326 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
October  1,  1896. 
National  Chbysanthemttm  Society. 
A  MEETING  of  the  Floral  Committee  of  this  Society  was  held  at  the 
Royal  Aqaarinm,  Westminater,  on  Wednesday,  the  23rd  September,  Mr, 
T.  Sevan  presiding.  There  was  little  work  for  the  Committee  to  do, 
and  the  exhibits  were  almost  wholly  made  up  of  Dahlias.  A  first- 
class  certificate  was  awarded  to  Mr.  Godfrey  of  Exmouth  for  the  follow¬ 
ing  early  flowering  Chrysanthemum — viz.,  Barbara  Forbes,  a  large 
Japanese  with  twisted  grooved  and  incurving  florets  of  medium  width  ; 
colour  white.  For  some  seedling  Dahlias  Mr.  J.  Green  of  Dereham, 
Norfolk,  received  a  vote  of  thanks. 
A  MEETING  of  the  General  Committee  of  this  Society  was  held  at 
Anderton’s  Hotel,  Fleet  Street,  on  Monday  evening  last,  when  Mr.  B. 
Wynne  occupied  the  chair.  After  the  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  last 
meeting  it  was  proposed  and  seconded  that  the  President  be  requested  to 
convey  to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  the  heartfelt  congratulations  of  the 
N.C.S,  on  Her  Majesty’s  long  and  prosperous  reign,  which  has  now 
exceeded  in  duration  that  of  any  previous  monarch  of  the  country.  The 
Society  desires  also  to  assure  Her  Majesty  of  the  loyalty  and  devotion  of 
the  numerous  members,  not  only  in  this  country  but  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  The  medals  awarded  by  the  Arbitration  Committee  on  the  occa¬ 
sion  of  the  recent  September  show  were  confirmed. 
A  rough  estimate  of  income  received  to  date  was  presented  by  the 
Secretary,  which,  although  in  excess  of  that  received  up  to  this  time  last 
year,  falls  considerably  short  of  the  sum  required  to  enable  the  Com¬ 
mittee  to  carry  their  published  programme  to  a  satisfactory  and  success¬ 
ful  issue.  It  is,  therefore,  hoped  that  sympathisers  with  the  Society  in 
its  work  will  lose  no  time  in  making  up  the  amount. 
The  annual  dinner  of  the  Society  is  fixed  for  Thursday,  November  26th, 
and  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Moorman  it  was  resolved  that  tickets  be  sent 
to  the  recognised  representatives  of  all  the  organs  of  the  horticultural 
Press,  Forty  new  members  were  elected,  and  four  Societies  admitted  in 
affiliation.  The  roll  now  consists  of  840  members,  and  of  these  eight 
Fellows,  125  ordinary  members,  and  twenty-six  Societies  have  been 
elected  since  the  beginning  of  the  financial  year  in  February  last. 
CHBYSANTHEMUMS  in  THE  ISLE  OF  WIGHT. 
The  equinoxial  gales  coming  in  so  suddenly  have,  I  am  afraid,  caught 
many  napping,  and  done  considerable  damage  to  the  plants  that  have 
not  been  housed.  It  is  no  mean  work  to  get  a  large  collection  under 
glass,  for  a  certain  amount  of  arrangement  must  be  done  at  the  time, 
unless  there  are  conveniences  in  the  shape  of  sheds  or  corridors  which 
can  be  made  use  of  temporarily,  so  that  the  arranging  of  the  collection 
can  go  on  comfortably  after  they  are  all  under  cover. 
Hitherto  the  season  has  seemed  likely  to  be  a  forward  one  on  account 
of  the  extreme  heat  and  sunshine  experienced  through  the  summer 
months,  but  this  dull  weather  will  keep  them  back,  so  that  I  have  no 
doubt  but  that  we  shall  have  a  good  average  season  in  November.  There 
'  are  so  many  excellent  English  seedlings  now  put  into  commerce  during 
this  last  three  years,  independent  of  Mons.  Calvat’s  very  fine  varieties, 
that  I  feel  sure  we  shall  have  an  abundance  of  good  things  in  due  season. 
The  most  forward  varieties  here  that  I  have  seen  are  Phoebus,  Hairy 
Wonder,  and  Emily  Silsbury ;  the  latter  I  feel  sure  will  make  a  good  all¬ 
round  variety,  not  only  for  exhibition  but  for  market  and  general 
decorative  purposes,  for  it  comes  good  under  any  conditions.  The 
plants  set  their  buds  so  freely  and  the  flowers  ai  e  perfect,  if  ever  so 
small,  and  it  can  be  had  early  or  late.— C.  Oechaed,  Bembridge,  I.  W. 
Feench  National  Cheysanthemhm  Society. 
The  first  number  of  “  La  Chrysanth^me,”  under  which  title  the 
quarterly  official  publication  of  this  Society  is  to  appear,  has  just  come 
to  hand.  It  is  to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the  Chrysanthemum  and 
the  work  of  the  Society,  and,  as  previously  announced,  will  perhaps  be 
issued  monthly  in  the  near  future.  The  issue  now  under  notice  is 
interesting  as  a  first  attempt,  although  capable  of  some  Improvement. 
We  can  only  briefly  indicate  the  contents,  and  first  in  importance  from 
an  English  point  of  view  is  the  text  of  a  circular  recently  addressed  by 
the  Secretary  to  the  French  seedling  growers  on  the  subject  of  nomen¬ 
clature.  It  is  pointed  out  that  the  Society  has  appointed  a  registrar,  to 
whom  the  names  of  all  the  novelties  should  be  submitted  so  as  to  avoid 
the  use  of  names  already  in  use.  A  Conference  is  to  be  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Society  at  Bourges  on  the  7th  November  next.  Other 
matters  included  in  this  issue  are  a  list  of  the  officers  and  Committees,  a 
list  of  members,  which  shows  that  the  sympathisers  with  the  objects  of 
the  Society  are  by  no  means  confined  to  France,  but  are  resident  in 
Bagland,  Italy,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  Turkey,  Portugal,  and  even  in  far 
off  New  Zealand.  However,  among  foreigners  Englishmen  appear  to 
take  the  lead.  The  rules  of  the  Society  are  given,  and  alio  several 
articles  on  Chrysanthemum  topics  of  different  kinds.  A  pleasing 
feature  of  the  good  feeling  displayed  towards  the  English  N.C.S  is 
found  in  the  translation  of  that  Society’  Jubilee  circular,  and  the  hope 
expressed  that  many  visitors  from  the  other  side  of  the  Channel  may 
find  their  way  over  here  to  visit  what  is  called  a  unique  fSte  in  the 
annals  of  the  flower.  Should  there  be  any  they  may  rest  assured  that 
a  hearty  welcome  will  be  accorded  to  them. — P. 
HYBRID  STREPTOCARPUSES. 
Tub  rapidity  with  which  many  flowers  have  sprung  into  popular 
favour  is  nothing  short  of  marvellous.  A  particular  plant  has  been 
forced  under  the  notice  of  horticulturists,  and  has  immediately  “  caught 
on.”  Some  of  these  have  gained  such  a  hold  among  gardeners,  both 
professional  and  amateur,  as  to  be  assured  of  extensive  cultivation, 
while  others  have  come,  dazzled  the  horticultural  world  for  a  meteoric 
space,  and  been  cast  forth  into  oblivion-  To  these  latter  it  would  serve 
no  useful  purpose  to  refer  here,  but  to  one  kind  that  may  be  safely  placed 
in  the  former  category  attention  may  advantageously  be  drawn.  The 
name  at  the  head  of  these  notes  is  one  that  is  now  enjoying  a  world¬ 
wide  familiarity  by  reason  of  the  plant’s  undisputed  utility  and  its 
exceptional  ease  of  culture.  The  amateur  with  the  most  primitive  of 
structures  from  which  frost  is  excluded  can  grow  these  plants  (of  course 
by  attending  to  the  few  necessary  details)  as  well  as  the  gardener  with 
structures  built  on  the  most  approved  modern  system.  Such  being  the 
case  they  are  obviously  thoroughly  deserving  of  the  commanding  position 
they  now  occupy. 
Two  of  the  attributes  of  this  plant  have  been  mentioned — viz.,  its 
utility  and  ease  of  culture,  terms  that  may  now  be  somewhat  expanded. 
To  be  really  useful  nowadays  a  plant  must  not  only  be  extremely 
floriferous — producing  large  numbers  of  flowers  at  once — but  it  must 
carry  these  flowers  in  succession  over  a  considerable  period  of  time. 
These  essentials  are  easily  fulfilled  by  the  many  hybrid  Streptocarpus, 
for  plants  when  well  grown  continue  in  bloom  for  several  months,  though 
not,  of  course,  if  they  are  fertilised  and  allowed  to  bring  to  maturity  a 
quantity  of  seeds.  If  the  utmost  possible  display  of  flowers  be  desired 
from  any  number  of  plants  those  dying  ought  to  be  removed,  so  that 
the  energies  of  the  plant  may  be  devoted  to  the  production  of  its 
inflorescence  instead  of  to  the  perfecting  of  its  seeds.  This,  as  all  readers 
of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  know,  is  the  case  with  all  flowering 
plants,  and  with  none  more  particularly  than  with  those  now  under 
specific  notice.  The  second  point  hinted  at  in  the  early  lines  of  this 
paragraph  relative  to  the  cultivation  of  these  plants  shall  have  a  few 
words  later,  as  reference  now  must  be  made,  though  briefly,  to  the 
colours  that  are  to  be  found  amongst  the  flowers  in  a  really  first-class 
collection. 
The  divergences  in  the  colour  of  these  beautiful  flowers  are  very 
great  indeed,  ranging  through  many  shades  from  pure  white  to  a  rich, 
deep,  velvety,  violet  purple.  In  examining  one  of  the  most  varied  collec¬ 
tions  in  the  country  recently — that  of  Messrs.  J.  Veitchfc  Sons  of  Chelsea, 
to  whom,  by  the  way,  we  are  indebted  for  many  of  the  very  best  forms 
— it  was  noted  with  surprise  how  true  the  various  sections  came  from 
seeds.  There  were  forms  and  shades  of  white,  including  pure  white, 
yellow  throated  white,  purple  veined  throated  white,  and  others ;  but 
there  were  no  blues  or  reds  amongst  them.  Then  in  the  collections  of 
reds,  comprising  delicate  rose,  salmon  pink,  red,  and  crimson,  no  rogue 
was  to  be  found  ;  while  amongst  the  blues,  light  and  dark,  purple  and 
violet,  there  was  the  same  happy  freedom.  No  better  testimony  than 
this  need  be  wished  as  to  the  care  our  best  seedsmen  devote  in  the  saving 
of  their  stocks  of  choice  flowers.  The  difference  in  the  substance  of  the 
varieties  is  curious,  for  one  that  might  be  expected  to  be  very  strong  is 
comparatively  weak,  and  another  looking  weak  will  be  quite  the  reverse. 
Of  all  those  tested  at  Chelsea  the  best  as  regards  substance  is  the  pure 
white,  though  all  are  good  in  this  respect. 
The  size  of  the  flower,  while  being  governed  to  a  limited  extent  by 
the  variety,  seems  to  depend  more  on  the  age  of  the  plant  and  the 
particular  system  of  culture  to  which  the  plants  are  subjected,  and 
again  on  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  grown.  Besides  the  collection 
before  mentioned,  two  others  have  been  visited,  the  one  under  the 
charge  of  a  gardener  of  high  repute,  and  the  other  belonging  to  an 
amateur  with  a  cold  frame  and  a  warm  conservatory  only  at  his  com¬ 
mand.  Let  it  be  noted  that  in  each  case  the  seeds  were  procured  from 
the  Veitchian  warehouses,  as  the  size  varied  in  each  case.  O*’  the  three 
collections  visited  the  amateur’s  had  the  best  flowers  as  regards  size,  the 
gardener’s  following  second,  and  the  nurseryman’s  last.  But  of  all,  the 
latter  were  the  most  refined,  stouter  in  texture,  and  more  decided  in  the 
shades  of  colour,  and  the  plants  were  grown  in  frames,  not  being  in  pots, 
as  in  the  other  two  cases.  Regarding  the  plants  themselves,  those  grown 
in  pots  were  considerably  larger  than  the  ones  planted  out  in  the  frames, 
