378 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  15,  1898. 
Cheysahthemum  Shows. 
As  is  usual  at  this  time  of  the  year  we  have  received  numerout- 
intimations  of  Chrysanthemum  shows  which  are  to  be  held  during 
the  coming  season.  Space,  however,  can  only  be  found  for  mentioning 
those  which  have  been  advertised  in  our  columns.  If  any  have  been 
omitted  we  shall  be  glad  to  add  them  to  the  following  list.  We  append 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  respective  Secretaries. 
Oct.  28th  and  29th. — Kent  County.— F.  Fox,  The  Gardens,  The 
Cedars,  Lee,  S.B. 
„  3Gbh  and  Slst. — 'Battersea. — J.  0.  Langrish,  167,  Elsley  Road, 
Battersea,  S.W. 
Nov.  Srd,  4th,  5th  and  6th.— National  Chrysanthemum  Society 
(Royal  Aquarium,  Westminster).  —  R.  Dv;an,  Ealing, 
London,  W. 
„  4th  and  5th. — Lowestoft. — J.  Guild  Ling,  Lowestoft. 
„  4th  and  5tb. — ASCOT  and  Sunninghill. — Lieut.-Col.  Needham, 
The  Geen,  Ascot. 
„  4th  and  5th. — Bromley  and  District.— W.  Webss,  29,  Widmore 
Road,  Bromley. 
„  5th  and  6th.— Windsor  and  Eton. — H.  Finch,  Bank  House, 
Eton. 
„  6th  and  7th. — Altrincham,  Bowdon,  Sale  and  District  — 
Chas.  Hewitt,  7,  Sandiway  Road,  Altrincham. 
„  10th  and  11th. — Huddersfield  and  District.— J.  Bell,  Marsh, 
Huddersfield. 
,,  10th  and  11th. — Brighton. — The  Secretary,  87,  Western  Road, 
Brighton. 
„  10th  and  11th. — Kingston  and  Surbiton. —  F.  J,  Hayward, 
High  Street,  Kingston-on-Thames. 
„  11th  and  12th.— Northamptonshire.— The  Secretary,  2,  Primrose 
Hill,  Northampton. 
„  11th  and  12th.— Liverpool. — W.  Dickson,  7,  Victoria  Stree», 
Liverpool. 
„  11th  and  12tb.— Rugby. — W.  Bryant,  8,  Baiby  Road,  Rugby. 
„  11th  and  12th. — Hull. — Messrs.  Edw.  Harland  and  James  Dixou, 
Manor  Street,  Hul', 
,,  ILh  and  12tb. — Birmingham.— J.  Hughes,  140,  High  Street, 
Harborne,  Birmingham. 
„  12th  and  ISih. — Glasgow. — Cunningham  &  Wyllie,  98,  Mitchell 
Street,  Glasgow. 
„  12th  and  13th. — Bury  St.  Edmunds.— Geo.  A.  Manning,  19, 
Abbeygate  Street,  Bury  St.  Elmucds. 
„  13th  and  14th.— Wellingborough.— H.  Tilley,  53,  Knox  Road, 
„  13th  and  14th. — Bradford  and  District.— Jno.  Collier,  5, 
Shipley  Fields  Road,  Frizinghall,  Bradford. 
„  13th  and  14tb.— Sheffield,— W.  Houseley,  177,  Cemetery  Road, 
SheflSeld. 
„  18th  and  19th.  —  Bristol.  —  Edwin  G,  Cooper,  Mervyn  Road, 
Bishopston,  Bristol. 
„  19th  and  20tb.— Leamington.  Warwick  and  District.- The 
Secretary,  76,  Parade,  Leamington  Spa. 
„  20th  and  2l8t.— Alderley  Edge  and  Wilmslow.— G.  Lead- 
better,  Jun.,  Fern  Bank,  Trafford  Road,  Alderley  Edge, 
Southwark  Park. 
Please  announce  in  your  paper  that  our  Chrysanthemum  house 
will  be  opened  to  the  public  on  Thursday,  the  15th  inst.  We  have 
between  3000  and  4000  plants,  including  all  the  latest  varieties,  which 
are  looking  well,  and  promise  to  make  as  good  a  display  as  last  year. 
— R,  CURLE. 
A  Northern  Note. 
We  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  the  Chrysanthemums  nearly  all 
housed  before  the  October  gales  came  on,  and  although  the  wood,  owing 
to  the  wretched  September  weather,  is  not  very  well  ripened,  the 
majority  of  the  varieties  are  in  a  forward  condition.  Mutual  Friend  is 
opening  well,  and  is  very  dwarf  ;  William  Tricker,  Mrs.  E.  B.  Trafford, 
Hairy  Wonder,  and  Mons.  Chenon  de  Lech 6  are  very  promising. 
Among  the  new  sorts  Lady  Esther  Smith  is  a  fine  white,  a  dwarf  grower 
and  splendid  foliage  ;  Mons.  Rosette,  one  of  Calvat’s  new  ones,  appears 
to  be  of  great  promise,  the  colour  here  is  pale  primrose,  and  is  very 
double  in  the  centre.  We  only  had  two  tiny  cuttings  very  late,  and 
they  are  bearing  a  good  bloom  each. — S.  J, 
Prospects  of  the  Season. 
All  interested  in  Chrysanthemums,  and  especially  those  who  are 
intending  to  exhibit  cut  blooms,  will  be  anxious  as  to  the  ultimate 
reward  of  their  labour  during  a  most  trying  season.  Perhaps  this  latter 
remark  is  only  applicable  to  about  one-half  of  the  English  counties,  as 
I  understand  the  weather  in  the  Midlands  and  further  north  has  been 
anything  but  dry  and  parching  during  the  summer.  The  development 
of  the  fiowers  has  nowadays  almost  a  deeper  interest  to  cultivators  :han 
formerly,  owing  to  the  immense  number  of  new  varieties  annually  intro¬ 
duced.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  varieties  new  to  the  public  in 
name  exercise  a  charm  unequalled  by  the  older  but,  in  some  cases,  much 
superior  sorts.  _ 
It  would  be  unwise  to  attempt  to  accurately  forecast  the  quality  of 
the  blooms  throughout.  I  cannot,  however,  but  express  an  opinion  that 
all  sections  will  not  be  as  well  represented  as  they  have  been  in  some 
past  seasons.  I  cannot  but  think  the  recent  continuous  wet  weather  for 
fully  a  month,  coupled  with  the  serious  lack  of  atmospheric  moisture 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  summer,  can  have  other  than  a  damaging 
effect,  upon  the  blooms  of  the  incurved  section  at  any  rate.  There  is  no 
type  of  Chrysanthemum  that  acts  so  truthfully  as  a  chart  in  forecasting 
the  future  as  the  Queen  family.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  plants 
representing  the  numerous  varieties  now  directly  or  very  near  springing 
from  the  original  Queen  of  England  are  in  such  a  condition  at  the 
present  time  as  to  satisfy  the  most  severe  critic.  The  parchingly  dry 
weather  experienced  in  July  and  August  contracted  the  sap  vessels  so 
that  the  plants  could  not  be  supported  in  such  a  satisfactory  manner  as 
could  be  desired. 
In  some  cases  the  plants  exhibit  a  lack  of  peduncle,  this,  coupled 
with  a  too  short  leafstalk  for  the  variety  and  wood  that  is  really  too 
short-jointfd,  forebodes  ill  rather  than  the  reverse  for  such  plants.  The 
leaves,  too,  in  some  instances  are  much  too  small,  and  there  is  also  too 
many  red  lines  following  the  midrib  of  each  leaf  to  please  me.  I  have 
noted  these  incidents  on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  always  found  such 
plants  brought  forth  blooms  quite  second  class  in  quality.  The  excessive 
wet  September  induced  a  too  sappy  growth,  rendering  maturity  of  such 
growth  an  almost  impossible  matter. 
The  “  Tecks,”  too,  are  not  in  their  happiest  mood  ;  many  buds  are 
deformed,  and  cannot  develop  exhibition  blooms.  Other  families,  like 
the  “  Princess  ”  for  example,  show  a  variety  of  prospects.  The  hot  July 
weather  hastened  on  the  formation  of  crown  buds  in  some  collections, 
rendering  these  useless,  for  experienced  cultivators  do  not  need  to  be 
told  that  no  other  bud  will  develop  a  perfect  bloom  of  this  charming 
variety.  The  newer  Globe  d’Or,  Charles  Cuitis,  Major  Bonnaffon,  Lord 
Rosebery,  and  Mr.  J.  Murray  exhibit  much  more  cheering  prospects. 
The  buds  appear  well  “  timed,”  and  I  look  forward  to  seeing  many 
worthy  examples  in  this  section .  Should  we  experience  finer  weather 
for  the  next  month  the  blooms  now  unfolding  will  “  build  ”  up  much 
better  than  under  existing  conditions. 
Although  I  look  more  hopefully  to  the  Japanese  section  I  cannot 
think  we  shall  outrival  the  blooms  of  last  year,  when  some  of  the  finest 
examples  ever  seen  were  staged.  If  the  quality  and  quantity  of  blooms 
staged  at  the  recent  show  of  the  N.C.S.  were  regarded  as  premonitory 
of  others  to  follow  I  fear  the  result  would  be  anything  but  encouraging. 
The  competition  there  was  depressingly  scanty,  only  one  representative 
stand  being  staged.  In  this  section  maturity  of  the  wood  is  not  of  such 
consequence  as  in  the  incurved  section.  The  peduncles  on  well  managed 
plants  are  strong,  and  denote  in  the  majority  of  cases  fine  blooms. 
One  pleasing  feature  in  this  section  is  the  dwarfness  of  the  newer 
varieties,  attributable  in  a  great  measure  to  the  care  of  raisers  in  the 
production  of  seed.  Many  of  the  newly  introduced  sorts  grow  only  a 
yard  high,  and  we  may  safely  look  to  further  improvement  in  this  direc¬ 
tion.  The  foliage  is  large,  good  in  colour,  and  of  that  leathery  texture 
which  is  so  much  appreciated.  I  note,  however,  where  the  plants  are 
housed  too  closely  the  leaves  are  fast  changing  colour,  and  will  fall 
prematurely,  not  to  the  advantage  of  the  future  blooms.  Mildew  is 
very  persistent  in  its  attacks,  and  where  the  foliage  is  much  infested- 
with  this  parasite  it  is  difficult  to  ei-adicate,  and  the  plants  suffer  accord¬ 
ingly.  The  plants,  on  the  whole,  are  less  tall  than  last  year  even. 
The  newer  varieties  of  Japanese  are  numerous,  and  the  unfolding 
blooms  will  be  watched  with  interest.  English  raisers  appear  to  be 
imbued  with  a  desire  to  emulate  the  foreigner.  Gardeners,  too,  are  taking 
a  deep  interest  in  this  interesting  phase  of  culture.  If  report  speaks 
correctly,  one  prominent  cultivator  is  looking  forward  to  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  many  seedling  plants  raised  by  crossing  the  incurved  varieties 
with  Queen  of  England  as  a  seed  bearer.  This  should  prove  interesting 
in  the  face  of  the  assertion  that  such  so-called  “  double  flowered 
varieties  do  not  produce  seed  in  this  country. 
Not  only  from  France  and  America  have  we  some  scores  of  new 
sorts,  but  from  Australia  we  have  a  number  of  seedlings.  Oceana,  a 
magnificent  yellow  incurved  Japanese,  is  promising;  Australle  is- 
another.  From  France  we  have  Calvat’s  Australian  Gold,  Mis, 
