December  12,  id95. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
559 
Dates  of  Chrysanthemum  Shows. 
To  those  specially  interested  in  Chrysanthemum  exhibitions,  whether 
as  exhibitors,  judges,  or  officials,  it  is  pleasing  to  read  the  early  announce¬ 
ment  of  the  dates  of  the  leading  shows  for  1896  thus  early.  For  instance, 
the  N.P.  S.  hold  their  meeting  November  3rd,  4th,  .6th,  and  6th  ;  Kingston 
has  chosen  the  week  following ;  and  the  Hull  Society  prefers  Wednesday, 
the  11th,  for  their  opening  day.  Birmingham,  always  one  of  the  first 
to  announce  the  date,  has  chosen  the  11th  also.  When  societies  like 
these  make  known  thus  early  their  selection  of  dates  for  the  next 
exhibition,  smaller  societies  in  the  same  neighbourhood  have  ample 
opportunity  to  select  dates,  avoiding  those  of  the  principal  meetings, 
that  are  likely  to  affect  both  when  they  clash.  Exhibitors,  too,  at  this 
early  stage  are  thankful  for  such  information.  Societies  with  a  good 
balance  in  hand  can  have  no  reason  for  withholding  the  date  of  their 
shows. — E. 
Judging  at  Sheffield. 
Kbplying  to  the  judging  innovation  by  your  esteemed  correspon¬ 
dent  Mr.  Drake,  in  your  issue  of  November  21si;  (page  481),  I  fear  your 
correspondent  did  not  make  himself  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
rule  which  he  so  aptly  quotes.  If  he  had  done  so  he  would  have  seen 
that  it  stated  that  all  persons  must  leave  the  hall  except  those  “  officially 
engaged  by  the  Secretary.”  I  may  say  that  the  judge  referred  to  did 
not  approach  the  exhibits  which  were  staged  by  him,  and  I  feel  sure 
that  he  is  too  well  known  in  the  floral  world,  and  is  of  such  integrity, 
that  his  honour  could  not  for  one  moment  be  impugned.  I  enclose  copy 
of  the  rule  for  your  perusal. — Wm.  Housley,  Secretary. 
[When  correspondents  allege  or  imply  that  the  regulations  of  a 
Society  have  been  infringed,  they  should  send  a  complete  copy  of  those 
regulations.  In  this  case  there  has  been  no  infringement,  but  the  official 
retention  of  an  exhibitor  to  judge  at  Chrysanthemum  shows  is  not 
customary,  though  we  do  not  for  a  moment  suppose  that  in  this  case  the 
presence  of  a  judge  in  one  section  of  the  show  influenced  in  the  slightest 
degree  the  awards  in  another.  1 
Judging  at  Chrysanthemum  Shows. 
I  FEAR  the  argument  brought  forward  by  Mr.  Little  (page  534)  that 
judges  ought  to  allow  points  for  circumstances  such  as  the  inferiority  of 
one  situation  over  another  will  hardly  meet  with  the  approval  of  judges 
or  cultivators  generally.  If  this  somewhat  novel  suggestion  were  carried 
out  every  exhibitor  who  put  forward  this  plea  would  have  to  go  to  a 
show  armed  with  an  affidavit  setting  forth  his  difficulties,  and  approxi¬ 
mating  his  losses  through  such  and  such  a  tree  overshadowing  bis  plants 
in  July  and  another  tree  affecting  other  portions  of  his  collection  in 
September  1 
Experienced  adjudicators  judge  the  blooms  as  placed  before  them, 
taking  each  one  on  its  merits;  but  when  two  blooms  are  equal  in 
merit,  as  blooms,  then  the  variety  most  difficult  to  obtain  is  because  of 
that  regarded  as  the  more  creditable  production.  Surely,  this  practice 
is  beyond  argument.  What  can  be  said  against  it,  I  wonder  ?  I  cannot 
agree  with  Mr.  Smale  that  the  deciding  of  the  value  of  Madame  Carnot 
over  W.  H.  Lincoln,  or  vice  versa,  is  exclusively  a  question  of  taste. 
True,  some  judges  might  prefer  pure  white,  others  orange  yellow  ;  but 
there  are  other  qualities.  Size  in  Japanese  blooms,  when  combined  with 
grace  of  petal,  coupled  with  fullness  and  colour,  devoid  of  the  slightest 
suspicion  of  coarseness,  are  points  of  excellence,  surely.  In  a  perfect 
bloom  of  Madame  Carnot  you  have  all  these  attributes.  Can  this  be 
said  of  a  fully  developed  bloom  of  W.  H.  Lincoln  1  The  size  cannot  be 
found,  neither  can  the  graceful  semi-drooping  florets  of  Madame  Carnot. 
In  W.  H.  Lincoln  the  florets  are  erect,  or  nearly  so ;  and  who  will  say 
such  characteristics  compare  with  this  new  white- flowered  variety  1 
— Sadoc. 
Sporting — Egbert  Petfield  and  George  Haigh. 
I  ENCLOSE  you  two  blooms,  a  sport  from  the  new  incurved  Robert 
Petfield.  It  sported  here  in  the  autumn  of  1894.  I  was  enabled  to  save 
a  few  plants,  and  they  have  all  come  true,  as  it  is  identical  in  all  respects, 
except  colour,  to  its  parent.  It  will  make  a  grand  exhibition  variety. 
Some  little  time  since  I  forwarded  a  bloom  to  Mr.  Owen  of  Maidenhead, 
who  informs  me  it  is  identical  with  the  sport  obtained  by  him,  and 
which  received  a  first-class  certificate  from  the  N.C.S.  under  the  name 
of  George  Haigh.— W.  Etherington. 
[Mr.  Molyneux  sends  us  the  following  note  bearing  upon  this  subject 
— “  Sporting  of  Chrysanthemums. — With  all  the  increasing  knowledge 
of  the  Chrysanthemum,  we  do  not  appear  to  be  any  the  wiser  with 
regard  to  the  origin  of  ‘  sports.’  Many  of  the  finest  varieties  in  the 
incurved  section  are  the  direct  result  of  sports.  Several  instances  of 
what  I  may  term  double  spoiting  are  on  record — viz.,  of  one  variety 
sporting  in  two  places  the  same  season,  and  in  widely  separated  localities. 
This  year  a  notable  instance  is  recorded,  although  it  was  during  the  year 
1894  that  the  sport  was  actually  produced.  I  allude  to  the  case  of 
E.  Petfield  sporting  in  two  places,  and  the  same  sport  resulting — George 
Haigh  being  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  R.  Owen,  and  the  second,  so  to  speak, 
occurring  with  Mr.  Etherington  at  Swanscombe  in  Kent.  Both  are 
identical  in  colour  and  form,  and  the  variety  will  probably  become  a 
favourite  amongst  exhibitors.  To  those  not  conversant  with  the 
sportive  nature  of  Chrysanthemums  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  that 
Prince  Alfred  sported  in  two  places  the  same  year.  Lord  Wolseley  being 
the  result.  Lady  Carey  has  this  year,  for  the  first  time  in  my  know¬ 
ledge,  given  a  bronze  coloured  bloom  that  should  prove  deserving  of 
attention  by  cultivators  of  the  once  very  fashionable  incurved  section, 
but  now  fast  becoming  objects  of  admiration  only  to  "  specialists,”  who 
regard  this  section  as  being  the  strongest  test  of  cultural  skill  that  can 
possibly  be  applied.”] 
Societe  Nationals  des  Chrysanthemistes. 
Under  the  above  title  it  has  been  resolved  by  some  of  the  members 
of  the  jury  and  exhibitors  at  the  recent  Lyons  Chrysanthemum  show, 
to  start  a  French  National  Chrysanthemum  Society — a  long-felt  want, 
and  one  which  ought  to  receive  a  large  measure  of  support  in  that 
country.  The  plan  of  operations  comprises  the  appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  examine  and  classify  the  varieties,  the  holding  of  shows 
and  conferences  in  various  parts  of  France,  the  publication  of  the  Com¬ 
mittee’s  reports,  the  adjudication  of  novelties,  and  the  determination  of 
Chrysanthemum  nomenclature.  The  annual  subscription  will  be  5  francs, 
and  the  officers  will  be  elected  and  the  rules  agreed  on  at  a  general 
meeting  to  be  shortly  held.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  with  the  founding  of 
such  a  society  all  future  complaints  concerning  the  many  difficulties  of 
continental  Chrysanthemum  nomenclature  will  be  rendered  unneces¬ 
sary. — P. 
Highgate  and  District  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  eleventh  annual  dinner  of  the  above  Society  took  place  on  the 
4th  inst.,  Mr.  Charles  Catling  presiding.  There  were  over  100  members 
and  friends  present,  including  Messrs.  P.  Hart,  R.  Gaskell,  A.  S.  Harvey, 
W.  Hayes,  S.  T.  Homewood,  G.  Russell,  T.  Bevan,  W.  Beckett, 
J.  McKerchar  (Treasurer),  and  W.  E.  Boyce  (Secretary).  After  the 
usual  loyal  toasts  were  duly  honoured,  the  Chairman,  in  proposing  "  The 
Society,”  said  that  the  recent  show  was  declared  by  competent  judges 
to  be  the  finest  ever  held  in  Highgate.  There  were,  he  said,  no  fewer 
than  1450  cut  blooms,  an  increase  of  250  over  last  year’s  total,  and  the 
quality  showed  that  the  culture  of  the  Chrysanthemum  was  still 
improving.  Mr.  Percival  Hart  stated  that  at  the  commencement  of 
the  year  there  was  a  balance  in  hand  of  6s.  5d.  only,  but  now  he  learned 
with  pleasure  it  was  much  more.  The  speeches  were  interspersed  with 
an  excellent  selection  of  vocal  music  by  members  and  friends  of  the 
Winchester  Musical  Society,  with  Mr.  Frank  J.  Lunnon  as  the 
accompanist. 
Chrysanthemum  Major  Bonaffon. 
“  P.”  is  generally  so  accurate  that  little  criticism  falls  to  his  share  in 
the  horticultural  press.  He  says  (page  535),  “  In  the  incurved  section 
a  broad  floret,  nicely  rounded  at  the  tips,  ought  to  be  one  of  the  chief 
points.”  If  this  were  absolutely  the  desideratum  of  an  incurved  bloom, 
how  is  it,  I  would  ask,  that  Princess  of  Wales  and  her  sports  take  such  a 
high  position  in  the  section  as  models  of  what  an  incurved  bloom  should 
be  ?  I  fancy  some  of  “  the  fathers  of  the  Chrysanthemum  ”  would  not 
have  blooms  containing  the  "  multitude  ”  of  narrow  pointed  florets 
alluded  to,  as  they  would,  by  their  practical  knowledge,  prevent  the 
occurrence  of  such  a  defect.  According  to  my  experience  varieties  of 
American  or  other  raising  do  not  change  from  incurved  to  Japanese,  but 
they  do  the  opposite.  I  can  cite  many  sent  out  as  Japanese  that  now 
help  to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  incurved  list,  but  not  one  in  the  opposite 
way.  Take  for  instance  C.  H.  Curtis  ;  for  the  first  season  this  was 
looked  on  as  a  Japanese,  and  so  was  J.  Agate.  Both  now  occupy  a  high 
position  in  the  incurved  lists.  C.  B.  Whitnall  is  another  example  of  how 
a  certain  method  of  culture  changes  the  appearance  of  the  flower. 
Another  instance  in  Lord  Rosebery  occurs  to  me  just  now  as  to  the 
desirability  of  practical  knowledge  in  culture  before  condemning  any 
variety. — A.  B. 
Chrysanthemums  for  Decoration. 
The  appearance  of  the  later  Japanese  Chrysanthemums  has,  to  some 
extent,  revolutionised  the  floral  decoration  of  apartments.  For  some 
years  it  was  impossible  to  cultivate  and  employ  the  larger  flowered 
varieties  advantageously,  and  while  these  were  left  very  much  in  the 
hands  of  specialists  there  was  slowly  gathered  together  a  distinct  class, 
easy  to  cultivate,  dwarf  in  habit,  and  very  floriferous,  to  which  the  dis¬ 
tinctive  appellation  “  decorative  ”  was  given.  With  the  ever-growing 
demand  for  cut  flowers  these  decorative  varieties  have  been  of  incal¬ 
culable  value  ;  that  their  day  is  past  would  be  an  assertion  most 
hazardous  to  enunciate,  but  that  they  will  in  the  future  have  to  contend 
with  the  largest  flowered  varieties  seems  to  be  assured. 
It  requires  no  extensive  knowledge  of  the  newer  varieties  that  are 
being  poured  into  the  country  to  be  certain  that  a  decorating  flower  of 
the  highest  order  is  being  placed  within  the  reach  of  gardeners.  That 
the  latter  will  not  be  slow  to  recognise  the  usefulness  and  the  great 
beauty  of  form  and  colouring  of  these  is  very  certain.  There  has  no 
doubt  now  and  again  appeared  a  herald  of  the  coming  army— such,  for 
instance,  as  La  Triomphante,  Avalanche,  and  W.  H.  Linccln  ;  but  at 
present  it  is  possible  to  select  much  finer  varieties  than  any  of  these  and 
quite  as  easy  to  grow,  the  latter  a  point  it  may  be  noted  that  the  vast 
majority  of  gardeners  have  to  consider  when  estimating  the  value  of  any 
new  introduction.  White  and  yellow-flowered  varieties  constitute  a 
large  bulk  of  the  novelties,  and  it  has  to  be  remembered  that  it  is  almost 
solely  in  white  and  yellow  that  it  is  possible  to  present  a  number  of 
sorts  without  running  the  certain  risk  of  overdoing  them.  In  coloured 
varieties  one  does  not  recognise  the  beauty  of  form  to  the  same  extent 
as  in  white  flowers.  We  can,  for  example,  group  together  and  be 
charmed  with  such  diverse  forma  as  L’leere,  Madame  Ad.  Chatin, 
Madame  Carnot,  Madame  C.  Moulin,  Beauty  of  Exmouth,  Mdlle.  Thhi^se 
Eey,  Miss  A.  Hartshorn,  Niveus,  Souvenir  de  Petite  Amie  ;  and  in  the 
