134 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  15,  1900. 
Kingston  and  Surbiton  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
T HE  annual  general  meeting  of  this  Society  was  held  at  the 
Kingston  Coffee  Tavern  on  the  evening  of  Monday,  FeVruary  12th. 
'I'here  was  an  unusually  large  attendance  of  members.  Mr.  William 
Drewett  presided. 
The  report  showed  that  the  Committee  have  closed  the  accounts 
for  the  year  1899  in  a  better  condition  than  for  a  time  seemed  possible, 
though  they  regret  that  it  has  not  been  done  without  falling  back  on 
Eule  6  of  the  Society,  which  says :  “The  full  amount  of  prizes  offered 
will  be  paid  if  the  funds  admit ;  but  should  they  prove  insufficient 
they  will  be  paid  in  propoition  to  the  funds.” 
Having  briefly  stated  the  drawbacks  under  which  the  Committee 
have  had  to  labour  for  two  years,  it  is  pleasing  to  be  able  to  present  a 
balance-sheet  showing  a  sum  in  band  of  £1  14s.  9d.  To  that  has 
since  been  added  two  other  sums  got  in,  increasing  the  balance  to 
£3  Ss.  8d.,  and  hopes  are  entertained  of  recovering  a  little  more. 
The  Society  now  stands  clear  of  all  pecuniary  obligations,  though 
it  had  been  hoped  to  realise  sufficient  to  make  up  the  prize  money 
to  the  full  amount.  In  these  encouraging  circumstances  the  Com¬ 
mittee  appeal  for  continued  support  from  subscribers,  and  give  the 
assurance  that  strenuous  efforts  will  be  put  forth  to  make  the  twenty- 
fourth  exhibition  of  the  Kingston  and  Surbiton  Chrysanthemum 
Societj’’  more  attractive  by  providing  additional  classes  for  “small 
growers”  and  amateurs. 
The  Committee  desire  to  acknowledge  the  liberality  of  Sir  Whittaker 
and  Lady  Ellis,  and  thank  the  worthy  Baronet  for  doing  the  Society 
the  honour  of  being  its  President  during  the  year  he  filled  the  office  of 
High  Sheriff'  of  Surrey. 
This  report  and  balance-sheet  was  adopted  without  material 
discussion,  and  was  regarded  as  particularly  satisfactory.  Mr.  A.  Dean 
remarked  that  the  Society  was  under  great  obligation  to  Mr.  Drewett, 
who  had,  in  his  capacity  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  been  thus 
able  to  place  before  the  members  so  excellent  a  financial  statement. 
Sir  J.  \Vhittaker  Ellis,  Bart.,  Hiyh  Sheriff  of  the  county  of  Surrey, 
was  unanimously  elected  to  the  position  of  Pn-sident.  The  list  of 
AHce-Presidents  and  Lady  Patronesses,  rather  lengthy  ones,  was  left 
to  the  Committee  to  revise  and  complete.  Mr.  A.  W.  Homersham 
was  unanimously  re-elected  Treasurer,  being  also  thanked  for  his 
services,  and  Mr.  W.  Hayward,  florist,  Fife  Eoad,  Kingston,  was 
elected  Secretary. 
A  tough  contest  then  took  place  for  the  membership  of  Com¬ 
mittee,  twenty  members  having  to  be  elected,  twenty- three  persons 
being  proposed.  The  voting  was  by  ballot,  and  it  was  found  that 
Messrs.  '\V.  Drew’ett,  W.  E.  Wells,  A.  Dean,  Eandall,  Hawkes, 
Pitcher,  Neave.  Cusbon,  Blencowe,  Smart,  Lane,  Atkins,  Dorsett, 
Hill- Jenkins,  Watts,  Bolton,  McCormack,  Gibbons,  and  Pead  were 
elected.  Of  this  number  twelve  were  gardeners,  and  representative  of 
a  wide  district.  It  was  agreed  to  hold  a  meeting  of  the  Committee 
on  the  18th  inst.  A  cordial  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman  closed 
the  proceedings. 
Madame  Carnot  and  Other  Sports. 
Many  growers  will  welcome  the  Crimson  Carnot  with  open  arms, 
but  Irom  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Wells  we  may  infer  that  he  is  far 
from  satisfied  that  he  has  the  correct  thing.  Your  correspondent  is 
not  the  only  grower  to  whom  Mr.  Perkins  wrote  to  inquire  as  to  the 
value  of  the  “sport,”  and  one  asked  fur  information  as  to  whether  it 
was  a  stem  or  root  sport,  to  which  request  no  reply  has  been  received. 
How  many  have  fancied  that  they  had  sports  by  a  plant  coming  contrary 
to  the  colour  exjiected,  when  it  was  simply  a  matter  of  cutting  or  label 
getting  into  the  wrong  pot.  Mr.  Wells  says  the  bloom  on  the  plant 
was  similar  to  John  Shrimpton,  and  attributes  the  short  florets  to  the 
cramped  pot  room.  Most  growers’  experience  of  a  late  and  poorly 
grown  bloom  of  Madame  Carnot  is  that  the  florets  come  long  and 
narrow  and  the  bloom  quite  opposite  in  form  to  J.  Shrimpton.  Your 
correspondent  further  hopes  that  the  buds  in  the  small  plant  will  come 
the  same  colour.  Surely  a  plant  rooted  in  May  and  giving  a  crimson 
bloom  in  December  is  not  likely  to  revert  to  white  again  in  February  ? 
Anyhow  it  is  a  most  extraordinary  occurrence  that  the  most 
beautiful  white  variety  should  favour  us  with  two  shades  of  yellow, 
then  a  pink,  and  now  a  crimson.  It  will  be  the  first  time,  I  believe, 
that  a  white  has  sported  to  a  crimson.  Whenever  the  “  Crimson 
Carnot,”  pure  and  simple,  is  beyond  dispute,  it  will  be  the  finest 
acquisition  of  recent  years. 
Writing  of  sjiorts,  is  it  not  remarkable  how  constitution  and  habit 
of  growth  are  frequently  altered?  With  Madame  Desgrange  the 
yellow  sports  are  later  in  bloom  and  better  in  foliage.  Now  we  have 
a  while  sport  which  is  whiter  and  larger  than  the  parent.  Ou  the 
other  hand  how  many  times  has  Mrs.  Kitson,  the  white  sport  of 
Yiviand  Morel,  been  found  on  the  exhibition  board  ?  With  most,  if 
not  all  growers,  it  can  only  be  got  one-half  the  size  of  its  parents. 
Then  who  can  (or  could)  grow  Mrs.  Trafford  equal  to  its  parent, 
W.  Tricker  ?  and  finally,  who  has  seen  the  Cr.mson  Pride  of  Madford 
(Mabel  Kerslake  and  Pride  of  Stokell)  to  equal  in  size  and  form  their 
parents  ?  1 1  is  very  plain  that  sports  do  vary  considerably  in  habit 
and  constitution  as  well  as  in  the  colour  ot  blooms. — W.  J.  Godfrey. 
The  Queen. 
The  Queen  is  not  a  new  variety,  but  was  sent  over  irom  America 
in  1894,  or,  perhaps,  one  year  earlier.  It,  however,  received  a  certifi¬ 
cate  on  November  17th,  1894,  from  the  Floral  Committee  .of  the 
N.C.S.,  wheie  it  was  staged  by  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones.  During  that  and 
two  subsequent  years  I  grew  plants  of  it  for  the  production  of 
exhibition  blooms,  but  being  unsuitable  for  that  purpose,  and  develop¬ 
ing  suitable  traits  in  its  character  for  late  blossoms,  it  was  relegated 
to  that  position,  and  has  been  grown  thus  ever  since  with  success. 
— E.  Molyneux. 
Decorative  Chrysanthemums. 
“  W.  S.,  Wilts,''  asks  on  page  98  for  information  respecting  deco¬ 
rative  varieties,  and  especially  those  suitable  for  January  cutting, 
asserting  that  there  are  not  many  varieties  that  can  be  claimed  to  i  e 
January  flowering  under  natural  conditions.  We  must  first  form  an 
idea  what  is  “natural.”  I  suppose  a  plant  that  is  rooted  in  heat, 
grown  in  a  pot,  the  growths  stopped  and  tied  to  stakes,  and  the 
growths  or  buds  in  any  way  trimmed  or  restricted  cannot  be  called 
natural  growth,  I  take  it  “  W.  S.”  means  late  flowering  without 
special  treatment. 
During  the  past  season  I  caused  to  be  grown  nearly  4000  plants 
in  over  100  varieties  solely  with  the  object  of  discovering  which  were 
best  for  decorative  or  market  purposes!,  and  I  may  add  such  experi¬ 
ment  will  not  again  be  repeated — at  least,  upon  such  an  extensive 
scale,  lor  although  the  trial  has  been  instructive  and  interesting  it  was 
far  from  remunerative. 
There  is,  comparatively  speaking,  very  little  demand  for  decorative 
varieties,  and  those  wffio  grow  them  are  not  struck  with  tie  “Mum 
fever  ”  to  anything  like  the  same  degree  as  are  growers  of  exhi¬ 
bition  Japs.  In  spite  of  all  that  is  being  said  as  to  the  little 
encouragement  given  to  Anemone  -  flowered,  single  -  flowered,  and 
other  sections,  it  is  the  monster  b'ooms  of  the  Japanese  section  on 
the  formal  green  boards  which  have  promoted,  and  will  continue  to 
promote,  the  fancy  lor  Chrysanthemums.  And  a.gain,  in  spite  of  all 
that  is  being  written  about  colour,  form,  and  freshness  of  the  blooms, 
size  is  the  first  consideration  with  ail  of  our  prominent  judges. 
“  W.  S.,”  in  his  mention  of  that  superb  variety,  R.  Hooper  Pearson, 
hints  at  its  being  deficient  in  size  for  the  boards.  AVe  are  years 
behind  the  Americans  in  judging  the  merits  of  Chrysanthemums. 
With  them  colour  stands  first,  but  then  the  blooms  must  have  stems 
sufficiently  strong  or  stiff  enough  to  hold  the  head  up  without  ties  or 
wires.  AYjth  the  Americans  blooms  are  grown  for  decoration  or  to 
be  admired  for  their  beauty.  With  us  to  win  prizes  is  the  main 
object,  and  I  again  repeat  size  stands  first.  Such  dull,  colourless,  or 
“  muddy  tinted  ”  varieties  as  Mrs.  W.  H.  Lees,  Mrs.  H.  Payne,  Aus- 
tralie.  International,  Lady  E.  Clarke,  Madame  C.  de  Terraill,  and 
others  would  not  be  countenanced  in  America ;  but  such  varieties  as 
R.  H.  Pearson,  Mrs.  Mease,  Elma,  Mrs.  Coombes,  H.  J.  Jones,  and 
Miss  Alice  Byron  are  preferred. 
But  to  return  to  our  text,  “  Decorative  Varieties,”  as  understood 
by  me.  I  believe  I  am  correct  in  asserting  that  the  Floral  Committee 
of  the  N.C.S.  has  decided  not  to  award  a  F.c.c.  to  a  variety  of  this 
section.  This,  to  a  certain  extent,  is  “  throwing  cold  water  ”  on  the 
class.  As  to  good  varieties  for  late  blooms,  I  would  recommend,  as 
whites,  Christmas  Favourite,  Mdlle.  T.  Panckoucke,  Mrs.  Peabody, 
Mrs.  M.  Simpson,  and  Madame  A.  D.  Chatin  ;  Madame  P.  Rivoire  is 
fine  for  late  December,  but  requires  to  be  topped  late  and  kept  cool  if 
required  af  er  Christmas.  As  a  late  yellow  nothing  equals  H.  AA^. 
Rieman.  King  of  Plumes  is  somewhat  earlier,  but  most  useful  lor 
sprays.  Captain  Dellamy,  a  clear  yellow,  for  late  December  is  strongly 
recommended.  In  pinks  nothing  seems  to  surpass  Madame  Perrin, 
whilst  Belle  of  Castlewood  is  a  delicate  flesh-coloured  variety  which 
comes  in  during  January.  Matthew  Hodgson  is  a  good  brick  red 
that  can  be  brought  in  late.  Master  H.  Tucker,  as  a  chestnut-red 
colour  for  Christmas  and  early  January,  has  no  equal ;  the  bloom  is 
large,  stem  good,  and  it  is  an  easy  grower.  Royal  Standard  is  darker 
and  very  jiromising. 
It  must  be  understood  that  these  are  recommended  lor  pot  cultuie- 
For  the  planting-out  and  lifting  system  some  are  not  suitable. — 
AV.  J.  Godfrey. 
