November 8, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
149 
unobtrusive life amongst bis flowers and books, yet 
taking the warmest interest in every Christian and 
philanthropic work, especially those which his father 
had supported. Those in his employment spoke most 
gratefully of their master’s liberality ; and no one 
person will ever know the extent of his beneficence, so 
unostentatiously was it exercised. His generous offer¬ 
ings were on every side, and yet so quietly did he pass 
his days that very few people outside his own circle 
knew him even by sight. 
--- 
STAGING CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
FOR EXHIBITION. 
Various ways are tried by exhibitors from time to time 
to discover a better means of setting up Chrysanthe¬ 
mums for effect than the present method of arranging 
them on bare boards, without other adornment than 
what the shape and colour of the blooms themselves 
afford. Judges seem to consider that no better method 
has yet been discovered than the present for facilitating 
the judging and comparison of the different exhibits 
placed before them. The advocates, however, of a 
tasteful and effective arrangement, fully recognise the 
monotony presented by a number of exhibition tables 
arranged according to the old-established method. 
The accompanying illustration, for which we are 
indebted to Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, 
shows their method of setting up Chrysanthemums in 
non-competitive exhibits. Three blooms of a sort are 
wired or fastened together, triangular fashion, and the 
bunches so placed above one another in three tiers. 
The back of the stand is considerably elevated, and 
behind all, small Palms and other graceful foliage 
plants are worked in. At the last meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, at the Drill Hall, Mr. G. 
Wythes, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland, 
Syon House, Brentford, had some very effective stands 
arranged on a somewhat different principle. The back 
row was much less elevated than in the accompanying 
illustration, and fine foliaged plants, including small 
Palms and Ferns, were worked in here and there 
amongst the blooms. The latter were cut with stalks 
of some length, bearing their own foliage, but the 
stems were no longer than could carry the heads 
erect. The arrangement was considered by those 
present to be both pretty and effective. 
-- 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 
CENTENARY FESTIVAL. 
The following is the official programme for the 
Centenary Festival, to be held at the Royal Aquarium, 
Westminster, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 
Friday next :— 
Tuesday, Nov. 1 1th .—The exhibition will be arranged 
ready for the judges by 11 a.m. The Floral Committee 
will meet at 12.30 p.m., for the inspection of new 
varieties. The opening ceremonial will commence at 
1 o’clock. The president, Lord Brooke, M.P., and 
Lady Brooke will be met at the entrance by the Recep¬ 
tion Committee and the invited guests, and conducted 
round the exhibition. An address will be presented to 
Lady Brooke, and the exhibition formally declared 
open. 
At 6 p. m. a conference meeting will be held in the 
Iron Room under the presidency of Sir Edwin Saunders, 
F. R.C.S., V.P., and papers will be read by Mr. Shirley 
Hibberd, on “The Origin of the Florists’ Chrysanthe¬ 
mum”; by Mrs. Marian Thrower, representative of the 
Northern Tasmanian Horticultural Society, on 
“ Chrysanthemums in Tasmania ” ; and by Mr. G. T. 
Ilaite, F.L.S., on “The Chrysanthemum in Art.” 
Wednesday, Nov. 12 th, will be devoted to an inspec¬ 
tion of the show, verifying Awards, &c. 
Thursday, Nov. 13 th .—A conference will be held in 
the Iron Room at 2.30 p.m., Sir Guyer Hunter, M,P., 
vice-president, in the chair, when papers will be read 
by Mr. Briscoe-lronside, on “Experiments in Chry¬ 
santhemum Culture’; and by Mr. C. Gibson, on “Chry¬ 
santhemums for Exhibition.” 
At 6 p.m. prompt, a grand banquet will take place 
in St. Stephen’s Hall, Lord Brooke, M.P., president, 
in the chair, supported by representatives from Foreign 
and Colonial affiliated societies and others ; private 
entrance from Broad Sanctuary. 
Friday, Nov. lith .—On this day St. Stephen’s Hall 
will be arranged as a Lounge, so as to afford an oppor¬ 
tunity for conversation and fraternal intercourse. At 
4 p.m. an informal meeting of the members of the 
society will be held, with the object of affording oppor¬ 
tunity for suggestions as to the future operations of the 
society. 
The exhibition will close at 9 p.m. 
--— 
daffodils; for market. 
By Mr. James Walker.* 
The London Flower Market may be called the pulse of 
all the other flower markets in the three kingdoms. 
What to grow in this country to realise a profit is one 
of the great questions of the day. If we compare the 
acreage of Daffodils with that of fruit, it will be found 
very small ; but I question if the value of an acre of 
our fine varieties could be exceeded by that of an acre 
of any other crop grown. It will be very difficult to 
give an idea of the exact number of Daffodils under 
cultivation, but it is very certain that the number is 
rapidly increasing ; and if we can say that there were 
10,000,000 under cultivation at the last Conference in 
1884, we can safely say that there are now 200,000,000. 
At this rate of increase, six years hence our stock will 
be something enormous. 
No doubt the cultivation of Daffodils for market has 
paid, but the question arises, Will it continue to pay 
at this rate of increase ? for if we compare the prices 
which the blossoms realised in 1885 with those of the 
present year, I am satisfied there has been a fall of 
50 per cent. 
*A paper read at the Daffodil Conference at Chiswick, April, 
1890. 
Large quantities of outdoor English-grown Daffodils 
were sold last year as low as 9d. for a dozen bunches, 
with a dozen blooms in each bunch, a price that 
cannot pay ; but when the grower has them in market, 
it is better for him to take even that price than to 
throw them away. This may be taken as the mini¬ 
mum. On the other hand, as much as 12s. has been 
obtained for the same quantity. If we look at the 
enormous quantity of blossoms that come from the 
South of France, the Scilly and Channel Isles, together 
with what are forced under glass around London, the 
British public may rely upon having a good supply of 
cheap Daffodils from the end of January to the middle 
of May. 
The next consideration is a very important one— 
namely, which are the best varieties to grow. In 
classing these, I cannot do better than follow the order 
of our schedude for to-day, but I shall omit Classes 1, 
7, and 9, Corbularia and triandrus being unsuitable for 
market cultivation ; gracilis and intermedius being in 
little demand ; and the Tazettas not succeeding so well 
in the open air about London as they do in a some¬ 
what warmer climate, as, e.g., in the Scilly and 
Channel Islands. 
Class 2.—Yellow Trumpets. 
In this section Emperor stands pre-eminent for size, 
substance, and constitution. Maximus.—Fine deep 
yellow ; if this were a free flowerer it would rank 
amongst the first for market purposes. Golden Spur, 
Henry Irving, Ard Righ, Countess of Annesley, and 
Tenby are varieties that may be grown in large 
quantities ; to these may be added Spurius and 
Edward Leeds. The latter, though not a fine form, 
gives flowers when those already mentioned are over. 
Class 3.—Bicolors. 
The varieties in this class, with a few exceptions, may 
be all considered good, yet to my thinking Empress 
must take the lead—-Horsfieldii, grandis, Dean Herbert, 
and J. B. M. Camm. I am aware that some growers 
would place Horsfieldii before Empress, but after a 
number of years of careful observation, I consider 
Empress to be by far the better plant. It multiplies 
faster, and nearly every offset will flower ; and should 
a grower have a bad market, and have to keep his 
flowers over till next market, the blooms of Empress 
will be in a far better condition than those of Hors¬ 
fieldii. 
Class 4. —White or Pale Sulphur. 
The flowers of this class, up to the present, have 
always been a drug in the market. The cause may be 
that they are soft and do not stand well; yet a few 
may be grown to advantage, such as Mrs. F. W. 
Burbidge, cernuus,' and cernuus pulcher. 
With me Mme. de Graaf has not yet flowered, and 
I cannot speak of the substance this flower possesses, 
but it is certainly the finest white. 
Class 5.—Incomparabilis, Barrii, and Leedsii. 
This is a very large family, and though possessing a 
goodly number of fine varieties, yet it requires a good 
deal of sifting. If there is any other class which 
possesses a variety which towers far above all its 
fellows it is that of the Incomparabilis, and that 
variety is Sir Watkin. Indeed, I question if there is 
another Daffodil that possesses such a robust consti¬ 
tution, and perhaps no better companion could be 
found for this variety than Lady Watkin. Though 
not quite the size of Sir Watkin, yet it possesses more 
beauty by having a deep-stained orange cup, and 
though there was only one bulb of this variety in 
existence in 1884, I have had no less than nineteen 
flowers this year. The next two that might attempt to 
hold up their heads here would be Gloria Mundi and 
Princess Mary. 
Barrii.—With the exception of conspicuus, it would 
not be safe for a market grower to cultivate a large 
quantity of this section, yet a few of the following 
varieties always tell : Maurice Vilmorin, General 
Murray, and William Ingram. 
Leedsii.—Though the tenderest section of this class, 
yet it possesses several good varieties of great beauty, 
such as Duchess of Westminster, Madge Matthews, 
Minnie Hume, Gem, Beatrice, and Acis. 
Class 6.—Humei, Backhousei, Nelsoni, Mon- 
tanus, Macleai, Sabini, Bernardi, 
AND TRIDYMUS. 
In this class the only section that has any market 
value is Nelsoni, and they are all fairly good. 
Class 1.—Burbidgei, Poeticus, and Odorus. 
Burbidgei.—Though the varieties in this section are 
How to Show Chrysanthemums effectively. 
