November 19, 1892. 
181 
FHE GARDENING WORLD. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOWS. 
Birmingham. 
This annual exhibition took place in the Town Hall, 
on November 8, g, and io, three days having been 
decided upon this year in order to raise as large a sum 
as possible for the benefit of the General Hospital, 
as the profits are to be given to the building fund. 
Fortunately the weather was very mild and fine all 
the time. Specimen Chrysanthemums were as usual 
good, as Birmingham has long been noted for excel¬ 
lent cultivation, but some of the blooms wanted more 
time. Mr. Waldron, gardener to G. Cadbury, Esq., 
was first for nine and six plants ; and Mr. Dyer, gar¬ 
dener to Mrs. Marigold, a good second, other exhi¬ 
bitors also showing well. Six groups of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums in the centre of the hall, each in a space of 
8o square feet, were a great feature, and as good if 
not finer than any lot yet seen here. Mr. Dyer was 
first; Mr. F. Jenkins, Olton, second; Mr. J. Cryor, 
gardener to J. A. Kenrick, 
Esq., third ; then all run¬ 
ning close together in 
merit, fourth, fifth and an 
extra prize was awarded. 
In another class(7),very 
pretty groups were staged 
on one side of the hall,and 
were worth looking at. 
Bigornamental plantswere 
staged, but the room is 
sadly wanted for Chrysan¬ 
themums, many of which 
staged under the galleries 
were “almost lost to sight 
though to memory dear." 
As to Chinese Primulas, 
where else can such a’lotbe 
seen ? There was a grand 
display again. There al¬ 
ways is,for is notBirming- 
ham the home of the 
Primula andgave birth to a 
PrincessLouise.aMarquis 
of Lome, The Queen, and 
The Emperor, and here 
are the four finest varieties 
known. Two more new 
Birmingham varieties, 
shown for the first time, 
also received Certificates. 
They were raised at the 
SparkhillNurseries, where 
the four I have named were 
raised a long number of 
years since. The new ones 
are Princess May, white 
with a lovely pale laven¬ 
der centre ; Duke of York, 
a soft peach colour, but 
both so large and fine. 
Cut Chrysanthemums 
are always fine here,but up 
to this year ^20to £25 has 
been given as the blue ri¬ 
band prize for forty-eight 
blooms, half incurved, 
half Japanese. But this 
year the committee deter¬ 
mined to divide this prize 
into two classes of twenty- 
four each with a first prize of £10 to each, and 
other liberal prizes to follow. For both, Mr. R. 
Parker, Impney, was first with well finished blooms 
of excellent quality, not overdone in size or coarse¬ 
ness, and he had some strong competitors against 
him in Mr. Coombs of Himley; Mr. Bramwell, 
gardener to H. H. France Hayhurst, Esq. ; Mr. 
Goodacre, and others. For eighteen blooms, Mr. 
Parker was also first. Various other classes were 
well filled and the display of cut blooms was 
satisfactory generally, although some wanted a 
longer rain for development. 
Amongst the incurved, John Lambert was very 
fair generally. M. H. Bahuant, Violet Tomlin, 
John Doughty, Lord Alcester, Mrs. Colman, Mrs. 
N. Davis, were well to the front, and on Mr. Parker’s 
stand was a fine bloom of Mrs. Robinson King, a 
grand deep yellow of the finest form and size. 
Amongst the more recently introduced Japanese 
Viviand Morel was striking everywhere, as was 
Etoile de Lyon, W. W. Coles, Gloire de Rocher, 
Stanstead White, Sunlight, Puritan, Edwin Moly- 
neux, Albini Lunden, Florence Davis, Avalanche, 
W. H. Lincoln, plentiful and fine ; William Tricker, 
Marie Hoste, Mohawk, Mr. A. H. Neve, and in 
one stand a superb bloom of E. W. Clarke, with 
rosy purple petals with an underneath shading of 
greyish white, a fine variety. 
Fruit again is invariably a great feature of 
the November show. We have seen more here, but 
not of better quality so far as the grapes were con- 
concerned. For six bunches, Mr. Goodacre was well 
first; Mr. Hollingsworth, gardener to J. F. Camp¬ 
bell, Esq., Uttoxeter, second, and Mr. Slade, Clumber 
Gardens, third. The other classes also were well 
filled. Mr. Slade also staged four very fine Pines, to 
which a Silver Medal was awarded. A large 
number of vegetables were staged for the good special 
prizes offered by Mr. R. Sydenham, Messrs. Sutton 
& Sons, Meksrs. Thompson & Co., and Messrs. Webb 
& Sons, and keen competition was shown in all these 
The Right Hon. Lord Brassey, K.C.B. 
classes. Mr. Smeetham, of Shrewsbury, succeeded 
in carrying oft the first prize in each class, and he 
was a very strong opponent. 
Mr. Robert Owen, Maidenhead, did not make his 
appearance until the second day, so was “ a day after 
the fair ’’ for obtaining certificates. Some of his new 
flowers otherwise would have had such rewards. 
Amongst his new sorts sent out were Mrs. Robinson 
King, incurved, a superb acquisition ; and Japanese 
Wm. Woodcock, Mr. G. Herring, Mr. Nisbett, 
Excelsior, and G. J. Schwabe, all of his own raising. 
Of seedlings fit to be introduced, he showed blooms 
of Robert Petford, incurved, mauve shaded with 
silvery white, very fine; Thomas Hewitt, a grand 
incurved Japanese; Baron Hirsch, another fine 
incurved, bronzy crimson ; Lucy Kendall, The Bride, 
two more incurved; and John Fulford, reddish- 
crimson and a very full flower. Some of these have 
received awards in London. Mr. Godfrey of Ex¬ 
mouth, sent blooms of Beauty of Exmouth, which 
received a certificate. The local trade contributed 
valuable honorary exhibits also, and Mr. Watkins of 
Hereford, a fine collection of Apples, and a nice col¬ 
lection of Orchids, from Highbury, amongst them 
the new white Sobralia. 
Exeter. . 
The Devon and Exeter Horticultural Society held 
its annual Chrysanthemum and Fruit Show on the 
nth inst., under the usual conditions—wet weather 
As it was, however, the Victoria Hall, in which the 
show was held, was well filled throughout the day, 
and if the weather had been more favourable, the 
attendance would have beaten the record for an 
autumn meeting of the society. Taken as a whole, 
the entries were fewer than last year, cut blooms 
finer and more even in quality, groups not up to 
former shows in quality of bloom, although, perhaps, 
better in point of foliage. In fruit, Apples were very 
good indeed, while Pears, as was to be expected, 
showed a falling off in nearly every respect. 
The prize for the best bloom of Japanese Chry¬ 
santhemum in the show 
went to Mr. W.H.Fowler, 
of Taunton, for a faultless 
flower of Stanstead White. 
It was, indeed, a grand 
flower,andhad every point 
to perfection. It was run 
pretty hard by a bloom in 
the same stand, the other 
one being Viviand Morel 
at its very best. In the 
class for six blooms of that 
variety, Mr. Fowler was 
first with a superb lot; Mr. 
J. R. C. Talbot, of Lyme 
Regis, being first for six 
blooms of Florence Davis. 
In this lot the green in 
the eye of the bloom, 
peculiar to this variety, 
had entirely disappeared, 
leaving the flower a fine 
white. An extra prize 
was awarded to Sir W. 
Walrond, Bart., M.P., 
of Bradfield (gardener, 
Mr. Heath), for a 
splendid stand of Edwin 
Molyneux. 
The Sil verCup for thirty- 
six Japanese, distinct 
varieties, went to Mr. W. 
H. Fowler, of Taunton. 
His blooms were magnifi¬ 
cent and were the feature 
of the show. The follow¬ 
ing list shows that the 
varieties werewell chosen: 
—Lord Brooke, J. Stan- 
borough Dibbins, Potter 
Palmer, E. Beckett, G. 
Bryceson, Mrs. E. D. 
Adams, Mrs. J. S. Fogg, 
Violet Rose, Viviand Mo¬ 
rel, Mr. D. B. Crane, Miss 
Anna Hartzhorn,Coronet, 
Mons. Bernard, Glorio- 
sum, Louise Boehmer, R. 
Brocklebank, Stanstead 
White, Sunflower, W. W. 
Coles, Avalanche, W. H 
Lincoln, Beauty of Castlewood, Mrs. Alpheus 
Hardy, Mrs. J. Clarke, Mad. Baco, Puritan, Mrs. 
JohnLaing, Lady T. Lawrence, E. Molyneux, Gloire 
du Rocher, Lilian B. Bird, Etoile de Lyon, Mr. A. H. 
Neve, Mons. Freeman, Florence Davis, and 
Japonaise. The first prize for eighteen Japanese 
went to Mr. J. R. C. Talbot, of Lyme Regis (gar¬ 
dener, Mr. Connelly), to whom was also awarded the 
Certificate of the National Chrysanthemum Society. 
His stand consisted of Florence Davis, Gloire du 
Rocher, Sunflower, L. Bertrex, E. Molyneux, 
Avalanche, Etoile de Lyon, Stanstead White, Sarah 
Owen, Thunberg, Mad. Baco, Volunteer, Mrs. E. 
W. Clarke, Condor, Japonaise, Mons Bernard, Mrs 
Falconer Jameson, and Mrs. John Laing. All the 
blooms were well finished and in the pink of con¬ 
dition. Premier honours for tu’elve incurved went to 
Rev. F. C. Drake, of Taunton, for a first-rate stand 
made up of the following :—Lord Alcester, Bronze 
Queen, Jeanne d’Arc, Violet Tomlin, Mrs. S. Col¬ 
man, Princess Alice, Golden Empress, Annie Haste, 
