78 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  25,  1900. 
Mrs.  G.  Carpenter. 
This  is  a  valuable  Chrysanthemum  to  grow  for  the  supply  of  late 
pink  blooms,  a  colour  that  is  very  scarce.  The  variety  does  not  lend 
itself  to  a  mass  of  bloom,  as  many  of  the  side  buds  will  not  open; 
but  a  plant  in  a  9-incb  pot  will  perfect  a  dozen  or  more  charming 
flowers  about  4  inches  across  as  late  as  Christmas. — H. 
Clinton  Chalfont. 
On  page  26  Mr.  IMolyneux  mentions  a  white  sport  from  this 
fine  decorative  variety.  Many  catalogues  also  quote  white  Clinton 
Chalfont.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  known  that  Clinton  Chalfont  is  a 
yellow  sport  from  a  white  variety,  J.  H.  White,  and  the  apparent 
sport  from  the  yellow  is  simply  a  reversion  to  the  parent. — 
W.  J.  Godfrey. 
Tellow  Etoile  de  Lyon. 
I  HAVE  before  me  a  pure  yellow  sport  of  this  one  time  favourite 
which  gives  promise  of  being  valuable  for  late  flowering.  Like 
all  other  sports,  the  newcomer  has  the  parental  characteristics. 
Whether  it  will  be  as  much  sought  after  by  exhibitors  as  its  parent, 
time  only  will  prove,  but  if  it  is  cultivated  only  for  the  production  of 
late  flowers  in  quantity  it  will  serve  a  useful  purpose. — E.  M. 
J.  Chamberlain. 
Those  who  have  not  tried  this  crimson  variety  for  late  flowering 
should  do  so.  The  blooms  hold  their  rich  tint  remarkably  well 
quite  up  to  Christmas,  and  the  habit  of  the  plant  lends  itself  to  a 
bushy  specimen.  We  were  more  than  pleased  with  it  compared  with 
the  other  best  crimson  sorts.  It  is  a  trifle  small  for  exhibition 
purposes.  This  has  caused  many  to  regard  the  variety  with  less 
lavour  than  it  deserves  for  general  culture. — S. 
Crimson  Carnot. 
Certainly  the  note  on  page  6  of  the  Journal  was  enough  to 
whet  the  appetite  of  all  Chrysanthemum  lovers.  Yet  after  reading  it 
one  feels  a  bit  sceptical.  A  crimson  Carnot  must  be  obtained  as  a 
sport  to  be  the  same  as  the  parent,  except  colour,  and  we  have  not 
up  to  now  heard  of  a  crimson  colour  coming  from  either  a  white  or  a 
yellow. 
A  form  resembling  the  charming  type  named  may  of  course  he 
raised  from  seed,  but  to  call  the  same  Crimson  Carnot  would  be  mis- 
b  ading.  A  variety  already  exists — Hon.  W.  F.  I).  Smith — which  has 
been  described  by  the  high-sounding  title  that  heads  this  note,  but 
who  that  has  grown  it  does  not  think  the  same  a  bit  overdone  ? 
Another  misleading  instance  is  the  variety  named  Eed  L.  Canning. 
This  was  obtained  from  seed ;  not  as  a  sport  from  the  type.  It 
somewhat  resembles  L.  Canning,  in  being  a  dwarf  grower,  and  is 
fairly  late,  but  it  should  not  have  been  awarded  a  first-class  certificate 
because  of  that,  as  Red  L.  Canning.  The  new  one  at  once  gained  a 
notoriety  its  merits  did  not  deserve.— Sceptic. 
Show  Scheeules. 
Mr.  E.  Molynedx  takes  exception  (p.26)  to  my  advocacy  of  standard 
and  pyramidal-trained  Chrysanthemum  plants.  I  am,  however,  not 
by  any  means  alone  in  the  opinion  that  their  inclusion  would  relieve 
the  monotony  presented  by  an  assemblage  of  the  usual  bush-trained 
plants,  which  require  a  host  of  inartistic  stakes  to  bring  them  into  shape. 
From  an  exhibitor’s  point  of  view  no  doubt  the  latter  system  is  favoured, 
owing  to  the  greater  facility  it  has  in  affording  a  wide  area  for  a  more 
direct  face  of  the  blooms  when  staged,  and  also  less  trouble  incurred  in 
training  the  specimens  into  shape  than  that  entailed  by  the  systems 
advocated.  Furthermore,  I  fail  to  see  any  more  objection  to  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  plants  gFOwn  as  indicated  than  the  almost  mathematically 
trained  specimen  plants,  such  as  Indian  Azaleas,  Ericas,  Ixoras,  Ste- 
phanotis,  Allamandas,  Aphelexis,  and  a  host  of  others,  which  form 
so  great  a  feature  at  the  principal  flower  shows. 
Respecting  “  miscellaneous  groups  arranged  for  effect,”  I  am  fully 
cognisant  that,  in  a  general  way,  schedules  allow  the  proviso  that 
“ornamental  foliagea  ”  and  other  plants  may  be  introduced  into 
Chrysanthemum  groups,  but  what  I  intended  to  convey  was  the 
desirability  of  offering  prizes  for  groups  of  plants,  exclusive  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  or  otherwise,  according  to  the  means  or  taste  of  the 
exhibitor. — W.  G. 
[Our  contributor  is  still  under  a  misapprehension.  We  may  repeat 
that  prizes  are  frequently  offered  for  groups  of  miscellaneous  flower¬ 
ing  and  foliage  plants  at  Chrysanthemum  shows  from  which  the 
autumn  queen  is  rigidly  excluded. j 
Kingston  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
At  a  recent  fortnightly  meeting  of  the  Kingston  Hill  Gardeners’ 
Improvement  Society,  Mr.  Alexander  Dean  delivered  an  excellent 
paper  on  flower  shows,  which  was  listened  to  with  interest  by  his 
audience.  ]\Ir.  Dean  afterwards  introduced  the  subject  of  the  Kingston 
Chrysanthemum  Society — viz.,  was  it  desirable  to  continue  that 
Society  or  substitute  a  summer  exhibition  in  its  place  ? 
This  produced  an  animated  discussion  from  one  or  two  of  the 
Committee  of  this  Society  (who  had  been  invited  to  attend  the 
lecture),  and  also  from  several  of  the  members  of  the  Gardeners’ 
Society,  who  have  not  as  yet  given  any  support  to  their  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  loving  brethren.  The  chief  grievance  seemed  to  be  that 
the  collector  had  not  called  on  them  all  for  subscriptions,  which  I 
hope  will  be  remedied  when  another  season  comes  round.  A  simple 
remedy  for  this  evil  would  have  been  to  have  sent  or  taken  their 
subscription. 
A  proposition  to  limit  the  exhibition  to  the  boundaries  of  the 
Kingston  poor  law  union  found  a  good  deal  of  favour  amongst  those 
present.  In  support  of  this  it  was  urged  that  the  large  amount  of 
money  spent,  in  the  principal  open  classes  in  past  years  brought  no 
appreciative  return,  either  in  competition  or  subscriptions.  This, 
without  doubt,  is  perfectly  true,  owing  perhaps  to  the  numerous 
shows  now  hold  on  nearly  the  same  dates,  and  also  the  fact  that  large 
growers  usually  take  their  test  flowers  where  the  prizes  are  most 
attractive. 
One  speaker  in  suggesting  improvements  in  the  Kingston  schedule 
went  in  strongly  for  introducing  classes  for  Chrysanthemums  staged 
in  vases,  similar  to  those  seen  at  the  Aquarium  and  elsewhere.  I 
should  certainly  agree  with  him,  to  include  a  class  or  two  staged  in 
vases,  especially  so  in  the  amateur  and  cottagers’  sections,  which  are 
too  often  neglected,  in  suitable  classes  for  the  display  of  their  flowers. 
It  is  questionable,  however,  if  large  classes  lor  Japanese,  at  local 
exhibitions,  draw  the  amount  of  competition  that  is  expected  of  them. 
At  Wimbledon,  for  instance,  the  chief  class  which  was  staged  in  vases 
drew  one  competitor ;  whilst  at  Putney  a  similar  class  brought  two 
exhibitors.  Single  vases  at  Wimbledon,  however,  made  a  splendid 
show,  nearly  a  dozen  competing  in  one  particular  class,  which  clearly 
shows  that  whilst  many  can  stage  a  few  blooms  it  is  only  a  limited 
number  who  show  in  the  larger  classes. 
A  great  point  in  favour  of  long-stemmed  flowers  is  their  useful¬ 
ness  for  home  decoration  after  the  show ;  whereas  their  shorter- 
legged  brethren  of  the  board  are  practically  valueless,  more  especially 
the  front  row  flowers.  Classes  for  Violets  were  also  mentioned,  but 
these  it  appears  have  already  been  tried  at  Kingston  without  much 
success.  A  plant  that  has  received  much  attention  in  the  locality 
might  well  be  honoured  with  recognition  in  the  schedule — viz.,  the 
pink  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine.  A  class  for  twelve  or  nine  pots 
would  make  a  striking  and  effective  display,  and,  judging  by  its  popu¬ 
larity  in  the  district,  a  strong  competition  would  be  forthcoming. 
The  difficulty  of  securing  a  suitable  building  is  also  a  vexed 
question,  the  Drill  Hall  being  a  large  structure,  although  perhaps  in 
past  years  it  was  small  enough.  The  situation  of  the  hall  is  also 
not  exactly  central,  but,  as  Mr.  Dean  remarked,  this  probably  does 
not  affect  the  attendance  to  any  extent.  The  re-introduction  of 
Chrysanthemum  groups  would  also  tend  to  brighten  and  fill  the  sides 
of  the  hall,  making  separate  and  smaller  groups  for  single-handed 
gardeners,  who  are  another  division  of  gardeners  that  too  few  classes 
are  usually  provided  for,  according  to  their  means  and  advantages. 
The  Society,  as  it  ^stands  now  (we  were  informed  by  the  Chair 
man)  is  clear  of  debt,  therefore  any  idea  of  its  ceasing  to  exist  should 
not  be  entertained,  as,  with  a  good  working  Committee  and  an 
energetic  Secretary,  surely  the  Kingston  Show  could  be  once  moie 
put  on  a  firm  basis. 
Towards  the  close  of  the  meeting  Mr.  A.  Dean  was  proposed  as 
successor  to  Mr.  Elsam  (who  has  lately  resigned  the  secretaryship),  but 
Mr.  Dean  firmly  declined  the  honour,  his  time  being  fully  occupied 
with  other  work.  Perhaps  a  more  fitting  occasion  to  nominate  a 
Secretary  would  be  at  the  annual  general  meeting  of  the  members  of 
the  Kingston  and  Surbiton  Chrysanthemum  Society. — Exhibitor. 
Aquilegia  pyrenaica.  —  An  excellent  article  on  page  32  gave  a 
very  interesting  account  of  the  larger  number  of  the  Aquilegias  or 
Columbines.  One  charming  species  not  mentioned  in  that  article,  and 
which  is  particularly  suitable  for  small  rock  gardens,  is  A.  pyrenaica,  a 
small  and  giaceful-looking  Columbine  from  the  Pyrenees.  It  seldom 
attains  to  a  height  of  more  than  a  foot,  and  is  commonly  seen  dwarfer. 
It  has  finely  cut  leaves,  and  handsome  deep  blue  flowers,  which  open  from 
May  to  June.  It  grows  well  in  sandy  peat;  but,  although  it  likes 
ample  drainage,  does  not  do  well  in  a  very  dry  soil.  Some  plants  I 
have  on  a  rather  dry  rockery  have  bloomed  and  grown  in  a  less  satis- 
factoiy  way  than  those  on  another  which  had  moister  soil.  This 
Pyrenean  Columbine  is  not  a  new  occupant  of  our  gardens,  as  it  was 
introduced  iu  the  year  1818.  It  may  be  increased  by  division,  but  it  is 
also  easily  raised  from  seeds. — S.  A. 
