214 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
March  5,  1896. 
as  has  been  done.  Bat  surely  novelties  ought  to  be  excluded  from 
such  an  audit.  Also  if  old  and  well  tested  varieties,  such  as  Yal 
d’Andorre  (3  votes),  W.  W.  Coles  (4),  Mons.  Bernard  (5),  receive  so  few 
votes,  how  can  they  be  compared,  much  less  placed  in  the  same  category, 
as  Lady  Byron  (4  votes),  M.  Aug.  de  Lacvivier  (4),  &c..  &c.  1  Further, 
Thunberg  (2  votes)  and  Australian  Gold,  a  tremendous  flower  as  shown, 
not  coarse  and  good  colour  (2  votes),  and  yet  how  unequal  in  reality  ? 
It  is  difficult  to  understand  that  the  voters  in  the  fifty  and  twenty-four 
Japanese  are  the  same. 
Then  with  regard  to  the  audit  of  “  twelve  new  Japanese,”  in  addition 
to  the  inconsistent  position  of  Madame  Carnot  and  Edith  Tabor,  there  is 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Lees  not  even  placed,  and  receiving  only  8  votes  against  99 
and  87  respectively  placed  seventh  and  eighth  in  the  fifty  and  twenty- 
four  Japanese,  and  if  John  Seward  receives  more  votes  than  Dorothy 
Seward  in  the  fifty  and  twenty-four  Japanese,  one  would  expect  to  see  it 
in  front  of  the  latter  in  the  twelve  Japanese. 
I  have  only  instanced  one  or  two  of  the  more  noticeable  features  in 
the  audit,  and  feel  confident  in  saying  that  had  the  number  of  voters 
been  reduced  to  say  twelve,  consisting  of  the  largest  and  most  successful 
exhibitors  amongst  gentlemen’s  gardeners,  a  reliable  result  might  have 
been  attained,  although  in  the  case  of  the  twelve  new  Japanese  which 
are  often  only  seen  at  the  committee  tables  in  London,  doubtless  it 
would  have  been  more  satisfactory  to  have  taken  the  opinion  of  a  few  of 
the  best  growers  (excluding  the  trade  and  raisers)  residing  within  a 
certain  limit  of  the  metropolis. — H.  Briscoe-Ironside. 
Eccles  and  Patricroft  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
At  the  recently  held  annual  general  meeting  it  was  decided  that  the 
Chrysanthemum  show  for  the  present  year  should  be  held  on  Friday  and 
Saturday,  the  13th  and  14th  November. 
English  Chrysanthemums  in  America. 
Whilst  many  of  the  American  varieties  have  attained  a  large 
amount  of  popularity  in  this  country,  it  is  surprising  how  few  English- 
raised  varieties  succeed  in  America.  Among  the  former  are  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Lees,  Mutual  Friend,  H.  L.  Sunderbruck.  Col.  Smith,  International,  Eda 
Prass,  Duchess  of  Wellington,  Mrs.  E.  G.  Hill,  Mrs.  Wheeler,  W.  H. 
Lincoln,  and  W.  Tricker  of  the  exhibition  varieties,  with  Clinton  Chal- 
fant,  the  brightest  and  best  midseason  yellow  ;  E.  G.  Hill,  the  best  late 
yellow  ;  Ivory,  the  best  October  white  ;  and  L.  Canning,  the  best  very 
late  white  among  the  decorative. 
One  of  the  leading  Chrysanthemum  specialists  in  America  has 
favoured  me  with  a  list  of  the  most  popular  varieties  in  that  country. 
He  writes  : — “The  leading  sorts  at  the  shows  this  year  have  been  May¬ 
flower,  Miss  F.  Pullman.  E.  Daillpdouze,  Mrs.  H.  Robinson,  John 
Shrimpton,  Triomphe  St.  Laurent,  Mrs.  Perrin,  Philadelphia,  Viviand 
Morel,  Katherine  Leach,  Major  Bonnaffon,  Golden  Wedding.  H.  L.  Sunder¬ 
bruck,  Mrs.  G.  Pitcher,  IrUer-ocean,  Achilles,  G  Bramhall,  Yellow 
Queen,  and  Mrs.  Murdock.  These  were  the  most  prominent  varieties  at 
Chicago,  Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  Indianopolis,  and  Atlanta — in  fact,  I 
have  travelled  2500  miles  this  season  to  inspect  the  various  shows.” 
In  this  selection  we  have  only  one  English  raised  variety — John 
Shrimpton.  The  writer  goes  on  to  say  “  that,  Mrs.  H.  Robinson  is  the 
most  remarkable  Chrysanthemum  we  have,  whilst  the  very  finest  yellow 
is  E .  Dailledouze,”  yet  with  us  these  two  varieties  are  almost  failures. 
Of  course,  the  American  standard  of  excellence  is  different  from  ours. 
In  America  ibe  blooms  aie  shown  in  vases  of  twenty-five  and  fifty 
flowers,  and  foliage  is  considered  almost  as  much  as  the  blooms.  It  is 
essential  that  this  shall  be  well  carried  up  under  the  bloom,  and  perhaps 
the  Americans  are  right. — W.  J.  G.,  Exjnoutli. 
The  Chrysanthemum  Audit. 
Through  the  medium  of  the  Journal  I  would  like  to  thank  Mr. 
Molyneux  for  the  vast  amount  of  trouble  he  has  taken  in  this  matter. 
The  audit  is  very  interesting  and  instructive,  but,  with  your  corre¬ 
spondent  “  D.,”  I  would  like  to  point  out  some  of  the  peculiarities  in 
connection  therewith.  The  same  objection  that  I  raised  last  year  in 
respect  to  the  novelties  I  raise  this — viz.,  that  only  those  varieties  should 
be  included  which  have  been  seen  by  the  voter.  I  am  certain  that  some 
varieties  are  voted  for  that  have  never  been  seen  by  several  who  have 
placed  them  among  the  twelve  novelties  of  the  year.  Last  year  Duchess 
of  York  headed  the  poll  for  the  twelve  novelties,  and  this  year  it  only 
just  creeps  in  with  the  fifty  varieties.  Mrs.  E.  S.  Trafford  and  Miss 
Maggie  Blenkiron,  which  found  a  place  among,  the  twelve  novelties,  the 
latter  really  standing  third  on  the  list,  do  not  find  a  place  among  the 
first  fifty  of  this  year.  On  the  other  hand  Mutual  Friend,  Phoebus, 
Eva  Knowles,  and  Deuil  de  Jules  Ferry,  although  shown  last  season,  and 
which  were  not  mentioned  in  last  year’s  list,  are  this  time  to  be  found 
among  the  best  fifty.  Mons.  C.  Molin,  Pallanza,  Mdlle.  de  Galbert,  and 
some  others  which  were  in  very  low  positions  last  year,  are  now  gone  up 
in  a  remarkable  manner. 
Of  this  year’s  selection  of  the  twelve  novelties  I  assert  that  it  could 
not  well  be  improved  on,  although  several  others  are  worthy  of  much 
higher  positions  than  they  occupy.  By  the  way,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
caution  growers  as  to  the  bud  to  be  taken  of  the  beautiful  Mons. 
Chenon  de  Lechb.  If  taken  before  the  middle  of  August  a  poor  dull- 
coloured  and  worthless  bloom  will  be  the  result, 
“  D.”  suggests  that  Mons.  Panckoucke  should  have  found  a  place 
among  the  novelties,  apparently  overlooking  the  fact  that  it  is  now 
considered  a  standard  variety,  and  stands  No.  5  both  in  the  fifty  and 
twenty-four  class. 
It  ia  surprising  to  find  Duke  of  York  in  such  a  high  position  in  both 
classes,  considering  too  that  good  blooms  of  this,  with  Van  den  Heede, 
Eva  Knowles.  International,  and  Richard  Dean,  have  been  passed  several 
times  by  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  N.C.S.  as  being  unworthy  of  certi¬ 
ficates.  I  think  it  quite  safe  to  predict  that  another  season’s  audit  will 
find  International,  Duke  of  York,  President  Borel,  W.  G.  Newitt,  Nivens, 
Primrose  League,  and  Commandant  Blusset  in  very  much  lower  posi¬ 
tions  ;  whilst  Beauty  of  Teignmouth,  Phoebus,  Boule  d’Or,  Le  Moucbe- 
rotte,  Madame  Rosain,  Baronne  de  Buffieres,  Miss  Elsie  Teichmann,  and 
Theodore  Dock  will  attain  much  higher  ones.  Of  course,  I  do  not 
exclude  the  many  splendid  novelties  of  this  season,  which  are  bound  to 
find  a  place  among  the  standard  varieties  before  long. 
Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  fact  in  connection  with  the  audit  is 
the  omission  of  one  of  the  finest  novelties  of  the  season — viz.,  Mrs. 
Briscoe  Ironside.  This,  no  doubt,  is  due  to  its  omission  from  the  various 
trade  catalogues,  as  Mr.  Briscoe  Ironside  did  not  decide  to  part  with  any 
of  this  stock  until  late  in  the  season . — W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth. 
NOTES  ON  SUMMER  BEDDING. 
No  phase  of  gardening  is  capable  of  so  much  variation  and 
originality  as  the  formation  and  planting  of  the  flower  beds  for  the 
summer  display.  True  there  are  certain  local  circumstances  to  be  taken 
into  consideration,  such  as  the  size  of  the  garden,  the  distance  at  which 
the  beds  are  situated  from  the  dwelling  house,  the  aspect  favourable  or 
otherwise.  The  shelter  gained  from  trees  on  one  side,  or  the  over¬ 
shadowing  from  them  that  is  not  favourable  to  the  welfare  of  the  plants 
employed,  must  not  be  lost  sight  of.  In  the  majority  of  instances, 
however,  the  kinds  selected  for  filling  the  beds  and  the  manner  of 
disposing  of  them  is  a  matter  of  individual  taste  either  of  the  owner  or 
tbe  gardener.  The  great  charm  of  a  flower  garden  at  any  season  is  the 
introduction  annually  of  as  much  variety  as  is  possible,  both  in  the 
selection  of  the  plants  and  the  manner  of  disposing  of  them.  Surprises 
in  colour,  form,  and  arrangement  should  meet  the  eye  frequently. 
The  form  of  the  beds  is  an  important  factor  in  their  ultimate 
appearance.  Beds  formed  to  represent  intricate  figures,  shapes,  and 
designs  are  not  favourable  to  effective  planting.  No  bed  gives  more 
satisfactory  results  than  an  oblong  one  with  perfectly  straight  sides  and 
ends.  Circular  beds  are  also  desirable,  as  they  admit  of  variety  in  the 
design  of  planting.  Beds,  large  or  small,  when  cut  out  of  grass  are 
much  improved  by  having  the  edges  raised  at  least  4  inches  from  the 
level,  all  such  edgings  to  be  covered  with  some  low-growing  plant. 
Herniaria  glabra  is  perhaps  the  best  of  all  plants  for  covering  such 
edgings  ;  the  peculiar  tint  of  green  harmonises  perfectly  with  the  grass. 
Veronica  repens  is  also  valuable  as  an  edging  plant,  and  thoroughly 
hardy  too.  Sedum  glaucum  and  S.  Lydium  provide  additional  contrasts 
in  colour,  the  glaucous  tint  of  the  former  and  the  bronzed  appearance  of 
the  latter  during  the  winter  being  pleasing.  The  more  tender  or  really 
summer  growing  plants  are  somewhat  numerous.  Mesembryantbemum 
cordifolium  variegatum  is  quite  one  of  the  best.  Echeveria  secunda 
glauca,  Sempervivum  tabulaeforme,  S.  tectorum,  and  Kleinia  repens 
are  all  suitable  for  edgings. 
The  methods  adopted  in  forming  raised  edgings  have  been  discussed 
in  the  Journal  more  than  once.  Some  persons  advise  the  addition  or 
the  total  employment  of  cow  manure  freshly  gathered,  or  well  worked 
clay,  to  make  a  square  stiff  edging ;  others  make  the  soil  thoroughly 
wet,  kneading  it  together  to  render  it  sufficiently  adhesive  to  remain  in 
the  desired  position.  Not  one  of  these  methods  is  in  my  opinion  to  be 
recommended.  By  having  the  soil  in  a  suitable  condition  the  forma¬ 
tion  of  raised  edges  is  quite  simple.  The  soil  in  the  bed  should  be 
deeply  dug  and  finely  broken,  removing  all  stones.  Let  us  assume  that 
the  bed  to  be  operated  on  is  oblong  in  shape,  and  has  perfectly  straight 
sides  and  ends,  and  that  it  is  8  feet  long  and  4  feet  wide.  Two  boards, 
4  feet  long  and  6  inches  wide,  will  be  required.  These  are  placed 
leaning  inwards  on  edge  in  a  line  with  tbe  grass  edging,  which  has  been 
cut  straight.  In  the  meantime  the  soil  must  be  removed  from  the  edge 
of  the  bed  down  to  the  level  of  tbe  base  of  the  grass,  and  thrown  into  a 
heap  in  the  middle  of  the  bed.  Two  persons  are  required  in  forming 
the  edge.  One  stations  himself  on  the  grass,  with  his  toes  close  up  to  the 
board,  keeping  it  firmly  in  place  ;  the  other  places  the  soil  alongside  the 
board,  treading  it  firmly.  Whatever  the  height  of  the  edge,  4  inches  to 
6  inches,  the  soil  should  be  placed  half  an  inch  or  so  above.  When  the 
edging  is  high  enough  and  made  quite  firm  the  board  is  gently  removed 
and  carefully  cleaned  for  the  next  length.  In  the  case  of  circular  beds 
or  those  with  rounded  corners,  short  pieces  of  board  6  inches  wide  are 
employed  ;  these  are  used  on  end,  three  or  four  pieces  being  used  to 
afford  sufficient  treading  space. 
The  best  time  to  make  and  plant  the  edgings  depends  on  circum¬ 
stances.  If  the  beds  are  not  at  the  present  time  occupied  with  spring 
flowering  plants  or  shrubs,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  preparing  and 
planting  those  in  which  Herniaria  glabra  is  to  figure.  If  the  stock  of 
this  plant  is  not  large  an  early  start  is  desirable,  as  its  growth  is  not 
fast.  The  edgings  of  Echeveria,  Mesembryanthemum,  and  others  more 
tender  cannot  be  planted  until  tbe  month  of  May. 
A  few  remarks  anent,  the  planting  of  the  beds  m&y  not  be  out  of 
place.  The  less  formality  of  design  in  the  arrangement  the  better. 
Lobelia  cardinalis  Queen  Yictoria,  in  a  mass  with  Begonia  Princess 
Beatrice,  Blue  Ageratum,  White  Viola,  Sedum  glaucum.  or  S.  Lydium, 
to  cover  the  soil  and  afford  a  distinct  contrast  to  the  brilliant  colour 
above  produces  an  effect  during  August  and  September  that  only  needs 
to  be  seen  to  be  admired.  A  good  sized  bed  thickly  planted  with 
