Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-21
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM.
Its Development by Chinese Gardeners
The Chrysanthemum in Fable.

The Chrysanthemum in Fable.
From the North China Herald
The chrysanthemum has many varieties 1t
has yellow, white, red, purple, or variously col
| ored flowers. The native horticulturists have
found it comparatively easy to modify its ap-
pearance and color. There is an old statement
that the Soochow gardeners take it when it is a
foot above the ground and pluck off the termi-
nal bud the top. After few days the one
bud originates two. These again are decapi-
tated and a similar result follows, so that when
autumn arrives the number of flowers on one
stalk is very great. and they grow into sort
of round hemisphere like a cart covering.
1t was the early discovery that notifications
In the flowers could be produced in this way
that led the Chinese to attach SO much impor-
tanoe to this flower. 1t was about A. d. 400
that it became a special garden favorite and
was valued by the poets Tan Yuen Ming of
that time was very fond of it and search
specially in his poems has resulted in the fact
that he classed 1T with the pine for endurance.
The petals remain in their place after winds
and storms and it was this feature in the flower
which he admired. The Chinese represent
yellow as the natural color and they add that
white asters after year two are apt to
change back to yellow. In some varieties the
flowers are deciduous, and in others not So A
pale yellow changes to white after the plant
has lowered with unusual luxuriance; and
white, IN the same way. when exhibiting
tendency to variation, becomes red. Such
flowers wither on the stem. When the petals
are far apart they are apt to fall early and
after the full period of poisoning they gradu-
ally drop off. If wind and rain should come
and shake them they all fall off together and
cover the ground. Such minute observation of
Q flower as this is an example of the pains taken
by the Chinese i'll the study of nature. The
Soochow gardeners mentioned mean Of course
the gardeners of the great plain of which Soo-
chow IL the capital, and Shanghai with Tai
tsang and Kiang-yin are particularly noticed
as having climate or soil, local skill in hor-
tlcuiture, which greatly favors the variability
OF the Chinese aster. From the statement
made 1T is probable that there is no part of
China where there is more success in Guilt
vatlng the China aster or more variety in it
than In the gardens of these cities There are
coarse and fine varieties Some chrysanthe-
NUNS grow to 10 feet in length, and some disks
are as large as saucer. Two colors appear on
the same flower. These are called coarse yari-
etles. The finer include velvety sorts and
those which are cylindrical in shape. or turn to
the west, or indented like wolves teeth. Those
winch are most valued in 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 comforting i'm
mortality. To obtain the result it must be
eaten with the fruit Of the wutung by the be-
lleving In Szechuan there is in the Confucian
temple OF the capital of the province an image
OF the genius OF the chrysanthemum. The be-
ing represented is said to be girl who drank
the wine OF the chrysanthemum flower in the
Han palace, and thus became immortal. Those
students who pray to her are successful in the
examinations. In a cave of the same city there
Is painting drawn upon the wall of a woman
holding chrysanthemum in her hand Be-
fore her is represented a monkey She is
called The Lady of the Chrysanthemum,"
and students who pray to her have remarkable
dreams. The lntimations conveyed in these
dreams are wonderful to relate, sure to come
true, say the native accounts. The chrysan-
themum sinense has probably for two CEN
turtles been we'll known in Europe. The
horets. whether of the ray or the disk.
are never blue, but they appear with al
most 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 in development and
in variety OF properties has risen from spo-
radio popularity and intermixture with allied
would be caused by insects bringing with them
IN their visits to the flowers the pollen of neigh
boring plants.
THE CHINA AsrER IN CHINESE ART.
The remarkable variability of these plants is
partly due to an excellent constitution, which
allows them to be easily propaga.ed by cut
tngs. 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 ground.
and the beauty of a garden plot is remarkable
when the flowers of certain hardy varieties are
in this way SO restricted as to rise only few
inches from the ground. European gardeners
obtain seeds from widely different localities
and aim by mixture to rival the handsomest
varieties introduced from China. We must
subtract the legendary element generously and
recognize 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 favorites for four
teen hundred years or more. This is one of
the main sources of the development of mod
ern Chinese painting, in which these flowers
have had as much attention as baskets Of fruit
among the painters OF Holland.