518 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  3,  1903. 
Haldane,  Esq.,  Hull,  with  an  excellent  group;  2,  Mr.  W.  H. 
Young,  Worthing  Street,  Beverley  Road,  Hull. 
Aberdeen  ChrysanthemDin,  Nov.  20th  and  21st. 
The  annual  .show  was  held  on  the  dates  given,  and  was  very 
.successful,  there  being  700  entries.  Mr.  M.  H.  Sinclair  is  secre¬ 
tary.  Tho.se  staging  honorary  exhibits  wore  Messrs.  W.  Thoni- 
.son  and  Sons,  Limited,  Clovenfords,  near  Gala.shiels,  who  had 
a  display  of  Grapes  cut  from  Vines  which  have  been  heavily 
cropped  for  the  jiast  thirty-three  years,  and  these  Vines  were 
nourished  by  Thomson’s  Vine  manure.  Messrs.  Cocker  and  Sons, 
Aberdeen,  had  a  collection  of  new  varieties  of  Potatoes  all  in 
tine  condition.  There  were  other  exhibits.  The  leading  prize 
for  a  semicircular  group  of  (lirysantheinums  was  taken  by  Mr. 
John  Proctor,  gr.  to  Sir  William  Henderson,  Devanha  Hou.se, 
Aberdeen;  2,  Mr.  F.  Munro,  Stoneywood  House;  Mr.  G.  Mait¬ 
land.  Woodside,  3rd.  Mr.  W.  Patterson,  Park,  carried  off  the 
premier  honours  for  12  vases  Japs,  12  varieties,  beating  Mr. 
W.  M.  Moil’,  Rosehaugh.  Ross-shire.  In  the  class  for  24  blooms 
in  12  varieties,  Mr.  W.  Patterson,  Balmedie,  led;  2,  Mr.  John 
Grigor ;  and  the  3rd  by  Mr.  John  Petrie,  Crathes  Castle.  For 
18  Japs  in  9  varieties  the  lead  was  taken  by  Mr.  Ed.  Joss,  Sunny- 
side  House,  Montro.se.  The  2nd  prize  went  to  Mr.  Frank  Fraser, 
Tillery  House,  Fdny  ;  and  the  3rd  to  Mr.  G.  Barbour,  The  Knoll, 
Elgin.  Mr.  A.  Murray  had  the  best  12,  he  was  followed  by  Mr. 
George  Jamieson.  Burton  Hall,  Loughborough;  and  3rd,  Mr. 
G.  G.  Stuart,  Aden  Hou.se,  Mintlaw.  In  the  class  for  12  in- 
curveds  the  1st  and  2nd  prizes  were  secured  by  Mr.  George 
Jamieson.  For  (3  incurveds,  3  varieties,  the  lead  was  taken  by 
Mr.  W.  Patterson,  Balmedie,  who  was  followed  by  Mr.  J.  Pirie, 
Strichen  House,  and  by  Mr.  A.  Brebner,  Dalhebity,  Cults,  in 
the  order  named.  In  a  class  for  12  varieties  of  Chrysanthemums 
Mr.  James  Smith,  Grantown-on-Spey,  took  the  lead,  followed 
by  Mr.  John  Sim,  Glenburnie,  Park,  and  Mr.  A.  Douglas, 
Kepple.ston. 
National  Chrysanthemum,  Annual  Dinner. 
The  annual  dinner  of  the  members  was  held  last  Wednesday 
week  in  London,  there  being  a  large  company  present,  and 
presided  over  by  Mr.  Charles  E.  Shea.  After  having  proposed 
the  loyal  toasts,  the  chairman  spoke  to  the  toast  of  the  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society,  and  said  how  gratified  he  was  at  having 
been  asked  to  become  president .  He  embraced  the  present  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  thank  the  members  for  the  honour  done  to  him,  and 
then  proceeded  to  give  a  brief  review  of  the  society’s  history. 
It  had  had  a  continuous  record  since  1846,  when  it  was  established 
as  the  Stoke  Newington  Chry.santhemum  Society.  Mr.  Robert 
James  was  the  founder  of  that  body,  and  of  the  original  members, 
two  were  alive  in  1896,  namely,  Arthur  Walkley  and  J.  George. 
In  those  early  day.s,  to>  raise  and  stage  twenty-four  distinct 
varieties  was  practically  an  impossibility  to  most  gardeners,  and 
a  class  for  twenty-four  only  drew  forth  two  competitors,  the 
Huttons,  father  and  son.  One  nurseryman  was  able  to  stage 
twenty-four  in  his  section  of  the  schedule. 
In  1862  and  1864  it  .seemed  that  things  were  becoming 
critical  (said  Mr.  Shea),  for  the  officers  were  presenting  testi¬ 
monials  to  the  chairman  (a  silver  snuffbox),  and  in  1864  the 
secretary  got  a  silver  cup.  Not  only  did  the  society,  however, 
survive  thi.s:  other  societies  caught  the  idea  too. 
In  1874  the  name  Avas  changed  to.  the  Stoke  Newington  and 
Hackney  Chry.santhemum  Society,  and  in  the  folloAving  year  to 
the  Borough  of  Hackney  Chrysanthemum.  The  first  show,  held 
in  the  Royal  Aquarium,  Westminster,  was  in  1877,  and  a  year 
later,  Mr.  Wm.  Holmes  was  elected  secretai'y.  Then  in  1884 
came  the  most  important  change  of  any,  the  change  to  the  name 
it  still  bears,  and  the  .suggestion,  “by  a,  stroke  of  genius,”  was 
due  to  Mr.  Henry  Cannell,  of  Swanley.  By  one  proclamation 
(continued  the  chairman)  we  annexed  the  British  Isles,  for  every¬ 
where  there  are  votaries  of  the  great  Autumn  Queen.  Mr. 
Harman  Payne  became  a  member  also  in  1884,  and  subsequently 
the  official  catalogue  was  published.  Lord  Brook  was  then 
president,  and  the  secretary  having  died.  Mr.  Richard  Dean  was 
appointed  in  his  stead.  These  were  milestones  in  the  journey; 
others  were  the  Jubilee  celebrations  in  1895,  the  Chrysanthemum 
Conference,  and  lastly  the  transfer  of  their  place  of  exhibition  to 
the  Wesleyan  Methodists.  This  rendered  them  homeless,  so'  to 
speak,  but  the  Crystal  Palace  had  been  their  refuge.  The 
president  said  that  it  rests  Avith  the  committee  to  see  Avhat  the 
Crystal  Palace  means.  He  thought  it  a  crjdng  shame  that  in 
this  great  city  they  could  not  liaA'e  a  suitable  hall,  and  the  iieAv 
hall  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  Avould  be  too  small. 
The  foregoing  facts  Avere  the  direct  hi.stor.A' ;  the  indirect 
history  lay  in  the  deA^elopment  of  the  Chrysanthemum  to  Avhat 
it  is  to-day.  In  France,  in  Germany,  in  Australia,  and  the 
IT.S.A.,  the  golden  ffoAA-er  is  increasingly  popular.  Mr.  Shea 
drew  attention  to‘  a  statement  in  one  of  the  gardening  papers 
Avhich  accused  the  large  Chrysanthemums  with  being  the  means 
of  depraving  public  taste.  “But  if  this  flower  has  grace,  finish, 
beauty,  colour,  Ac.,  is  mere  size  a  crime?”  he  asked,  in  accents 
of  reproach  and  surprise.  Is  there  a  deliberate  intention  in  the 
case  of  the  Rose  or  any  other  flower,  to  say,  Thus  far,  and  no 
further,  in  .size?  Mr.  Shea  thought  not;,  and  said  that  surely 
there  is  room  for  all  types  of  blooms.  He  called  on  Mr.  Canneil 
to  say  a  feAV  Avords. 
Mr.  Cannell  took  his  hearers  Avith  him  back  to  a  shoAv  at 
Stoke  NeAvington  in  1851,  Avhere  there  Avere  no  cut  floAvers,  so 
far  as  he  remembered,  and  only  a  foAv  large  plants.  Mr.  Cannell 
had  attended  all  the  shows  of  tlie  National.  In  1851  the  fashion 
Ava.s  all  for  incurved  varieties,  and  it  Avas  the  Stratford  people- 
Avho  first  brought  forward  the  Japs.  Mr.  Robert  Fortune  intro¬ 
duced  some  long-tassel  led  varieties  from  Japan,  and  these  Avere 
di.stributed.  All  the  varieties  of  to-day  had  come  from  the.se. 
Geo.  Rundle  (incurved)  came  into*  existence  in  1860;  and  George 
Gleniiy  Avas  another  of  the  oldest.  Mr.  Cannell  suggested  that 
it  Avould  afford  unbounded  interest  if  a  cla.S3  could  be  set  aside 
for  those  old  favourites  of  forty  years  ago  that  haA^e  fallen  out 
of  the  ranks.  This  concluded  the  tAvo  mest  interesting  speeches 
of  the  evening.  There  Avere,  hoAvever,  numerous  others  in 
connection  Avith  the  various  toasts.  The  shiekls,  cups,  and  medals 
Mr.  C.  E,  Shea,  President  N.C.S. 
Avon  at  the  NoAmmber  show  were  presented  to  the  Avinners  of 
them.  In  replying  to  the  toast  of  the  chairman,  Mr.  Shea 
remarked  that  he  had  grown  his  plants  from  the  “  cutting  ”  to 
the  staging  of  a  first  prize  forty-eight  blooms  at  an  N.C.S.  shoAv. 
He  traced  his  progress  from  1886,  when  he  first  began  as  an 
exhibitor,  till  1891,  Avhen  he  gave  up.  The  meeting  broke  ui) 
about  11  o’clock. 
Dundee  Chrysanthemum,  Nov.  27th  and  28th. 
The  annual  exhibition  of  this  spirited  society  Avas  held  in  the 
Drill  Hall,  Dundee,  on  Friday  and  Saturday  last,  and  Avas  equal, 
and  in  some  respects  superior,  to  any  of  its  predecessors.  The 
entries  had  increased  by  nearly  a  hundred,  while  the  quality  of 
the  exhibits  AAas,  generally  speaking,  little  if  any  behind  those 
of  much  larger  and  more  ambitious  exhibitions.  The  hall  and 
the  exhibition  seemed  to  suit  each  other  admirably,  the  arrange¬ 
ments  Avere  tasteful,  and  to  the  eye  of  the  ordinary  A'i.sitor  the 
Avhole  presented  a  most  attractive  appearance.  The  principal 
competitors  in  the  cut  bloom  classes  Avere  Mr.  Beisant,  gr.  at 
Castle  Huntly,  and  Mr.  D.  Nicoll,  gr.  at  Rossie.  These  two 
Avell-known  growers  met  at  Edinburgh,  Avhen  Mr.  Nicoll  gained 
the  much-coveted  leading  prize,  and  Mr.  Beksant  Avas  3rd.  At 
Dundee,  Mr.  Beisant  turned  the  tables  on  his  rival,  and  scored 
1st  in  both  the  leading  classes. 
Cut  Blooms. — For  12  vases  in  12  Amrieties,  3  blooms  of  each, 
Mr.  Betsant  Avas  fir.st  Avith  large,  fresh,  even  blooms.  The  most 
prominent  Avere  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Madame  Cadbur.v,  Sensa¬ 
tion,  Mrs.  Barklev,  Elsie  Fulton,  F.  S.  Vallis,  and  Mrs.  MilehaiU. 
Mr.'  D.  Nicoll,  Rossie,  AA’as  a  close  2nd  Avith  similar  A'arieties, 
Madame  Cadbury,  F.  S.  Vallis,  General  Penford,  and  Miss 
Florence  Mol.yneux  being  A'ery  conspicuous.  For  6  A'ases,  Mr. 
Adams,  St.  Clements,  Forfar,  Ava.s  1st  Avith  good,  fresh  blooms, 
containing  fine  Elsie  Fulton,  J.  R.  Fpton,  and  W.  R.  Church. 
Mr.  Buckbie,  of  Linfield,  West  Ferry,  AA’as  a  good  2nd.  For  24 
blooms  on  boards,  Mr.  Beisant  took  1st  place  with  very  handsome 
floAA'ers  of  leading  sorts;  Mr.  Nicoll  was  2nd;  and  Mr.  Camming, 
