December  19,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
rose ;  President,  3  to  4  feet,  rosy  carmine,  one  of  the  best  for  out  of 
doors  culture  ;  Golden  Circle,  4  feet,  extremely  free,  deep  yellow  ;  and 
Mdlle.  Elise  Dordan,  rose  pink.  Anemone  Pompon — Briolis,  rosy  blush, 
high  centre.  In  addition  to  the  above  one  plant  of  Japanese  W.  H. 
Lincoln,  pinched  once  at  6  inches,  and  allowed  to  grow  afterwards 
uninterruptedly,  is  now  (November  30th)  giving  clean  blooms.  The 
deep  yellow  of  this  variety  appears  to  be  especially  rich  out  of  doors. 
Mrs.  Conway,  another  yellow  Japanese  variety,  5  feet  high,  is  most 
profuse  in  giving  blossoms,— E.  Moltneux. 
Chrysanthemum  Madame  Carnot. 
The  bloom,  stated  to  have  measured  over  13  inches  in  diameter,  at  the 
recent  show  held  at  Bawtry,  was  indeed  a  remarkable  one.  Surely  a 
mistake  has  crept  in  somewhere,  or  the  method  of  measuring  Chrysan¬ 
themum  blooms  varies  considerably.  The  finest  bloom  of  this  variety, 
staged  by  Mr.  Lees,  did  not  measure  more  than  9  inches  wide  and 
6  inches  deep,  and  to  hear  of  one  over  4  inches  wider  still,  is  surely 
suflicient  to  make  one  sign  oneself — A  Sceptic. 
Chrysanthemum  Major  Bonaffon. 
I  observe  that  whilst  “  P.”  regards  this  variety  as  a  questionable 
incurved,  Mr.  Molvneux  classes  it  as  such.  At  the  Kingston  show, 
where  it  was  staged  by  Mr.  Mease  in  his  first  prize  twenty-four  incurveds, 
not  only  was  it  so  admitted  by  the  judges,  but  was  awarded  the  premier 
prize  as  the  best  incurved.  (Owing  to  misplacement  this  award  was  at 
first  credited  to  C.  H.  Curtis.)  No  doubt  the  petals  of  Major  Bonallon 
are  narrow  and  too  pointed,  but  still  in  that  respect  somewhat  resembling 
the  Princess  type.  The  flower  shown  at  Kingston  was  less  flat  than  were 
some  others  shown  later,  and  was  of  the  best  form.  No  doubt  it  is  an 
incurved,  and  with  more  culture  will  show  a  higher  centre.  Still,  for 
the  making  of  a  true  incurved  broader  and  more  rounded  petals  should 
now  be  insisted  upon. — D. 
“Sporting”  op  Chrysanthemums. 
In  your  issue  of  December  12  (page  595),  Mr.  Molyneux  says,  “  With 
all  the  increasing  knowledge  we  have  of  the  Chrysanthemum,  we  do  not 
appear  to  be  any  the  wiser  with  regard  to  the  origin  of  sports.”  As 
this  is  a  subject  of  considerable  interest,  1  would  venture  to  ask  those  of 
your  correspondents  interested  to  give  us  the  benefit  of  their  views  on 
the  matter.  What  strikes  me  as  the  most  likely  cause  is  due  to 
hybridism.  For  over  thirty  years  I  have  taken  an  interest  in  this  work, 
devoting  my  attention  mainly  to  Pelargoniums,  Azaleas,  Crotons 
and  Dracaenas.  The  Pelargoniums  are  the  easiest  to  manage,  and 
“  sports,”  by  crossing,  can  be  produced  without  any  diflflculty.  Azaleas 
sport  as  readily,  but  of  course  you  must  wait  longer  for  the  result.  Now, 
in  the  case  of  the  Azalea  and  Pelargonium,  if  “  sporting  ”  is  due  to 
hybridism,  I  do  not  see  why  it  should  not  have  some  bearing  on  the 
Chrysanthemum. — G.  R. 
Chrysanthemum  Mrs;  C.  E.  Shea. 
Me.  N.  Molyneux,  The  Gardens,  Rooksbury  Park,  Fareham,  has 
forwarded  to  us  a  splendid  example  of  this  Chrysanthemum,  which  was 
put  into  commerce  with  such  eclat  last  season.  Curiously  enough, 
though  it  promised  so  well,  it  has  only  been  staged  two  or  three  times 
this  year,  and  it  can  only  be  concluded  that  growers  have  not  yet 
mastered  the  peculiarities  of  temperament  suflflciently  to  have  the 
blooms  at  just  the  proper  time.  The  colour  is  a  pale  cream,  and  the 
florets  are  very  numerous,  so  much  so  in  fact  as  to  preclude  our  getting 
a  satisfactory  reproduction  for  the  purpose  of  illustration  as  we  had 
wished.  Mr.  Molyneux’s  bloom  measured  5^  by  6  inches,  so  those  who 
may  not  be  acquainted  with  the  variety  can,  from  this,  form  some  idea 
of  its  size.  Another  Japanese,  ia  Mrs.  R,  B.  Martin,  also  reaches  us 
from  the  same  source.  This  promises  well,  as  the  colour  is  very  distinct, 
the  lower  florets  being  wine-red,  and  the  upper  ones  yellow.  They  are 
narrow,  reflexing,  and  pointed.  Both  flowers  prove  the  excellent 
culture  that  is  always  expected  from  the  brother  of  far-famed  Edwin 
Molyneux. 
I  FORWARD  you  a  bloom  of  the  new  Japanese  Chrysanthemum  (of 
which  we  have  seen  so  little  this  season)  Mrs.  C.  E.  Shea,  for  your 
opinion.  I  accidentally  broke  it  off,  as  you  will  see  it  is  not  quite 
finished,  or  you  would  have  had  it  at  a  later  date.  It  measures  7  inches 
by  inches,  and  is  from  a  bud  taken  on  the  8th  of  September.  High 
feeding  has  been  adopted.  I  think  buds  taken  on  the  8th  of  August 
will  be  in  good  time  for  shows  held  about  the  second  week  in  November 
in  this  district. — Chas.  Bellis,  Downton  Ball  Gardens,  Ludlow. 
[The  specimen  sent  was  a  very  fine  one,  and  clearly  showed  the 
characteristics  of  the  variety.  It  would  probably  have  been  somewhat 
deeper  had  it  become  fully  developed  on  the  plant.  We  congratulate 
our  correspondent  on  his  suceess.] 
Cambridge  (N.Z.)  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
Op  all  the  Colonial  Chrysanthemum  societies  this  appears  to  be  con¬ 
ducted  with  an  unusual  amount  of  energy  and  enthusiasm.  Not  long 
ago  Mr.  Thomas  Wells,  the  Chairman,  drew  up  a  list  of  the  best  thirty- 
six  Japanese  varieties  suitable  for  Colonial  growers,  an  undertaking 
that  seems  to  have  met  with  general  approval,  and  which  was  reproduced 
58i'r^^ 
in  the  Journal  some  short  time  ago.  One  good  feature  of  the  Society's 
work  is  the  free  plant  distribution,  and  a  list  of  incurved  and  Japanese 
varieties  is  sent  round  to  the  members  from  whleh  to  make  their  selec¬ 
tion.  The  list  for  the  present  season  contains  a  very  choice  assortment, 
there  being  twenty-six  kinds  of  incurves  and  sixty-four  Japanese.  Each 
member  is  entitled  to  select  free  of  charge  five  plants  from  the  list,  or  if 
they  prefer,  five  plants  of  any  reflexed.  Anemone  or  Pompon  varieties. 
After  formal  business  at  the  annual  meeting  a  “Chrysanthemum  Talk’' 
was  held,  a  novel  and  interesting  idea. 
The  French  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
Having  briefly  referred  to  the  proposal  to  found  a  French  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society  in  a  former  issue,  it  may  be  worthy  of  mention 
that  on  the  occasion  of  the  Paris  Chrysanthemum  show  another  body  of 
exhibitors  and  admirers  of  the  flower  held  a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of 
organising  a  similar  Society,  or  Chrysanthemum  Committee  of  the 
National  Horticultural  Society.  After  waiting  so  long  for  something  of 
the  kind  to  be  started  it  seems  a  pity  that  the  French  growers  should 
divide  themselves  into  two  camps,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  tlat  the  forces 
will  be  united,  so  as  to  avoid  any  conflict  of  operations.  Referring  to 
the  project  in  its  last  issue  “  Le  Sardin  ”  says  that  in  order  to  accom¬ 
plish  useful  work  the  Society  must  not  favour  any  private  commercial 
enterprise,  that  it  should  be  really  “National  ”  and  not  serve  the  interests 
of  one  part  of  the  country  more  than  another,  that  the  Committees  be 
composed  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  considered  authoritative  by  French  and 
foreign  nurserymen  and  amateurs,  that  the  members  be  gathered  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  and  that  the  Society  should  have  if  possible 
the  support  of  all  the  French  horticultural  societies.  Many  other  items 
in  the  plan  of  operations  might  be  suggested,  but  until  the  rules  are 
settled,  and  the  executive  appointed  further  speculation  on  what  might 
or  ought  to  be  done  is  premature.  During  the  past  ten  or  twelve 
years  I  have  frequently  urged  upon  my  French  Chrysanthemum¬ 
growing  friends  the  necessity  for  some  such  Society  as  is  now  pro¬ 
posed  ;  and  it  is,  therefore,  with  more  than  ordinary  satisfaction  that 
I  chronicle  the  fact  that  what  has  hitherto  been  merely  a  dream  is 
about  to  become  un  fait  accompli. — P. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
December  10th. 
Scientific  Committee. — Present :  Mr.  McLachlan  (in  the  chair) ; 
Dr.  Miiller,  Dr.  Russell,  Mr.  Michael,  Dr.  Bonavia,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  and 
Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Carnations  Attached  iy  Grubs.  —  With  reference  to  Dianthus 
glacialis  destroyed  by  larvm,  brought  to  the  last  meeting  by  Dr.  Miiller, 
Mr.  McLachlan  added  to  his  previous  observation  that  he  presumed  that 
they  were  of  the  same  nature  as  those  brought  before  the  Scientific  Com¬ 
mittee  in  1892.  The  perfect  insect  obtained  from  those  grubs  was  then 
determined  to  be  Hylemyia  nigrescens,  for  many  species  of  black  flies 
infest  greenhouses,  and  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
larvae  alone  ;  but  on  one  occasion  when  they  were  bred  they  proved  to 
be  the  species  named  above. 
The  Colours  of  Flowers. — The  question  was  raised  whether  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  carry  out  some  experiments  with  various  substances  in 
the  soil  to  test  their  effects  upon  the  colours  of  flowers  and  fruits.  Mr. 
Wilks  remarked  upon  the  effect  produced  by  hoeing  in  quicklime  and 
soot  over  the  roots  of  various  Apple  trees,  with  the  result  that  a  crimson- 
scarlet  hue  was  imparted  to  the  fruit.  With  regard  to  the  supposed 
action  it  was  a  question  how  far  the  lime  could  affect  the  colour,  for  if 
the  ammonia  was  presented  in  the  form  of  sulphate,  it  would  tend  to 
fix  the  lime,  though  the  soot  itself  would  certainly  be  a  vehicle  for  the 
ammonia.  This  is  a  known  agent  for  improving  the  colour  of  Balsams, 
Weigela,  &c.;  peat  also  appears  to  have  a  similar  effect.  Hence  the 
deeper  coloration  would  be  due  to  the  enhancing  the  assimilating  powers 
of  the  foliage.  The  case  of  Viola  calaminaria  was  mentioned,  a  species 
which  absorbed  salts  of  zinc  from  growing  in  localities  where  the  car¬ 
bonate  of  this  metal  was  abundant ;  and  Dr.  Muller  alluded  to  the 
peculiarity  that  it  did  not  appear  solely  as  an  accidental  ingredient  to 
the  plant,  but  that  it  actually  entered  into  its  constitution.  Mr.  Wilks 
was  good  enough  to  place  some  Apple  trees  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Committee  for  experimental  purposes,  and  it  is  also  proposed  to  use 
white  Hyacinths  as  soon  as  the  procedure  shall  have  been  determined 
upon  by  Dr.  Miiller  and  Dr.  Russell.  The  Committee  will  be  glad 
to  receive  information  from  any  correspondent  who  may  have  had 
experience  in  the  changes  of ^  colours  through  the  action  of  the  soil  in 
any  way. 
Cypripedium,  Origin  of  the  Slipper.— Dv.  Bonavia  gave  the  following 
.possible  morphology  of  the  labellum  of  this  Orchid: — “In  Canada 
a  wild  Cypripedium  (Selenepedium)  acaule  has  a  natural  slit  down  the 
median  line  on  the  front  of  the  slipper.  This  suggests  that  the  slipper 
may  have  heen  originally  an  open  labellum,  like  that  of  other  Orchids, 
while  the  incurving  of  the  edges  and  their  final  fusion  made  a  slipper. 
To-day  at  the  meeting  I  saw  a  Cypripedium  with  its  slipper  open.  This 
may  have  been  an  accidental  rent ;  but,  supposing  this  to  be  so,  the  fact 
that  the  rent  occurred  down  the  median  line  shows  a  line  of  cleavage 
there.  Moreover,  in  several  there  was  a  distinct  line  down  the  middle, 
and  in  some  the  veins  converged  towards  that  line  ;  in  others  both  the 
veins  and  median  line  were  obliterated.” 
