456 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 16, 1895. 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM 
SOCIETY. 
A meeting of the General Committee was held on 
Monday last at Anderton’s Hotel, Mr. T. W. 
Sanders occupying the chair. After confirmation of 
the minutes, the Secretary read a letter from Sir 
Edwin Saunders, thanking the Society for having 
re-elected him to the office of President. In accord¬ 
ance with the resolution relative to the retirement of 
Mr. R. Ballantine from the position of Chairman of 
the Committee, it was resolved that in order to mark 
the high esteem in which he is held by the Society, the 
said resolution be engrossed on vellum and presented 
to him on an early occasion. 
Special prizes were accepted from several firms on 
the recommendation of the Schedule Sub-committee. 
The Catalogue recently published by M. O. de 
Meulenaere was submitted as a valuable addition to 
the literature of the Chrysanthemum, and a silver 
medal awarded to the compiler in recognition of his 
work. 
Mr. R. Dean then referred to the numerical 
strength of the Society, which was regarded as highly 
satisfactory, there being now 79 fellows, 598 ordinary 
members, and 27 foreign members, beside 114 
affiliated societies. The election of the Floral 
Committee next occupied attention, there being a 
keen competition for places on that body. The 
following is the result of the election :—Mr. W, H. 
Lees, 29 votes ; Mr. C. E. Shea, 28 ; Mr. J. Wright 
(Temple), 25 ; Mr. Crane, 23 ; Mr. Moorman, 22 ; and 
Mr. Addison, 18. Mr. George Gordon was elected 
Chairman of the Floral Committee, which body will 
hold its meetings on September 3rd and 25th, 
October 8th, 23rd, and 30th, November nth, 20th, 
and 27th, and December 3rd and nth. The meet¬ 
ings of the General Committee will take place as 
followsAugust 26th, September 30th, October 
28th, November 18th, December 9th,'and January 
20th, 1896. The report of the Jubilee Sub-committee 
was presented, in which attention was drawn to the 
importance of the Society celebrating the fiftieth 
year of its existence in a suitable manner. It was 
recommended that a four days' show be held in 
November, 1896, with competitive exhibits on the 
first and third days, that a special medal be struck, 
that a banquet and conference be held, and that 
several classes with large money prizes be instituted, 
especially in the Japanese and incurved sections. 
Provision is also to be made in the Jubilee schedule 
for single Chrysanthemums for foreign and colonial 
exhibits, and for varieties in existence at the time of 
the founding of the Society. 
The Catalogue Committee was elected, Messrs. 
Harman Payne, Taylor, H. J. Jones, Crane, and 
Lees being the successful candidates. Several new 
members were elected, and the Barnet and Colchester 
Societies admitted in affiliation. A vote of thanks 
to the Editor of the “ Chrysanthemum Year Book,” 
and all the contributors to that work was passed. 
•I>- 
HARDY ANNUALS. 
Garden operations have for some time past been 
put a stop to, owing to the continuance of severe 
wintry weather. At last a gleam of sunshine tends 
to make one think of seasonable and annual work to 
be done in the garden. Annuals, notwithstanding 
their real beauty and adaptation to garden borders 
and beds, are invariably neglected and left to Provi¬ 
dence. When, with a little care and attention they 
may be had in full perfection for a considerable 
period by a judicious thinning-out of all weakly 
plants, and allowing sufficient space for each plant 
to develop to its full extent. 
The flowering period of many annuals may be 
prolonged by picking off the seeds, as well as pre¬ 
serving a neat appearance to the plants. As to 
treatment, nothing could be more simple ; the skilled 
and practical hand of the gardener is not required 
for the cultivation of these showy flowers. At the 
same time, a few hints to the amateur, “ for whom 
my notes are intended,” may be of service and 
result in their enjoying a feast of colours as the 
fruits of their labour. 
The best soil for annuals, as well as for many 
other plants, is a sandy loam, neither too light nor 
too stiff, but just the happy medium. The soil 
must be well broken up before sowing, and the sur¬ 
face made perfectly smooth and level, when the 
seeds may be sown in lines, rings, or beds, and 
choosing a day when the ground is in good workable 
order. If the soil should be too dry, it is advisable 
to water with a fine rosed water-can before sowing ; 
to water after sowing often washes the small seeds 
to the surface. As to depth, it is the rule, and 
always a safe one, to cover with finely sifted soil 
from two to three times their own diameter. Many 
failures are apt to result from inefficient care in this 
respect, and which are accredited to the seedsman 
for supplying bad seeds. Garden pests, such as 
snails and slugs, must be closely watched, and caught 
or trapped, as their ravages are disastrous on young 
seedlings. If a fertiliser is used, the best and safest 
is Ichthemic Guano, which cannot be surpassed as a 
stimulant to garden or pot plants. 
A selection from the following would be worthy 
occupants in the garden and give a display of bloom 
during the summer and autumn:— 
Sweet Alyssum, white. 
Asperula setosa caerulea, blue. 
Bartonia aurea nana, yellow. 
Calandrinia speciosa, purple; and sp. alba, white. 
Calendula pluvialis, white. 
,. officinalis Orange King. 
Calliopsis bicolor atrosanguinea, dark crimson. 
,, Drummondi, yellow, centre crimson. 
Callirhoe pedata, purple-crimson, very handsome. 
Candytuft Dunnettii, crimson. 
,, sweet scented, white. 
Cornflower (Centaurea Cyanus), blue. 
Chrysanthemum tricolor, vars., these are exceed¬ 
ingly handsome, and deserve a prominent position in 
every garden. 
Clarkia elegans, Purple King and Salmon Queen. 
,, pulchella, Mrs. Langtry, crimson. 
,, ,, alba flore plena. 
Collinsia bicolor, purple and white. 
Convolvulus tricolor vars. 
Cosmos bipinnatus, white and purple vars. Make 
handsome pot plants. 
Indian Pinks:—Eastern Queen, Crimson Belle, 
and The Bride. 
Erysimum Peroffskianum, yellow. 
Eschscholtzia crocea aurantiaca, C. alba, C. 
Mandarin. 
Eutoca viscida, intense blue. 
Gilia tricolor vars. 
Godetia Duchess of Albany, Lady Albemarle, 
Princess of Wales, and The Bride. 
Gypsophila muralis, pink. 
Helianthus cucumerifolius and uniflorus. 
. Hymenoxis californica, golden-yellow. 
Inopsidium acaule, sky-blue, dwarf, adapted for 
the foot of a rockery and shady places. 
Kaulfussia atroviolacea and kermesina. 
Lavatera trimestris, rose ; and trimestris, white. 
Layia elegans, yellow and white. 
Leptosiphon densiflorus, rose-lilac; and densi- 
florus, white. 
Limnanthes Douglasii, white; and Douglasii, 
yellow. 
Linum grandiflorum coccineum, scarlet. 
Lupines annual var. 
Marigold, African, Dean's lemon ; and Dean’s 
orange. 
Marigold French, gold-striped, and golden-yellow. 
Mignonette Covent Garden, Favourite and Machet. 
Nasturtium dwarf var. 
„ tall var. 
Nemopbila insignis grandiflora and maculata. 
Nigella damascena coelestina. 
Poppies, Shirley; double French; Tulip Poppy; 
and Rawsons fringed. 
Sweet Peas vars., Prince’s Feather, large crimson 
plumes. 
Salvia Blue Beard, blue-purple. 
Saponaria calabrica, pink, and calabrica alba. 
Scabiosa, dwarf double, various colours. 
Schizanthus retusus, and var. albus. 
Silene compacta Snow King, and double rose. 
Sultan, yellow, white, and purple. 
Viscaria cardinalis, crimson-scarlet. 
Whitlavia grandiflora, violet-blue, and var. alba. 
COCOA-NUT PEARL. 
The occurrence of pearls in the Cocoa-Nut may 
give rise to speculation in the minds of some as to 
how they got there, more so than in the case of the 
so-called milk. Others may speculate in Cocoa- 
Nuts in the hope of finding pearls, which cannot by 
any means be common, otherwise we should hear of 
more of them; in fact, they must be of rare 
occurrence. They vary in size, but a fine one would 
be as large as a tom-tit’s egg, of a soft, pearly-white 
hue, and perfectly smooth. It seems that they are 
embedded in the perisperm, or solid and edible 
portion of the nut. The finding of one must be 
regarded as an event of great importance by the 
natives of North Celebes, for they use it as a charm 
against evil spirits. It is strange how prevalent is 
the idea amongst the superstitious, not only with 
savages, but amongst those from whom we should 
expect better things, that the wearing of various 
trinkets or the fact of carrying them about their 
persons should have any effect whatever, let alone 
the warding off of evil spirits, even if any should 
exist outside their own persons and those of their 
fellow men. Imagination is a powerful factor, how¬ 
ever, and if that can be kept quiet by the use of a 
Cocoa-Nut pearl or other trinket some good will be 
effected, even if in an indirect way. 
--- 
MYRSIPHYLLUM, OR 
SMJLAX. 
The former of these two names is most often 
employed in this country, while in America, where 
one species is extensively cultivated, the name Smilax 
is universally employed when speaking of it. 
According to Bentham and Hooker, in the *' Genera 
Plantarum,” the four known species of Myrsiphyllum 
are included under Asparagus. Whether this will 
ever be accepted or acted upon in gardens would be 
difficult to say, especially when the conservatism of 
gardeners in the matter of plant nomenclature is 
remembered. The natural beauty and utility of the 
plants are the points at issue in the present instance, 
though it must here be confessed that only one of 
the four is in cultivation. The method found most 
suitable is to plant in the bed or border of a warm 
greenhouse, where the temperature is sufficiently 
high to ensure free growth. The border should be 
well drained and filled with a mixture of good fibrous 
loam and leaf-soil, and means adopted whereby the 
long, twining stems can find some support as growth 
is proceeding, which, as in the case of most other 
twiners, advances at a rapid pace provided the con¬ 
ditions are suitable and the plants well established. 
In private establishments, where the best known 
species are cultivated, it is the custom to plant it 
where the stems can be trained up pillars or more 
often the rafters of the house, and in some cases wires 
are specially fixed for it. Usually the cultivators in 
this country are contented to cut sprays from it for 
decorative purposes ; but in America the stems are 
allowed to run up strings of twine with the avowed 
intention of cutting the twine with its whole length 
of stem attached. The short lateral sprays that 
develop from the main stems give the whole the 
character of a wreath of infinite grace and beauty, 
and they are extensively employed for all kinds of 
house decoration. The so-called leaves resemble 
those of a Myrtle, and the name Myrsiphyllum comes 
from Myysine, a Myrtle, and phyllon, a leaf. The 
organs are really, however, cladodia or flattened 
branches like those of the Butcher’s Broom, and not 
leaves at all. The true leaves are small, and pale 
brown or grey scales at the base of the leaf-like 
branches, as in the case of the last-mentioned plant 
or of Asparagus, and though it may be convenient 
hereafter to speak of them as leaves, their true 
nature may be remembered, together with their 
term cladodia. 
Botanists themselves have been much puzzled 
with this class of plants, as is evident by the large 
number of names they have given one or other of 
them at different times. The flowers and fruits are 
so closely allied in structure to those of Asparagus 
proper that the differences are altogether insignifi¬ 
cant. The so-called leaves are, however, remarkably 
different, though they do undoubtedly serve the 
function of leaves in the economy of the plant. 
Amongst the generic names given are Asparagus, 
Myrsiphyllum, Medeola, Ruscus, and Dictyopsis, 
the latter referring to the netted character of the 
cladodia, and which is very unusual amoDgst mono- 
cotyledonous plants when applied to the leaves. 
Asparagus medeoloides. —This is the proper 
name of the plant to which Myrsiphyllum and Smilax 
are so extensively applied, Myrsiphyllum aspara- 
goides being the name used in this country. The 
tall, twining and slender stems grow very rapidly 
when once the plant is well established. The leaves 
vary between cordate and lanceolate, and, clothing 
