382 
November  2,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM  SHOWS. 
As  is  usual  at  this  time  of  the  year  we  have  received  numerous 
intimations  of  Chrysanthemum  shows  which  are  to  be  held  during  the 
coming  season.  Space,  however,  can  only  be  found  for  recording 
those  that  have  been  advertised  in  our  columns.  We  append  the 
dates  of  such  fixtures,  with  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  various 
secretaries : — 
Nov.  3. — Evesham.— G.  Wit*s,  Evesham. 
„  3,  4. — Battersea.— Hon.  Secretary,  167,  Elsley-rd.,  Lavender- 
hill,  Battersea,  S.W. 
„  7,  8.— Brighton. — James  Thorpe,  53,  Ship-st.,  Brighton. 
„  7,8. — Birkenhead  and  Wirral. — W.  Riley,  28,  Whitford-rd., 
Birkenhead. 
„  7,  8. — Coventry. — John  Cooper,  31,  Eoleshill-rd. 
„  7,  8.— Croydon. — W.  B.  Beckett,  272,  Portland-rd.,  South  Nor¬ 
wood. 
„  7,  8. — West  of  England.  —  Chas.  Wilson,  4,  North-hill 
Plymouth. 
„  7,  8,  9. — Birmingham.— J.  Hughes,  140,  High-st.,  Harborne, 
Birmingham  ;  F.  W.  Simpson,  Victoria-rd.,  Birmingham. 
„  7,  8,  9.— National  Chrysanthemum  Society. — Richard  Dean, 
Raneleigh-rd.,  Ealing,  W. 
„  8,  9.— Bath.— B.  R.  F.  Pearson,  W.  Jeffery,  2,  Northumberland- 
buildings,  Bath. 
„  8,9.  —  Bournemouth.  —  James  Spong,  Lindisfarne  Gardens, 
Bournemouth. 
„  8,  9. — Bristol. — Geo.  Webley,  Westbury-on-Trym,  Bristol. 
„  8,  9.— Cardiff. — H.  Gillett,  66,  Woodville-rd.,  Cardiff. 
„  8,  9. — Kingston-on-Thames.  —  W.  D.  Elsam,  Kingston-on- 
Thames. 
„  8,  9.— Bromley. — W.  Weeks,  29,  Widmore-rd.,  Bromley,  Kent. 
„  8,  9. — Ascot. — C.  Gordon  Shackle,  St.  George’s,  Ascot. 
„  9. — Windsor,  Eton,  and  District. — Mr.  Herbert  Finch,  Bank 
House,  Eton. 
„  9. — Launceston. — E.  Leamon,  St.  Stephen’s,  Launceston. 
„  10,  11. — Derby. — H.  J.  Bell,  Normanton-rd.,  Derby. 
„  10,  11. — Eccles. — H.  Huber,  Hazeldene,  Winton,  Patricroft. 
„  10,  11. — Huddersfield. — John  Bell,  Marsh,  Huddersfield. 
„  10,  11. — Sheffield.— Wm.  Housley,  28,  Joshua-rd.,  Sheffield. 
„  10,  11. — Altrincham. — C.  C.  Moore,  22,  Railway-st.,  Altrincham. 
„  14,  15. — Leeds  Paxton.  —  Wm.  Smith,  The  Gardens,  Weetwood 
Hall,  Leeds. 
„  15,  16. — Hull. — Edward  Harland,  Manor-st.,  Hull  ;  James  Dixon, 
2,  County-buildings,  Hull, 
„  14,  15. — Liverpool. — Harold  Sadler,  7,  Yictoria-st.,  Liverpool. 
„  15,  16. — Rugby. — Wm.  Bryant.  8,  Barby-rd.,  Rugby. 
„  15,  16,  17. — York. — Geo.  F.  W.  Oman,  38,  Petergate,  York. 
„  17,  18. — Bolton. — James  Hicks,  Markland-hill-lane,  Heaton,  Bolton. 
„  17,  18. — Bradford. — R.  Eichel,  Eld  wick,  Bingley.3 
N.C.S.  FLORAL  COMMITTEE. 
r>^ON  Wednesday  the  25th  ult.  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  above 
Society  held  a  meeting  at  the  Royal  Aquarium,  Westminster.  The 
display,  if  not  large,  consisted  of  some  remarkably  fine  novelties,  and 
first-class  certificates  were  awarded  as  under  : — 
Mrs.  A.  H.  Hall. — This  is  a  very  fine,  massively  built  flower,  large 
and  globular,  with  grooved  florets  of  medium  width,  colour  deep 
orange  yellow,  shaded  golden  bronze.  Exhibited  by  Mr.  R.  Kenyon. 
It  Florence  Molyneux. — This  is  also  very  large,  and  is  a  close,  com¬ 
pactly  built  flower  of  great  substance.  The  florets  are  twisted,  of 
good  width,  and  grooved,  and  the  flower  belongs  to  the  Japanese 
incurved  section  ;  the  colour  is  white.  From  Mr.  N.  Molyneux. 
In  fig.  72  we  give  a  photographic  reproduction  of  Florence 
Molyneux,  which  received  an  award  of  merit  from  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  on  the  24th  ult.,  ere  migrating  to  the  N.C.S.  for  a 
first-class  certificate. 
Edith  Pilkington — A  Japanese  with  long,  drooping,  medium¬ 
sized  florets,  which  are  twisted  and  curly ;  the  colour  is  a  pale  shade 
of  canary  yellow,  deepening  towards  the  centre.  Staged  by  the  same 
exhibitor  as  the  preceding. 
Miss  Godsmarh. — An  incurved  of  close  and  regular  form,  with  a 
good  breadth  of  floret,  rather  large  in  size,  and  the  colour  bright 
reddish  chestnut  bronze.  This  came  from  Mr,  R.  Owen. 
Miss  Alice  Byron. — A  noble  Japanese  flower  of  great  dimensions, 
very  globular  and  deep  in  build,  and  the  broad  florets  closely  and  com¬ 
pactly  arranged  ;  colour  pure  paper  white.  From  Mr.  H.  Weeks. 
Among  other  novelties  were  Miss  Lily  Boutroy,  Madame 
Gabrielle  Debrie,  and  Miss  Maud  Douglas,  which  the  Committee 
wished  to  see  again  ;  Ada,  a  large  Jap  of  an  orange  bronze  shade  ; 
Miss  Elsie  Fulton,  a  large  white  Jap,  and  several  other  very  promising 
novelties. 
VOTING  AT  THE  N.C.S.  FLORAL  COMMITTEE. 
I  think  this  body  acted  wisely  in  attempting  to  reform  their 
practice  in  the  direction  of  adding  to  the  value  of  the  certificate  of 
merit  by  making  it  more  difficult  of  attainment.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  about  it  that  both  the  N.C.S.  and  the  R.H.S.  certificates  and 
awards  of  merit  have  been  given  to  new  Chrysanthemums  with  far 
too  lavish  a  hand.  Let  anyone  obtain  a  list  of  the  new  varieties  so 
distinguished  during  the  past  three  years  and  note  how  many  have 
failed  to  justify  that  award  when  subjected  to  cultivation.  It  is  no 
secret  that  small  minorities  of  both  Committees  have  voted  on  a 
motion  to  make  an  award  to  a  new  variety,  carrying  it  or  rejecting  it 
by  very  small  majorities  either  way.  When  opinion  for  and  against 
is  so  evenly  balanced  the  value  of  a  certificate  is  largely  discounted. 
It  has  been  felt  that  certificates  and  awards  of  merit  have  been 
granted  much  too  cheaply,  and  powerfully  assisting  to  bring  this 
about  is  the  influence  of  the  trade,  who  are  always  feverishly  desirous 
of  obtaining  an  award  for  a  new  variety  for  purely  commercial  pur¬ 
poses,  because  it  is  considered  the  gaining  of  any  such  an  award 
enhances  the  monetary  value  of  a  new  introduction. 
I  fail  to  perceive  anything  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  N.C.S.  did 
in  formulating  their  new  rule  to  bring  the  Committee  or  the  Socitey 
into  disrepute.  A  new  regulation  had  been  formulated,  no  doubt 
with  the  laudable  object  of  insuring  a  good  attendance  of  members 
out  of  a  Committee  of  twenty-two  persons,  making  it  necessary  that  an 
attendance  of  ten  persons  was  required  to  grant  a  certificate  of  merit, 
and  it  was  demanded  that  the  votes  of  these  ten  should  be  unanimous. 
Above  that  number  a  three-fourths  majority  was  required  to  make 
such  an  award. 
I  am  informed  (for  the  proceedings  of  the  Floral  Committee  on 
October  10th  are  no  secret)  that  two  or  three  members  of  the  Com¬ 
mittee,  no  doubt  well  qualified  to  form  an  opinion,  thought  Mr. 
Weeks’  white  Jap,  Miss  Alice  Byron,  not  sufficiently  distinct  from 
Mrs.  Weeks,  and  in  that  belief  refrained  from  voting.  It  was  the 
abstentions  from  voting  which  prevented  the  requisite  majority  from 
being  obtained. 
It  is  currently  reported  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  Floral  Committee 
of  the  N.C.S.,  on  the  25th  inst.,  the  three-fourths  majority  requirement 
was  withdrawn,  and  uow  a  bare  majority  of  those  voting  can  make  an 
award.  It  is  a  retrograde  step  on  the  part  of  the  Committee  which 
many  will  deplore,  and  certificates  of  merit  can  now  be  obtained  as 
readily  as  of  yore.  It  is  a  great  triumph  for  Mr.  Godfrey.  He  will,  of 
course,  claim  that  the  withdrawal  of  the  regulation  is  due  to  his  action, 
and  it  will  be  generally  considered  it  is  so.  But  the  consistency  of  the 
Committee  cuts  but  a  poor  figure  in  the  face  of  such  a  surrender 
— More  Suo. 
A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  RUST  FUNGUS. 
I  wish  indeed  I  could  help  “X.  Y.  Z.”  (page  363)  in  his  “  battle 
with  the  rust  fungus.”  Too  late,  too  late,  for  me  to  do  so.  My  advice 
in  these  pages  has  been  strategical  rather  than  hard  fighting.  I  am 
glad  to  inform  you  I  have  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  this  year — pulled 
through  again  with  a  clean  bill.  An  ingenious  youth  has  promised 
to  snap-shot  my  greenhouse,  and  I  may  again  send  you  photo  evidence 
of  the  “Mums,”  feathered  with  foliage  down  to  the  ground.  Vines, 
Tomatoes,  Roses,  and  what  not,  have  also  maintained  their  foliage,  and 
given  good  crops  of  flowers  and  fruit.  This  makes  the  sixth  year  that 
my  practice  has  been  to  avoid  any  sloppy  syringings  or  spraying 
whatever.  I  can  give  no  advice  as  to  those  drastic  mixtures — which 
“  X.  Y.  Z.”  must  now  use — so  much  in  vogue  and  recommended.  Early 
and  persistent  applications  with  the  Malbec  bellows  of  the  dry,  im¬ 
palpable  anti- blight  powder  is  sufficient  for  me. — Rqbt.  Fenn. 
Our  experience  here  goes  to  prove  that  there  is  no  necessity  to 
get  into  a  panic  over  this  pest  if  it  is  only  taken  in  time.  We 
bought  in  a  few  hundred  rooted  cuttings  of  Niveus  in  the  spring 
which  were  as  badly  infested  as  possible,  and  would  have  been 
promptly  burned  had  I  been  at  home;  however,  finding  them  dipped 
and  potted,  I  concluded  to  give  them  a  trial.  Our  grower,  Mr.  Lead- 
beatter,  dipped  them  in  a  solution  of  sulphide  of  potassium,  sub¬ 
sequently  syringing  them  three  or  four  times  at  intervals  with 
Condy’s  fluid  as  an  additional  safeguard.  We  have  not  seen  a  spot 
all  the  summer,  and  they  are  now  grand  bushes  absolutely  clean. 
The  moral  is,  Begin  early  ;  it  is  much  easier  to  dip  a  cutting  than 
syringe  an  old  plant,  and  it  is  also  possible  to  absolutely  cleanse  it, 
which  appears  to  be  extremely  difficult  in  the  later  stages. — Chas.  E. 
Pearson,  Chilwell  Nurseries,  Notts. 
