Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-10-24
cHaYsANTHEMuMs IN CHINA.
Development of the Beautiful Plants In
the FlOwery Kingdom.

Development of the Beautiful Plants In
the Flowery Kingdom.
The chrysanthemum has many va.
rieti"s. Ii has yellow, white. red, pur.
pie or variously colored flowers. The
native hOrticulturists have found il
comparatively easy 10 modify its ap
peIrance and color. There is an old
statement that the Soochow gardeners
take il when it is a foot above the
ground and pluck off the terminal bud
al the top. After a few days the one
bud originates two. These again are
decdpiuted and a similar result fol
lows. SO that when autumn arrives
the number of flowers on the stalk is
very great, aud they grow into a sort
OF round hemisphere like a cart cover
ing
1t was early discovered that modih.
cations in the flowers could be produc.
ed in this way that led the Chinese TO
attach SO much importance 10 this
Hover. II was about \. ID. 100 that il
becamca special garden favorite and
was valued by the poets. Tan Yuen
Ming, Of that time, was very fond Of
II and a search, especially in his
poems. has resulted in the fact that he
classed IL with the pine for endurance.
The petals remain in their place
after winds aud storms, and il was this
feature ia the flower which he admir-
Ell. The Chinese represent yellow as
the natural color and they add that
white aslers, aftera year or two, ARE
apt 10 change back to yellow. In some
varieties the flowers are dCujduous
aud IN others not SO. \ pale yellow
changes to white after the plant has
Powered with unusual luxuriance;
and white. IN the same way, when ex.
hiblting "A tendency To variation, be.
comes 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 blossoming
they gradually drop off. If wind and
rain should come and shake them
they all fall off together and cover the
ground. Such minute observation of
a flower as this is an example of the
pains taken by the Chinese in the study
of nature.
The Soochow gardeners mentioned
mean, of course, the gardeners of the
great plain of which Soochow is the
capital, and Shanghae with Taitsang
and kiang-yin are particularly noticed
as having a climate or soil, or local
skill in horticulture, which greatly
favors the variability of the Chinese
aster. From the statement made tits
probable that there is no part Of China
where there is more success in cult
waiting the China aster or more va
riety in it than in the gardens Of these
cities. There are coarse and fine va
r%ieties. Some chrysanthemums grow
TO ten feet in length, and some disks
are as large as a saucer. Two colors
appear on the same flower. These are
called coarse varieties. The finer in
clude velvety sorts and those which
are cylindrical in shape, or turn TO the
west, or are indented like wolves
teeth. Those which are most valued
in China are flowers which begin with
being small and grow larger, and pet
ais which are close set, numerous and
fresh in color.
The crysanthemum flower is tabled
by the Chinese TO have the power of
comforting Immortality. To obtain
the result il 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 chrys-
anthemum. The being represented
is said 10 be n girl who drank the wine
of the chrysanthemum flower in the
Han palace and thus became immor-
tai. Those students who pray 10 her
are successful in the examinations.
In a cave Of tho same city thorc isa
painting drawn upon the wall Of a
woman holding a chrysanthcmum in
her hand. She is called "ThcLady Of
the Cliy an hcmum," and students
who pray 10 her have remarkable
dreams. The limitations conveyed in
thoso dreams are, wonderful 30 relate,
surp 20 come true, say The native nc.
counts Tie chrysanthemum sincnse