352 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  10,  1895. 
We  are  informed  that  the  large  conservatory  at  the  above  Park  will 
be  opened  to  the  public  on  Saturday,  the  12th  inst.,  for  the  annual 
display  of  Chrysanthemums. 
Chbysanthemum  M.  R.  Bahuant. 
I  SHALL  be  glad  to  have  a  few  hints  on  the  culture  of  this  Chrys¬ 
anthemum.  This  is  the  third  year  I  have  grown  it,  and  it  nearly  always 
comes  reflexed  instead  of  incurved.  T'le  plants  are  strong,  and  have  been 
obtained  from  different  sources.  I  have  not  given  them  too  much  liquid 
manure.  The  blooms  are  grown  from  cr^wa  buds,  and  have  been  kept 
partly  shaded  since  they  began  to  open.  Some  of  the  plants  were  raised 
in  January  and  others  in  February.  Perhaps  Mr.  B.  Molyneux,  or  some 
-other  large  grower  who  contributes  to  your  valuable  paper,  will  reply  1 
— J.  E.  Osborne. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
A  MEETING  of  the  Floral  Committee  was  held  on  the  first  day  of 
the  October  show  at  the  Royal  Aquarium,  Mr.  T.  Bevan  presiding. 
There  was  a  very  full  attendance  of  members,  and  some  excellent 
exhibits  staged,  although  owing  to  the  hasty  manner  in  which  the  tables 
were  cleared  immediately  the  Committee  rose  we  were  unable  to  take 
any  notes  excepting  in  the  case  of  the  varieties  certificated. 
First-class  certificates  were  awarded  as  follows 
President  Armand. — A  very  large  Japanese  incurved  with  heavily 
grooved  florets ;  a  massive  flower.  Insio’e  crimson-chestnut  with 
reverse  of  deep  brassy  yellow.  Shown  by  Mr.  J.  French,  gardener  to 
Mrs.  Berkeley,  Ambleside,  Wimbledon. 
Phoebus. — A  new  Japanese  bearing  an  old  name.  Colour  deep 
golden  yellow,  very  rich  and  pare.  Shown  by  Mr.  H.  Shoesmith. 
Mans.  C.  Molin. — A  large  Japanese  with  broad  flat  florets ;  a 
beautiful  shade  of  yellow  tinged  carmine  on  the  outer  row.  Exhibited 
by  Mr.  Godfrey. 
Boule  d’  Or. — A  grand  incurved  Japanese  of  good  size  and  very  solid. 
The  florets  are  deeply  grooved,  and  the  flower  may  be  described  as  an 
amber  Louise.  The  inside  is  chestnut,  but  scarcely  visible,  and  the 
reverse  is  a  soft  shade  of  buff  or  amber.  This  came  from  Mr.  Wells, 
and  is  distinct  from  the  variety  usually  met  with  uuder  the  same  name. 
Madame  Auguste  de  Laevivier. — Another  Japanese  incurved,  broad 
grooved  florets,  inside  crimson-cerise,  reverse  rich  golden  rose.  Sent  by 
Mr.  H.  J.  Jones. 
Lady  Randolph. — A  very  globular  Japanese,  closely  built  and 
•compact,  medium  »ize,  colour  rich  purple  amaranth. 
Madame  Marie  Masse.  —  A  decorative  early  flowering  Japanese, 
described  in  our  report  of  the  last  meeting.  From  Mr.  D.  B.  Crane. 
Lady  Esther  bmith. — This  is  a  Japanese  incurved,  having  very  long 
grooved  florets,  solid  and  large  ;  colour  white,  Mr.  R.  Owen  was  the 
■exhibitor. 
Yellow  Gem. — A  pretty  little  yellow  Pompon  of  a  clear  shade  of 
yellow,  with  the  tips  of  the  florets  laciniated.  Also  from  Mr.  Owen. 
A  vote  of  thanks  was  awarded  for  an  exhibit  of  twelve  cut  blooms 
of  a  new  white  Japanese  called  Emily  Spilsbury.  Mr.  Briscoe  Ironside 
exhibited  a  new  rotary  stand  for  the  exhibition  of  large  show  blooms  or 
for  ordinary  decorative  effect.  It  was  highly  commended,  and  a  small 
silver  medal  awarded  to  the  exhibitor.  A.  H.  Fewkes,  an  American 
yellow  Japanese,  was  commended ;  and  there  were  several  other 
meritorious  novelties  staged. 
Chrysanthemum  Prospects. 
The  tropical  weather  experienced  during  September  caused  many  of 
the  forward  blooms  to  burst  open,  and  in  some  cases  to  show  colour  of 
petal.  Past  experience  has  taught  us  that  if  left  outside  after  this  stage 
the  work  of  destruction  will  soon  commence,  and  that  no  after  care  can 
save  the  blooms  from  damping.  Therefore,  on  the  24th  of  September, 
in  a  temperature  of  84°  in  the  shade,  we  transferred  our  plants  to  their 
quarters  under  glass,  and  at  once  put  on  a  heavy  shade  with  Russian 
mats  to  help  to  keep  down  the  temperature,  and  even  now  there  is 
evidence  that  the  work  was  too  long  delayed,  as  some  of  the  earliest  and 
best  blooms  are  lost,  a  season’s  work  being  thereby  thrown  away.  Early 
flowers  being  better  than  none  at  all,  I  would  impress  on  all  the 
importance  of  shifting  the  plants  under  cover  directly  there  is  the  least 
•colour  of  petal. 
Having  so  far  put  my  favourites  safe  from  the  scorching  sun  by  day 
and  the  damaging  fogs  and  dews  at  night,  I  sauntered  forth  to  learn 
how  “  Mums”  in  general  were  likely  to  be  for  the  1895  campaign,  and 
after  a  sixty  mile  run  through  the  pretty  county  of  Devon,  found  myself 
face  to  face  with  Mr.  W.  G.  Godfrey  of  Exmouth,  an  enthusiastic 
grower,  with  8000  plants  in  pots  on  the  orthodox  plan  of  taking  three 
blooms  from  a  plant.  Here  were  congregated  together  varieties  from 
every  imaginable  source,  French,  American,  and  English  grower?  and 
raisers  being  well  represented,  and  when  1  mention  that  stock  has  been 
purchased  from  the  following  Frenchmen — viz.,  MM.  Calvat,  Delaux, 
Crozier,  La  Croix,  Boucharlat,  and  Bruant,  and  from  Americans  such  as 
Messrs.  Walz,  Hill,  Smith,  Bock,  and  Spalding,  one  would  naturally 
expect  to  find  something  likely  to  be  sensational,  so  towards  what  has 
been  termed  “the  largest  Chrysanthemum  show  house  in  Europe” 
advance  was  made.  A  grand  house  certainly,  being  a  span-roofed 
structure  of  lofty  dimensions,  and  measuring  155  by  27  feet,  erected 
last  year  at  a  cost  of  £400,  Many  plants  were  housed,  and  the 
remainder  were  being  pushed  in  as  fast  as  possible,  a  big  and  costly  job, 
as  each  plant  was  laid  on  its  side  and  syringed  with  Mr.  Molyneux’s 
mixture  of  lime  and  sulphur  to  eradicate  any  trace  of  mildew  on  its 
way  in. 
The  earliest  and  most  precocious  varieties  were  at  their  best  at  the 
time  of  my  visit,  but  the  majority  were  just  commencing  to  unfold. 
The  plants  were  pictures  of  health,  with  hard,  well-ripened,  hazel-like 
wood,  carrying  dark  green  and  bronzy  foliage  of  thick  leathery  texture, 
surmounted  with  great  fat  bulbs ;  some  of  which  I  measured  were 
2  inches  across  and  quite  hard.  Judging  from  this  collection  the 
prospect  this  season  is  indeed  a  grand  one.  Three  varieties  called  for 
special  notice,  two  of  which  were  in  a  half-expanded  state,  and  all  are 
seedlings  of  Exmouth  origin.  Exmouth  Yellow  is  very  promising,  being 
a  grand  bloom  of  deep  canary  yellow,  and  should  its  habit  and  consti¬ 
tution  be  all  right,  will  probably  be  a  rival,  and  become  as  popular  as 
that  old  favourite,  Sunflower.  It  has  long  drooping  curly  petals  of 
great  substance.  Next  comes  Vicar  of  Exmouth,  in  colour  and  form 
something  like  Eiwin  Molyneux,  but  still  quite  distinct,  being  more 
globular,  and  with  petals  of  greater  width.  The  other  of  the  trio  is 
named  Pride  of  Devon.  This  was  not  forward  enough  to  describe,  but 
in  a  bud  state  looked  very  promising,  and  I  was  assured  would  be  equal 
to  some  of  the  best  at  present  in  cultivation. — G.  H.  Copp,  Holnest 
Park. 
Deaf  Chrysanthemum  Buds. 
I  SHOULD  be  very  glad  if  you  could  give  any  information  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  Chrysanthemum  buds  dying  off  the  same  as  those  enclosed. 
I  was  inclined  to  think  they  had  got  bruised  while  being  housed,  but 
having  visited  several  Chrysanthemum  growing  friends  I  have  found 
that  they  have  lost  many  buds  in  the  same  way.  I  shall  be  very  pleased 
if  you  can  give  any  information  as  to  the  cause.  The  deaf  buds  are 
on  plants  grown  for  large  blooms,  and  the  plants  look  in  the  best  of 
health.  The  owners  of  the  other  collections  are  readers  of  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture,  And.  all  of  us  will  be  grateful  for  any  information  on 
the  subject.  One  grower  had  used  sulphate  of  ammonia  and  lost 
buds  at  the  rate  of  20  per  cent.,  but  as  regards  my  plants  they  have 
never  received  any,  and  one  bud  will  die  while  the  others  will  remain 
fresh  and  healthy.— G.  Hart, 
[Evidently  the  plants  have  been  well  grown,  and  it  is  grievous  to 
see  the  collapse  of  buds  that  must  have  appeared  so  promising  only  a 
short  time  ago.  The  cause  of  the  buds  going  wrong  is  mites,  and  is 
very  common  this  season  ;  indeed,  it  is  a  bud-mite  year,  the  Hazels  in 
i  the  hedgerows  having  the  buds  now  as  prominent  as  peas,  and  some 
larger,  through  the  attacks  of  mites.  The  mite  (Phytoptus  chrys- 
anthemi)  attacks  the  buds  from  June  to  August,  living  on  the  interior 
parts  and  completely  eating  away  what  would  be  the  florets,  and  they 
become  “  blind  ”  or  “  deaf  ”  wholly  or  in  part  according  to  the  work  of 
the  mites,  for  there  are  several  in  a  bud.  The  mite  was  first  discovered 
by  Mr.  G.  Abbey  in  1893,  and  described  and  figured  in  the  Journal  oj 
Horticulture  of  September  28th,  1893  (page  291).  It  is  the  largest  of 
British  bud-mites,  and,  unlike  bud-mites  generally,  does  not  produce 
galls  ;  consequently,  is  not  noticed  until  long  after  the  mischief  is  done, 
and  the  mites  have  then  gone  nobody  knows  where.  The  cause  of  the  evil 
is  often  attributed  to  a  fungus,  also  present  in  such  buds.  The  stems 
are  very  stout  and  free  from  any  invading  micro-organisms.  The  mite, 
and  that  only,  is  the  cause  of  the  “  deaf  ”  buds,  and  it  seems  to  like  them 
the  better  the  richer  they  are  in  nitrogen,  giving  preference  to  plants 
that  have  been  fed  with  ammonia  compounds  and  nitrates.  They 
invariably  select  the  crown  bud,  or  if  that  is  nipped  off  the  most 
promising  of  the  others.  It  is  in  dry  and  hot  seasons  that  the  mites 
chiefly  attack  Chrysanthemums,  and  seldom  those  that  have  been 
dressed  with  sulphur  to  keep  down  mildew,  all  mites  having  an 
abhorrence  of  sulphur.  This  or  some  substance  containing  sulphur 
applied  before  the  buds  form  and  continuing  it  for  some  time  after  they 
are  “  taken,”  is  the  only  preventive  we  can  suggest.] 
NATIONAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SHOW. 
October  8th,  9th,  and  10th. 
The  second  show  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  was  held 
in  the  Royal  Aquarium  on  the  above  dates,  and  in  all  a  grand  display 
was  brought  together.  The  competitive  classes  were  not,  as  a  rule, 
particularly  well  filled,  though  there  were  several  entries  in  the  classes 
for  twenty-four  and  twelve  Japanese.  If  not  numerous.  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  were  of  really  good  quality,  some  of  the  blooms  indeed 
being  very  fine.  Miscellaneous  exhibits,  however,  were  the  predomi¬ 
nating  feature  of  the  exhibition,  and  some  superb  flowers  and  fruits 
were  staged  by  the  various  nurserymen.  Regarding  the  names  of 
varieties  in  the  various  classes  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  for  everyone 
if  exhibitors  would  use  printed  labels,  which  can  be  had  at  a  very 
reasonable  cost.  We  append  the  list  of  prizewinners  in  the  chief 
classes. 
Competitive  Exhibits. 
There  were  only  two  competitors  in  the  open  class  for  a  group  of 
Chrysanthemums  and  foliage  plants  arranged  for  effect,  and  occupying 
'  a  space  of  72  superficial  feet.  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones,  Lewisham,  occupied  the 
