Nov. 15th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
169 
lessly broke a sunlight outside. The following year 
he' grew his plants against the fence of the garden, 
and the then young aspirant for floricultural honours 
cut his blooms ten days before the show seeing frost 
imminent; he kept them during the interval in a dark 
cupboard, and was rewarded by taking a prize. This 
fired his new-born zeal to distinguish himself on the 
exhibition table—a zeal which age has failed to 
weaken, or custom satiate; for it is as inspiring now 
as it was when he scored his first memorable win, 
and it has served the worthy President in good stead, 
as cups and other tokens of victory, which embellish 
his residence, attest. 
Being of active habits and good business capacity, 
he, as a member of the Stoke Newington Chry¬ 
santhemum Society, was elected on the Committee; 
subsequently became Secretary, Vice-Chairman, and 
Chairman of the Committee, and eventually President. 
In February, 1862, he was presented with a very 
handsome silver snuff-box (a present of such value 
as to be worthy of being handed down as an heir- 
services, he having been associated with the Chry¬ 
santhemum Society since its formation, and officiated 
as President for twenty years; and having also acted 
as President of the Horticultural Society from its 
commencement.” This address, which is a superb 
work of art, is signed by fourteen of the leading 
members of the Society. 
Looking back over the years that have intervened 
since he first exhibited Chrysanthemums, he remembers 
that he always showed Chrysanthemums at the 
exhibitions of his Society, and, though with varying 
success, he generally managed to secure a few good 
prizes. We have alluded to his residing at Dalston. 
Soon after exhibiting for the first time, he removed 
to Stoke Newington Green, and there bloomed his 
flowers in an erection with a glass roof and canvas 
sides. He then resided at Camden Town for a time, 
and while there won several silver cups. Eleven 
years ago he came to live at Willesden, where he 
cultivates his favourite flower with so much present 
success. It may be mentioned incidentally that Mr. 
Edward Sanderson. 
President of the National Chrysanthemum Society. 
and obedient as if it were a reasoning creature, bound 
to him by a bond of affectidn. The sum of his 
success is simply a series of small constant attentions, 
never neglected, and given at the right time. They 
could not be committed to paper as rules; they defy 
any attempt to construct a formula out of them. His 
cultural process is the conventional one—he obtains 
and strikes his cuttings in his house as soon as he can 
secure them after the plants have gone out of flower; 
in about six weeks they have rooted, they are then 
potted off singly into 60-sized pots, say about the 
middle of January; and by the middle of February 
they are placed in his cold frame ; shifted from CO’s 
into 32’s in the middle of April; and finally 
shifted into their blooming pots about the 20th of 
June. During the summer they are stood on a border 
having a south-west aspect, and carefully attended to 
in the matter of watering and cleanliness. When the 
buds are forming, and up to the time that they have 
slightly expanded, some extra stimulus is given ; after 
that they are watered with pure water. His compost 
loom) by the members of the Stoke Newington 
Chrysanthemum Society, for the very able manner 
in which he had for many years fulfilled the office of 
Chairman of the Society. Mr. Sanderson did not 
confine his exhibitions entirely to the shows of the 
Society with which he was more immediately con¬ 
nected. Years ago he was a competitor at the 
exhibitions of the South Essex Chrysanthemum 
Society, and he invariably took first prizes ; but 
owing to the sudden collapse of the Society he did 
not receive a farthing of prize-money awarded to him 
at its last exhibition. The exhibitions of this Society 
were held at Stratford. 
On the 21st of April, 1881, the valuable services Mr. 
Sanderson rendered to the Society were again ac¬ 
knowledged by the presentation of a very handsome 
illuminated missal, which, duly framed, adorns his 
drawing-room at Willesden. It sets forth that it was 
presented to Mr. E. Sanderson “ by the members and 
friends of the Borough of Hackney Chrysanthemum and 
Horticultural Society as a mark of esteem and regard 
and in recognition of his long and valuable honorary 
Sanderson was in his clay a noted racquet player; 
and hanging on the walls of his drawing-room is his 
portrait, presented to him by the Middlesex Amateur 
Racquet Club on November 8th, 1876. 
At the present moment a visitor to his Willesden 
home is shown a moderate-sized glass-house, at the 
bottom of his somewhat circumscribed garden, 
containing some one hundred and sixty plants, 
mainly in 32-sized pots, comprising some forty-six 
leading varieties of the incurved section. He grows 
neither Japanese or Pompon varieties, for the simple 
reason that he has no room for them. Two things 
about these Chrysanthemums strike the visitor, one the 
marvellous wealth of foliage on his plants; large leaves 
so healthy and stout as to look like bronze, feathering 
the leading stem to the very soil; the other, that the 
plants having three and four, or more leading shoots 
bearing flowers of wonderful size and perfection. 
Through all stages these plants are his own handi¬ 
work ; Mr. Sanderson is truly and essentially an 
amateur. He has spent almost a lifetime in studying 
the Chrysanthemum; and in his hands it is ductile 
is a rough and ready one—a top soil out of a field that 
has laid by and become decomposed; with a little 
cow-dung mixed with it. 
Mr. Sanderson has never attempted to raise 
seedlings, and during all the years that he has grown 
Chrysanthemums he has never had half a perfect 
sport. This year there has shown itself among his 
flowers what he takes to be a sport from Empress of 
India, a very fine blush flower with what seems to be 
a broader and more massive petal; but which may 
yet prove to be not sufficiently distinct. 
Those of our readers who are members of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society, and especially 
those who have seats on the Committee, will know¬ 
how to appreciate their honoured President at his 
true w-orth. He has proved an excellent guide, 
counsellor and friend. In times of perplexity, of 
non-success, and difference of opinion, his counsels 
have also proved wise, and conciliatory; and his 
guidance of the Society has been that of a trusted 
pilot who never fears to face danger; and never 
despairs but that the course of the vessel will be 
directed into safe waters. 
