March  19,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
261 
I  WAS  very  pleased  to  see  the  excellent  portrait  of  Mr.  Molyneux 
in  the  Journal  of  March  5th,  and  I  desire  to  join  in  the  tribute  of  praise 
to  this  excellent  gardener,  and  also  to  thank  him  for  the  good  work  he 
is  so  often  doing  through  your  valuable  pages,  especially  of  late  in 
arranging  the  interesting  lists  of  Chrysanthemums.  It  has  been  my 
privilege  and  good  fortune  to  meet  him  on  many  occasions,  and  I  owe 
very  much  to  his  kindly  advice  and  information  on  matters  horticul¬ 
tural,  which  for  the  asking  no  gardener  is  more  ready,  and  few  more 
able  to  impart.  I  am  sure  those  growers  who  did  battle  with  him  in 
days  gone  by  at  Kingston  and  elsewhere  will  endorse  my  opinion  that 
if  he  were  to  expend  the  same  energy  and  skill  in  Chrysanthemum 
competition  to-day,  we  should  have  a  very  difficult  task  indeed  to  beat 
him.  May  he  never  be  tempted  to  compete  and  overthrow  us  is  the 
wish  of  one  who  has  learnt  much,  and  hopes  to  learn  still  more  from  so 
able  an  exponent  of  the  craft  which  he  so  conspicuously  adorns. — 
W.  H.  Lees.  v  * 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
A  largely  attended  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  of  this 
Society  was  held  on  Monday  evening  last  at  Anderton’s  Hotel,  Fleet 
Street,  Mr.  B.  Wynne  presiding.  After  the  minutes  of  the  previous 
meeting  bad  been  read  and  confirmed,  correspondence  was  read,  com¬ 
prising  a  letter  from  Sir  Edwin  Saunders,  acknowledging  his  election  as 
President  of  the  Society,  and  one  from  Mr.  Harry  J.  Veitch,  thanking 
the  Committee  for  placing  him  on  the  list  of  Vice-Presidents.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  rule  one-third  of  the  Floral  Committee  retire  annually,  but  are 
eligible  for  re-election.  There  were  nine  candidates,  and  of  these  the 
following  gentlemen  were  successful  : — Mr.  George  Gordon,  Mr.  H.  J. 
Jones,  Mr.  C.  Gibson,  Mr.  Rowbottom,  Mr.  Norman  Davis,  and  Mr. 
T.  Lyne.  The  voting  for  this  election  being  by  ballot,  Messrs.  A.  Taylor 
and  W.  B.  Beckett  were  nominated  as  scrutineers. 
The  Chairman  presented  the  report  of  the  Jubilee  Sub-Committee, 
which  dealt  mainly  with  the  institution  of  some  important  classes  to  be 
open  for  competition  at  the  Society’s  great  show  in  November  next,  at 
which  special  prizes  to  a  much  larger  amount  in  value  than  has  ever 
been  the  case  before  will  be  offered.  The  Jubilee  Fund  is  still  somewhat 
under  the  amount  required,  and  subscriptions  from  anyone  interested  in 
the  Society 's  work  and  the  success  of  its  unprecedented  effort  to  celebrate 
the  fiftieth  year  of  its  foundation  are  requested  to  be  forwarded  to  the 
Secretary  at  an  early  date.  The  Jubilee  Banquet  will  be  held  at  the 
Hotel  Mdtropole  on  the  first  night  of  the  Show,  and  a  Conference  will 
take  place  on  tbe  evening  of  the  third  day.  The  time,  place  and  subject 
will  be  settled  as  soon  as  practicable. 
The  members  of  the  Catalogue  Committee,  Messrs.  H.  J.  Jones,  W.  H. 
Lees,  Crane,  Taylor,  and  Harman  Payne,  were  re-elected.  Four  Societies 
were  admitted  in  affiliation,  and  nine  new  members  added  to  the  roll. 
Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  monthly  meeting  of  this  Society  was  held  at  the  Museum, 
Orchard  Street,  on  the  11th  inst.,  when  a  good  number  of  members 
attended.  The  members’  exhibits  for  the  month  were — Professionals, 
best  pot  plant  in  bloom  ;  and,  for  amateurs,  three  cut  blooms.  In  the 
former  class  the  awards  were  First,  Mr.  G.  Smith;  second,  Mr. 
C.  Scott  ;  and  third,  Mr.  R.  Agar,  each  exhibit  being  a  well  flowered 
specimen  of  Dendrobiam  nobile.  In  the  latter  class  the  honours  were  : _ 
First,  Mr.  M.  H.  Willford  ;  second,  Mr.  Percy  Scott;  and  third,  Mr. 
J.  Beighton,  their  exhibits  consisting  of  Orchids,  Camellias,  Imanto- 
pbyllums,  and  Richardias.  The  unsuccessful  exhibitors  in  the  amateur 
class  staged  some  excellent  blooms. 
After  the  usual  routine  business  had  been  completed  and  a  number  of 
new  members  admitted  to  the  Society,  a  discussion  upon  the  new  varieties 
of  the  Chrysanthemum  followed. 
Mr.  H.  Broomhead,  F.R.H.S.,  was  to  have  opened,  but  owing  to  indis¬ 
position  did  not  attend,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  members 
present.  It  being  his  custom  to  try  many  new  varieties  yearly  the 
meeting  was  anxious  to  hear  his  opinion  on  the  more  recent  introduc¬ 
tions.  Mr.  Frank  Hardy  described  at  some  length  a  number  of  new 
varieties  that  he  bad  cultivated,  and  amongst,  others  referred  to  Rose 
Owen,  Major  Bonnaffon,  Mrs.  R.  C.  Kingston ,  Bonny  Dundee,  BrookJand 
Gem,  D.  B.  Crane,  Globe  d’Or,  John  Agate.  John  Fulford,  Lucy  Kendal, 
Mr.  C.  H.  Curtis,  Mrs.  John  Gardner,  and  R<ibt.  Petfield  as  new  incurved 
varieties. 
As  representing  the  Japanese  section,  he  referred  to  Edith  Tabor, 
Lago  Maggiore,  Mrs.  Geo.  West,  Mrs.  J.  Sbrimpton,  Mrs.  H.  Weeks, 
Oceana,  Pboebus,  and  William  Slogrove.  Mr.  Chas.  Scott  also  gave  the 
experience  he  had  gained  in  respect  to  new  varieties,  and  also  informa¬ 
tion  of  great,  value  to  the  amateurs  present  as  to  tbe  best  time  for 
inserting  cuttings  and  for  stopping  older  varieties.  Messrs.  W.  Will- 
gooBe,  B.  Glossop,  and  others  joined  in  the  discussion,  which  will  no  doubt 
be  very  beneficial  to  all  growers  of  the  Chrysanthemum  who  were  present 
at  the  meeting.  A  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman  (Mr.  John  Haigh) 
concluded  the  business  of  the  evening. 
The  Chrysanthemum  Audit  and  the  N.C.S.  Year  Book. 
When  this  publication  was  issued  about  twelve  months  ago,  various 
correspondents  expressed  their  opinion  respecting  the  same.  One 
chapter  which  was  more  discussed  than  another  being  perhaps  that  of 
“Japanese  Novelties  for  1895,”  a  list  of  fifty-four  varieties  being  given. 
Compared  with  the  recent  audit  this  particular  chapter  does  not  show 
to  any  great  advantage.  Out  of  the  fifty-four  varieties  thirty-seven 
are  not  to  be  found  in  the  first  fifty  of  the  audit,  but  eleven  varieties 
not  even  mentioned  in  this  particular  chapter  are  well  up  in  the  audit 
of  fifty.  It  is  said  the  N.C.S.  has  decided  not  to  publish  an  annual  for 
1896.— A.  B.  C. 
Your  correspondent  “T.  V.  D.”(page  213)  would  perhaps  lend  more 
weight  to  his  opinion  anent  Chrysanthemums  and  the  lists  you  have 
recently  given  us  in  such  an  interesting  manner,  it  he  did  not  hide  his 
light  under  the  above  initials. 
The  variety  Mephisto,  which  he  says  has  never  been  grown  in  this 
country,  was  offered  by  at  least  one  of  the  leading  London  trade  growers 
last  year,  whose  catalogue  I  have  in  hand,  and  we  exhibited  a  bloom  at 
three  shows,  N.C.S.,  Hull,  and  Edinburgh,  as  can  be  proved  by  reference 
to  the  Journal  reports. 
It  is  not  my  business  to  take  up  the  cudgels  on  behalf  of  any 
particular  firm,  but  why  anyone  who  wins  a  gold  medal  should  not  make 
full  use  of  the  honour  is  hard  to  understand,  especially  in  so  far  as  I 
have  observed,  no  undue  or  “  misleading  ”  statement  has  appeared  in 
the  advertisement  alluded  to.  If  “  T.  Y.  D.”  were  to  interest  himself 
more  carefully  in  these  matters  before  rushing  into  print  with  his 
fancied  grievances  against  the  N.C.S.,  he  would  find  that  an  allowance 
is  made  to  exhibitors  of  plants  and  groups  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
cartage,  but  it  is  hardly  likely  that  the  Society  can  undertake  the  whole 
cost  of  transit  from  any  part  of  the  country,  even  supposing  (which  is 
most  unlikely)  they  were  to  get  an  entry  in  such  classes  from  a 
distance. 
One  little  point  more  is  that  a  gold  medal  was  not  awarded  the  group 
in  question,  the  Presidents  prize — a  drawing-room  clock — was  the  first 
award. — W.  H.  Lees, 
The  N.C.S.  Jubilee  Schedule. 
On  page  189  “Fairplay”  calls  attention  to  the  class  for  groups  at 
the  coming  Jubilee  celebration  of  the  N.C.S.  Of  course  we  shall  be 
told  that  the  object  of  tbe  competition  is  to  encourage  correct  grouping 
of  Chrysanthemums.  But  I  would  ask,  will  not  the  judges  in  making 
the  awards  take  into  consideration  the  quality  of  the  foliage  used? 
Horticultural  societies  generally  offer  prizes  with  the  object  of  encourag¬ 
ing  good  grouping  of  greenhouse  aod  stove  plants,  and  yet  what  would 
be  said  if  the  rules  allowed  plants  not  grown  by  the  exhibitor  to  be 
used  ?  How  often  do  we  hear  exhibitors  in  speaking  of  their  more 
successful  competitors  say,  “  Yes,  he  has  beaten  me  by  having  a  few 
choice  bits  of  Orchids,”  &c.  ?  The  class  as  now  framed  by  the  N.C.S. 
practically  confines  the  competition  to  the  trade,  and  of  course  the 
grower  will  necessarily  hail  from  the  neighbourhood  of  London. 
It  would  not  pay  a  gardener  to  hire  or  purchase  a  collection  of  choice 
plants,  but  a  trade  grower  has  a  chance  to  recoup  himself  by  the 
announcement  that  he  had  won  the  prize  by  the  great  superiority  of 
his  Chrysanthemums.  If  “  Fairplay  ”  will  turn  to  class  45  in  last 
season’s  schedule  he  will  find  a  class  confined  to  nurserymen.  It  is 
particularly  stated  that  “quality  of  bloom  will  be  the  first  considera¬ 
tion  in  determining  the  awards,”  and  then  the  footnote  says,  “the 
flowers  need  not  be  grown  by  the  exhibitors.”  The  winner  of  the 
first  prize  in  this  class  is  now  enabled  to  say  his  Chrysanthemum* 
won  the  gold  medal.  Why  this  loophole  for  the  trade  grower  and  not 
for  the  private  one  ? — Nemo. 
The  Chrysanthemum  Election. 
“  D.”  evidently  does  not  know  of  tbe  existing  conditions  of  the 
circular  invitation  sent  to  the  electors,  or  the  note  (page  189)  would  not 
have  been  Decessary  regarding  the  position  occupied  by  Madame 
Carnot  in  the  list  of  new  varieties.  The  peculiar  (to  “  D.”)  position  of 
this  variety  is  easily  explained.  Obviously,  the  twenty-one  electors  who 
voted  for  it  misunderstood  the  terms  of  the  circular  relating  to  the  new 
varieties.  The  conditions  run  thus  : — “  Twelve  best  and  most  promising 
Japsnese  Chrysanthemums,  which  hate  been  seen  for  the  first  time  in  the 
year  1895.”  Madame  Carnot  ought  not  to  have  been  included  in  any 
return  for  new  variet’es.  as  it  was  exhibited  in  the  year  previous,  and 
therefore  not  strictly  eligible.  I  am  unable  to  answer  tbe  question  put 
by  “  D.,”  as  to  whether  the  electors  have  grown  the  varieties  named,  or 
whether  they  have  seen  them  only  at  shows.  “  D.”  must  know  that 
many  in  tbe  list  are  as  yet  in  the  hands  of  raisers  and  vendors  only,  and 
in  this  wav  have  been  exhibited  by  them  only.  Referring  to  Mona. 
Chenon  de  Lecbe,  I  am  not  aware  that  more  than  two  blooms  were  seen 
during  tbe  whole  of  last  season.  Both  were  exhibited  by  Mr.  Wells — 
one  at  the  Aquarium,  and  the  other, at  Hull. 
I  fear  but  a  moderate  list  of  new  varieties  would  be  published  if 
electors  were  compelled  to  include  only  those  they  bad  grown.  Why 
nineteen  only  give  Edith  Tabor  a  place  in  the  fifty  wa3,  I  presume, 
owing  to  previous  experience  with  other  apparently  sterling  novelties. 
