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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
November  5,  1903 
A  Notable  Quartet. 
So  long  as  the  snowy  Madame  Carnot  and  its  primrose  sport 
— Mrs.  Mease — are  staged  in  such  magnificent  form  as  they  are 
at  the  exhibitions  of  this  week,  and  most  likely  at  those  to  follow, 
so  long  are  they  worthy  of  pictorial  reproduction  in  our  pages. 
Also,  while  the  blooms  that  come  from  Mr.  Norman  Davis,  of 
Framfield,  Sussex,  are  unsurpas.sed,  and  generally  quite  un¬ 
equalled,  there  is  still  .something  left  for  cultivators  to  master  in 
their  connection.  And  have  we  discarded  Australie  in  favour  of 
a  (W.)  Duckham  or  similarly  coloured  variety?  Surely  not; 
Australie  will  last  yet  awhile.  Lastly,  there  is  the  early  white 
exhibition  Jap,  Madame  Gu.stave  Henry,  of  sturdy  habit ;  and 
each  are  amongst  the  most  favoured  of  exhibition  Chrysan¬ 
themums. 
Chrysanthemums, at  the  Botanic  Gardens,  Liverpool. 
The  chief  attraction  here  at  this  season  is  the  n\agnificent 
array  of  Chrysanthemunis.  These  attract  crowds  of  the  Liver¬ 
pool  public  almost  daily,  and  over  1,000  are  arranged  in  the  large 
span-roofed  show  house,  000  of  these  occupying  the  centre  bed, 
and  consisting  of  fine  specimen  flowers.  We  observed  the  follow¬ 
ing  varieties,  which  are  quite  up  to  the  exhibition  standard, 
excellent  in  colour,  substance,  and  form  :  Miss  Elsie  Fulton,  Miss 
Mildred  Ware,  Mr.  Bagnell  Wilde,  Miss  Maynall,  Miss  Alice 
Byron,  Mrs.  Greenfield,  Rev.  W.  Wilksi,  Mrs.  W.  Popham,  Mrs. 
J.  Lewis,  Mrs.  Barkley,  Rayonante,  Sensation,  W.  R.  Church, 
Chenon  de  Leche,  and  Le  Grand  Dragon.  Many  of  these  have 
large,  massive  blooins,  and  are  arranged,  not  in  the  usual  formal 
method,  but  with  flowers  projecting  out  here  and  there  through¬ 
out  the  group.  Smaller  varieties  occupy  the  side  stages  of  this 
house,  and  also  the  greenhou.se. — J.  S. 
Chrysanthemums  and  Their  Names. 
Chrysanthemums  are  the  .speciality  of  this  month.  When 
groups  of  i)!ants  are  arranged,  it  may  Ise  in  the  greenhouse,  con¬ 
servatory,  or  viner.v,  three  or  four  pots  deeiD,  the  names  are 
often  difficult  to  find  when  the  wood  tally  that  has  done  duty 
all  the  summer  is  sought  for.  To  obviate  this,  a  very  simple 
means  may  be  found  in  a  card  or  i^aper  label,  with  the  name 
plainly  written  thereon,  placed  in  such  position  that  it  is  seen 
either  above  oir  immediately  below  the  expanded  floiwers. 
Should  the  stakes  be  of  a  length  allowing  these  cards  being 
fixed  in  an  incision  at  the  top,  the  work  of  naming  is  simple  in 
the  extreme.  If  the  stakes  are  of  hazel,  an  incision  could  easily 
be  made  at  any  convenient  height ;  but  in  these  clays  bamboos 
are  almost  invariably  omployecl,  because  of  their  greater  dura¬ 
bility  and  strength,  and  these  are  not  so  easil.y  incised  with  an 
ordinary  knife  except  at  their  upper  extremity.  To  mo  there 
appears  an  opening  for  the  inventor  to  provide  either  a  metallic 
or  white-faced  card  label  that  might  be  instantly  adju.sted  by 
means  of  a  clip.  These  might,  in  the  case  of  standard  .sorts, 
be  available  for  more  than  one  year’s  use.  A  brass  or  steel  wire 
holder  similar  to  those  employed  on  exhibition  boxes  and  stands 
could  easily  be  adapted  to  the  purpose,  when  any  kind  of  label 
that  most  conveniently  conies  within  reach  may  be  used. 
Small  luggage  labels  .suggest  themselves  as  being  cheap, 
easil.y  obtained,  and  most  convenient  for  the  purpose,  the  one 
all-important  neciessity  being  the  adjustable  holder  that  can 
be  fixed  to  the  stake  at  any  givmn  height.  Without  a  name  a 
Chrysanthemum  loses  in  value  and  interest.  After  a  summer’s 
use  of  the  ordinary  deal  label  the  name  often  becomes  almost  or 
entirely  unintelligible  to  anyone  save  those  in  charge,  who  may 
have  had  daily  opportunities  to  become  familiar  with  names 
new  or  old. 
The  need  is  the  more  pressing  when  the  collection  of  sorts 
is  varied  from  year  to  year  by  the  purchase  and  introduction  of 
new  ones  raised  and  distributed  by  .specialists.  This  necessity 
is  so  strongly  felt  that  many  gardeners,  out  of  their  own 
slender  incomes  and  savings,  invest  in  a  few  modern  varieties 
where  employers  are  so  markedly  indifferent  to  the  demand  of 
the  times,  and  the  need  for  even  the  .smalle.st  aspect  of  novelty, 
that  they  hold  aloof  from  such  desirable  investment.  There  is 
probably  no  other  plant  of  our  greenhouses  that  creates  so  strong 
a  desire  ^r  new  kinds,  and  j^et,  how  ebary  are  some  employers 
in  supporting  it ! — W.  S. 
Hints  to  Chrysanthemum  Judges. 
The  remarks  I  purpose  making  on  judging  Chrysanthemums 
are  intended  for  tho.se  who  are  commencing  the  arduous  duties 
for  thei  firet  time  during  the  present  season.  It  is  right  that 
new  blood,  as  it  were,  should  be  imported  into  the  ranks  of 
Chrysanthemum  judges.  Persons  who  have  not  previously 
acted  as  judges  must  of  necessity  feel  some  trepidation  when 
making  their  first  award,  especially  if  the  class  is  well  filled 
with  exhibits  close  in  point  of  merit.  Exhibits  in  some  classes 
judge  themselves;  but  when  the  competition  is  keen  it  is  then 
that  a  good  method  of  adjudicating  is  beneficial.  Much  more 
difficulty  is  experienced  in  finding  the  third  prize  stand  than 
there  is  in  selecting  the  first.  This  class  of  prize  deserves  as 
much  attention  as  does  the  first,  and  should  receive  its  due 
proportion.  The  enormous  increase  of  varieties  in  the  Japane.se 
section  alone  requires  the  adoption  of  a  ^uick,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  a  sure  method  of  dealing  out  justice  to  exhibitors.  , 
Prizes  are  generally  offered  for  a  specified  number  of 
blooms,  and  not  for  a  stand  collectively,  irrespective  of  its 
number.  Every  bloom  should  be  judged  upon  its  individual 
merits,  or  why  specify  a  certain  number,  like  “  Twelve  Japanese, 
distinct  ”  ? 
There  are  various  methods  adopted  of  arriving  at  a  definite 
issue  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  exhibits,  and  I  contend  that  all 
judges  should  be  able  and  willing  to^  give  the  reason  why 
stand  B  is  better  than  D.  It  may  not  always  be  policy  to  do 
this,  but  when  an  exhibitor  approaches  a  judge  in  a  proper 
manner  for  future  educational  reasons,  then  the  adjudicator 
would  do  well  to  give  the  information  required.  If  a  judge  is 
able  to  give  a  reason  for  all  his  awards,  then  there  is  little 
reason  generally  to  think  a  mistake  has  been  made  in  the 
awards. 
No  one  will  deny  that  adjudicating  on  the  many  blooms 
placed  before  the  judges  is  very  much  a  matter  of  individual 
taste.  For  instance,  one  judge  may  consider  the  broad  florets 
of  some  variety  peculiar  to  that,  represent  higher  culture  than 
his  colleagues  will  admit ;  while  the  latter  may  have  a  leaning 
to  forms  of  Japanese  varieties,  for  instance,  that  represent 
the  closely  incurving  types  which  his  partner  does  not  so 
much  admire. 
There  are  two  inethods  of  judging  in  vogue — pointing  and 
comparison.  Many  judges  still  stick  to  the  latter  plan.  This 
system  was,  perhaps,  fea.sible  many  years  ago,  when  varieties 
were  less  numerous ;  but  now  we  have  such  an  enormous  number 
of  sorts,  the  comparison  method  does  not  do  justice  to  indi¬ 
vidual  characteristics.  If  two  stands  are  composed  of  identical 
varieties,  then  nothing  would  be  fairer  than  to  compare  the 
blooms  individually;  but  when  does  such  an  instance  occur? 
Apart  from  the  justice  of  the  case,  the  comparison  method 
entails  much  unnecessary  labour,  as  well  as  loss  of  time.  How 
can  any  set  of  judges  cari-y  in  their  mind’s  eye,  as  it  were,  the 
merits  of  a  stand  of  twenty-four  blooms,  much  less  forty-eight  or 
sixty,  which  number  is  becoming  common,  especially  when 
there  are  fifteen  competitors,  assuming,  of  course,  that  one  stand 
does  not  stand  out  infinitely  superior  to  all  others  in  this  par¬ 
ticular  cla.ss  ?  To  me  it  seems  a  wa.ste  of  time  to  carry  a  .stand 
of  blooms  about  the  show  room  for  the  purpose  of  comparLson. 
Judges  may  as  well  attempt  tO'  carry  a  collection  of  vegetables 
or  fruit  for  the  .same  purpose !  Some  experts  of  this  order  of 
opinion  select  what  they  think  is  the  best  stand  of  blooms  in  a 
certain  class,  and  place  it  in  front  of  all  others  in  competition 
with  this  selected  one.  Very  often  a  better  is  found ;  the  first 
mu.st  then  be  replaced,  and  the  one  preferred  for  the  time  being 
carried  round-,  perhaps  to  be  displaced  by  another.  Surely  this 
cannot  bo  the  easiest,  quickest,  and  most  accurate  method  of 
dealing  with  competitive  exhibits. 
For  the  benefit  of  the  beginner  I  will  briefly  explain  the 
comparison  method.  For  instance,  twelve  blooms  of  any  section 
are  being  dealt  with.  One  stand,  which  is  apioarently  the  best, 
is  selected  and  placed  in  front  of  another  by  one  of  the  judges. 
The  second  judge  takes  up  a  position  on  one  side  of  the  stand. 
They  commence  generally  at  the  left  hand  corner  of  both 
stands.  No  bloom  in  the  back  row  of  stand  A  is  compared  with 
that  in  a  similar  position  in  stand  B.  Individually,  A  is  con¬ 
sidered  to  be  superior  to  B.  The  former  then  scores  a  point  or 
two,  perhaps  more,  even  if  they  are  quite  diverse  in  type.  The 
leaning  to  this  particular  type  may  weigh  more  heavily  with 
one  judge  than  another.  In  the  next  instance,  the  balance  may 
bo  in  the  opposite  direction.  This  is  mentally  noted  as  one 
point  off  A  stand,  and  so  on  is  the  whole  stand  compared,  and 
very  likely  the  judges  forget  which  stand  has  the  balance  before 
they  get  through  it,  and  have  to  start  afresh,  owing  to  having 
nothing  tangible  to  refer  to. 
Some  judges  have  a  weakness  for  giving  equal  prizes  to  stands 
close  in  point  of  merit.  This  is  a  doctrine  that  I  strongly  con¬ 
demn  ;  it  is  an  easy  way  out  of  a  difficulty.  There  is  a  first, 
and  it  should  be  found. 
How  TO  Judge  the  Blooms. 
I  ought  now  to  give  a  few  plain  instructions  how  to  proceed, 
as  I  have  spoken  so  cohdemningly  of  the  comparison  method. 
In  all  well  appointed  shows  the  exhibits  in  one  class  are  placed 
