Norember  21,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
481 
DORYOPTERIS  PALMATA. 
The  specimen  sent  by  “Fern  Grower”  is  Doryopteris  palmata,  a  Fern 
that  when  well  grown  has  a  distinct  and  pleasing  appearance.  Small 
plants  in  little  pots,  as  shown  in  fig.  74  (page  487),  are  very  ornamental 
and  useful  for  decorative  purposes,  owing  to  the  distinct  appearance  of 
the  foliage.  The  fronds  differ  greatly  in  size ;  in  young  plants  they  are 
only  a  few  inches  across,  but  in  older  and  stronger  specimens  they  attain 
a  height  of  10  or  12  inches.  They  are  of  a  bright  glossy  green  colour, 
deeply  divided  in  palmate  fashion.  The  Fern  is  an  evergreen  from 
tropical  America,  and  requires  the  temperature  of  a  stove  or  a  warm 
greenhouse,  with  a  compost  of  peat  and  sphagnum  and  good  drainage. 
National  Chkysanthemum  Society. 
On  Monday  evening  last  the  General  Committee  of  this  Society  held 
a  meeting  at  Anderton’s  Hotel,  Fleet  Street,  when  Mr.  B.  Wynne 
presided.  The  minutes  of  the  former  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed, 
and  after  the  disposal  of  several  other  matters  of  routine  business,  the 
Secretary  reported  that  the  prize  money  awarded  to  exhibitors  at  the 
recent  Aquarium  show  amounted  to  the  sum  of  £245  14s.,  which  would 
be  paid  over  to  the  winners  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  ten  days.  The 
following  awards,  made  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Arbitrators,  were 
also  confirmed  : — Gold  medal  to  Messrs.  H.  Cannell  &  Sons  :  silver-gilt 
medals  to  Messrs.  B.  S.  Williams  &  Son,  Cutbush  &  Son,  Sutton  «&  Sons, 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  and  W,  G.  Tidy  ;  silver  medals  to  Messrs.  W.  J. 
Godfrey,  Lea  &  Son,  Spooner,  and  N.  Davis  ;  small  silver  medals  to  Mr. 
T.  Berridge  and  the  Jadoo  Fibre  Company  ;  and  bronze  medals  to 
Messrs.  D.  W.  Buchanan  and  H.  Shoesmith. 
Mr.  Harman  Payne  reported  on  the  proposed  new  issue  of  the  Jubilee 
edition  of  the  Society’s  catalogue,  which  will  be  ready  early  next 
autumn,  and  as  a  result  of  the  discussion  thereon  it  was  resolved  to 
invite  the  assistance  of  a  number  of  Chrysanthemum  experts  in  the 
country,  who  will  send  in  returns,  and  these  will  be  tabulated,  and  the 
varieties  thus  chosen  will  form  the  basis  of  the  select  lists  for  exhibition. 
Several  other  suggestions  and  alterations  were  proposed,  to  all  of  which 
effect  will  be  given  in  due  course. 
New  members  and  Fellows  were  elected,  bringing  up  the  number  for 
the  year  to  eighty-four  Fellows  and  115  ordinary  members. 
Hairy  Chrysanthemums. 
There  seems  to  be  a  lull  in  the  popularity  of  these  varieties.  During 
the  present  season  I  have  only  met  with  a  few,  most  of  them  well-known 
varieties.  Mr.  Jones  of  Lewisham  has  some  in  very  good  form — that  is, 
for  those  who  appreciate  them.  Chief  among  these  hairy  sorts  are  Louis 
Boshmer,  Vaucanson,  Hairy  Wonder,  and  a  capital  bloom  of  the  far- 
famed  Mrs.  Alpheus  Hardy.  A  new  one  is  Perle  d’Or,  rather  thin  in 
the  petal,  of  a  very  clear  shade  of  pale  yellow,  but  only  slightly  hairy. 
Papa  Bertin  is  another,  but  the  form  of  this  is  peculiar,  it  having  long 
tubular  florets,  which  are  open  and  curly  at  the  tips,  colour  pale 
silvery  pink.  Also  of  this  season’s  introduction  is  P.  Marieton,  a 
Japanese,  large  and  solid  in  build,  colour  golden  yellow  shaded  bronze. 
Abb^  Pierre  Arthur,  a  Japanese,  with  long  tubular  florets,  is  the  only 
other  to  which  attention  might  usefully  be  drawn. 
Some  New  American  Chrysanthemums. 
Next  to  the  continental  introductions,  these  will  always  command 
some  attention  from  our  importers  and  exhibitors.  The  peculiarly  hot 
dry  summer  of  1895,  but  especially  the  almost  tropical  September,  has 
no  doubt  been  favourable  to  many  of  the  American  varieties,  for  in 
some  cases  1  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  better  blooms, 
Philadelphia,  the  Japanese  incurved  variety,  about  which  so  much  was 
heard  early  in  the  year,  is  disappointing,  for  the  flowers  are  certainly 
not  white  wherever  I  have  seen  it,  but  rather  of  a  sulphur  or  dirty 
primrose  tint.  Mrs,  R.  C.  Kingston,  a  capital  incurved  raised  by  Mr, 
H.  Surman  of  Philadelphia,  something  between  a  Princess  of  Wales  and 
a  Princess  of  Teck,  has,  however,  maintained  its  reputation  of  last  year, 
when  it  was  certificated.  G.  W.  Childs,  the  rich  velvety  crimson 
Japanese  well  known,  is  brighter  in  colour  and  larger  in  size  than  ever. 
Mrs.  E.  G.  Hill,  the  large  globular  Japanese,  colour  pale  blush,  is  also 
good  in  several  places,  and  will  be  valuable  for  October  shows.  Niveus 
also  maintains  the  high  opinion  formed  of  it  last  season.  Major 
Bonaffon,  quite  new  but  not  fully  out  at  the  time  of  writing  these  notes, 
looks  like  being  a  Japanese  incurved,  and  its  colour,  a  pure  golden 
yellow,  is  very  rich  and  clear.  Mutual  Friend,  a  new  white,  has  already 
been  certificated  by  the  N.C.S.  International  is  very  large,  but  loose 
and  ugly,  and  very  inconstant  in  colour,  sometimes  being  white,  while 
at  others  sulphur  streaked  with  purple.  King  of  the  Chrysanthemums 
is  a  striking  novelty,  but  it  is  not  truly  an  American,  having  been 
imported  there  from  Japan  ;  it  is  a  buff  chestnut,  with  golden  rad 
reverse.  Sarah  Hill,  rather  early,  a  Japanese  incurved,  having  broad 
florets  pointed  at  the  tips,  colour  pale  yellow  buff,  is  worth  looking 
out  for. — P, 
A  Judging-  Innovation. 
I  WAS  an  exhibitor  at  the  Sheffield  show  last  week,  and  I  wish  to  ask 
through  the  medium  of  your  paper  whether  it  is  right  and  just  for 
judges  to  be  exhibitors  at  the  same  show  they  are  called  upon  to  adjudi¬ 
cate  ?  At  the  show  mentioned  one  of  the  judges  was  an  exhibitor,  and 
a  successful  one.  Under  the  rules  of  the  Society  every  one  of  the 
exhibitors  is  supposed  to  leave  the  hall  during  the  judging.  This  was 
done  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  but  not  in  the  case  of  the  judge  in 
question.  I  do  not  for  one  moment  wish  to  impute  partiality  or  bias 
on  the  part  of  the  other  judges,  but  I  consider  it  is  altogether  wrong  and 
not  calculated  to  impart  confidence  and  encourage  competition  when 
matters  are  arranged  in  the  manner  described. — G.  W.  Drake,  44, 
Cathay s  Terrace,  Cardiff. 
[At  some  Rose  shows  exhibitors  in  the  nurserymen’s  classes  judge  the 
blooms  in  the  amateur  section,  and  the  amateur  exhibitors  judge  the 
nurserymen’s  blooms.  Possibly  something  of  the  same  nature  may  have 
been  permitted  at  the  show  in  question  ;  but  if  the  rules  say  that 
“  all  exhibitors  must  leave  the  room  during  the  judging,”  the  practice 
indicated  obviously  involves  an  infringement  of  the  regulations.] 
Prolonging  the  Chrysanthemum  Season. 
Chrysanthemums  at  Christmas  are  admittedly  some  of  the  most 
useful  flowers  we  have  for  decorative  purposes  at  that  time,  and  they 
are  often  not  very  plentiful  then,  hence  market  growers  use  every  effort 
to  retard  some,  so  as  to  have  them  in  flower  at  the  festive  season. 
Much  may  be  done  to  accomplish  the  object  in  view  by  selecting 
late  varieties,  such  as  Ethel,  Meg  Merrilies,  Mrs.  E.  Beckett,  Mrs.  E.  D. 
Adams,  and  the  various  varieties  of  the  Teck  family  ;  but  frequently, 
when  these  are  housed  at  the  usual  time,  the  flowers  are  beginning  to 
lose  their  freshness  at  the  time  they  should  be  at  their  best.  We  do  not 
I  think,  as  a  rule,  take  as  much  advantage  as  we  might  of  opportunity 
to  leave  the  plants  in  the  open  air  till  very  severe  frosts  occur.  If  they 
are  placed  in  sheltered  position,  and  have  a  rough  wooden  framework 
erected  over  them,  and  frigi  domo  or  other  similarly  warm  covering 
material  is  provided  and  used,  it  is  surprising  what  a  great  amount  of 
frost  may  be  kept  out.  Of  course  the  weather  must  be  closely  studied, 
and  when  there  is  the  least  indication  of  frost  the  covering  ought  to  be 
placed  on. 
But  during  the  warm  showery  nights  we  have  lately  experienced  the 
plants  are  greatly  benefited  by  being  left  uncovered.  We  have  a 
number  of  bush  plants  still  in  the  open  air,  and  are  looking  forward  to  be 
amply  repaid  for  the  little  trouble  entailed  in  covering,  when  required. 
As  soon  as  the  flower  on  any  plant  begins  to  unfold  its  petals  that 
particular  plant  is,  of  course,  taken  under  glass,  but  they  are  always 
left  in  the  open  air  till  that  stage  has  been  reached,  unless  we  get  very 
severe  frosts,  but  I  find  they  can  be  made  quite  proof  against  9°  or  10°. 
I  have  repeatedly  found  that,  as  a  rule,  gardeners  have  more  difficulty 
in  meeting  the  demand  for  cut  flowers  at  Christmas  time  than  at  any 
other  period  of  the  year,  and  I  think  there  are  many  instances  where 
this  difficulty  may  be  lessened  by  following  the  course  suggested  in  this 
short  note. — H.  D. 
Incurved  Japanese  Chrysanthemums. 
These  are  now  very  numerous,  and  their  big  solid  blooms  seem  to 
find  great  favour  with  exhibitors.  A  few  years  ago  there  were  scarcely 
any  in  cultivation  at  all,  and  it  was  not  until  the  year  1881,  when 
Messrs.  Veitch  &  Sons  of  Chelsea  imported  Comte  de  Germiny  from 
Japan,  that  such  a  subdivision  of  the  Japanese  section  became  possible. 
Most  of  the  earliest  varieties  of  this  type  came  either  direct  from 
Japan  or  from  America,  but  in  later  times  no  grower  has  so  successfully 
added  to  the  lists  as  M.  Ernest  Calvat  ;  in  fact,  the  whole  strain  of  his 
seedlings  seem  to  run  in  that  direction. 
Of  course,  in  some  natures  the  artistic  element  is  grossly  offended  at 
such  huge  lumpy  looking  blooms,  and  they  are  voted  coarse  and  ungainly  ; 
but  some  of  us  who  love  the  Chrysanthemum  for  itself  welcome  any  new 
departure  that  tends  to  popularise  more  widely  the  object  of  our  floral 
affection.  The  incurved  Japanese  has  done  this  in  a  great  measure,  and 
is  deserving  of  our  gratitude,  as,  indeed,  is  any  other  novel  departure 
from  old-established  paths  which  will  enable  us  to  maintain  our  chosen 
motto  of  “  Floreat  Chrysanthemum  !  ” 
In  going  the  rounds  of  the  trade  displays  and  floral  meetings  this 
season  one  cannot  fail  to  have  noticed  the  large  number  of  fine  noble 
looking  incurved  Japanese  Chrysanthemums  that  have  recently  been 
sent  out.  The  flat  straggly  Japs  of  twelve  to  fifteen  years  ago  Meg 
Merrilies,  Baronne  de  Frailly,  and  even  the  Jeanne  Delaux  type,  beautiful 
as  that  was,  are  all  giving  place  to  flowers  in  which  great  depth  of  build 
is  an  important  feature. 
A  few  notes  on  recent  novelties  may  be  interesting,  and  the  following 
varieties  seen  up  to  the  end  of  October  may  be  useful ;  — 
Noces  d'Or  (Calvat). — Grooved  florets  of  medium  width,  large 
flower  ;  colour  pure  golden  yellow. 
President  Arniand  (Calvat). — Very  solid  and  substantial  ;  inside 
colour  crimson  chestnut,  reverse  brassy  yellow. 
Louise  (Cjilvat). — Always  good.  Too  well  known  to  require 
description. 
Boule  d'  Or  (Calvat). — Figured  in  the  Journal  a  fev/  weeks  ago.  A 
golden  buff  or  amber  Louise. 
A,  H.  Fewhes  (Hatfield). — An  American  variety,  not  ovcr-l.arge  in 
size.  The  florets  are  grooved  and  pointed.  The  colour  i-i  pure  without 
shade  or  marking  ;  a  golden  canary  vellovv. 
Lady  Esther  Smith  (Owen), — Very  long  grooved  Ibrets.  A  fine 
show  flower.  Colour  very  pure  white. 
