172 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  24,  1898. 
The  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  and  the  Royal 
Aquarium. 
“My  determination's  great  this  enterprise  to  further.” 
Thus  the  opening  of  the  “  Drama,”  on  page  150  last  week.  The 
utterance  has  proved  true  in  a  manner  that  the  dramatist  could  not  have 
imagined,  or  certainly  he  could  not  have  known  of  the  intention  of  his 
first  character  in  the  piece. 
i\Ir.  J.  W.  Moorman  has  issued  an  eight-page  pamphlet,  entitled 
“  The  National  Chrysanthemum  Societj'  and  the  Royal  Aquarium.  The 
Society’s  Shows  and  Management,  with  Suggestions  for  Consideration.” 
After  a  review  of  the  whole  question  the  author  and  compiler  gives 
condensed  citations  from  the  correspondence  which  has  appeared  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture,  also  extracts  from  other  journals,  which  are  in 
accord  with  his  views.  He  admits  that  the  “  masterly  review  by 
‘  Spectator  ’  ”  is  beyond  his  power  of  abridgement,  and  therefore  publishes 
it  in  extenso,  and  concludes  as  follows  : — 
What  is  to  be  Done? 
“I  am  sanguine  that  this  controversy  must  eventually  result  in  the  true 
and  lasting  interests  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society,  and  to  that 
end  the  following  points,  in  addition  to  those  previously  mentioned  on 
page  4,  appear  to  require  ventilating  at  the  annual  meeting  : — 
First. — Whether  the  time  has  not  arrived  for  the  Society  to  have  a  paid 
Secretary  and  no  vote  ? 
Secondly. — That  it  be  an  instruction  to  the  Committee'  to  inquire  and 
report  on  what  other  places  (if  any)  can  be  obtained  for  our  exhibitions,  either 
by  a  subsidy,  as  now,  or  otherwise } 
Thirdly. — To  consider  if  the  time  has  not  arrived  when  in  reliance  on  our 
own  resources  we  can  proceed  on  independent  lines  like  most  provincial 
societies,  which  are  in  a  sound  financial  condition  ? 
Fourthly. — As  there  appears  to  be  much  disquietude  arising  from  the  fact 
that  the  Secretary  is  the  delegated  referee  at  all  our  exhibitions,  whether  the 
advisability  of  a  change  should  not  be  considered  in  the  form  of  a  small 
Reference  Committee  or  otherwise 
Fifthly. — That  as  the  custom  of  selling  the  floor  space  cf  the  Aquarium  to 
trade  exhibitors  (some  of  whom  are  not  bona-fide  growers  of  Chrysanthemums), 
and  that  inasmuch  as  such  sales  have  driven  competitive  exhibits  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  into  semi-dark  galleries  upstairs,  whether  such  custom  of  selling  space 
for  a  different  purpose  than  that  for  which  the  National  Chrysanthemum  Society 
was  established  shall  be  seriously  considered  with  a  view  to  its  discontinuance. 
Sixthly. — That  an  Exhibition  Committee  be  appointed  to  closely  examine 
the  question  of  minor  shows  with  the  object  of  ascertaining  their  advantages  or 
otherwise,  to  the  Society,  and  report  the  results  of  their  investigations  to  the 
General  Committee. 
“  Having  done  what  I  conscientiously  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  in  seeking 
to  extricate  the  National  Chiysanthemum  Society  from  an  incongruous 
position,  which  alienates  an  important  and  wealthy  section  of  the  com¬ 
munity — a  section  which  would  otherwise  join  in  placing  the  Society  in  the 
commanding  position  it  ought  to  enjoy — I  now  earnestly  request  the  hearty 
co-operation  of  all  who  desire  its  freedom,  independence,  and  prosperity. — 
J.  W.  Moorman,” 
“  What  is  to  be  done’’  only  time  can  tell.  We  have  received  many 
letters  expressing  appreciation  of  the  “  Drama,”  but  are  liound  to  say 
that  the  great  majority  of  the  writers  concur  with  the  author  s  prophetic 
utterance — “  The  big  braves  hang  back,  I  win.”  One  correspondent  goes 
so  far  as  to  say  that  he  will  be  “  much  surprised  if  Mr.  Moorman  has 
one  supporter  at  the  annual  meeting.”  Another  writes  in  a  valedictory 
way  as  follows  : — “  Now  yc  masked  mummers,  assemble  in  your  thousands 
in  the  big  ‘  smoking  concert  ’  room  of  the  Handy- Andy  Hotel  on  Monday 
night  next,  and  when  the  combat  is  over  shed  a  tear  for  the  man  who  is 
no  more.” 
Let  the  issue  be  what  it  may,  we  have  to  congratulate  all  our 
correspondents  who  took  part  in  the  memorable  discussion  on  the 
excellent  tone  and  spirit  manifested  throughout.  Mr.  Moorman’s  epitome 
is  a  fair  reflex  of  it,  which  many  persons  interested  in  Chrysanthemum 
lore  will  he  glad  to  possess.  The  pamphlet  can  be  obtained  in  return 
for  l^d.  in  stamps,  sent  to  his  address — The  Lodge,  Victoria  Park, 
London,  E. 
Mr.  Moorman  has  kindly  sent  me  a  copy  of  his  pamphlet,  re  the 
recent  discussion  in  your  columns,  and  elsewhere,  respecting  the  connection 
between  this  Society  and  the  Royal  Aquarium.  I  am  obliged  to  him  for 
it,  and  do  not  in  the  least  complain  that  he  gives  my  initials  prominence 
in  it.  Seeing  that  Mr.  Moorman  gives  me  the  credit  of  setting 
the  ball  rolling,  I  can  but  be  reminded  of  an  old  saying,  “  Behold  how 
great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth.”  What  the  effect  may  be  on  the 
Chrysanthemum  community  at  large  I  do  not  know.  Possibly  very  little. 
If  there  were  one  tithe  the  desire  manifested  in  relation  to  the  queen  of 
autumn  flowers  to  worship  her  only  for  love,  no  doubt  a  great  change 
might  eventuate,  but  my  interest  in  the  Society  has  become  a  thing  of 
the  past.  I  am  no  longer  a  member,  and  its  affairs  are  to  me  a  matter  of 
absolute  indifference. — A.  D. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society — General  Committee. 
The  General  Committee  of  this  Society  held  a  meeting  on  Monday 
last  at  Anderton’s  Hotel,  Fleet  Street,  when  Mr.  Tl  W.  Sanders  presided. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  business  to  be  done,  and  much  discussion  on 
matters  arising  out  of  the  minutes  and  correspondence,  but  chiefly  of  8 
formal  nature.  The  Foreign  Secretary  reported  on  several  matters  of 
interest,  showing  that  the  work  of  the  Society  was  becoming  more  widely 
appreciated  abroad,  but  particularly  in  Germany,  where  Chrysanthemum 
culture  is  arousing  the  attention  of  growers. 
The  report  of  the  Classification  Committee  was  then  presented,  by 
which  it  seems  that  different  varieties  are  sometimes  shown  so  closely 
resembling  one  another  that  it  is  desirable  to  lessen  the  risk  of  duplicates 
being  shown.  Instances  were  cited  of  Mrs.  Heale  and  Princess  of  Wales, 
Charles  Curtis  and  Major  Bonnaffon  having  been  staged  in  a  condition 
that  rendered  them  almost  identical.  A  good  deal  of  time  was  spent  in 
reviewing  this  report,  and  finally,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Crane,  it  was 
resolved  that  the  report  be  referred  back  to  the  Committee  for  them  to 
prepare  a  list  of  too  much  alike  varieties.  The  undermentioned  varieties 
are  now  classed  by  the  Committee  as  incurved  : — Austin  Cannell,  Ernest 
Cannell,  General  Mauric,  Lady  Isabel,  Lyne,  jun.,  Mdlle.  Lucie  Faure, 
Madame  Ferlat,  M.  Desblanc,  Owen’s  Crimson,  W.  Carpenter,  Yvonne 
Desblanc,  Mrs.  N.  Molyneux,  Harold  AVells,  and  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence. 
Next  followed  the  draft  report,  in  which  the  progress  of  the  past  year 
was  set  forth.  Numerically  the  Society  has  improved,  there  having  been 
elected  thirteen  Fellows  and  114  ordinary  members,  and  affiliated 
societies  increased  by  eleven.  The  draft  financial  statement  was  also 
considered,  and  shows  the  income  for  the  past  year  to  be  upwards  of 
£1100.  Both  of  these  documents  will  belaid  before  the  annual  general 
meeting  on  Monday  next  in  their  entirety.  The  Secretary  drew  attention 
to  the  increasing  amount  of  prize  money  offered  year  by  year,  and 
pointed  out  that  prizes  of  the  value  of  over  £500  were  provided  for  in 
the  new  schedule  for  1898. 
A  communication  from  the  Treasurer,  Mr,  J.  R.  Starling,  was 
announced,  resigning  his  office  on  account  of  ill-health.  A  vote  recording 
the  thanks  of  the  Society  for  his  long  service  was  passed.  The  annual 
meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Society  will  be  held  on  Monday  next, 
at  seven  o'clock,  when  Mr.  Sanders,  the  Chairman  of  the  General  Com¬ 
mittee,  has  been  requested  to  preside.  Owing  to  the  lengthy  agenda  the 
meeting  was  not  over  until  unusually  late. 
The  Belfast  Show. 
I  observe  from  a  communication  on  page  152  of  your  last  issue,  that 
Mr.  Beckett  asks  me  to  deal  with  a  complaint  made  by  Mr.  Peter  Brock, 
on  page  122  of  the  previous  week.  I  had,  of  course,  already  seen  Mr. 
Brock’s  letter,  but  considered  that,  as  he  was  clearly  complaining  of  the 
judging,  if  any  answer  to  it  were  necessary,  it  would  be  from  Mr.  Beckett 
it  should  come,  and  I  had  not,  therefore,  proposed  to  intrude  upon  your 
valuable  space.  As,  however,  Mr.  Beckett  appeals  to  me  on  the  matter,  I 
venture  to  ask  you  to  insert  this  letter. 
As  regards  the  circumstances  under  which  the  bloom  was  named,  I 
can  only  say  that  it  was  precisely  as  Mr.  Beckett  has  stated.  My 
instructions  to  my  assistant  attending  the  show  were  that  the  bloom 
was  to  be  labelled,  “Yellow  Madame  Carnot,''  and  the  first  intimation  I 
had  of  the  affixing  of  a  different  description  was  the  evening  after  the 
Belfast  Show,  ivhen  I  heard  of  it  at  Edinburgh,  where  I  had  gone  for 
the  purpose  of  the  show  there,  and  I  was  very  much  surprised  that  any 
question  had  arisen  on  the  matter.  As  to  the  description  of  the  bloom 
as  a  “  Yellow  Madame  Carnot,”  I  can  only  say,  what  is  in  fact  common 
knowledge  to  all  Chrysanthemum  growers,  that  there  was  then  no 
standard  by  which  the  exact  shade  of  yellow  of  that  variety  could  be 
fixed  ;  and  knowing  that  my  blooms  were  from  very  early  buds,  I 
naturally  thought  that  later  blooms  would  come  a  deeper  yellow,  and 
that  therefore  there  could  be  no  possible  doubt  that  it  was  the  “  Yellow 
Madame  Carnot,”  and  I  named  it  accordingly. 
Having  regard  to  this,  and  to  what  Mr.  Beckett  has  already  stated,  I 
think  all  feir-minded  men  will  agree  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  me  to 
deal  further  with  Mr.  Brock  s  communication,  except  to  add  that  it  is 
impossible  for  him  more  than  myself  to  say  what  any  other  judges  would 
have  done  if  they  had  been  in  Mr.  Beckett’s  place,  and  that  I  am  sure  if 
Mr.  Brock  had  known  Mr.  Beckett  as  well  as  he  is  known  to  the  generality 
of  growers,  including  myself,  he  would  not  have  made  such  a  remark. 
— W.  Mease,  The  Gardens,  Downside,  Leatherhead, 
Collarets  for  Chrysanthemums. 
■While  not  encouraging  the  use  of  collarets  as  an  aid  to  displaying 
Chrysanthemum  blooms,  I  should  not  take  upon  myself  the  liberty  of 
disqualifying  an  exhibitor  who  made  use  of  them  if  no  mention  of  them 
were  made  in  the  schedule.  I  should,  however,  take  care  that  such  an 
addition  did  not  assist  the  exhibitor  in  securing  a  prize.  It  is  quite  easy 
for  a  man  of  experience  like  Mr.  Beckett  to  tell  if  blooms  are  artificially 
set  up  by  the  aid  of  collarets.  The  natural  “build”  of  the  blooms  would 
noint  this  out.  Although  not  seeing  the  Belfast  Show,  I  am  quite  sure 
the  third  prize  blooms  were  sufficiently  good  of  themselves  to  secure  their 
position  in  the  competition,  even  if  there  had  not  been  a  collar  at  all 
employed.  How  can  a  judge  disqualify  a  stand  of  blooms  purely  liecause 
they  receive  a  supiiosed  aid  from  collars  when  no  mention  is  made  in  the 
schedule  ?  Committees,  not  judges,  are  responsible  for  any  shortcomings 
of  the  rules  or  regulations. — Sadoc. 
New  French  Chrysanthemums. 
Has  not  Mr.  C.  Harman  Payne  (page  153),  made  a  mistake  in 
classifying  several  of  the  varieties  there  named?  For  instance,  he 
