December 29, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
275 
SUPERI OR GARDEN SEEDS, 
DICKSON, BROWN & TAIT'S 
New ILLUSTRATED PRICED CATALOGUE of VEGETABLE ml 
FLOWER SEEDS is now published, and may be had fire on application. 
A Copy has been posted to each of their Customers; should anyone not 
have received it they will be pleased to forward another copy. 
ROYAL SEED ESTABLISHMENT, Corporation Street, Manchester. 
NOW READY. 
HARPES’ ILLUSTRATED 
Descriptive Catalogue 
Post Free on application to 
CHARLES SHARPE & Co., Ltd., 
SEED FARMERS AND MERCHANTS, SLEAFORD. 
SPECIAL CULTURE 
OF 
FRUIT TREES & ROSES. 
A Large and Select Stock is now offered for Sale. 
The Illustrated and Descriptive Catalogue of Fruits post free 
The Descriptive Catalogue of Roses post free. 
For Index to Contents see page 286. 
THOMAS RIVERS & SON, 
The Nurseries, SA l/VBRIDGEWORTH, Herts■ 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
NORMAN DAVIS has much pleasure 
in announcing that his new Catalogue of 
Chrysanthemums is now ready, and can 
be had free by post. This Catalogue is 
issued simply as a guide, such as a Cata¬ 
logue should be, and will be found com¬ 
prehensive and useful. You are welcome to 
a copy, even it not a purchaser. 
NORMAN ID A VIS, 
Chrysanthemum Nurseries, 
LILFORD ROAD, CAMBERWELL, LONDON, S.E. 
FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT 
-srj, NOTHING SO PROFITABLE 
Pj| f- AND EASY TO GROW. 
Eighty Acres in Stock. 
THE BEST PROCURABLE. 
Lists Free . 
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS 
Bushes in variety. Packing and 
Carriage Free, for cash with order. 
8s. perdoz., 60 s. per 100. 
A ll other Nursery Stock 
car-riage forward . 
in POTS From 15 /* a doz. 
Ornamental Trees, 91 Acres. 
Four Acres of Glass. 
Clematis (8o,ooo) from 15/- 
per doz. 
N.B.—Single Plants are sold at 
slightly increased prices. 
GENERAL CATALOGUE 
(lf,4 pages) of Nursery Stock, 
artistically produced, containing 
a’k some hundreds of illustrations, 
'gijlJ'A, and full of valuable infounation, 
sent free. 
RICHARD SMITH&C9 Worcester 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man."— Bacon. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Wednesday, January 2nd.—Sale of Japanese Lilies at 
Protheroe & Morris’ Rooms. 
fa farina ijlofltl, 
Edited by BRIAN WYNNE, F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY , DECEMBER 2 9 th, 1894. 
/Classification of Chrysanthemums.— 
^ It must be apparent to many of our 
readers besides our esteemed correspon¬ 
dent, Mr. Briscoe-Ironside, that the classi¬ 
fication of the host of Chrysanthemums that 
make their appearance every year is be¬ 
coming more and more complicated and 
difficult to define. Hitherto we have 
relied mainly upon common sense to dis¬ 
criminate between the various terms such 
as incurved, Japanese, Japanese incurved, 
Japanese reflexed, &c., together with a 
recollection of such types as we knew to 
have passed muster in the different classes 
hitherto well authenticated. It never 
occurred to us to consult the description and 
delimitations laid down by the official cata¬ 
logue of the National Chrysanthemum or 
any other society, otherwise we could not 
have failed to notice the inappropriateness 
of many of those same rules. Nevertheless, 
we could not fail to see that the different 
classes were being outraged by the admis¬ 
sion of new varieties that did not conform 
to the old types. We are perfectly well 
aware that the blooms of certain varieties 
differ according to the buds from which 
they are taken, and the season at which 
they expand ; and also that many of them 
behave quite differently in America, or in 
Italy, from what they do in Britain. So far 
as our classification is concerned, we must 
be limited to their behaviour in this 
country ; and the best form which skill 
and good cultivation will produce must be 
reckoned the typical form of any parti¬ 
cular variety for purposes of classification, 
however much the same may rebel against 
the rules under other conditions and cir¬ 
cumstances. As an instance of curious 
behaviour it may be stated that Madame 
C. Audiguier may, and does, under certain 
conditions, represent the three sections— 
Japanese, Japanese reflexed, and Japanese 
incurved, the latter being its usual and 
typical form. Several that are reckoned 
incurved in America prove to be Japanese 
incurved in this country, and instances 
might be multiplied. 
Our correspondent forcibly illustrates 
another phase of the subject when he com¬ 
pares J. Agate as an incurved and as a 
Japanese incurved, its value being simply 
nothing in the latter class for exhibition pur¬ 
poses. It was doubtless a consideration some¬ 
thing akin to this that induced the Catalogue 
committee of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society to form the section Japanese 
reflexed to receive such favourites as Elaine, 
Amy Furze, Maiden’s Blush, Triomphe du 
Nord, Val d’Andorre, L’Africaine and 
others of that type which were ousted off 
the show boards by their larger and more 
favoured compeers, such asEtoilede Lyon, 
Viviand Morel, Avalanche and others. The 
remedy was only half completed and practi¬ 
cally valueless to save the varieties in 
question, seeing that no classes were insti¬ 
tuted to receive them in the exhibition 
schedule. One class in the schedule of 
November last, stipulated for twelve large- 
flowered reflexed blooms, but this only 
brought forward the old or Chinese reflexed 
type represented by such varieties as Dr. 
Sharpe, Cullingfordi, and several of the 
Christine type. Elsewhere we frequently 
notice that reflexed and Japanese reflexed 
are admitted when Amy Furze, Jeanne 
Deleaux, James Lynch, Clara Jeal and 
Viviand Morel make their appearance. 
Now, whether the official cata¬ 
logue of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society is taken as the standard or not, 
few can fail to perceive a heterogenous 
mixture in the above. Taking the admit¬ 
tedly true reflexed type, what forms could 
be more unlike than Dr. Sharpe and the 
globular, muddle-headed, Christine type, 
like an over-worn mop. We fail to see 
that the latter are reflexed at all, because, 
when at their best, the petals point into 
space in all directions. Then again, why 
might not John Shrimpton be admitted 
on the same board as Cullingfordi. In 
our opinion it is only a question of size, 
not form ; and the same hard fate rules the 
destiny of many a beautiful flower, new and 
old, because unable to compete with the 
more favoured large ones. 
The old Japanese section has been divi¬ 
ded into incurved Japanese, and reflexed 
Japanese, with the indefinable residue to 
constitute the type. The definition of the 
Japanese reflexed section is “ with flat, 
straight, spreading or reflexed florets.” 
Here we have alternatives, and flat, straight 
spreading florets might include Etoile de 
Lyon, Hiver Fleuri, Mrs. F. Jameson and 
others. Then, if reflexed varieties are ad¬ 
mitted, why are not the drooping petalled 
sorts admissible ? Such as Sunflower, 
Mademoiselle Lacroix, William Seward, 
Viviand Morel, Charles Davis and many 
others. Bouquet de Dames is passed as a 
Japanese reflexed; but surely this is merely 
a conventional understanding, seeing that 
the blooms are almost globular when at 
their best. The incurved Japanese section 
is equally indefinable whenever we pass 
beyond such well defined types as Louise, 
Robert Owen, Comte de Germiny, Vis¬ 
countess Hambleden and others that are 
akin to them. Surely such sorts as M. 
