198 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 28, 1896. 
THE FIRST ENGLISH CHRYSANTHE¬ 
MUM SHOW. 
No member of the National Chrysanthemum Society 
can have any possible desire to withhold from the 
Norfolk and Norwich Horticultural Society the 
credit due to it of being the oldest association of 
Chrysanthemum growers in the country, nor of 
having held its first exhibition of Chrysanthemums 
in pots in 1829. The information furnished by the 
president of the National Chrysanthemum Society 
was to the effect that the late Mr. John Salter stated 
in his book on “ The Chrysanthemum " that " the 
first public show of cut blooms was held in Stoke 
Newington in 1846," and this was the information 
the president sought to convey to the company at 
the banquet. It is easy to understand that his state¬ 
ment was supposed to mean the first exhibition of 
Chrysanthemums held in England. The information 
given by Mr. Pollard is full of interest, and it comes 
before the Chrysanthemum-loving public at an 
appropriate time. Whether cut blooms were staged 
at Norwich as well as plants, is only a matter for 
inference, according to Mr. Pollard, and perhaps 
Mr. Salter's statement may be a correct one after 
all .—Richard Dean, Secretary, National Chrysanthemum 
Society. 
--4-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN THE NORTH. 
At the leading Scottish shows, as elsewhere, there is 
not much left to choose from in the excellence of the 
exhibits, even where numbers may vary exceedingly, 
there being such similarity in the flowers tabled, 
and so many bearing the same name that novelty is 
not a striking feature at exhibitions. The exhibition of 
Chrysanthemum flowers with stems a foot and a half 
long or less, and foliage entire, arranged in glasses, 
filled with water, is considered by many to be a 
system which will be likely to become general at Chry¬ 
santhemum shows. There have for some years past 
been classes arranged at some of the larger exhibi¬ 
tions for exhibits as indicated, and unquestionably 
such beautiful and natural looking objects are 
greatly admired. In private gardens Chrysanthe¬ 
mum plants are arranged among fine foliage and 
other plants with telling effect ; even where they are 
tall they are placed so that the long stems are hidden 
by stages, and the flowers, appearing singly, or in 
threes among the foliage, give a charming effect. 
In some leading nurseries plants are arranged to 
show the form, size, and colour of the flowers in 
order, which is of much importance when one is 
making a selection. 
We have gone to see several collections this 
season arranged in the form indicated. The large 
display at Messrs Dobbie & Company’s Nurseries, 
Rothesay, and that at the Botanic Gardens, 
Glasgow, are worthy of special notice. At that 
nursery so familiarly known as an emporium for dis¬ 
playing flowers when in season, there is an 
immense collection of Chrysanthemums in which are 
the best known varieties, also those which have 
recently come into existence as acquisitions. They 
are being proved at Rothesay, and by high cultiva¬ 
tion, correct verdicts may be relied on. Many a 
novelty suffers in reputation by reason of not having 
cultural attention, and honest vendors are also alive 
to the fact of withholding a recommendation from 
unworthy objects. Among the finest of flowers we 
noted at Rothesay (which had an advantage over 
those we admired in the dark St. Andrew’s Hall at 
Glasgow by being arranged in long glass structures), 
the new Japs, of 1896 were very promising. Arona 
promises to be one of the best yellows extant, 
Edith Tabor is very handsome, and Emily 
Salisbury is a grand white. John Seward is a 
very large and graceful pale yellow ; Lady Esther 
Smith, a white of fine substance and a grand 
flower ; Alice Seward is older than the foregoing, 
and a grand exhibition flower ; Chas. Davis, 
so well known, holds a high position ; Duchess of 
Wellington is a capital yellow ; Duke of York is a 
beautiful pink ; Good Gracious, pink ; Eva Knowles 
Guirlande, International, John Chretien, each extra 
fine; Madame Ad. Chatin, a fine dwarf white; 
Pride of Maidenhead, Lady Ridgeway, Mons. de 
la Motte (extia fine), Mrs. J. Lewis, Miss Ethel 
Addison, Master Bates Spaulding, Mons. Panc- 
koucke (one of the best } ellows), Noces d’Or, Nyanza, 
Robert Flowerday, Puritan, Sir J. Lawrence, 
Souvenir de Petite Amie, Van den Heede, Viviand 
Morel, William Seward, and William Fyfe were a 
few of the choicest and striking flowers in two of the 
houses. Mrs. A. Kirke, a delicate pink with yellow 
stripe, is quite new, very striking and a free-flowering 
variety ; Adelaide Russell and Stressa had special 
notice; Dorothy Gibson is a splendid yellow 
reflexed; Mdlle. Nathalie Brun is a good Anemone- 
flowered variety ; W. W. Astor is peculiar and 
pretty ; Ewan Cameron, Dolly Varden and Miss 
Anne Holden are other good things. In other 
groups were Australian Gold (in fine form), General 
Roberts, Mrs. T. Lewis, Mrs. Hume Long, Pride of 
Maidenhead, Mrs. W. H. Lees (a grand exhibition 
variety), President Carnot, and C. H. Curtis. 
Plants to supply cuttings are grown for that purpose 
alone, and are said to impart constitution and vigour 
to the stock. It may be to this practice that the 
sturdiness of habit and fine foliage of the plants at 
Rothesay is due. 
The best of the large collection at the Botanic 
Gardens of Glasgow in flower November 13th, 
were arranged in the large conservatory in the form 
of a huge pyramid with a large Palm in the centre, 
and the flowers were distinctly visible and legibly 
named. The base of the pyramid was about 100 ft. in 
circumference, and dwarf Palms lent elegance to the 
floral display. Mrs. D. Dewar, raised at the Botanic 
Gardens in 1895, is a fine white. In Japs., Madame 
Carnot, President Borrel, Mutual Friend, Chas. 
Davis, G. W. Childs, Avalanche, Louise, C. H. 
Curtis, H. Jocotot Fils, W. H. Lincoln, Viviand 
Morel, Eda Pras, Miss Rose, George McGee, Mons. 
Panckoucke, Niveus, Etoile de Lyon, Duchess of 
York, Marie Hoste, G. C. Schwabe, Lily Love, 
Edith Tabor, William Tricker, Souvenir de Petite 
Amie, Val d’Andorre, Lady Randolph, Boquet de 
Dames, Mons. Bernard, Mme. Ad. Chatin. Amiral 
Avellan, W. H. Lincoln, and Stanstead White, 
which are frequently renewed from Mr. Dewar’s 
immense stock, are some of the ’Mums which have 
created so much pleasure among many admirers.— 
M. Temple, Catron, N.B. 
-- - 
EXAMINATION IN HORTICULTURE. 
TUESDAY, APRIL 6th, 1897. 
1. The Council of the Royal Horticultural Society 
sympathising with the efforts of various county 
councils, technical institutes, schools, gardeners’ 
mutual improvement societies, and other bodies to 
promote instruction in practical horticulture by 
means of lectures, demonstrations, etc., and in the 
hope of rendering such teaching more definite and 
effective, have consented to hold an examination 
in horticulture on Tuesday, April 6th, 1897. 
2. The following is an outline syllabus, showing 
the nature of the subjects to which it is considered 
desirable that the attention of students should be 
drawn. 
Elementary Principles on which Horti¬ 
cultural Practice is Based. 
(1) Soils, good aod bad ; their nature and composi¬ 
tion : weeds and their eradication. 
(2) Requirements of growth—water, heat, air. 
(3) Seeds ; nature of, duration of vitality in, and 
modes of germination. 
(4) Roots: nature and functions of; fibrils and 
root-hairs ; what they do, and how they do it 
—what helps and what hinders them. 
(5) Stems and branches; their nature, work, and 
uses; helps and hindrances to their work. 
(6) Leaves: what they are, what they do ; helps 
and hindrances to their work. 
(7) Tubers and bulbs, leaf-buds and flower-buds. 
(8) Growth and development : increase in size and 
changes of composition and structure ; Forma¬ 
tion and storage of food materials. 
(9) Flowers : their component parts; what they 
do: artificial fertilisation. 
(10) Fruit: changes and development during 
ripening: forms and varieties, as, eg., Apple, 
Strawberry, Plum, etc. 
(11) Seed: formation of. 
(12) Variation and selection. 
(13) Names and orders of common garden plants, 
trees, etc., etc. 
Horticultural Operations and Practice. 
(1) Surveying and landscape gardening : elements 
of. 
(2) Choice of site for garden. 
(3) Description and use of implements under each 
head. 
(4) Operations connected with the cultivation of 
the land, with explanations and illustrations of 
good and bad methods : digging and trenching ; 
draining ; hoeing, stirring the soil, and weed¬ 
ing ; watering: preparation of seed beds; 
rolling and raking, sowing, transplanting and 
thinning; potting, planting ; aspects, positions 
and shelter ; staking ; earthing and blanch¬ 
ing, etc. 
(5) Propagation, elementary principles : cuttings, 
budding and grafting, stocks used, layering, 
division, branch pruning, root pruning ; old 
and youDg trees and bushes. Training. 
(6) Fruit culture : open air and under glass ; small 
fruits; Apples and Pears ; stone fruits; 
gathering and storing ; packing and market¬ 
ing; general knowledge of fruits, and selection 
of varieties. 
(7) Vegetable culture : tubers and roots ; green 
vegetables: fruits and seeds ; rotation of 
crops, and selection of varieties. 
(8) Flower culture, outside and under glass. 
(9) Manures and their application. 
(10) Improvement of plants by cross-breeding, 
hybridisation and selection. 
(11) Arboriculture: trees and shrubs and their 
culture. 
(12) Insect and fungus pests : prevention and treat¬ 
ment. 
3. Lecturers and teachers wishing their students to 
sit for the examination would do well to send to the 
secretary, Royal Horticultural Society, 117, Victoria 
Street, Westminster, two copies of the syllabus on 
which their lectures have been based at least ore 
month before date of examination. 
4. Students and young gardeners not having had 
the advantage of attending lectures, but wishing to 
present themselves at some one of the centres for 
examination would do well to communicate with the 
secretary of the society, and they might with 
advantage consult some of the following works : 
“ Primer of Botany ” (Macmillan & Co.), by Sir J. 
D. Hooker, K.C.S.I. ; “ Botany for Beginners ” and 
"Plant Life" (Bradbury, Agnew & Co.), by M. T. 
Masters, M.D., F'.R.S. ; - " Popular Gardening," 
4 vols. (Cassell & Co.), edited by D. T. Fish; 
" Epitome of Gardening ’’ (Adam Black & Co.), by 
T. Moore and M. T. Masters : " Agriculture," Parts 
I. andll. (John Murray), byj. Wright; " Physiology 
of Plants," by Prof. Sorauer (Longmans, Green & 
Co.) ; " Structural Botany," by Dr. D. H. Scott 
(Adam Black & Co.). 
5. The examination will be held simultaneously in 
as many different centres in Great Britain and 
Ireland as circumstances may demand. 
6. Theexamination forthe most part will be Based on 
the above outline syllabus of " Elementary Principles 
of Horticultural Operations and Practice," but 
arrangements will be made, as far as possible, to 
frame the questions so as to cover the ground of any 
syllabus sent up for that purpose. It will, however, 
in all cases, be absolutely essential to students to 
exhibit a sufficient [knowledge of [the " elementary 
principles ’’ named in the above syllabus. 
7. 300 marks will be given as a maximum. Candi¬ 
dates gaining 200 marks and over will be placed in the 
first class. Those gaining 150 to 200 will be placed 
in the second class, and those gaining between 100 
and 150 will be placed in the third class. Candidates 
failing to obtain 100 marks will not be classed. 
8 . The Royal Horticultural Society will award a 
Silver Gilt Medal to the candidate gaining the highest 
number of marks, and will also, if the county 
council or other body promoting the lectures wish it, 
deliver to their candidates certificates of the class in 
which they shall have passed. 
9. County councils, lecturers, etc., must send in to 
the society the actual number of candidates at each 
proposed centre at least ten days before the examina¬ 
tion takes place. 
10. Gardeners and students wishing to sit for the 
examination, but who have not attended any 
particular series of lectures, must send in their name 
and address, and also the name and address of some 
responsible person willing to conduct the examination 
(see par 14), to the secretary, R.H.S., 117, Victoria 
Street, Westminster, at least three weeks before the 
date of examination. 
11. Every student wishing to be examined must, 
as far as possible, give the information asked for on 
the form supplied him (Form A.). 
12. A small capitation fee of 3s. will be charged 
for every student, in order to partially defray the 
expenses of the examination. 
13. County councils, lecturers, and others desiring 
to have an examination held in their neighbourhood, 
must also send in the full name and address (with 
designation or occupation) of one responsible person 
for each proposed centre, who will undertake to 
supervise the examination in accordance with the 
society’s rules. 
14. N B.—The society is willing to hold an 
examination wherever a magistrate, or clergyman, 
schoolmaster, or other responsible person accustomed 
to examinations will consent to supervise one on the 
society's behalf, and in accordance with the rules 
laid down for its conduct. 
A stamped and directed envelope must be enclosed 
with all communications requiring a reply. 
