August 2, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
761 
marvellous advance made in the cultivation of the 
“Mum” shown this year as compared with the last effort. 
When the requirements of the Chrysanthemum are 
better understood, I feel certain far superior examples 
of this particular section will be shown here than can 
be grown in England, and this with Mr. Molyneux’s 
examples of Etoile de Lyon fresh 
in the minds of your readers, is a 
bold prediction you will admit. 
Whether the same will occur in 
connection with the Incurved 
varieties I very much doubt, for 
they are exceedingly difficult to 
manage here, having a decided 
tendency, like Bronze Queen of 
England, to turn upside down ; the 
brilliant sunshine apparently being 
too much for their petals. Even 
here, with care, I think we shall 
have you at a disadvantage, for we 
can provide shade, but you cannot 
manufacture sunshine, while a 
little increase in the supply would 
often be very welcome early in an 
English November. The best all¬ 
round flower staged in the exhi¬ 
bition was undoubtedly Mr. H. 
Cannell, a very deep lemon-yellow 
Jap., and far superior to Thunberg. 
For the best individual bloom of 
the section, however, a variety 
called Syringa, which had an enor¬ 
mous flower, carried off the prize. 
Other grand blooms staged were 
Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, Condor, Mrs. 
C. H. Wheeler, Mr. Ralph Brockle- - 
bank, Sunflower (Cannell), E. Moly- 
neux, Stanstead Surprise, Etoile de 
Lyon, &c. Varieties of such recent 
introduction, even in the old 
country, prove that we cannot be 
deemed very far behind you in 
respect of modern sorts. 
the plants portable. Even exhibition blooms require 
very little trouble, in order to bring them to perfection. 
Cuttings are rooted and planted out in heavily manured 
ground from November till January inclusive, with 
only a moderate amount of labour, and fine examples 
are ready for exhibition the following April. Who 
Begonia, M. Paul de Vicq. 
are found both irksome and insidious where persons of 
small means are concerned. 
Of course, it is thoroughly understood that the 
collection was of a very special character. It was most 
proper that the committee of the Fund should provide 
a memorial to the late Mr. Deal, because (next to Mr. 
Barron) no man worked harder in 
the interests of the Orphan Fund 
than he did. The spontaneous and 
most liberal offer which came from 
Messrs. Sherwood and Veitch also 
rendered immediate action in aid of 
the proposed memorial imperative ; 
still, it remains doubtful whether 
the method of raising the needful 
sum at the dinner table was the 
wisest or the most pleasant. 
Certainly, interludes of that de¬ 
scription do not help to render the 
proceedings more cheerful or festive, 
whilst they furnish awkward breaks 
in the programme, which good tact 
would carefully avoid. As, perhaps, 
it will be said, all is well that ended 
well, so it is satisfactory to find 
that a real memorial to Mr. Deal is 
established. The committee of the 
Fund in arranging future dinners 
will, however, do well to assure the 
public that no further collections 
will be made at the tables, however 
strongly or eloquently speakers may 
urge the claims of the Fund on those 
present .—A Subscriber. 
--—- 
SALVIA VIRGATA. 
A number of hardy species of this 
genus, of considerable ornamental 
value, receives practically no atten¬ 
tion at the hands of cultivators, 
and yet the border, or even the wild 
garden, could be rendered very gay 
Begonia, Blanche Duval. 
Begonia, Rosamonde. 
The Challenge Cup only brought one entry ; unfor¬ 
tunately, the conditions attached prevents any ex¬ 
cepting the largest growers from competing. Seventy- 
two distinct varieties are necessary in order to be eligible 
for competition—thirty-six Japs, and thirty-six large- 
flowered—which is far in excess of the average (Colonial) 
growers’ requirements, hence the lack of interest in 
what otherwise would have been “the fight of the 
show.” The Chrysanthemum plant classes were weak, 
but we are hoping for better results in this direction 
next year. Yery few are grown here in pots, and those 
that are bloomed in these receptacles are usually taken 
up from the open ground after the buds are well 
advanced, and potted solely with the idea of making 
would be without Chrysanthemums under such favour¬ 
able conditions as these ?— J. H. H., Sydney, June 23 rd. 
-->$*.- 
THE ORPHAN FUND DINNER. 
Having Jiad special opportunities for learning the 
views of many persons present at the recent Orphan 
Fund Dinner, I have been pained to hear that a great 
deal of subdued discontent was felt and expressed at the 
impromptu collection made at the tables in aid of the 
Deal Memorial. It is too evident that any such action 
must not again be adopted, or otherwise the attendance 
will be scanty indeed. Collections of that description 
are all very well where people have ample means, but 
by them during the summer. The subject of this note 
is one of the plants in question. A bush about a yard 
high and as far through is an object not to be despised, 
as every stem ends in a cylindrical inflorescence, the 
flowers of which are arranged in pseudo-whorls, tier 
above tier, that open in succession for a long period of 
time. The calyx is purple, and remains in considerable 
beauty and conspicuousness for some time after the 
flowers have dropped. The latter are bright blue, and 
although not very large, the great numbers of them 
produced combine in rendering the bush very effective. 
The leaves are oblong, cordate, and clasping at the 
base, wrinkled on the surface, and deep green. Pro¬ 
pagation can be effected readily enough by division of 
the rootstock. Growth is very vigorous. 
