January 7, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
17 
types in this section are plentiful. What is known as the 
Butterfly section forms a decorative class. Jhey aie simil.u 
to the early flowering Japanese, the petals being spotted. 
Quilled and spidery varieties are also plentiful. 
“ The catalogue of Chinese Chrysanthemum names would 
form a nice contrast to that of an English florist. Herewith, 1 
give you a few examples translated:—Plum Ball, plum 
coloured incurved; Wasted Thread, single white; Pale 
Yellow Flower, a yellow form of a class they call Endive- 
flowered, the edges of the petals being scalloped are supposed 
to resemble flames ; Prickly Ear-ring, a purple hairy Japanese ; 
White Ribbon, white reflexed; Spotted Star Ball, spotted 
small early Japanese; Yang-fu Ribbon, reflexed, plum flushed 
with silver ; Golden Ball, large flowered incurved golden ; this 
has reference to the high price the varieties of this type once 
fetched. Thus we have Yellow Golden Ball, White Golden 
Ball, etc. The large reflexed varieties are known as Frost 
Balls. The flat petals are supposed to resemble hoar frost. 
“ The above mentioned Lotus section has usually the varie¬ 
ties denominated according to colour, such as Pink Lotus, 
White Lotus, Tiger's-leg Lotus, maroon with yellow reverse ; 
Golden Lotus, crimson with orange reverse; Sky-red, ground 
white describable as reddish-bronze with silver reverse. The 
spidery section is known as Pine-leaf Chrysanthemums. 
“ I sometimes wonder if our intelligent and more modern 
florists have in their nomenclature of the golden flower much 
improved on the ancient names of the Chinese when we con¬ 
trast such a name as Souvenir d’une petite Ainie with White 
Ribbon. Our English names are, however, modern, while 
some of the examples given are centuries old. I may cite as 
an example what an educated native enthusiast said in a con¬ 
versation with me. I called a plant a yellow Japanese, ‘Why 
a Japanese?' he inquired, rather indignantly. ‘ That plant has 
been registered in our Chrysanthemum book for over 500 
years.’ The Japanese had obtained what we call the Japanese 
section from China. The Japanese Chrysanthemums proper 
were the small decorative forms. That may be correct, and 
in face of recent discoveries very probable, though one has 
to make allowance for native conceit, which no amount of 
education ever lowers. 
About a fortnight ago, I, by invitation, and in company 
with another foreigner, visited the Chrysanthemum exhibits of 
the native gentry. This was arranged in the town garden of 
one of the members, which in reality is not a garden in our 
estimation, consisting as it does of twenty-four rooms or halls, 
or more correctly many of them are really large summer- 
houses, piles of rocks, with narrow passages, also caves, bridges 
and ponds, but no lawns, and scarcely a flower bed. 
" The plants were set up on stands varying in height from 
4 ft. to 8 ft., the best plant occupying the highest position. 
For some reason or other one variety, known as Yellow Tape or 
Ribbon, must always hold the most exalted position. The 
walls of the buildings in which the plants were shown were 
all hung with long drawings 18 ft. wide, and from 3 ft, to 5 ft. 
deep, entirely consisting of Chrysanthemums. Other paint¬ 
ings or other wall adornments on such an occasion would be 
considered improper. 
“ In conjunction with the show a dinner was given, and I 
made my first acquaintance with native food and chop-sticks, 
with which I fear I did not make much speed, yet (although 
they had thoughtfully provided a knife and fork for me) I 
stuck to them manfully, and so managed to convey more food 
to my lips than I would care to do often. After dining for 
about an hour, during which time twenty-five dishes or courses 
had been tasted, cloths wrung out in hot water were handed 
round with which to wipe the hands. This was followed by 
cigars, and we were at liberty to saunter round and admire 
the flowers. 
“ On our return to the tables dinner was still proceeding 
merrily, sweets and fruits being served course by course in 
painful and regular order, followed by fowls, fish, etc., dish 
after dish being laid on the table and removed to be succeeded 
by another long after every one had given over the attempt 
to hide any more. During the meal, which lasted two and a 
half hours, the proceedings were enlivened by numerous t/iris 
who dropped in, sang one or two songs accompanied by a 
cross-bred violin, something between a banjo and a mandoline, 
which they played. 
Chinese Method of Culture. 
“ In describing the usual method of growing, pegging and 
staking Chrysanthemums, I should have said that the system 
is not that of the Chinese; in fact, the natives say it is a 
foreign method. The system employed by the natives, who 
grow them for their own house decoration and native exhibi¬ 
tion, and which they call the proper Chinese custom, is as 
follows:—The cuttings are taken late in spring rooted in 
beds in the open. After they are thoroughly rooted they are 
potted so to speak between two concave roofing tiles, each 
about G in. deep, and when tied together they form a bottom¬ 
less pot about 6 in. in diameter. Here the plants remain 
regularly fed with diluted night soil and Bean cake, pinched 
occasionally so that they break freely near the base of the 
stem. The stems to the number of six to twelve are carefully 
disbudded each to one bud. 
“ After the bud is taken the plants are arranged in rows 
facing south, and usually shaded on the north. These rough 
and ready pots are tilted by placing a piece of brick or tile 
underneath them on the north side. This induces the stems 
to incline to one side, so that a plant in flower presents the 
appearance of a badly grown one-sided window specimen. The 
object of this is that all the flowers may be seen from the 
front, the pots usually being arranged with their backs against 
a wall on pedestals of various heights from 4 ft. to 9 ft. The 
stems are usually about 2 ft. to 3 ft. long, and as no stakes 
are used they present a graceful appearance when viewed from 
the front, 
“ It may be noted, however, that the plants are not taken 
into the rooms in these rough pots, but as they come into 
bloom, and their worth or otherwise is observed, they are 
transferred into porcelain pots, usually blue, and some painted, 
about 10 in, long, 6 in. wide, and 6 in. deep. They, of course, 
vary in size, and frequently a good plant has a background of 
small pieces of some valuable stone set in the pot.” 
Letter to the Editor. 
Begonia Gloire de Lorraine. 
To tire Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,—In your issue of December 10th, 1904, you have a 
note on the splendid display of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, 
and if “ A. Y. M., Wishaw,” had seen this fine lot at Tollcross 
Park, Glasgow, he would have been able to add another to 
the two places where he had seen it well done. It is surely 
a sweeping assertion he makes on page 1038, and is a slur on 
the gardeners of “ Auld Scotia ” that only a few of them can 
grow these Begonias. What about the grand plants shown at 
Edinburgh? Were they not good examples of high culture? 
One would have no difficulty in naming a dozen places that 
do not exhibit where they are well done, and I daresay more 
that we know not of. Many good things are in existence 
though in our limited experience we have not time to see them. 
Through the kindness of Mr. 1). Wilson I am able to send 
you a sprig or two to let you see what can be done in Glasgow 
“ reek.” It may be of interest to know that the terrible foe: 
we had this winter had no bad effects on the Begonias. Per¬ 
haps the secret lay in the temperature maintained, viz., 50 deg. 
steady night and day all the time of the frost and fog. 
Visitor. 
[Our correspondent sent us a spray of the ordinary B. Gloire 
de Lorraine and another of the variety Rothsehildi, which 
we should say is correctly named Mrs. Leopold de Roths¬ 
child. Both of them were simply one mass of flowers, the 
inflorescence in each case being very much branched or 
ramified, and the flowers so numerous that the foliage of the 
plants must be completely hidden.— Ed.] 
