The sun., 1891-11-01
CIRYSANTHEMUMS.
VARIETIES OF ONE or hU1UMN'S
0RE.lTEsT BEAUTTEs.

The Madiso. square show-A Fascinating
Medium. tor Cuitivet,ng Love OF the
Reantirai-'rhe Pride OF Japan In its
Ho.se ssa ~ the United States-vaiunbis
Information tor All Lovers OF Flowers.
The flower show. which opens In Madison
Square Garden to. orrow afternoon. Is ex-
pected to embrace tho most beautiful. as we'll
a. the largest collection OF chrysunthomums,
orchids and roses ever brought together In
this country. Exhibitors anxious to secure
tho $,j.5OO offered In premiums have brought
their choicest productions from far and near.
10 the nnral attractions will bc addcd the
music Of Iandcr's band. aided Ny Levy with
his rornct While tho display Of orchids and
roses will 10 large. tho, chrysanthcElnms Will
naturally form the cliff attraction Of the ex-
hlbition.
These beautiful flowers are now In full bloom
and glorious perfection everywhere. Tho for
lists greenhouses nrc full of them. the florists
store windows nro full OF them. and our homes
and gardens aro gay with them. Our urban
and suburban residents as they flock into tho
city IN tho morning bring bouquets of fresh
chrysanthemums to their friends in town. or
wsar corsngc or buttonholo blossom for their
own nlornmcnt. I'ut what difference tlicrc
Ia In sizn and style between these flowers as
they now nrc grown. they arc so large and full.
and the pompon varieties or Chusan daisies. us
thoy aro called. Of our gardens dozen or
twenty ycnrs ago. We e,iso! to call them arto-
mcsias. hut why isn't very clear. for although
tile smell Of their foliage does somewhat re-
somble that OF arscmcsias. the blossoms OF the
two. also their stylo Of growth nro much TN.
like. Wornwood and southcrnwood are true
artemcs!as and common herbs in country gar
dcns. Bnt all boonG to the same great COM
posito or sun flower family Of plants
The chrysnnthcmum 81 our gardens is In.
dI.onous 10 China and japan. where. rs wild
plants, they arc very plcnti!n4y distributed;
and In gardens they lavo been cultivated for
moro than thousand years. In many parts
tho wild nnd cultivated forms have inter.
crossed and tho progeny arc n very mixed race
TINT have become widely ncutraliZed.
llotanists NOWADAYS recognize only two spe-
cics. namely. GhyRsaEttcnun, inlicErn. the par
ent OF the small l-nowcrcd or pompon varieties
so common MS hardy plants in our gnrdcns: {!
moriJolitm from which sprang tho sclni-giobu-
lar. symmetrical. medium-sizsd Anwcred
sorts known - us as Chinese varieties;
and C. mo,iJolnnt "ar. Orncils tho parent
of tho large. shaggy lowered kinds we call
Japanese. but while scientists may be nble to
determine tho specific identity Of the wild
plants. gardeners find that tho cultivated
forms Of oil Of them breed freely together; In
fact so much 20 that pompons. Chinese and
Japanese varieties. are all often obtained from
the seed OF ono and tho same plant. This.
however. may be the result OF tho natural in
tererossins between the types as they are
grown together in gardens and the assiduous
efforts OF gardeners in crossing them IN order
to get new varieties.
Tho chrysanthemum is the national badge
OF Japan. and has been jealousy cultivated In
the Flowery Land for many hundreds Of years:
indeed. we read of chrysanthe shows in
Japan dating back to the reign Of the En-
peror Ouda. A. D. 9u0-a thousand years ago!
And these imperial chry santhemum fetes are
continued in Japan to tho present day. Ac-
cording to Mr.. X. Myabo. n Japanese botanist.
we read in Garden and Forest: According to
the yearly practice. tho gardeners in Tokyo
and Saikyo raised many Iare and splendid
varieties OF chrysanthemums for tho imperial
garden by the special order. On Now & the
members OF the Cabinet the foreign Ministers.
and q few others were invited by the court to
the 'chrysanthemum banquet On the day
following tho higher officers OF the Govern
ment and mobiles were allowed to see the show
And We are further told one bed was 1S feet
several hundred plants bearing flowers
three to four inches across. It was rooted
with screen mats made OF reeds in order
to protect the flowers from sun and frost The
next bed was rooted with oiled paper screens.
and was :, flllrd with plants having olossoMs 1t
like a waterfall" One plant. named Auno-