100 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  30,  1896. 
Chrysanthemum  William  Seward. 
I  quite  agree  with  your  able  correspondent  “  W.  B.”  on  page  77  of 
the  Journal,  as  to  the  merits  of  William  Seward.  It  comes  good  from 
any  bud,  and  does  well  either  as  a  bush  plant  or  cut  back.  I  saw  a  fine 
plant  last  autumn  that  had  been  lifted  from  the  open,  and  which  carried 
nearly  100  good  sized  blooms.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  finest  introduc¬ 
tions  of  late  years. — H.  W.  B. 
Disqualification  at  Glasgow. 
Relative  to  the  note  on  page  10,  I  desire  to  inform  Messrs.  Pearson 
that  I  am  not  connected  with  the  Society,  nor  do  I  exhibit  or  compete ; 
but  as  a  grower  of  3000  plants  I  was  careful  to  search  for  new  varieties. 
It  was  when  I  was  so  occupied  that  I  was  asked  how  the  exhibit  was 
disqualified.  The  eye  alone  would  have  sufficed  for  the  answer,  for  the 
back  row  of  blooms  on  the  small  board  was  quite  out  of  line  with 
those  on  the  other  two  boards,  but  I  measured  it  carefully.  I  am  not 
inclined  to  state  what  is  incorrect,  and  sign  my  name  to  it.  As  to 
healthy  competition,  I  do  not  consider  it  a  healthy  sign  when  nursery¬ 
men  avoid  class  28  (open  to  nurserymen  only),  and  compete  with 
gardeners  and  amateurs  in  class  1.  Will  Messrs.  Pearson  be  good  enough 
to  state  what  Society  requests  that  show  boards  be  used  of  the  dimensions 
given  on  page  10 1 — W.  Elton. 
Highgate  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  eleventh  annual  meeting  of  members  of  the  above  Society  was 
held  on  the  22nd  inst.,  Mr.  C.  Catling,  the  President,  occupying  the  chair. 
Mr.  W.  E.  Boyce,  the  Secretary,  read  the  annual  report,  which  stated 
that  the  exhibition  held  in  November  last  was  exceptionally  good.  The 
special  prizes  offered  by  the  President  and  Mr.  W.  Beckett  for  groups  of 
Chrysanthemums  were  well  contested,  and  formed  one  of  the  leading 
features  of  the  exhibition.  While  congratulating  the  members  on  the 
improvement  in  the  financial  position  of  the  Society  the  Committee 
ventures  to  suggest  to  subscribers  that  by  a  little  effort  on  their  part  in 
making  the  Society  known  to  their  friends  its  funds  might  be  con¬ 
siderably  augmented  and  its  usefulness  extended.  The  Treasurer  (Mr. 
J.  McKerchar)  then  read  the  financial  statement,  which  showed  that  the 
year  was  commenced  with  a  balance  in  hand  of  6s.  5d.  The  total 
amount  of  receipts  for  the  year  being  £121  6s.  8d.  The  chief  item  of 
disbursement  was  £70  8s.  for  prize  money,  but  after  all  expenses  had 
been  met  there  remained  a  balance  to  the  good  of  19s.  8£d.  The  report 
and  statement  having  been  adopted,  Mr.  McKerchar  moved  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  President,  who  well  deserved  that  tribute  to  his  work. 
They  were  sorry  he  was  leaving  the  chair,  because  when  they  reviewed 
his  services  they  had  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  what  he  had  done,  and 
he  relinquished  office  with  their  best  wishes.  The  election  of  officers  for 
1896  was  then  proceeded  with,  and  the  Chairman  proposed  as  President 
Mr.  H.  W.  Birks,  who  was  elected,  and  took  the  chair  amid  applause. 
For  the  posts  of  Treasurer  and  Secretary  Mr.  J.  McKerchar  and  Mr. 
W.  E.  Boyce  were  re-elected,  as  were  also  Messrs.  G.  Attkin  and  G.  W. 
Smyth  as  Auditors.  The  meeting  closed  with  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
President.  The  exhibition  for  the  present  year  is  fixed  for  November 
12th  and  13th. 
Early  and  Semi-Early  Flowering  Chrysanthemums. 
It  has  been  once  again  said  that  the  early  flowering  or  September 
blooming  sorts  are  not  wanted,  and  that  cultivators  have  still  to  rely  on 
the  old  varieties.  This,  however,  is  certainly  not  the  view  of  the  general 
public,  when  we  see  them  in  every  florist’s  shop  and  stall.  Cultivators 
need  not  rely  on  the  old  varieties,  which  in  many  cases  they  do.  There 
is  Lady  Sel borne  being  sold  in  the  streets  and  shops  of  London,  and  it  is 
an  especially  bad  sort  for  such  trade  as  a  cut  flower,  because  it  has  a 
tendency  to  rapidly  become  limp  in  water  or  out  of  it  after  cut  from 
the  plants. 
Of  the  new  sorts  of  this  season  perhaps  the  most  important  is  Eadie 
Wright.  It  is  one  of  the  very  best  early  flowering  sorts  ever  raised  in 
England,  and  to  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones  of  Lewisham  we  are  indebted  for  it. 
At  his  place  last  year  I  did  not  think  very  highly  of  it,  but  when  I 
grew  it  this  season  I  found  out  its  merits.  It  is  a  pink  fading  to  nearly 
white.  In  form  it  grows  in  the  largest  flowers  into  nearly  a  ball  of 
rather  stiff  petals,  rounded  at  the  end,  neither  incurved  nor  reflexed. 
The  blooms  are  about  4  inches  across,  and  the  plant  grows  about  3  feet 
high.  The  number  of  buds  it  forms  is  enormous,  so  that  for  cutting  the 
flowers  are  almost  endless  till  the  frost  comes. 
1  think  it  is  proper  to  give  the  second  place  to  Lemon  Queen.  This 
is  my  own  raising  from  the  seed  of  Cornucopia  laat  season ;  thus  it  is  its 
second  year  here,  which  is  important,  as  they  often  vary  from  the  year 
in  which  they  are  raised,  I  consider  it  is  one  of  the  best  early  yellows. 
The  colour  is  a  bright  deep  lemon  yellow,  about  as  good  in  colour  as 
President  Hyde.  It  is  a  Japanese  in  form,  having  flowers  2£  to  3  inches 
across.  The  plant  grows  rather  over  3  feet  high,  and  commences  to 
bloom  at  the  beginning  of  September.  Another  seedling  from  Cornu¬ 
copia  of  last  season  raised  here,  little,  if  any,  inferior  to  the  above,  is 
Ivy  Starka,  pale  orange  yellow.  It  belongs  to  the  small  Japanese 
section,  is  a  prolific  bloomer,  and  attains  to  a  height  of  3  feet  6  inches. 
The  flowers,  from  3  to  3J  inches  across,  are  produced  in  September. 
Dorcas,  a  seedling  from  Cornucopia  raised  here,  is  a  white  semi¬ 
double  incurved  of  branching  habit,  and  growing  about  3  feet  high. 
The  flowers  are  3  to  4  inches  across,  and  commence  to  expand  at  the 
beginning  of  September,  lasting  until  the  end  of  October.  Claret  Belle 
was  also  raised  here,  and  is  remarkable  as  being  one  of  three  different 
and  distinct  pure  colours  originating  from  the  same  parent.  The  plant 
grows  4  feet  high,  bearing  Japanese  flowers  3  inches  across  on  long 
slender  stems.  October  is  the  month  when  the  claret  crimson  blooms 
are  produced.  Bronze  Prince  will,  l  believe,  prove  to  be  the  earliest 
large  flowered  bronze  Japanese.  It  is  a  good  stout  plant,  not  very 
bushy,  2  feet  6  inches  to  3  feet  high,  bearing  flowers  3  to  4  inches  across, 
with  stout  straight  petals.  Bronze  Dwarf,  from  Mr.  R.  Owen,  is  early, 
being  in  bloom  by  the  1st  of  September.  The  colour  is  reddish  bronze. 
The  plant  grows  only  about  2  feet  6  inches  high,  and  is  of  bushy  habit. 
The  flowers  are  Japanese  in  form,  3  to  4  inches  across. 
Owen’s  Perpetual,  raised  by  Mr.  R.  Owen  of  Maidenhead,  is  a 
beautiful  white-flowered  variety,  blooming  at  the  beginning  of  September, 
and  continuing  to  do  so  till  November.  The  flowers  consist  of  short,  stout 
petals,  which  form  a  white  ball  of  great  beauty.  It  is  of  slender  habit, 
and  requires  much  support,  in  which  respect  it  resembles  Gustave 
Grunerwald  and  Madame  Carmiaux.  It  has  spare  foliage,  and  comes 
quickly  to  perfection.  The  blooms  are  2£  to  3  inches  across,  and  the 
plant  grows  about  2  feet  6  inches  high.  Madame  Carmiaux  is  a  French 
raised  variety  that  blooms  at  the  beginning  of  September.  It  is  a  large 
pure  white  Japanese,  and,  like  Owen’s  Perpetual,  continues  to  bloom  for 
a  long  time.  The  flowers  are  reflexed  Japanese  in  form,  and  the  long 
stalks  make  it  good  for  cutting  purposes.  It  grows  about  2  feet 
6  inches  high,  and  the  flowers  are  3  to  4  inches  across. 
As  for  most  of  the  new  French  early  sorts  that  I  have  grown  or 
seen  at  present,  few  of  them  seem  to  be  promising.  I  have  grown  two 
that  seem  fairly  good — Ambrose  Thomas,  a  very  bright,  transparent, 
bronze  Japanese,  and  Alfred  Droz,  a  kind  of  straight-petalled  Pompon, 
but  I  have  not  had  sufficient  experience  of  either  of  them  yet  to  speak 
with  certainty  as  to  their  qualities. — W.  Piercy,  Beadnell  Road,  Forest 
Hill ,  London ,  S.E. 
THE  ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
It  is  very  interesting  to  note  that  whatsoever  may  have  been  a 
few  months  since  in  the  mind  of  the  Council  relating  to  Chiswick 
Gardens,  that  so  far  nothing  in  the  way  of  change  is  contemplated 
during  the  present  year.  Possibly  no  particular  changes  ever  were 
contemplated.  It  is  satisfactory  to  find  that  not  only  is  the  new 
Superintendent  (Mr.  S.  T.  Wright)  to  have  an  entirely  free  hand,  but 
also  that  the  somewhat  anomalous  body,  the  Chiswick  Board,  is  not 
this  year  re-appointed.  Without  for  one  moment  suggesting  that  such 
a  Board  could  do  no  good  at  Chiswick,  yet  it  was  too  evident  that  its 
position  was  a  very  anomalous  one,  as  well  as  being  unsatisfactory; 
The  Council  is  the  Garden  Superintendent’s  immediate  employer, 
and  as  such  should  have  no  intermediaries,  but  fully  accept  all 
responsibility  and  control. 
The  Drill  Hall  Meetings. 
The  new  Superintendent,  Mr.  Wright,  will  act  as  manager  of  these 
gatherings  in  the  same  way  that  Mr.  Barron  so  admirably  discharged 
the  duty  for  so  long  a  time.  He  is  for  the  present  year  in  any  case 
relieved  of  the  responsible  position  of  Secretary  to  the  Fruit  Committee, 
which  is  at  present,  and  for  the  year  probably,  in  the  efficient  hands  of 
the  Rev.  W.  Wilks.  That  arrangement  leaves  Mr.  Wright  at  full 
liberty  to  attend  to  all  matters  requiring  attention  in  the  Hall,  and 
which  in  past  days  often  called  Mr.  Barron  away  from  his  post  at  the 
table.  Mr.  Wilks  is  no  novice  at  the  Fruit  Committee,  a3  while  free  to 
sit  with  any  Committee,  yet  has,  as  a  matter  of  taste,  always  preferred 
the  fruit  and  vegetable  table.  For  that  reason  also  he  can,  beyond 
discharging  the  Secretarial  duties,  render  useful  critical  service. 
Chiswick  Awards. 
I  learn  that  the  Floral  Committee’s  esteemed  Chairman,  Mr. 
W.  Marshall,  thinks  that  a  hardship  is  inflicted  on  those  persons  who 
send  flowers  for  trial  to  Chiswick,  because  the  Committees  which  assemble 
there  occasionally  in  the  summer  are,  under  the  order  of  the  Council, 
found  at  page  5.5  of  the  Society’s  arrangements  for  the  year,  precluded 
from  making  to  such  plants  the  customary  awards  of  certificates, 
because  such  assemblages  are  not  regarded  as  regular  Committee 
meetings.  There  are  frequent  occasions  when  things  seen  at  their  best 
there  by  the  Committees  cannot  be  presented  at  a  meeting  at  the  Drill 
Hall  some  time  later,  hence  they  never  get  the  full  award  they  are 
entitled  to. 
This  rule  seems  to  act  adversely  in  two  ways.  First,  it  checks  the  • 
sending  of  plants  for  trial  to  Chiswick,  yet  nothing  can  be  more 
desirable  ;  and  it  checks  attendance  on  the  part  of  members  at  Chiswick, 
because  they  do  not  go  armed  with  the  customary  Drill  Hall  powers. 
That  seems  to  be  all  the  more  unfortunate,  not  only  because  many  things 
can  only  have  their  distinctness  or  otherwise  determined  when  grown  in 
the  Gardens,  but  also  because  only  when  seen  growing  can  true  habit 
and  character  be  determined.  For  these  reasons  it  does  seem  rather 
desirable  that  the  Chiswick  Committees  should  be  armed  with  full 
