JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
NoTember  26,  1898, 
r>i2 
Any  attractive  change  from  the  stereotyped  classes  at  autumn  shows 
is  welcome.  In  our  report  of  the  Hull  show  last  week  (page  494) 
approving  reference  was  made  to  the  exhibits  in  two  new  classes.  One 
of  these  was  entitled,  “  A  drawing-room  mirror  or  panel  group  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  plants,  interspersed  with  foliage  plants,  arranged  for  effect 
in  a  space  of  9  square  feet.  A  mirror  3  feet  wide  by  6  to  7  feet  high 
will  be  provided  by  the  Society,  standing  against  the  wall.”  These 
mirror  decorations  placed  between  the  large  Chrjcanthemum  groups 
imparted  a  pleasing  finish  to  the  large  hall.  The  first  prize  mirror,  decorated 
by  Mr.  G.  C.  Coates,  gardener  to  W.  Wheatley,  Esq.,  is  represented  in 
fig-  88,  page  509.  Single  Chrysanthemums  were  mainly  employed,  with 
a  margin  of  small  light  Coleuses  with  Ferns  and  Crotons.  The  mirror 
was  lightly  dressed  with  Ferns  and  Myrsiphyllum.  A  portion  of  one  of 
the  large  groups  has  also  been  "  caught  by  the  camera.” 
Another  new  Hull  class  was  entitled,  “Two  baskets  or  vases  of 
Chrysanthemums,  each  containing  twelve  blooms  distinct,  one  basket 
to  consist  of  Japanese  and  one  of  incurved,  arranged  for  effect  with  any 
kind  of  cut  foliage  ;  quality  of  the  blooms  to  be  the  leading  feature.” 
Highly  effective  all  the  six  decorative  baskets  were,  and  it  was  only 
after  loug  and  close  examination  that  the  leading  prize  was  adjudged 
to  Mr.  J.  Wilson,  gardener  to  Sir  James  Reckitt,  Bart.,  and  which  is 
represented,  as  well  as  the  too  dark  photograph  permitted,  in  fig.  89, 
page  517. 
NATIONAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SOCIETY. 
Floral  Committee. 
On  the  18th  inst.  Mr.  B.  W,ynne  presided  at  the  meeting  held  in  the 
Royal  Aquarium.  Twelve  members  were  present.  There  was  a  nice 
•little  display  of  flowers,  chiefly  Japanese  varieties.  Mr.  N.  Davis  staged 
some  good  blooms  of  American  seedlings,  notably  Simplicity,  Sunstone, 
Jalene,  and  Triumph^  de  St.  Laurent,  the  latter  a  fine  golden-yellow 
form.  Mr  .  H.  J.  Jones  showed  several  pretty  single  varieties,  and 
among  his  other  forms  Mrs.  Cheeseman,  the  crimson  Mr.  A.  G.  Hubbuck, 
and  Mdme.  James  were  conspicuous.  From  Mr.  Owen  came  a  useful 
orange  sport  from  Mons.  W.  Holmes,  a  bronzy  yellow  incurved  named 
Esther  Peacock,  and  a  large  creamy  Japanese  variety  named  Pearl  of 
Maidenhead.  Mr.  Wells  showed  a  specimen  of  a  yellow  sport  from 
Mdme.  Carnot,  this  was  rather  weak,  but  it  will  no  doubt  prove  an 
acquisition.  Mons.  Calvat  sent  a  dozen  and  a  half  of  Japanese  blooms 
from  Grenobloes,  but  none  of  the  half-dozen  varieties  gained  awards. 
Several  private  growers  sent  blooms.  Mr.  Seward  sent  Joseph  Brooks, 
and  Mr.  Lees  showed  fine  flowers  of  Mr.  A.  G.  Hubbuck.  Mr.  Jinks, 
gardener  to  E.  Bruce,  Esq  ,  Waiton,  showed  an  incurved  seedling  from 
Marie  Hoste  ;  Mr.  Silsbury,  Isle  of  Wight  ;  Mr.  Weeks,  Derby,  and  Mr. 
J.  Lyne,  Chislehurst,  also  sent  blooms. 
Mr.  Lyne  raised  the  question  as  to  what  should  and  what  should  not 
be  recognised  as  incurved  blooms.  He  showed  that  many  varieties,  after 
having  helped  to  win  prizes  as  incurved  varieties  at  N.C.S.  shows,  had 
been  afterwards  classed  in  other  sections  by  the  Floral  Committee.  Mr. 
Lyne  thought  the  Committee  should  seriously  consider  the  matter,  and 
so  be  able  to  deal  in  a  consistent  manner  with  varieties  of  incurved  form 
but  which  had  some  evidence  of  Japanese  parentage.  He  considered  the 
Committee’s  decision  with  regard  to  Duchess  of  Fife  as  a  most  unsatis¬ 
factory  one.  Mr.  Mease,  Mr.  Lees,  and  Mr.  Dean  joined  in  the 
discussion,  and  were  in  favour  of  widening  the  definition  of  an  incurved 
bloom,  as  advocated  by  Mr.  Gordon  at  the  recent  conference.  The  matter 
was  referred  to  the  General  Committee  for  decision. 
The  varieties  certificated  were  as  follows  : — 
Simstone. — Japanese  ;  buff,  suffused  orange.  Mr.  N.  Davis,  Pramfield. 
SimpUcit7j. — White  Japanese  ;  elegant.  Mr.  N,  Davis. 
Joseph  Brookes. — A  large  incurving  Japanese ;  orange,  shaded  scarlet. 
Mr.  W.  Seward. 
3Irs.  Moling  Grant. — A  very  fine  Japanese  ;  deep  rosy  buff,  tinged 
with  bronze.  Mr.  Jinks,  gardener  to  E.  Bruce,  Eiq.,  Walton. 
Mr.  A.  Q.  Huhluck. — A  grand  crimson  Japanese  of  great  depth  and 
fine  form  ;  yellow  reverse.  Mr.  W.  H.  Lees,  and  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones. 
General  Committee. 
The  General  Committee  of  this  Society  held  a  meeting  at  Anderton’s 
Hotel  on  Monday  evening  last,  when  Mr.  Brian  Wynne  occupied  the 
chair.  Mr.  R.  Dean,  after  disposing  of  the  ordinary  routine  business, 
gave  some  interesting  statistics  concerning  the  Jubilee  show,  by  which 
it  appears  that  7610  feet  of  tabling  was  used  to  accommodate  the 
exhibits.  There  were  eleven  entries  in  the  class  for  sixty  incurved 
blooms,  each  of  these  exhibits  requiring  a  run  of  lOJ  feet,  or  IIC  feet 
in  all.  For  sixty  cut  blooms  of  Japanese  blooms  there  were  twelve  ' 
entries,  each  taking  up  a  run  of  12  feet,  or  144  feet  for  the  entire  class', 
Mr.  Jones’s  special  prize  for  twenty-four  cut  blooms  of  Japanese  brought 
thirty-seven  entries,  of  which  thirty-three  actually  competed.  This  clasa 
occupied  a  run  of  tabling  extending  to  198  feet.  There  were  234  bunches 
of  Grapes  shown,  and  1200  plates  were  required  to  hold  the  exhibits  of 
fruit  and  Potatoes.  Mr.  Dean  also  acknowledged  his  thanks  to  the- 
gardening  press  for  the  support  given  to  the  Society. 
Mr.  C.  Harman  Payne  made  a  biief  interim  verbal  report  of  the 
visit  of  himself,  Mr.  Bevan,  and -Mr.  Jones  to  the  Continent.  He  stated 
that  they  had  been  to  the  Ghent,  Paris,  and  Amiens  exhibitions,  and 
also  to  a  private  collection  near  Brussels,  and  that  the  reception 
accorded  to  the  deputation  was  of  a  most  satisfactory  and  cordial 
nature.  Mr.  Payne  promised  to  embody  the  imprefsions  of  the  journey 
in  a  formal  report,  which  should  be  submitted  in  proper  form  on  the 
next  occasion  of  their  meeting.  Mr.  Bevan  also  spoke  to  the  like  effect. 
The  dates  recommended  for  the  Society’s  shows  in  1897  are  as 
follows  ; — October  12th,  13th  and  14th  ;  November  9th,  10th  and  11th  ; 
December  7th,  8th  and  9th. 
Mr.  Waterer  exhibited  a  new  cup  and  tube,  which  was  referred  to 
the  Floral  Committee. 
Twenty-one  new  members  were  elected,  and  the  meeting  closed  with 
a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman. 
The  York  Chrysanthemum  Show  and  Mr.  John  Lazenby. 
The  present  year’s  exhibition  concludes,  I  believe.  Mr.  John 
Lazenby’s  twentieth  year  of  office  as  Secretary  to  the  “  Ancient  Society 
of  York  Florists,”  which  was  itself  established  in  the  year  1760,  and 
under  whose  auspices  the  annual  Chrysanthemum  show  is  held.  It 
has  been  suggested  that  the  present  would  form  a  fitting  opportunity  to 
recognise  in  some  tangible  form  the  service  of  Mr.  Lazenby.  From 
much  personal  experience  of  his  method  of  managing  the  shows  in 
question  I  am  certain  the  Committee  have  a  valuable  official,  and  one 
whose  services  deserve  hearty  appreciation. — E.  Molyneux. 
Chrysanthemums  from  Ash. 
I  enclose  a  few  blooms  for  your  inspection.  Golden  Wedding  has 
done  very  well  with  us  this  season,  Madame  Carnot  is  our  best  white, 
but  Mdlle.  Thdidse  Rey  has  also  done  well.  Of  course  we  cannot  hope 
to  produce  crack  blooms  equal  to  winning  silver  cups,  still  for  home 
display  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  they  are  very  useful. — William 
Maybury,  Ash,  Dover. 
[The  specimens  were  in  all  respects  creditable,  and  we  have  seen 
many  worse  on  prize  stands  at  various  shows  this  season.] 
Small  and  Poor  Shows. 
From  what  I  have  seen  at  many  of  the  smaller  local  shows,  both  of 
the  quality  of  plants  and  flowers  found  there,  and  of  the  very  meagre 
competition,  I  can  but  think  that  many  of  these  shows  are  doing  more 
harm  to  the  Chryianthemum  than  good.  To  assume  that  the  poor  plants 
and  flowers  so  often  seen  help  to  stimulate  public  interest  in  the  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  is  absurd,  whilst  1  fear  it  is  too  certain  that  many  such 
shows  are  kept  alive  rather  in  the  interests  of  a  few  local  growers  than 
of  the  flowers  specially  said  to  be  honoured. 
It  is  deplorable  to  find  so  few  of  even  local  competitors  at  many  of 
these  little  exhibitions.  That  one,  two,  or  three  may  be  found  only  in 
class  after  class,  and  except  that  a  few  varieties  of  the  flowers  vary 
somewhat  from  year  to  year,  the  shows  are  stereotyped,  if  not  in  some 
respects  inferior  now  to  what  they  were  several  years  ago.  Some  small 
ones  have  died  out  from  lack  of  support.  They  were  too  poor  to 
bp  worth  keeping  alive.  Some  others,  no  doubt,  will  soon  follow  ;  but 
it  would  be  incorrect  to  assume  that  because  of  such  extinctions  the 
Chrysanthemum  has  in  any  way  suffered.  Rather  when  the  plants 
and  flowers  are  at  these  small  shows  so  poorly  presented  the  Chrysan¬ 
themum  suffers  in  consequence. — Orserver. 
Duchess  of  Fife. 
On  page  487  “  A.  D.”  says  this  variety  was  classed  by  the  N.C.S.  as 
a  Japanese  after  an  equal  division  of  members  by  the  casting  vote  of 
the  Chairman  of  the  Floral  Committee.  This  is  hardly  correct,  as  I 
believe  it  was  certificated  by  a  good  majority.  It  is  peculiar  that  this 
variety  should  be  classified  as  a  Japanese  when  it  was  introduced,  and  has 
been  catalogued  by  the  trade  as  an  incurved.  The  variety  which  pro¬ 
duced  the  discussion  mentioned  by  “  A.  D.”  was  Mrs.  Airdrie,  and  by 
the  casting  vote  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Floral  Committee  it  was  decided 
to  register  it  as  a  Japanese, 
This  discussion  cannot  be  very  flattering- to  those  gentlemen  who 
formed  the  catalogue  Committee,  for  in  the  last  catalogue  of  the  N.C.S,  it 
has  already  been  placed  among  the  Japs,  and  such  classification  should 
be  as  binding  on  the  N.C.S.  as  it  is  on  the  provincial  societies.  If  it  be 
no  guide  for  the  N  S.C.  why  for  others? 
Apparently  in  several  exhibitions  this  bas  been  shown  as  an  incurved. 
I  quite  concur  with  “  A.  D.,”  that  it  is  as  much  an  incurved  as  many 
other  varieties  scheduled  in  the  class,  and  it  is  quite  time  for  the  N.C.S. 
to  adopt  some  basis  by  which  varieties  may  be  classified.  In  judging  many 
stands  this  season  I  have  found  among  the  incurveds  Perle  Dauphinoise, 
a  variety  which  no  more  belongs  to  the  section  than  Robert  Owen  and 
many  others  which  are  classified  as  Japanese.  I  turn  for  advice  to  the 
Jubilee  edition  of  N.C.S.  catalogue,  but  fail  to  find  it  mentioned. 
Then  again  as  to  Miss  Louise  D.  Black.  This  is  really  a  first  class 
incurved,  bat  is  catalogued  by  all  as  a  Japanese.  Again  I  turn  to  the  N.C.S. 
catalogue  to  find  it  omitted.  Why  these  varieties  are  not  catalogued  it 
