December 23, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
255 
JAMES VEITCH & SONS 
BEG TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEIR 
SEED CATALOGUE 
FOR 1834 
Is now Ready, and may be had Post Free on Application. 
ROYAL EXOTIC NURSERY, CHELSEA, LONDON, S.W. 
OWEN’S NEW CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
Awarded Five Medals and 50 First-class Certificates for New Varieties by National, Royal 
Horticultural, and other Chrysanthemum Societies, 1893. 
Special Illastrated & Descriptive List of latest CERTIFICATED NOVELTIES for 1894 Now Ready 
BRIDE OF MAIDENHEAD, 
JAPANESE 
INCURVED i 
(JAMES MYERS, 
J RICHARD DEAN, 
(THOMAS WILKINS, 
LORD ROSEBERY, 5s, 
ROBERT PETFIELD, 7s. 6d. 
MRS. P. BLAIR, 
RICHARD JONES, 
W. H. FOWLER, 
c/_ 0^eh 
MRS. JOHN GARDENER, 5s. 
MISS ALICE WILSON, 
ROSE WYNNE, 
WILFRED MARSHALL. 
SIR TITUS, 3S. 6d. 
ANEMONE, JOHN BUNYAN, QUEEN ELIZABETH, SIR WALTER RALEIGH, W. W. ASTOR, 3s. 6d. each. 
Orders Booked and Executed in Rotation in March. 
R. OWEN, Floral Nursery, MAIDE NHE AD. 
MR. DODWELL’S 
GRAND CARNATIONS. 
THE FINEST GROWN. 
All Classes, 10/6 per dozen. 
Mr. Dodvell’s List of Specialties is now ready. 
Bend Stamp and get copy. 
The Cottage, Stanley Road, Oxford. 
FRUIT TREES. 
ROSES & VINES 
OF UN SURPASSED QU ALITY. 
INSI»ECTIOI^ XNYITEO. 
HUGH LOW & CO., 
THE NURSERIES, 
BUSH H ILL PARK, N. 
For Index to Contents see page 265 
‘ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greates 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”—B acon. 
Edited by BRIAN WYNNE, F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2yd, 1893. 
The above has now been published, and will be 
forwarded gratis and post free to all applicants. 
Whe National Rose Society. —That 
Roses have thorns we all know, and 
perhaps it is because of that combination 
of prickles with the loveliest and sweetest 
of flowers that we witness those unpleasant 
manifestations of temper which so often 
mark Rose exhibitors. However, we are 
always pleased to see those pleasant times 
when, if but briefly, the wolf and the lamb, 
or rather the flower and the thorn, are 
found dwelling amicably together. That 
was undoubtedly the case at the recent 
annual meeting of the National Rose 
Society, and we hope that such kindly 
feeling may long endure. 
The National Rose Society, doubtless, 
has done much to assist in the popularising 
and wider culture of the Rose. Still it 
must not for one moment be assumed that 
the Rose, or indeed any flower, is abso¬ 
lutely dependent for popularity on any 
special society. Indeed, it sometimes hap¬ 
pens that it is the wide cultivation and 
popularity of a flower that leads to the for¬ 
mation of a special society devoted to its 
interests, and that was specially the case 
with the Rose. Now the Society has done 
what could not otherwise have been accom¬ 
plished, it has given to the public sonii 
splendid Rose exhibitions, and for these 
we are all very grateful. We are glad to 
see that the great July show at the Crystal 
Palace is to be continued. It is doubtless 
the Rose exhibition par excellence, not only 
of the kingdom, but practically of the 
world. Certainly with the Rose as our 
national floral emblem we have nobly sus¬ 
tained the flower’s reputation in our 
gardens and at exhibitions, and as culti¬ 
vators we have no superiors in its pro¬ 
duction. 
Whether the withdrawal of the Society’s 
early or Tea Rose show from the Drill 
Hall and holding it at Windsor will be 
found an improvement has to be seen, but 
it is satisfactory to learn that there will 
still be a Tea Rose show at the Drill Hall, 
and we may safely leave to the exceeding 
human nature found in even Rosarians to 
supply blooms and compete for the prizes, 
even though the Windsor show follows 
next day. We are all glad that the 
original date for the northern show at 
Halifax was adhered to. If the northern 
show be held expressly to suit northern 
Roses and growers, then is it but right that 
northern requirements should dominate. 
That will he so now, and we hope to see a 
grand northern exhibition. 
O 
f HRYSANTHEMUM JUDGING. -Mr, C. E. 
Shea’s most admirable paper on this 
subject, of which we gave a brief summary 
last week, should do something to help, if 
such a thing be possible, a permanent and 
satisfactory basis by which to secure in the 
future something like equable awards as 
concerns Chrysanthemum blooms. We 
say if such a thing be possible, because 
let human ingenuity devise the most perfect 
system of pointing conceivable, yet must 
that system be worked by human beings; 
and so varied is the mental bias or judg¬ 
ment of the average man, that very diverse 
results still may follow. Yet if some de¬ 
fined system of pointing be established, 
and judges at all Chrysanthemum shows be 
specially enjoined to act upon that basis, 
something tangible at least may be done 
towards bringing awards into greater har¬ 
mony than now prevails. All the same, 
absolute unanimity is of course impossible. 
However, we do want greatly to avoid such 
unhappy contretemps as was that to which 
we made special reference last week, as such 
cases become nothing less than judging 
scandals. 
Whilst generally agreeing with Mr. Shea 
in his suggestions, we may be allowed to 
take exception to his proposal that special 
allowance should be made for good blooms 
of varieties that are difficult to cultivate. 
As we have such a wealth of splendid 
varieties now that are not difficult to culti¬ 
vate, is it worth while, is it even good 
policy, to specially encourage those that are 
difficult to cultivate ? We think not. Still 
further, that under no condition should 
judges go behind the flowers to regard con¬ 
ditions not before them, and that opinion 
we believe will be generally shared. It is 
rather a good thing that this admirable 
paper is to be discussed later, and as we 
may say in cold blood. We hope that the 
National Chrysanthemum Society will never 
be found opposing the adoption of good 
suggestions, come from what quarter they 
may, and still less so when they come from 
so friendly a quarter as those now under 
notice. 
But we cannot help saying that what 
Mr. Shea pleads for in the direction of 
establishing “Canons of Judging” seems 
