December 13,1891. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
545 
National Chrysanthemum Society. 
A MEETING of the General Committee of this Society was held on 
Monday last at Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street; Mr. Brian Wynne occu¬ 
pying the chair. After reading correspondence and settling other 
routine business, the Secretary announced that the following awards 
were made at the Society’s December show :—A gold medal to Mr. J. R. 
Chard ; silver-gilt medals to Messrs. Henry Canned & Sons, Mr.W.Wells, 
Mr. H. J. Jones, Mr. H. Perkins, and Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son; 
silver medals to Mr. Davis, Mr. J. H. Witty, and Mr. R. Owen ; 
bronze medals to Mr. A. W. Young, Mr. W. Davey, and Mr. W. J. God¬ 
frey. These awards were all confirmed. It was also announced that the 
prize money awarded at that show will probably be paid to the winners 
before Christmas. A financial statement showing the receipt of income 
for the year, amounting to £604 ISs,, was submitted. 
The date of the annual meeting of the Society was fixed for the 
25th February, 1895. Twelve new members and two Fellows were 
elected, making a total of 141 since the beginning of the year. The 
Swindon Amateur Chrysanthemum and Horticultural Society was 
admitted in affiliation. 
Floral Committee Meeting. 
A MEETING of the Floral Committee of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society took place yesterday (Wednesday) at the Royal Aquarium, Mr. 
Ballantine occupying the chair. There was only one exhibit of 
importance, and that came from Mr. R. Owen. No certificates or 
commendations were awarded, but there were several attractive flowers, 
including Mrs. Marian Bourne, a Japanese incurved, medium sized florets, 
colour silvery pink ; Bellem, a large Japanese incurved, with broad 
ribbed florets, which are deeply grooved, colour white, tinted yellow; 
and Mr. H. de Fortainier, Japanese, colour white, tinted yellow, large 
blooms, with long florets. Mr. Owen was awarded a bronze medal for 
his collection. 
Hairy Chrysanthemums. 
At the floral meetings and exhibitions held by the trade there have 
been fewer of these novelties on view than last year, and those that 
have been seen are mostly two or three years old. Lady of the Lake is 
rather large, and of a charming shade of pale lavender. Hairy Wonder, 
recently figured in the Journal of Horticulture^ is perhaps one of the 
best, colour cinnamon buff. Prima Donna is a closely incurving variety, 
rosy cinnamon buff ; and Waverley, a rich golden yellow. Enfants des 
Gaules is large, with shiny golden yellow florets ; Vaucanson has long 
narrow pointed florets, colour silvery pink, pale amaranth inside ; and 
Mireille, seen to advantage last autumn, has also been in good form this 
year. It is a large round flower of a silvery blush tint. 
American Chrysanthemums. 
Those most frequently shown this season are W. H. Lincoln, Col. 
W. B. Smith, Mrs. E. W. Clark, Wm. Tricker, Niveus, Primrose League, 
Lord Brooke, Puritan, International, Eda Prass, and W. W. Coles. 
Some of the newer sorts do not appear to have found a place on the 
show boards, although they have been seen at the floral meetings and at 
nurseries. Eugene Dailledouze, Inter Ocean, and Challenge were ex¬ 
pected to be exceptionally fine, but there has not been time enough yet 
for them to become generally known. 
Old Japanese Varieties Still in Cultivation. 
In these days of rapid change it is quite refreshing to see the names 
of some of the old favourites still being included in the winning stands. 
I notice that Golden Dragon, Val d’Andorre, Boale d’Or, and Gloriosum 
were mentioned in some of the reports of first prize stands at recent 
shows. This is the more extraordinary because three of them are yellow 
flowers, and this colour has received some large accessions of late 
years.—P. 
Chrysanthemums Out of Doors at Dalkeith. 
When paying a visit on November 17th to these famous gardens, 
a few miles from Edinburgh, I was much surprised to find such a 
splendid display of the Desgrange type on a border in the open. At 
Swanmore, in Hampshire, not a presentable bloom of any one of 
the four varieties could be gathered after the 1st of November, but 
at Dalkeith, seventeen days later, a grand display was noticeable. 
I do not remember' ever seeing finer plants in the open than those in 
question. They were wonderfully free in flowering, while the colours 
were especially pure, showing how well these early types of Chrys¬ 
anthemums succeed in Scotland, and how useful they must be during 
the month of November when little else can be had from the open 
border.—E. M. 
Stopping Chrysanthemums. 
Plants of the incurved varieties, rooted in January and February 
and stopped May 22nd, showed their first buds, and these terminals, the 
first and second week in September. How is it they never showed 
crown buds? Others rooted on 11th February and not stopped showed 
their first buds, and these crowns, the last week in August. I have 
made a practice of stopping all incurved varieties on the 22nd May. 
Late Japanese, such as Boule d’Or, Etoile de Lyon, and Mrs. B. W. 
Clark I stop on 10th May ; early ones, such as Avalanche, Sunfiower, 
W. H. Lincoln, I stop June 3rd ; and midseason varieties I stop on 
2end of May. Last year I had very good results, but this season I am 
all wrong with my incurved blooms. The Japanese are very well to 
time with one or two exceptions, and those are Boule d’Or, Mrs. B. W. 
Clark, and Mr. A. H. Neve, which I think should have been stopped 
five weeks sooner. Would Mr, E. Molyneux kindly explain why my 
incurveds have done so badly, and the best time to stop plants to secure 
crown buds ?—J. W. Beasley, Selby, 
The Size of Exhibition Boards. 
Evidently a misprint has crept into the closing paragraph of Mr: 
R. Filkin’s note (page 523). What is meant, I presume, is that exhibitors 
shall have the option of showing Japanese blooms on larger boards. 
This is a suggestion I have all along advocated. To compel a person to 
stage blooms on a large stand when, perhaps, he cannot fill the orthodox 
size creditably, is too ludicrous to mention. Not only would it be an 
injustice to the exhibitor, but taking up space to serve no useful purpose. 
Allow exhibitors to choose their own sized stands, and I venture to say 
if an advantage was gained by an increase the matter would quickly 
find its level. Exhibitors soon note the advantage or otherwise of certain 
methods of staging,— B. Mol'yneux. 
Decorative Chrysanthemums. 
I SHOULD like to ask if some of the readers of the Journal would 
give me a list of the best sorts for cutting for room decoration, both 
early and late'; also which varieties succeed best for planting out and 
lifting. The most suitable colours are red, white, yellow, and bronze. 
Those I have found most useful are Wm. Holmes, Source d’Or, Mrs. Wm. 
Stevens. Madame Lacroix, Bouquet'des Dames, Florence Davis, Ryecroft 
Glory, October Yellow, President Hyde, J. Thorpe, jun., W. H Lincoln, 
Peter the Great, Gloire de Rocher, and Putney George. What good 
free flowering red could I have to follow Wm. Holmes? Also, what 
bronze to follow Source d’Or ? 
This year I planted out Source d’Or, Wm. Holmes, Bouquet des 
Dames, Florence Davis, Madame L. Leroy, Madame Lacroix, and 
Putney George, All were lifted with good balls and potted the second 
week in September. They were well syringed for about a week, so that 
no flagging was perceived. Source d’Or, Wm. Holmes, and B )uquet des 
Dames opened good blooms, the other varieties have remained almost 
stationary since they were lifted. I shall be glad if someone will give 
a list of some of the newer varieties which open their flowers well when 
lifted.—J. L. B. 
Form in Japanese Chrysanthemums. 
The question raised by Mr. Drover in his short note (page 522) 
relating to the award to E. Molyneux, as the best six fl )wers, one 
variety, at Kingston, is of interest so far as it leads up to the question 
of form in Japanese Chrysanthemums. Now the particular blooms of 
E. Molyneux referred to were not so good as that variety can be seen, 
still they were fair samples. But then were they better than some 
others in the class ? The only reply to that seems to be it is all a matter 
of taste. One stand of flowers may be of its kind better than another, 
yet not be regarded as of true Japanese character. Then the point is, 
what is true Japanese character? Evidently the incurved forms such as 
Robert Owen and Lord Brooke do not belong to the original type, 
perfect as they may be. If we regard the true Japanese form with 
special reference, we shall still prefer Meg Merrilies or Fair Maid of 
Guernsey as presenting the quaint loose flower first introduced ; but 
these, it is now universally admitted, are quite outside of present 
Japanese form. Is E. Molyneux with its long ribbon florets held to be 
the best medium, and so far correct type of which a Japanese flower 
should be, that the variety should in the case alluded to have been 
placed first? If that be so, then fine reflexed flowers such as Avalanche 
and Sunflower would have no chance, although it would perhaps be 
difficult to exclude 'Viviand Morel. It is easy to understand that judges 
confronted by loose growing, or solid reflexed, or more solid incurved 
flowers may unquestionably be guided by what they may esteem 
Japanese form. On the other hand now that all forma are included 
in the Japanese, it seems unfair to have any special tastes in the 
matter.—A. D, 
Duke of York v. Beauty of Teignmouth. 
I am afraid Mr. Hannaford will not derive much consolation from 
the Editor’s footnote on page 523. Mr. Hannaford in his note virtually 
admits that one must see these so-called varieties growing together to 
find their distinctive points, which appears to be in the foliage only, 
and tacitly admits tW when cut and staged together it is impossible to 
discover any distinction between the two. Seeing this is so, what could 
judges do but disqualify when exhibited together on the same stand? 
Mr. Molyneux and myself were perfectly unanimous on the point, and 
spared neither time nor trouble before arriving at a decision.— 
C. Herrin, Hropmore. _ 
I HAD not intended taking part in this discussion, but as my name 
was quoted last week (page 523) silence on my part might be misinter¬ 
preted. Disqualifying an exhibitor is a most obnoxious proceeding to 
myself, but in justice to other exhibitors I never shiikthe responsi¬ 
bility when the necessity arises. For the benefit of those who do not 
know how judges arrive at the conclusion that duplicate instead of 
distinct blooms are before us I will expose the modus operandt. 
After my colleagues and myself have exhausted all points of 
identification, and are thoroughly convinced that a mistake has crept 
in, I endeavour to ascertain from any person near if they can point out 
the slightest difference in the disputed blooms. If all fail to detect the 
slightest difference, I conclude that the blooms have had a lengthy 
tribunal, and our decision is a just one. Time is never taken into con- 
