December 9, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
915 
« SOCIETY DOINGS. ® 
The Editor will be pleased to receive particulars oj the Fixtures, Meetings, Lectures, d-c., oj 
Horticultural Societys. Secretaries or Members willing to send us brief notes of general interest are 
invited to forward name and address to the Editor, who will gladly send supply of stamped addressed 
contributors' slips. 
X.B.—Secretaries and others who kindly send 
us particulars of Society Doings are again re¬ 
minded that, owing to our limited space, we 
can not insert reports of shows and lists of prize 
competitions and winners. 
The Ugly Word “Mum.” 
Performing the opening ceremony of the South- 
port and Birkdale Society’s Chrysanthemum 
Show, Sir George Pilkington incidentally com¬ 
plained of the designation of the show on the 
placards in front of the Pier. “ They have stuck 
the ugly word ‘Mum’ on the poster,” he said. 
" ' Mum ’ is not the word ! Chrysanthemum is 
a beautiful word, and if we must- shorten it let 
it be the first, and not the latter portion. It is 
too lovely a word to be emasculated in this way.” 
We live at such a great pace these days that 
many of us grudge the time taken in pronouncing 
lengthy words, and so clip a syllable off the 
beginning or the ending, and make it do service 
for the whole, but the trifling economy' of time 
thus effected is at the expense of elegance and 
purity of ruction. Many people likely enough lop 
off their penults or antepenults out of sheer affecta¬ 
tion, or from a slovenly habit of mind and speech. 
Nowadays, however, the use of slang and of 
mutilated words is not confined to the lower 
classes; it is, of course, de rigueur in the smart 
set, and is fast poisoning the conversation of even 
the cultured and well-bred. One need not be 
pedantic to object to the term “Mum,” for it is 
a distinctly ugly word applied to an undeniably 
charming flower. 
Risen from its Ashes. 
Like the fabled bird, the Surbiton, Kingston 
and District Chrysanthemum Society has risen 
out of the ashes of the association which, to 
the regret of many, a few months ago became 
defunct. The old society, however, bore the 
name of the “ Kingston and Surbiton,” and in its 
palmy days the show under this name was 
known far and wide as one of the best of its 
kind in the country. The cult of the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum is not what it once was in the ancient 
borough of Kingston, but it is to be hoped, now 
Surbiton has taken the lead in resuscitating the 
association, that the affection for the queen of 
autumn blooms will be rekindled. The interests 
of these adjoining Surrey towns are identical, 
and the rivalry which has existed between them 
has always been of a friendly nature. The pre¬ 
sence of the Mayor of Kingston at the new 
society’s first show may be taken as an omen 
that these amicable relations will continue. We 
heartily wish the revivified society a long and 
vigorous lease of life. 
Flowers as Political Emblems. 
There is a good deal to be. said against the 
fashion of employing flowers as political emblems. 
Colonel Bromley-Davenport, speaking at the 
opening of the Macclesfield and District Chrysan¬ 
themum Society’s show, remarked that the Chry¬ 
santhemum appeared to him to be a good flower 
to be worn by the adherents of political parties, 
though why was not very plain. Again, Lord 
St. Levan, at the Penzance Chrysanthemum 
Show, observed that in cultivating the Chrysan¬ 
themum they were giving testimony to the value 
they attached to the alliance between this 
country and Japan. There are few real lovers of 
flowers, we imagine, few genuine admirers of the 
Chrysanthemum, who, whatever their estimate or 
opinion of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, but will 
regret that such a construction should be put on 
their attachment to a beautiful and universally 
esteemed flower. Mirny Conservatives resent the 
conversion of the Primrose into a political em¬ 
blem. We contend that to attach a party signi¬ 
fication to these charming creations is wholly 
deplorable, and subversive of The benign in¬ 
fluences which they were intended to dispense. 
The N.R.S. 
The National Rose Society will hold their 
twenty-ninth annual general meeting at the rooms 
of the Horticultural Club, Hotel Windsor, West¬ 
minster, on Thursday afternoon, the 7th anst., 
when the committee will make their report, and 
other business will be transacted. In the even¬ 
ing the society’s annual dinner will take place 
at the Hotel Windsor, Mr. Charles E. Shea pre¬ 
siding. The toast-list and selection of music, 
which looks very attractive, will be under the 
direction of Mr. Harry Stubbs (St. Paul’s Cathe- 
Diary of Shows and Meetings. 
Abbreviations used. 
A.—Association > G.—Gardening or gardener 
Am.—Amateurs j H.—Horticultural 
Chy.—Chrysanthemum ) At.I.—Mutual Improvement 
c.m.—Committee meeting ) m.m.—Monthly meeting 
Cott.—Cottage or cottagers' j S.—Society 
D.—District ) w.m.—Weekly meeting 
Thus The Templeton G. Am. and Colt. M. I. H. S.— 
(Gardeners, Amateurs, and Cottagers' Mutual Improvement 
Horticultural Society.) 
vwvwv 
DECEMBER. 
11th.—National Chry. S. (c.m.); Harrow H.S. 
(annual m.); Horsforth G.M.I.S. (w.m.) ; 
North Lonsdale Chry. S. (annual m.); 
Cranbrook and Weald of Kent G. and 
Cott. M.I.S. (annual m.); Hastings, St. 
Leonards and D. H.M.I.S. (m.m.) ; 
Charing H.S. (m.m.) ; Sutton-in-Ashfield 
H.S. (m.m.). 
12th.—Taunton Deane H. and Floral S. (annual 
m.) ; Society of Jersey Gardeners (m.m.) ; 
Biddenden Cott. G.M.I.S. (m.m.) ; 
Milton and Sittingbourne H.S. (m.m.) ; 
R-edhill, Reigate and D. G.M.I.A. (bi- 
m.m.); Cardiff G.A. (bi-m.m.). 
13th.—East Anglian (Norwich) H. Club (annual 
m.); Newport (Mon.) and D. G.M.I.A. 
(bi-m.m.); Sheffield Chry. S. (m.m.); 
Nottingham and Notts Clin-. S. (m.m.) ; 
Wargrave and D. G.A. (m.m.). 
14th.—Asage and D. H.S. (annual m.); Woking 
H.A. (m.m.) ; Studlev H.S. (m.m.) ; 
Kidderminster and D. H.S. (bi-m.m.). 
15th.—Dundee Chry. S. (annual m.); Weybridge 
and D. H.S. (annual m.) ; Stockport 
H.M.I.S. (m.m.). 
16th.—Leeds Paxton S. (w.m.). 
dral), who will be assisted by the Georgian 
Singers. This annual gathering' of rosarians is 
always a delightful function, and those who would 
like to be present should communicate with the 
hon. secretary, Mr. Edward Mawley. 
Regrettable Dissolutions. 
Like the rivulet of Tennyson’s song, societies 
may come and societies may go, but horticulture 
goes on for ever. Some societies are remarkably 
long-lived, others again die young, and yet 
others lead a more or less invalid existence. ' It 
is a pleasure to us to record the birth of another 
of these eminently useful organisations, just as 
it is painful to register the passing of one of 
them. Reports have just come to hand of the 
demise of two societies. One is the Coltishall, 
Horstead, and Great Hautbois H.S., and the 
other the Wingate H.S. At the last meeting of 
the Norfolk society, the following resolution was 
passed :—“ That there being so little interest 
shown by the exhibitors and parishioners gener¬ 
ally with regard to the provision of a fund where¬ 
with to make it possible to continue the society, 
the Coltishall, Horstead, and Great Hautbois 
Horticultural Society be now dissolved.” In the 
case of the Durham society, which, has had a 
very successful career of twenty-five years, a 
heavy debt has been incurred owing to inclement 
weather last show day. The colliery officials 
contributed largely to the management and suc¬ 
cess of the show, and they' have had to withdraw 
their assistance chiefly because the miners, to a 
large number, absent themselves from the’mine 
on Monday and Tuesday following the show. 
The miners were asked to forego August Bank 
Holiday and accept flower show Mondav, but 
they refused, and hence the action of the sub¬ 
committee. It is to be hoped that some way- will 
be found of restarting these two societies. 
Another Eclipse. 
“ It; is the best show I have seen in the coun¬ 
try. ... It eclipses the National Show.” 
is, according to the “Hampshire Observer,” the 
°P! n ; o “ ex P ressed by an expert of the twentv- 
uo “brysant hemum show of the Winchester 
ttty- this grand success was partly due to the 
splendid organisation, and it is a coincidence 
that it should have come in the year when the 
hon. secretary, Mr. Chaloner Shen'ton, holds the 
Mayoralty of the city. 
The dinner of the Ancient Societv of‘York 
hlorists was, as usual, a big success, and there 
was a, lot of speech-making of the mutual ad¬ 
miration order. As a matter of fact, the mem¬ 
bers have every reason to congratulate them¬ 
selves and each other on the wonderful success 
achieved by the society and the high water mark 
attained by their flower shows, which, as the 
Lord Mayor ot Pork observed, would bear com¬ 
parison with any m the countrv. "Time was” 
said Mr. J. R. Dawe, the hon. treasurer, “ when 
an vieiw al | C< t S • TPere a SOUrce of considerable 
a ninety but .since w e came to have about 800 
hndv” members have become a strong 
body He was proud ot the present magnitude 
R H el Ver ^'w Tile Lord Ma y° r (Alderman 
man W X tl agge) aDd the S bcriff (Aider- 
man M. Bentley) again promised to rive the 
special prize ot £10 10s„ and Mr. Potter Kirbv 
^ led . t re £ eat llIS special prize of £5 Ns. The 
' e “.h> by the way, who had just come from a 
meeting convened for the purpose of considering 
means ot preventing consumption, expressed the 
pinion that the society was doing somethin^- 
towards that end. He did not know a healthier 
class of men than those whose occupation or 
recreation lay in digging the sol and sowing the 
To. perpetuate the memorv of that emin 
„ e society—of which societv. bv the wav 
was president at the time of his' death-areTope 
mg for funds for a Dean Hole memorial P *r 
appomled b^'Ilm NR iath f^ of trust 
«•* »f tyi't it the form of'medals 
gte ns ;ir i / eii,,b “‘' • t “ i1 d «.\„i 
.I ‘iEsrhi'tote n 
Uibute to this fund should write to Mr” Edwi 
MeT Herts 6 t’)' SeC / eUr - v ’ * oseb ™k. Berkha 
subs'eribed!*' r nearl - T £200 h ‘^ e b e 
Croydon and District H.M.I.S. 
, j 1 much-appreciated lecture on Auriculas w 
delivered by Mr. F. N. Price, of Beckenha 
before the members of the Croydon and Dktr 
Hoiticultural Mutual Improvement Society A 
