December  5,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
519 
roots  of  living  trees,  and  becomes  parasitic  upon  them.  When  this  is 
the  case  the  roots  must  be  taken  up  carefully,  thoroughly  washed, 
and  replanted  in  good  soil. 
Pittosporum  coriaceum. — Dr.  Masters  showed  fruiting  sprays  of 
this  New  Zealand  shrub,  bearing  grey,  two-lobed  berries,  full  of  black 
shiny  seeds.  It  is  a  hardy  evergreen. 
Cephalotaxus. — He  also  showed  a  tufted  bough  of  C.  drupacea.  It 
was  probably  caused  by  the  attack  of  some  insect. 
Mendel's  Law. — Mr.  Hurst  sent  the  following  communication 
upon  the  application  of  Mendel’s  law  to  “  intermediate  ”  hybrid 
characters : — “  Mendel’s  law  of  the  dissociation  of  hybrid  characters 
according  to  the  simple  formula  A  +  2Aa  +  a  was  enunciated  in 
1865,  but  it  was  not  until  a  short  time  ago  that  the  law  was  confirmed 
and  re-established  by  the  experiments  and  researches  of  Prof.  Hugo 
de  Vries,  Correns,  Tschermal,  and  Webber.  In  addition  to  the  above 
we  have  been  favoured  with  an  admirable  translation  and  exposition.of 
Mendel’s  work  in  the  Journal  of  the  Society  by  Mr.  W.  Bateson,  F.R.S. 
Hitherto  Mendel’s  law  seems  to  have  been  applied  to  ‘  discontinuous  ’ 
hybrids  only,  and  not  at  all  to  the  more  numerous  class  known  as 
‘  intermediate  ’  hybrids.  Having  for  some  years  past  made  a  special 
study  of  Orchid  hybrids  (which  belong  for  the  most  part  to  the 
‘intermediate’  class),  I  thought  that  it  might  perhaps  be  of  some 
interest  to  ascertain  whether  Mendel’s  law  held  good  in  regard  to 
them.  A  careful  analysis  of  the  inheritance  of  some  3500  pairs  of 
specific  characters  was  therefore  made  in  the  following  genera — viz., 
Cattleya,  Lselia,  Lmlio-Cattleya,  Cymbidium,  Dendrobium,  Odonto- 
glossum,  Miltonia,  Sobralia,  Zygopetalum,  Paphiopedilum  (Cypri- 
pedium),  and  Pliragmipedilum  (Selenipedium).  These  experiments 
show  that,  with  certain  modifications,  Mendel’s  law  appears  to  hold 
good  for  ‘  intermediate  ’  hybrid  characters,  as  well  as  for  ‘  discon¬ 
tinuous  ’  ones,  with  the  further  advantage  that  the  law  can  be  applied 
to  primary  hybrids  as  well  as  to  secondary  ones,  and  to  cross-breeding 
generally,  as  well  as  to  in-breeding  by  self-fei'tilisation.  I  hope  to 
publish  a  detailed  account  of  these  observations  (with  your  kind 
permission)  in  the  Jounial  of  the  Society  at  an  early  date.  Should 
these  results  be  confirmed,  the  present  scope  and  value  of  Mendel’s 
law  will  be  considerably  extended,  and  we  shall  be  getting  a  little 
nearer  towards  the  solution  of  the  problems  of  heredity.” 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society— Annual  Dinner. 
All  who  have  any  interest  in  this,  the  greatest  of  the  flori- 
cultural  societies  of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  perhaps  of  Eurasia, 
will  rejoice  to  know  of  the  great  success  that  attended  the 
annual  dinner  celebration,  which  took  place  at  the  Holborn 
Restaurant,  on  Wednesday  evening,  the  27th  ult.  In  the  words 
of  Mr.  Bevan,  chairman  of  the  general  committee,  there  were 
at  least  three  times  the  number  of  supporters  present  on  this 
occasion,  compared  with  last  year ;  the  exact  number  was  said 
to  be  208.  This  happy  result  has  in  a  very  large  measure  been 
gained  through  the  influence  and  energy  of  the  recently- 
appointed  president  of  the  society,  Sir  Albert  Kaye  Rollit, 
LL.D.,  D.C.L.,  M.P.,  &c.,  who  in  this  case  occupied  the  chair. 
Amongst  those  known  to  us  who  were  at  the  tables  we  observed 
Messrs.  H.  J.  Jones,  J.  W.  Moorman,  J.  H.  Witty,  0.  Harman 
Payne,  Richard  Dean,  Wm.  Seward,  C.  W.  Tagg,  Geo.  Gordon, 
T.  W.  Sanders,  W.  Cutbush,  W.  Mease,  J.  T.  Simpson,  S.  T. 
Wright,  J.  Wilkinson,  G.  Norman,  Geo.  J.  Ingram,  W.  Collins, 
Norman  Davis  and  Son,  J.  W.  Fleming,  P.  Kay,  B.  Wynne, 
G.  Schneider,  D.  B.  Crane,  F.  S.  Vallis,  W.  Higgs,  and 
S.  Mortimer.  The  Mayors  of  West  Ham,  Shoreditch,  and 
Hackney  were  by  the  side  of  the  chairman,  and  gave  toasts  during 
the  evening. 
After  a  splendid  dinner  had  been  served  and  the  company 
photographed,  the  chairman’s  first  toast,  that  of  “  His  Majesty 
the  King,”  was  loyally  responded  to.  His  second  toast  was  for 
“  The  Queen,  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  Royal  Family.”  Sir  Albert  tactfully  referred  to  the 
recent  tour  of  the  Prince  and  Princess,  and  prophesied  that  the 
influence  of  it  would  be  long-lasting  and  for  good.  The  Danes 
(in  reference  to  our  Queen),  he  said,  had  made  two  great  in¬ 
vasions  of  our  land ;  in  the  first  of  which  they  had  left  their 
Viking  spirit,  and  the  second  had  left  us  a  Royal  Consort,  who 
had  won  all  our  hearts.  Speaking  of  the  Empire,  the  chair¬ 
man  told  some  humorous  stories,  of  which  two  may  be  allowed. 
One  instanced  an  American,  who  boasted  the  great  extent  of 
his  country.  America,  he  said,  was  bounded  on  the  east  by  the 
unending  seas;  on  the  south  by  the  Equinoxes;  on  the  north 
by  the  Aurora  Borealis  ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  Day  of  Judg¬ 
ment!  However,  the  British  Empire  has  no  bounds  at  all.  An 
American  lady,  overhearing  some  English  gentlemen  boasting 
of  the  Empire  that  the  sun  never  sets  on,  asked  if  she  might 
conjecture  a  reply.  Her  cynical  retort  conveyed  it  as  her  im¬ 
pression  that  the  sun  never  set  probably  because  it  might  not 
be  very  safe  to  trust  us  in  the  dark. 
Then  came  the  toast  of  the  evening,  that  of  the  “National 
Chrysanthemum  Society.”  Sir  Albert  was  both  humorous  and 
earnest  in  the  remarks  he  made.  He  at  once  thanked  the 
members  for  having  elected  him  as  president,  though  he  rated 
himself  as  a  humble  Pompon  amongst  the  many  great  Japs! 
As  a  past  chairman  of  the  very  large  botanic  gardens  at  Hull,  Sir 
Albert  has  had  a  large  experience  in  the  working  of  a  gardening 
society. 
After  expressing  his  pleasure  at  the  Aquarium  shows  of  the 
N.C.S.,  and  giving  voice  to  a  few  hints  that  he  thought  might 
with  profit  be  followed  up,  in  introducing  newer  and  tastier  forms 
of  floral  arrangement,  he  paid  a  compliment  to  the  exhibitors  of 
the  fine  fruits  and  vegetables.  Urging  gardeners  to  greater 
efforts  in  fruit  culture,  he  again  quoted  from  America  to  prove 
that  there  our  friends  are  alive.  The  Yankees  say,  with  regard 
to  fruit:  “We  eat  what  we  can,  and  we  can  what  we  can’t.” 
The  history  of  the  society  was  also  briefly  reviewed,  and  figures 
stating  the  present  number  of  members  and  affiliated  societies 
were  given.  The  finances  are  in  a  very  sound  and  satisfactory 
condition.  Each  of  the  mayors  present  received  hearty  recog¬ 
nition  for  their  having  allowed  the  use  of  their  respective  town- 
halls  to  the  Chrysanthemum  societies  of  their  districts;  and  Sir 
Albert  dilated  on  the  refining  and  elevating  influence  that  flowers 
and  the  culture  of  them  are  known  to  have.  “  There  is  nothing 
better  for  the  individual  or  the  nation,”  are  the  words  he  used. 
The  necessary  exercise  of  patience  which  plant  culture  exacts 
makes  better  men  and  women  of  us  all.  There  might  be  assist¬ 
ance  in  the  solving  of  the  housing  problem  if  our  councillors 
could  induce  their  fellow-citizens  to  add  the  beauty  and  interest 
of  plant  life  and  culture  to  their  homes.  Taking  the  attractive¬ 
ness  of  Chrysanthemums  as  an  example,  Sir  Albert  Rollit  jocu¬ 
larly  remarked  that  we  enjoy  the  exhibitions  of  this  flower  in 
the  season  of  densest  fogs,  so  dense  sometimes  that  we  lose  our 
way  in  returning  home  from  the  show  (as  was  almost  the  case 
at  the  autumn  fete  of  the  N.C.S. !). 
It  will  gladden  the  hearts  of  the  devoted  and  partial  growers 
of  the  flower  to  hear  it  described  as  “  the  dandy  of  the  floral 
world  ” ;  and  surely  there  is  much  of  truth  in  this,  for,  to  quote 
the  chairman  again,  “  Chrysanthemums  are  brushed,  combed, 
and  sometimes  even  the  curling-tongs  are  used,”  which  references 
our  exhibitor  friends  will  quite  well  understand.  Songs  by  Mr. 
W.  H.  Webb’s  Excelsior  Quartette  were  interpolated  between 
the  toasts  throughout  the  evening. 
The  toast  to  the  society  being  given,  the  President  pre¬ 
sented  the  National  Challenge  Trophy  (won  this  year  by  the 
Cardiff  Society)  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Drake,  the  representative  from 
South  Wales,  and  this  amidst  much  cheering.  A  suitable  and 
modest  response  came  from  the  recipient,  and  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Drake’s  facilities  for  growing  a  collection  are  of  the  least  invit¬ 
ing  nature  should  furnish  a  spur  to  others,  who  might  well  enter 
the  competition,  but  do  not.  The  Holmes’  Memorial  Cups  and 
medals  of  the  society  were  then  dispersed,  one  to  Mr.  F.  S. 
Vallis  and  another  to  Mr.  W.  Higgs,  the  latter  having  to  his 
credit  a  quartette  of  success  in  the  same  competition,  whicln 
should  be  followed,  as  the  chairman  said,  by  a  quart  of  another 
kind!  Messrs.  H.  J.  Jones,  Cutbush,  Pulling,  B.  S.  Williams, 
and  others,  received  medals,  amidst  continued  loud  cheering  and 
hilarity.  Various  long-winded  and  irrelevent  speeches  came 
from  the  mayors  in  turn ;  and  Mr.  Thomas  Bevan  replied  at 
length  to  the  toast  of  “  The  President,  Vice-President,  Officers, 
Auditors,  and  Committees  of  the  Society.”  Though  the  Mid¬ 
land  Chrysanthemum  Society  was  unrepresented,  the  secretary 
of  it  sent  a  telegram  of  apology  to  the  meeting  at  the  unavoid¬ 
able  absence.  A  very  crisp  and  interesting  speech  was  delivered 
by  Mr.  C.  Harman  Payne,  honorary  foreign  corresponding 
secretary.  Mr.  Payne  is  what  an  outsider  would  probably  term 
a  bigoted  Chrysanthemumist ;  he  certainly  is  a  very  zealous  one, 
and  always  upholds  the  high  prestige  of  the  National.  Chrysan¬ 
themum  Society  as  above  all  other  floricultural  societies  in  the 
kingdom.  He  caused  surprise  by  saying  there  was  only  one 
Rose  society,  while  there  are  400  furthering  the  interest  in  the 
“  Golden  Flower.”  In  this  statement  he  was  afterwards  cor¬ 
rected  by  the  president  of  the  Windsor  and  Eton  Chrysanthemum 
Society,  who  happens  also  to  love  Roses  as  well  as  the  flowers 
of  the  “Autumn  Queen.”  The  National  Rose  Society,  more¬ 
over,  in  Mr.  Payne’s  eyes,  “  is  mostly  composed  of  old  spinsters 
and  country  clergymen  ” ;  and,  further,  “  for  every  one  Rose- 
grower  in  this  country,  there  are  five  hundred  growers  of  Chrys¬ 
anthemums.”  He  then  referred  to  the  French  N.C.S.,  and  to 
French  raisers  of  seedlings,  it  having  been  a  Frenchman  who 
first  learned  how  to  raise  English  seedlings  in  England,  and 
ended  by  saying  that  our  home  commercial  growers  are  follow¬ 
ing  hard  on  the  tracks  of  the  Continental  men  in  raising 
novelties.  Mr.  George  Schneider  responded  to  the  toast  of 
“The  Visitors,”  proposed  from  the  chair.  Mr.  T.  W.  Sanders 
gave  “  The  Royal  Aquarium  Summer  and  Winter  Garden  Society 
and  Donors  of  Special  Prizes,”  replied  to  by  Mr.  Josiah  Ritchie, 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  are  the  largest  donors; 
Mr.  J.  W.  Wilkinson,  with  a  toast  to  “  The  Ladies,  and 
Mr'  J  H  Witty,  who  eulogised  the  services  of  “  The  Press.  ’ 
Flowers  were  lent  for  the  tables  by  various  friends.  .  The  large 
company,  including  very  many  ladies,  thoroughly  enjoyed  what 
was  a  highly  varied  and  interesting  evening,  and  the  hope  may  be 
expressed  that  so  large  and  representative  a  gathering  may  again 
meet  next  year. 
