New-York tribune., 1907-11-08
CHRYSANTHEMUM WAR.
Battle of MiILOnaTes for Prizes at
Unusual FIO5Cer ShozC.

.Tt is a battle of the millionaires" remarked =.
aortst at the annual chrysanthemum show. now in
,rogress at the Berkeley Lyceum, No. l9 west 44th
erect It certainly IS. Few commercial florists
ere exhibiting, and a list of the prize winners
reads like list of railway stockholders or officers
NJ trust company.
AS for the chrysanthemums, they show clearly
that they have had all the advantages that money
csn buy. They beautiful, and one has an
ssrie feeling that they know it perfectly we'll some
of the larger ones are marvels Of cultivation II
have been coming to this show for several years
said white haired woman pausing before the
C Montigny. the great yellow blossoms which
carry off the Pilser Cup. ''and each year the
chrysanthemums are more wonderful wonder
vhat they VIII be fifty years from now"
The c Montigny blossoms are exhibited by p
". Patterson, OF LenoX, which place. by the way,
las been very fortunate IN carrying off the prizes
Large as cabbages are these chrysanthemums
measuring very nearly yard in circumference
ana with exquisite. ilLcurving petals
A group Of twenty-five splendid blooms OF the
William Duckham are exhibited by Howard Gould
and take first prize. monster white chrysan-
themuna, which wins great admiration-and a
nr,ze-s the W. Mohr Just arrived from Eng
land p A b. Widener shows some fine yellow
blooms. grown on his place at Ogontz, Penn A
new variety IS the Marian HanlSey. a pink flower
Samuel UHtermyer won prize for these. and so
did z. D. Adams. of Seabright, y. J. The larg-
est pink chTysanthemum in the show is the Lady
Hopetown, with which Charles Lanier, of Lenox
wins a prize. Professor II. 3. Osborne OF Courn-
bia, shows the best six big chrysanthemums in
pets
The chrysanthemum trees are stunning Crown
q slender trunk nearly seven feet high ig q
umbrella shaped mass Of foliage and big flowers
John Crosby Brown takes first prize for these
Conspicuous among the trained chrysanthemum
Plants some splendid bush specimens. There
Is one called the Annie Laurie. round mass at
least six feet in diameter, with about three hun
dred lovely dark pink blossoms distributed over
It's surface evenly tnat IT really seems II
they must have been put there by hand. And, in
e way they were. In the making of Shese bush
chrysanthemums-carsfully trained over wire
watched for months before the time OF the annual
shoW-arr assists nature 70 such a degree that 1t
Is difficult 20 decide TO which they their beauty.
R ". Patterson exhibits these bush varieties. One,
with white flowers about five inches IN diameter,
IS particularly fine
1T IS not an exaggeration," said florist who
was looking IN, ''to say that this plant has five
hundred blooms tt
Darwin would not approve OF these at ALL" said
James 7. Scott. who has charge OF the show. He
was locking the Mrs. n. Y. West, exhibited
bv Otto H Kahn, a mammoth white bloom, big
enough for a hat-eyen for theatre hat" one
man remarked sarcastically. 1T IS getting away
from nature; these monster chrysanthenums
netarno-phoses; they like the mule; they have
no place in nature Mr.. Scott continued He led
the way to q collection Of small chrysantheInums.
the anemone and other varieties, shown by W. w.
Kennedy. This IS revival Of an old fashion,,
he said These small chrysanthemums going
to be very popular this winter. These are as
nature meant them to be. In the monster chrysan-
themums the starens, visible in the centre OF
these small flowers, become petals-petalized sta
mens they are called. Some Of the petals retain
pollen on their edges, and the flowers bred from
these almost sure to be very double indeed
How do get the varieties Of color? An that Is
a mystery no one can explain. The original Japan
ese ciTysanthenum is yellow: the original Aneri-
IS white. BY interbreeding many colors are
produced, but tell just what color OF
blossoms a plant is going TO bear-no one knows
the secret of the pigments.
'Chrvsanthennums show a constant tendency TO
revert TO the original coors. From scarlet father
and a crimson mother perhaps ten or twelve plants
viii be grown that bear crimson or scarlet now
ers-and seventy-five or eighty yellow -blossoming
plants
N. c. Borden. Of Orange, y. J.. has fine show
of distinct bloonas-tventy different kinds.
The show is. always. under the auspices or
the American Institute. The ChTysanthemum So
ciety Of America. which is just now holding its
annual meeting in New York, is also taking part
The show VIII be open to-day from 10 a. m. TO 10
.. m.