Jew*f, i89i. 'I'he gardening World. 
India, its native country, and planted first in Persia, 
then in Arabia, and eventually in Europe. The 
Persian name was nafCng ; the Arabian, narang ; the 
Byzantine, nerantzion ; the Italian, arancio ; and the 
French, orange, which agrees with our word. Probably 
the first mention of an Orange avenue in Sicily was in 
1094, according to the history of an Italian named 
Amari. The above was the bitter or sour variety, and 
the sweet one did not arrive in Europe till later, when 
the Portuguese brought it from the south of China in 
1548. So by this time a complete revolution of the 
commerce of the world had taken place, and instead of 
the fruits being carried overland through Asia, they 
were carried by sea. The fruits of the sweet Orange 
arriving in Portugal, trees were soon raised from seed, 
and the fruit getting distributed from thence over 
Europe, were and are known under names signifying 
Portugal Orange. 
-- 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM 
SOCIETY. 
The annual general meeting of the members of this 
society took place on the 29 th ult., at Anderton’s Hotel. 
Mr. Ballantine presided, and notwithstanding the 
intensely disagreeable character of the weather, there 
was a good attendance. The record of the previous 
meeting having been duly confirmed, the following 
report of the committee for 1890 was read :— 
“ The year 1890 will be memorable in the history of 
the National Chrysanthemum Society, as well as in the 
literature of the Chrysanthemum, as that in which the 
society celebrated with marked success, and amid the 
display of much enthusiasm, the Centenary of the 
introduction of the Chrysanthemum to England. A 
sub-committee, appointed in the previous year, reported 
in favour of the celebration being.carried out in a 
manner worthy of the occasion, and recommended 
certain proposals, which were adopted and acted upon. 
A schedule of prizes was prepared, comprising several 
classes special and appropriate to the event; the sum 
of nearly £400 was offered in cash prizes, in addition to 
the competition for the Challenge Trophy, the Veitch 
Memorial Medals and prizes, the Centenary and other 
Medals, bringing the total amount of prizes to some¬ 
thing like £500. 
“ The exhibition extended over a period of four days ; 
an opening ceremonial took place on the first day, 
performed by Lady Brooke, her ladyship being pre¬ 
sented by the committee with an address appropriate 
to the occasion ; conference meetings were held on the 
first and third days, and on the evening of the latter a 
grand Centenary banquet took place in St. Stephen’s 
Hall, the president of the society, Lord Brooke, M.P., 
in the chair, supported by several of the vice-presidents 
and Fellows of the society ; a large company being 
present. The gathering has a mournful interest 
attaching to it from the fact that it was the last occasion 
on which the late Mr. Shirley Hibberd delivered a 
speech in public. It is with great gratification the 
committee record the presence at the Centenary festival 
of Mrs. Marion Thrower, the representative of the 
Northern Horticultural Society of Tasmania, who read 
a paper at one of the conference meetings, and responded 
to one of the toasts given at the banquet. 
“ The floral display made at the Centenary show was 
of an unprecedented character, plants and cut flowers 
alike being not only numerous, but of a high order of 
merit; the competition in the Centenary class for forty- 
eight blooms was extensive, and the quality of the 
flowers has perhaps never been surpassed. A great 
number of exhibitors and an immense throng of the 
admirers of the Chrysanthemum were attracted to the 
Centenary show. One of the many advantages resulting 
from the celebration was the preparation, by the 
Catalogue Committee, and publication of a Centenary 
edition of the society’s catalogue, undoubtedly the 
most extensive, perfect and authoritative work of the 
kind ever issued. The catalogue has been in con¬ 
siderable demand at home and abroad, and a copy 
of it finds a place among the records of the society 
(thanks to Mr. Briscoe-Ironside) marked with all the 
varieties of the Chrysanthemum exhibited at the 
Centenary show. So much valuable assistance of a 
varied character was rendered by many members and 
friends of the society, and which materially helped to 
bring to a successful issue the Centenary celebration, 
that the committee have placed on record their sense 
of gratitude and thanks. 
“ On the 18th of September last the society had the 
great misfortune to lose by death its old and valued 
friend and secretary, Mr. William Holmes. He was 
struck down almost on the eve of the Centenary 
celebration, the details of which he had ao largely 
assisted to frame. Happily for the committee, he had 
greatly helped to lay down the lines along which the 
celebration was to proceed, and they were enabled to 
complete the work, though bereft of the guidance of 
the master spirit. The funeral of Mr. Holmes, at the 
Abney Park Cemetery, was attended by many members 
of the society, and his friends have established a 
memorial fund to commemorate his good work in con¬ 
nection with the Chrysanthemum. Mr. Richard Dean 
was appointed to the post of honorary secretary, in the 
place of Mr. Holmes. 
‘ 1 The exhibition of early Chrysanthemums in Sep¬ 
tember was a large one for the season, Dahlias and 
Gladioli being also finely represented. The prizes offered 
for October-flowering Chrysanthemums in connection 
with one of the shows promoted by the Royal Aquarium 
Society, resulted in an exhibition of a surprisingly fine 
character ; and a general desire was expressed that the 
display should be continued in 1891, and if practicable, 
extended. The mid-winter show, on January 7th and 
8 th of the present year, happened at a time when 
unusually severe weather was experienced, which had 
the effect of seriously enrtailingthe exhibits, as compared 
with those of previous years. But some of the finest 
blooms yet staged at a mid-winter show were produced 
on this occasion. A remarkable collection of new 
varieties from Mr. Robert Owen, of Maidenhead, was a 
leading feature. 
“The Floral Committee has held its usual series of 
meetings, the attendance being good, and a large 
number of novelties were exhibited from time to time. 
In all cases the certificates of the society have been 
awarded to flow.ers of sterling worth after due consider¬ 
ation of their merits. Some alterations in the rules of 
the society being deemed desirable, a sub-committee 
have considered the matter and made a report in favour 
of certain amendments which will be submitted to the 
members for confirmation in due course. The number 
of members on the books was 770, and 109 joined 
during the year ; and the number of affiliated societies 
was 79, some 25 haring joined during the same 
period.” 
The report was unanimously adopted, as also was 
the statement of accounts, which for the first time 
dealt with a sum exceeding £1,000, the revenue from 
all sources being £1,067 4s. 5d. , and the expenditure 
£1,019 7s. 9d. 
Votes of thanks were next duly accorded to the 
auditors, to Miss Holmes for the invaluable assistance 
she had rendered the society since her brother’s death, 
and to Mr. Ballantine for the admirable manner in 
which he had handled the finances of the society 
during the same period. 
The meeting then considered the proposed alterations 
in the rules, which provided (1) for the abolition of the 
term “honorary” as applied to the offices of secretary 
and foreign corresponding secretary ; (2) empowering 
the General Committee to pay the secretary for clerical 
assistance, such a sum as it may annually determine ; 
(3) for securing the appointment of one new auditor 
annually ; (4) limiting the number of medals to be 
supplied to affiliated societies without the express 
sanction of the General Committee ; (5) for giving the 
General Committee power to determine from time to 
time upon what terms foreign members shall be granted 
the privileges of the society ; and (6) for abolishing the 
permanent Catalogue Revision Committee, and the pro¬ 
vision instead of a committee of five members to be 
elected annually by the General Committee. Amend¬ 
ments were moved to the effect that the amount to be 
voted for clerical assistance should be fixed at the 
annual meeting and not by the General Committee ; 
and that the election of officers and committeemen 
should in future be by ballot, instead of as at present 
by show of hands ; but after a brief discussion on both 
points the recommendations of the committee were 
adopted. 
The following officers were then elected, in each case 
unanimously and with applause :—President, Lord 
Brooke, M.P. ; treasurer, Mr. J. R. Starling; chairman 
of committee, Mr. Ballantine ; vice-chairman of com¬ 
mittee, Mr. E. C. Jukes ; secretary, Mr. Richard Dean; 
and foreign corresponding secretary, Mr. C. Harman 
Payne. For the election of twelve committeemen 
eighteen members were nominated, and the following 
were declared elected:—Messrs. H. Briscoe-Ironside, 
J. H. Witty, J. Newton, — Drain, jun., R. E. Reeve, 
R. Payne, T. W. Saunders, H. A. Needs, F. Bingham, 
— Neary, F. J. Long, and — Vince; and Mr.W. Davey, 
the next on the list, was elected to the position vacated 
by Mr. Dean on his election as secretary. The election 
of auditors fell upon Mr. Crane and Mr. F. Cobbold. 
The meeting concluded with the usual vote of thanks 
to the chairman, 
illtjmtitigs JjrDtti ifjt Ufnijlfr 
of Stirurt. 
-< 4 -- 
Revision of'the British Willows.— The British 
Willows, like the Rubi and Hieracii, have been 
subjected to revision by various British botanists from 
time to time ; and the number of species, according to 
the different authors, have varied from seventeen io 
seventy. The latter was the number given in Sir V . 
J. Hooker s British Flora, fourth edition ; but seventeen 
of these he reckoned true species, and eighteen ranks d 
as hybrids. F. Buchanan White, M.D., F.L.S , 
recently read a paper before the Linnean Society of 
London, entitled “A Revision of the British Willows,’’ 
in which he described seventeen as true species aid 
forty-one as hybrids. The chief distinction between 
his revision and that of the Student's Flora, by Sir J. 
D. Hooker, is that Salix cinerea is raised from the rank 
of a variety to that of a species, while S. nigricans is 
sunk as a variety of S. phylicifolia ; so that the numl er 
of species is the same in both cases. Another point of 
distinction is the great number of hybrids established 
by the most recent revisor. 
The Pear Leaf and Bud Mite— There are capital 
illustrations of Phytoptus Pyri and the galls it products 
on the leaves of the Pear, in the Bulletin of the 
Agricultural Experimental Station of the Cornell 
University, United States, for December last. The 
mite in question has long been known in Europe, win re 
it infests the leaves and buds of the Pear tree, but in 
America it has apparently only been taken notice of 
during the last ten years, and is now becoming eomme n. 
The eggs are laid by the females in the tissue of the 
leaves, and when the injured parts dry up the mites 
migrate to fresh leaves, or in autumn to the buds, 
where they take up their winter quarters. For this 
reason all prunings, whether made in summer or winter, 
from trees affected by the mite should be carefully 
collected and burnt; all fallen leaves should be treated 
in the same manner. When the leaves expand in spring 
and early summer, all those showing yellowish or reddish 
blisters should be picked off and burnt. 
Edible Fruits of the Heath Family— These are 
more numerous than one would at first suppose. In 
North America alone there are fifteen species of 
Vaccinium, popularly spoken of as Blueberries, four 
species of Gaylussacia, and two species of Cranberry 
(Oxycoccus), all of which bear fruits that may be eaten 
raw when mature, or made into jams or jellies. The 
term Blueberry is applied to all species having small 
seeds, which means Vaccinium. Our Whortleberry or 
Blaeberry (Blueberry) is amongst the number. The 
species of Gaylussacia have fruits consisting of ten 
stones, each containing a single large seed, and the 
whole surrounded with pulp. These are spoken of as 
Huckleberries or Hurtieberries, both corruptions for 
Whortleberries. The Cranberries consist of the 
American species and our British plant, which also 
grows wild in America. American authorities class 
Vaccinium erythrocarpon amongst the Cranberries, but 
its erect habit and deciduous serrated leaves point to 
a closer affinity with Vaccinium. 
Plants and Legends. — Lately the modest 
Easter Daisy was found naturalised in California, 
and to explain that introduction, it was necessary 
to find a legend : Some young girls, originally 
English, not finding their charmiug Daisies, had 
brought the seeds ot the mother country, and had 
spread them around to decorate the Californian 
landscapes. To-day it is the pretty Heath, Callui a 
vulgaris, the plant which formerly inhabited only arid 
regions, moors and sands. In spite of the predictions 
of Linnreus, who promised it the conquest of the globe, 
and the trials made by the Americans to naturalise the 
European Heath with them, it is not yet much spread in 
the United States. Nevertheless an important station 
has been noted at Townsend, in Massachusetts. How 
could that find be explained without a legend ? A 
young Irish girl, who ought to be pleased, cast there 
in 1871 a bouquet which she carried on her person 
in rememberance of the absent fatherland, and without 
doubt of her lost betrothed also. From that dried 
bouquet sprang the Heath. It is not more difficult to 
make a legend in France. In perusing a pretty 
brochure yesterday, in which a French horticultural 
writer detailed the progress of horticulture in France 
since 1789, we encounter in passing, two pearls destinid 
to become legendary; the delicate little Cabbage 
(Brussels Sprouts), for which Brussels owes a large part 
of its renown, “ originated in the environs of Paris” ; 
and that other plant, which everybody believes 
originated in the Botanic Garden of Brussels, Begonia 
Lubbersi, was quite plainly a French product. Mu-i 
the Gallic cock needs deck himself with the feathers of 
the peacock 2 — L'Illustration florticole. 
