September  16,  1897, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
267 
rc  H 
f  ^  ▼  'T  It  ^ 
The  National  Chrysanthemum  Society  -  The  Disqualified 
Exhibits. 
The  recent  disqualification  must  in  a  great  measure  be  attributed  to 
the  ambiguous  manner  in  which  the  schedule  is  framed.  For  several 
years  past  various  classes  were  stated  to  be  for  “  blooms  of  any  large 
flowering  variety  or  varieties,”  and  what  is  understood  to  be  such  have 
been  shown  with  success.  This  year  it  reads  the  same,  but  a  footnote  is 
inserted  at  the  bottom  of  the  amateur  classes  as  follows; — “Only  the 
varieties  included  iinder  the  head  of  early-flowering  in  the  Society’s 
Jubilee  catalogue,  1896,  can  be  exhibited  in  the  foregoing  classes.”  This 
apparently  was  overlooked  or  misinterpreted  by  the  various  exhibitors. 
Among  the  early-liowering  varieties  given  in  the  catalogue  very  few, 
if  any,  can  be  called  large-flowering,  neither  do  they  bloom  in  September. 
The  footnote  should  have  distinctly  stated  that  the  whole  of  the  varieties 
exhibited  at  this  show  should  be  as  given  in  the  catalogue.  But  is  it 
advisable  to  attempt  to  encourage  the  cultivation  of  these  small-flowering 
early  varieties  except  it  be  in  the  natural  or  bush  form  ? 
If  such  stipulation  is  considered  a  wise  one,  then  the  selection  must 
be  compiled  with  more  care  than  has  been  displayed  in  the  .Jubilee 
catalogue,  for  several  of  the  finest  and  largest  flowering  varieties  a.re 
omitted.  Two  in  particular  I  would  mention — viz..  Queen  of  the 
Earlies  and  Barbara  Forbes.  These  were  sent  out  as  early-flowering 
varieties  in  the  sjiring  of  1896,  and  were  shown  at  several  of  the  early 
meetings  of  the  N.C.S.  in  the  autumn  previous. 
The  late  iVIr.  W.  Piercy,  no  mean  authority,  repeatedly  expressed 
the  opinion  that  Queen  of  the  Earlies  was  the  finest  early  white  in 
•xistence.  Two  seasons  ago  it  was  pronounced  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Lees,  who 
then  grew  it,  to  be  immensely  superior  to  Madame  C.  Desgrange. 
Barbara  Forbes  received  the  first  and  only  F.C.C.  awarded  by  the  N.C.S. 
throughout  last  September,  yet,  strange  to  relate,  neither  of  these 
varieties  is  to  be  found  in  the  early  flowering  list  of  the  N.C.S.,  and  for 
this  reason  were  disqualified  by  the  judges  (to  whom  no  blame  can  be 
attached)  at  the  recent  exhibition.  That  they  were  known  to  the 
Catalogue  Committee  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  they  are  not  to  be  found 
in  the  general  section. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  several  varieties  which  have  repeatedly 
been  exhibited  and  catalogued  by  all  the  most  important  trade  growers 
are  omitted  from  the  catalogue,  whilst  quite  two-thirds  of  those  cata¬ 
logued  have  not,  and  never  will  be,  listed  by  the  English  trade  grower. 
Annie  Heard,  a  single,  and  perhaps  the  prettiest  and  most  graceful  white 
we  have,  was  certificated  in  1895  by  the  N.C.S.  and  K.II.S.,  and  a  portion 
of  the  Committee  of  the  former  are  the  compilers  of  the  catalogue,  and 
yet  it  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  list  of  selected  varieties.  If  not  worth 
inclusion  in  the  list,  why  certificate  it  I  What  weight  do  the  Catalogue 
Committee  themselves  place  upon  the  certificates? — Vv.  J.  Godfrey. 
FLOWERS  FOR  VASES. 
The  highest  philosophy  leads  to  simplicity.  What  a  time  elapses 
before  we  recognise  that  fact.  All  Nature  is  essentially  simple,  and 
gardeners,  as  waiters  on  Nature  and  fellow  workers  with  her,  ought  to 
study  simplicity  above  all  things.  In  nothing  is  this  so  true  as  in  the 
arrangement  of  flowers.  Some  years  ago  we  entered  a  cycle  of  vulgarity 
and  ugliness  in  the  floral  decoration  of  dining  tables.  It  is  true  that 
flowers,  no  matter  how  barl)arously  treated,  always  retain  their  individual 
beauty.  That  we  cannot  destroy,  but  we  can  and  often  do  mar  it,  and 
at  that  time  we  certainly  did  reach  the  lowest  level  of  decorative  floral 
art,  while  the  labour  and  time  spent  in  filling  and  refilling  receptacles  of 
tin  or  other  material  was  just  so  much  time  wasted.  Happily,  we  have 
reached  a  period  when  Nature  is  more  left  to  speak  for  herself.  Without 
doubt  we  shall  always  have  those  who  consider  the  labour  and  ingenuity 
spent  on  arranging  flowers  as  some  measure  of  their  beauty,  but  a  freer 
and  healthier  tone  prevails  generally.  In  fashionable  bouquets  for  the 
hand  this  is  especially  noticeable,  for  while  a  large  amount  of  artificiality 
is  retained  it  is  an  artificiality  of  a  more  generous  nature,  individual 
blossoms  being  less  crushed  together,  and  the  rarer  ones  brought  so 
prominently  forward  as  to  show  their  beauty  on  every  side. 
Bouquet-making,  however,  is  comparatively  limited  in  extent,  and 
does  not  apj)ear  to  be  growing  as  a  feature  of  garden  work.  Room 
decoration  with  flowers,  on  the  other  hand,  is  spreading  to  an  alarming 
extent,  using  that  expression  from  a  gardener’s  point  of  view,  for  the 
market  giower  and  the  middleman  who  disjjoses  of  his  goods  must  look 
with  lively  satisfaction  on  the  spreading  downward  tendency  of  this 
innocent  and  pleasure-giving  taste,  while  all  must  cordially  view  the 
increasing  love  for  flowers  with  appreciation.  But  from  the  gardener’s 
look-out  it  becomes  a  question  of  much  importance,  as  the  prevailing 
tendency  with  all  extra  demands  is  to  expect  them  to  be  met  without  any 
corresponding  addition  to  the  means  for  doing  so.  8o  it  is  in  this  case ; 
summer  and  winter,  spring  and  autumn,  flowers  are  wanted,  and  the 
gardener  is  left  to  find  them  as  best  he  may.  I  am  afraid  too  many 
gardeners  at  the  present  day  must  think  of  the  doings  of  Pharaoh  the 
hardhearted  when  he  ordered  his  Hebrew  subjects  to  gather  their  own 
•traw  without  lessening  their  tale  of  bricks,  and  apply  the  case  to  them¬ 
selves.  Certainly,  it  now-a-days  requires  much  ingenuity  to  make  ends 
meet. 
I  must  return  to  my  opening  sentences  and  reiterate  the  fitness  of 
simplicity.  Too  often  very  much  more  material  is  employed  in  vase- 
decoration  than  is  required.  To  beorthodox  we  must  have  a  border  of  Ferns 
and  a  complicated  arrangement  of  blossom  and  greenery  firmly  packed 
so  as  to  cover  every  particle  of  the  space  inside  this  Fern  border.  This 
is  merely  stereotyped  conventionality,  and  it  is  wasteful.  I  see  no  reason 
why  a  vase  may  not  be  so  arranged  occasionally,  or  always  if  you  like  ; 
but  to  fill  half  a  dozen  or  a  do^en  glasses  in  one  room  in  this  fashion,  and 
further  to  carry  the  same  arrangement  out  in  every  occupied  room  in  a 
house,  is  beyond  good  taste  to  say  the  very  least.  When  we  call  to  mind 
that  these  flower  receptacles  may  be  of  all  sizes  and  shapes— tall  trumpets 
and  fiat  wide-mouthed  dishes,  dainty  little  vessels  with  narrow  openings, 
or  classical  pieces  of  various  shapes  — the  system  condemned  becomes  so 
much  the  worse.  The  vases  gardeners  are  often  called  on  to  decorate  are 
unsuitable,  and  so  far  it  is  difficult  to  carry  out  simple  arrangements.  I 
am  also  aware  that  the  taste  of  their  owners  has  to  be  studied,  but  outside 
these  particular  instances  lies  a  vast  field  to  work  in  with  effect. 
Considering  the  matter  in  a  practical  manner,  I  have  at  once  to  con¬ 
cede  that  no  strict  rule  can  be  laid  down  to  be  followed  with  advantage. 
But  I  may  be  allowed  to  offer  some  hints,  which  I  trust  may  be  found  not 
altogether  unworthy  of  consideration.  The  first  hint  1  would  give  is  to 
consider  that  flowers  do  not  grow  in  bunches.  A  bunch  of  flowers  tied 
together  is  a  reasonable  mode  of  carrying  these  in  the  hand,  Viut  not 
necessarily  the  best  way  of  showing  off  or  enjoying  their  individual 
beauty.  This  brings  me  to  hint  that  the  shape  and  size  of  the  receptacle 
should  be  studied.  A  large  trumpet-shaped  glass  and  a  low,  wide, 
and  open  dish  require  widely  different  treatment.  The  latter  might  at 
present  be  effectively  and  simply  filled  with  flowering  shoots  of  Pansies 
or  Violas  ;  or  Sweet  Peas,  and  Mignonette  make  a  charming  mixture  ; 
or  going  to  more  refined  (?)  material,  we  may  employ  double  Ivy-leaf 
Pelargoniums,  sprays  of  Heaths,  Begonias,  Lapagerias  or  Stephanotis,  in 
each  case  using  sufficient  foliage  of  Pelargonium  or  Begonia  or  Sweet 
Peas  for  a  setting  without  having  to  add  Ferns,  The  idea  is  to  have 
flowers  charming  in  themselves,  and  so  arranged  as  to  show  their  beauty 
easily.  Then  if  we  take  the  tall  trumpet  we  must  decide  on  bold  flowers 
at  once,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  flat  dish,  a  certain  flatness  of  arrange¬ 
ment  is  called  for,  so  in  our  tall  glass  any  approach  to  flatness  must  be 
avoided.  If  you  use  single  Dahlias,  cut  shoots  with  leaves,  buds,  and  open 
blossom,  and  arrange  as  freely  as  the  plant  itself  grows.  If  Gladioli  be 
selected,  cut  with  foliage  attached,  and  let  the  spikes  be  fresh,  young,  and 
bold.  And  so  on  with  any  other  flower  chosen,  let  them  always  be 
massive  if  possible,  and  stand  free  of  each  other. 
For  medium-sized  glasses  a  certain  degree  of  airiness  should  prevail. 
Roses  are  not  particularly  “  airy,”  but  by  cutting  with  long  stems,  keeping 
the  foliage  intact,  and  adding  sprays  of  .Tasmine  on  the  common  Clematis, 
lumpiness  is  easily  avoided.  Very  suitable  for  such  glasses  are  the 
Japanese  Windflowers,  which  may  either  be  used  by  themselves  or 
intermixed  with  Marguerites,  Oxeye  Daisies,  and  Sweet  Peas.  The  most 
charming  of  all  flowers  just  now  are  Picotees  and  Carnations.  These  are 
much  better  arranged  in  smallish  vases,  first  inserting  in  the  water  four 
or  five  healthy  cuttings  (foliage),  and  then  adding  a  few  long-stemmed 
shoots  cut  off  just  as  they  grow.  For  small  glasses  I  think,  as  a  rule, 
that  fine  single  blooms  are  much  the  best  an  Eucharis  backed  with  a 
spray  of  Maidenhair  Fern,  an  open  Gloire  de  Dijon  with  foliage  and  bud, 
a  truss  of  double  Ivy-leaf  Pelargoniums  with  its  own  foliage,  are  examples 
of  what  I  mean. 
These  are  all  flowers  common  at  present  that  are  mentioned,  but  the 
same  remarks  are  applicable  to  flowers  at  all  seasons.  Notwithstanding 
the  great  variety  of  flowers  we  have  to  choose  from,  gardeners  have 
restricted  themselves  to  a  few  well-known  kinds,  and,  unfortunately, 
have  treated  them  all  very  much  alike  ;  no  matter  whether  a  flower 
grows  in  lowly  fashion  like  a  Pansy  or  on  tall  shoots  like  a  Chrysan¬ 
themum,  the  blossom  itself  is  snii)ped  off  with  an  almost  unvarying  length 
of  stalk.  This  should  not  prevail.  Colours  of  flowers  are  often  badly 
selected  for  effect.  Take  the  Chrysanthemum  as  an  instance,  and  we 
have  a  great  variety  of  shades  and  colours  which  are  not  uncommonly 
mixed  together  when  cut.  Red,  white  and  yellow  Chrysanthemums  are 
almost  enough  to  employ  for  cut  purposes,  and  they  should,  as  a  rule,  be 
cut  with  long  stems,  and  arranged  thinly  in  large  vases,  leaving  foliage 
and  buds  t<>  show.  Single  Anemones  are  grand  for  spring,  but  are  very 
seldom  met  with.  Many  wayside  or  wild  flowers  are  lovely.  Forget-me- 
nots,  Bugloss,  Marsh  Marigolds,  Oxeye  Daisies,  Cornflowers,  Harebells, 
Grass  of  Parnas.sus,  and  V\'ild  Itoses,  are  names  that  occur  at  the  moment. 
.lust  a  line  or  two  more  to  ))rotest  against  the  general  employment  of 
Maidenhair  Fern  to  the  exclusion  of  other  foliage  that  is  equally  beauti¬ 
ful  when  appropriately  employed.  For  many  purposes  the  ^laidenhair  is 
of  unique  value,  l>ut  for  decorating  vases  in  general  it  is  much  better  to 
rely  on  foliage  belonging  to  the  flowers  used.  W  ith  even  more  force 
does  this  apply  when  decorators  pass  the  leafage  Nature  has  bestowed  on 
plants  and  ransack  the  pinetum  for  material. 
In  decorating  dinner  tables,  I  do  not  think  anything  is  more  suitable 
than  rather  small  glasses  to  be  filled  with  good  flowers.  At  the  same 
time  I  would  not  like  to  say  anything  against  laying  cut  flowers  on  the 
cloth  provided  it  is  done  without  anything  hinting  of  artificiality.  I 
mean  I  would  not  make  any  arrangement  as  to  shape  other  than  just  lay¬ 
ing  on  the  flowers  as  they  are  cut.  If  the  flowers  are  poor  in  character 
some  other  means  of  using  them  should  be  employed. — S. 
