Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-21
CONSULTATION FREE.

| are far apart they are apt TO fall early =,
| and after the full period of poisoning
! they gradually drop off. If wind and
rain should come and shake them, they
| all fall off together and cover the
| ground. Such minute a observation
| of a flower as this is an example
| of the pains taken by the Chi
| nese in the study of nature. The 500
| chow gardeners mentioned mean of
! course the gardeners of the great plain Of
which Soochow Is the capital and Shang
| hal with Tai-tsang and Klang-yin are
! particularly noticed as having q climate
or soil, or local skill in horticulture,
which greatly favors the variability of
the Chinese aster. From the statement
made it is probable that there is no part
of China where there is more success in
cultivating the China aster or more vari-
ETY. in it than IN the gardens of these
cities. There are coarse and fine va
rieties Some chrysanthemums grow to
ten feet in length, and some disks are as
Urge as q saucer Two colors appear on
the same flower. These are called coarse
varieties The finer include velvety
sorts and those which are cylindrical in
shape, or turn to the west, or are in
denied like wolves teeth. Those which
are most valued III China are flowers
which begin with being small and grow
larger, and petals which are close set,
numerous and fresh in color.
The chrysanthemum flower is tabled by
the Chinese to have the power of con-
ferring immortality. To obtain the re-
suit it must be eaten with the fruit of the
wutung by the believing. In Szechuan
there is in the Confucian temple of the
capital of the province an image of the
genius of the chrysanthemum. The
being represented is said to be girl who
drank the wine OF the ohrysanthemum
flower in the Han palace and thus became
immortal Those students who pray
to her are successful in the examinations.
In cave of the same city there is a
painting drawn upon the wall Of woman
holding a DhrYsanthemum in her hand
She is called ''The Lady of the Chry-
santhemum, - and students who pray to
her have remarkable dreams; the init
nations conveyed in these dreams are,
wonderful to relate, sure to come true,
say the native accounts. The chry-
santhemum Siamese has probably for two
centuries been well known in Europe.
The flowrets, whether of the ray or the
disc, are never blue, but they appear
with almost every other possible color.
The books say that the Chinese must for
long ages have been carefully improving
the plant, and that their great richness
iii development and in variety of proper
ties has risen from sporadic peculiarly
and intermixture with allied species I'M
known in Europe. This last effect would
be caused by insects bringing with them
in their visits to the flowers the pollen of
neighboring plants.
THE CHINA ASTER IN CHINESE ART.
The remarks BILE variability of these
plants is partly due tOaan excellent con-
stitution, which allows them to be easily
propagated by cuttings. About half OF
the flower heads should be destroyed to
increase the size and beauty of those
which remain. Not being delicate, some
kinds will submit to their stems being
pegged down near the surface of the
plot is remarkable when the flowers or
certain hardy varieties are IN this way so
restricted as to rise only a few inches
from the ground. European gardeners
obtain seeds from widely different locali-
ties, and aim by mixture to rival the
handsomest varieties introduced from
China We must subtract the legendary
element generously and recognize a
true love of natural beauty in the
great attachment which the Chinese have
for the peony, the plum flower, and the
China aster, which have been all favor
ties for I400 years or more. This is one
of the main sources of the development
of modern Chinese painting, in which
these flowers have had as much attention
as baskets of fruit among the painters of
Holland.