s cultivation to 
bring out the true characteristics of some varieties, hence it is not to be 
wondered at them sometimes being exhibited at first in the wrong section 
or incorrectly described.—C. Orchard, Bemhridge. 
Referring to Mr. Bradner’s notes in the Journal of Horticulture 
(page 468), possibly the National Chrysanthemum Society may have 
been a little hasty to class the variety J. Agate as a Japanese ; but con¬ 
sidering the numbers of new varieties introduced each year it is hardly 
to be wondered at that a mistake should occur. Your correspondent 
will notice at the Floral meeting held on November 7th it was awarded 
a first-class certificate, and re-classed as an incurved by the above 
Society. No doubt whatever exists in my mind but that it is a true 
incurved, and will undoubtedly become a general favourite in this 
section. I sent two flowers to the above meeting, one each taken on a 
crown and terminal, but every floret on each flower being well incurved, 
without any trace whatever of Japanese blood in it. Certainly any 
exhibitor showing this variety as a Japanese after this season will run 
the risk of being disqualified, and in my opinion it will be perfectly 
safe to include both this variety and Empress of India in any stand. 
As I have seen it is easily distinguished from the latter, being larger, 
more solid, and the florets very rounded at the tips.—E. Beckett, 
Mstree. 
Refined v. Coarse Flowers. 
Exhibitors should not miss the “ Missing Link ” article on page 350, 
in which “A. D.,” I think, expresses the thougbts of many persons who, 
whilst forging ahead, are unable to see clearly whither it tends. Granted 
that a clearly defined line can be drawn (if it can) between the sections, 
the crave for size is steadily swamping many of our brightest and best 
varieties out of the field of exhibition. Many an exhibitor who loves 
his blooms for their intrinsic beauty, when cutting for his stands, passes 
over with some regret really beautiful varieties that do not reach the 
ideal of size. More especially is this the case in those classes for 
Japanese, in which the incurved and reflexed types are shown together, 
and with some societies not any distinction is made. A refined, high- 
coloured bloom from a terminal bed stands but little chance against the 
larger (and may be washy) examples from early crowns. 
To illustrate my meaning I forward with this two blooms of Lord 
Brooke from terminal beds, which, if exhibiting in a stand, say of 
twenty-four Japanese, irrespective of type, I could not use with blooms 
of huge dimensions, as Etoile de Lyon, though for beauty the latter 
could not to my thinking compare with the former. It has always 
appeared to me a pity that Etoile de Lyon was ever raised. With not 
any limit as to size, it seems incumbent on those who would, and must 
be, up to date to annually discard varieties which they fain would 
keep. 
Point judging may be, doubtless is, the nearest point to perfection in 
this arduous duty, yet it does not appear to cover all requirements. As 
well as those lines of sectional demarcation, the necessity for which is 
so ably advanced by “ A. D.,” there appears a want of a formulation of 
those lines of beauty which exist in the mind of most exhibitors have 
by force of circumstances to be kept in abeyance. The evil is a growing 
one, but should be ripe enough for a remedy. Without relegating the 
huge varieties to obscurity some protection might be afforded to such 
blooms for which I plead. Classes could be created which would, do so, 
but a limit to size would be the essential element, and if that limit was 
made, that a, say 6-inch pot should cover each bloom in the special class 
without crushing, we should keep many desirable varieties and bring 
