Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-12

thou CONTEST when the rose is deed.
Chrysanthemup
When pink and lily both have nsc,
T Tnsn he'll h,oiiyno.is dreop low their head
md back ressiisi their beauty fed"
A ND WHAT Is MORE, MOST FAIR ONE.
~Athat is not your full name. for . STAR
writer has unearthed the fac. that you have
been lawfully and botanicaIly christeued Chrys-
snth emum carinatum.
But plain chrysanthemum is all we will at
tempt just now, even that being SO much Of .
mouth filler that one and sometimes two syl-
tables OF the word escape some people in the
effort at pronunciation, and as q consequence
they go about abiding ecstatically Of .'chrysan-
thums"
And either the language Of flowers il dead
language or the Young women Of Washington
are remarkably adept In concealing sad hearts
under gay exteriors, since the Specification in
flower lore Of this festhery favorite is sighted
love, aud to believe that the hundreds Of dam
sells seen on the avenue and in the theaters with
punches OF chrysanthemums pinned to their
gowns are posing beneath masks Of cheerful
ness as blghted beings Is not only hard 70 credit
in the face Of such point, blank evidence to the
contrary but is. AZ well, too severe a reflection
upon the good taste Of the young Of the capital
city to be possible.
ITS CONSTRUCTION
Chrysanthemum carinatum, which, literally
translated, means the keel-shaped golden flower,
nom chrysos, golden, anthemon, flower, and
carina, keel can be divided IN spite Of its ap-
parently endless varieties into three distinct
sorts, the pompons, tiny round blossoms three
quarters Of on inch in diameter and n,ost ap-
propriately named, as they look like nothing 50
much q rosetta tho Chinese
comprising the large g1obular thickly petaled
flowers, four or five inches in diameter, and
lastly the loose. fluffy Japanese, six inches and
more across. The members Of the last family
theso present such almost infinite variety in
their form and coloring that the floral critic
who could not find herein something to his taste
would be carping indeed.
THE CHRTsASrHEMUM OF TO-DAY
Is prominently florists aower-that is, q
flower which through the Intervention Of man
has been made to take on for ms and colors widely
different from its original types, since when 1t
was first introduced into Europe from Japan.
200 years ago. double chrysanthemums were
rarely seen, while the size and colors OF the
blossoms OF today were things totally I'm
dreamed Of.
Its introduction, too, was made in q most I'M
decorative spirit, as 1t was brought from the
east purely and simply because it was supposed
to possess medicinal qualities--a supposition
that its strong aromatic odor would seem to
confirm-like many members Of the immense
family. the Composite to which it belongs aud
Its importers being disappointed in its healing
virtues 1t consequently attracted little attention
except from botanists and true flower lovers
.,ll the beginning OF the present century, when
the craze for producing new varieties of tulips
that originated in Holland spread out among
other flowers reaching at last the chrysanthe-
mum.
HOW IT WAS INTRODUCED.
The seeds from which came the first epeci-
mems in America were brought here seventy
years ago from China direct by sailors and
sown about their homes on Long Island, where,
IN old gardens, descendants of the original
plants can be seen today. These seafarers were
prompted to the act by the fact that France,
then as now a leader in Horticulture, about that
time took up the cultivation of the chrysanthe-
mum In earnest an effort which has resulted in
the elaborate specimens of the globular type
with refexed and incurved petals seen in the
chrysanthemum shows Of this year Of grace
1892.
LoNDoN's FIRST SHOW.
In 1850 London inaugurated its annual exhi-
bition Of this flower in Temple and Inner Temple
gardens, proceeding which it has kept up
ever since, these gardens, where the flowers
are planted in beds and borders, with
little tents Of muslin arranged to stretch over
them nights to ward off the frost, being indeed,
one OF the November attractions Of the world 8
greatest city.
The starting Of this London chrysarthemum
show gave another impetus to the culture of the
plant in America, the pompons and ancestors
OF the present Japanese varieties being about
that time introduced here. The march in
popular favor has been steady since then and
the shows OF this flower given annually in many
OF our eastern cities compare not unfavorably
with those of London and Paris
How NEW SHADES ARE SECURED
New shades and forms in chry santhemums
are made, as in other flowers by securing seed
produced by crossing different varieties-or
| rather that is the made way Of getting a
new chrysanthemuu, for the chrysanthemum
| itself now and then lends little assistance and
sends up q shoot whose blossoms prove to be
quite distinct from those Of the parent stalk
that bore it-as il the plant, too. were am
bilious for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of its race and
was going to aid much as possible the
foriculturists efforts in its behalf. This is
called sporting" and ID an occurrence which
cannot be predicted by man or brought about
in any way but by the plant itself. 1t usually
takes place in white varieties after they have
been cultivated for some years, and the vari-
atoms produced by them are generally either
pink or yellow. Cuttings taken from these up
ftart shoots will root and become individual
chrysanthemums, adding another to the list of
'oaAS'sCo oh0oos AuHuiuS AutO tuc tuOubauUS.
ORIENTAL OBSTACLES OVER THE FLOWER.
When it occasionally looks as if the entire
occidental world was going crazy over the
| chrysanthemum, if we would turn our gances
to the orient we would see that we are clothed
and in our right mind when compared with the
ecstacies into which the Japanese 20 over this,
their national flower. They are q aower-lovinR
race to begin with. their year being divided into
| six flower seasons-the time of the blossoming
OF the camelia, the Towering Of the plum, the
cherry. the wisteria, the lotus and lastly, and to
crown all, the chrysanthemum-epochs to which
they refer in conversation as commonly as do
we to spring, summer, autumn and winter;
and the chrysanthemum being the national
flower and coming In the month Of the empe-
ror's birth. its sixteen-petaled variety being,
besides, the imperial or government crest, the
time of its towering is made gala season for
the entire nation.
UkIQuH SHOW.
At Dango-zaka, suburb Of Toxic, there 10
probably the most unique chrysanthemum
show on the face Of the planet, and prep
arstions are made for It months in advance
even before the plants have begun to bud
Skeleton frames, representing people, animals,
mountains and nature generally, are arranged
on . little stage inside tent % a. to portray
| scenes from legend, history and even the latest
plays Inside these frames chrysanthemum
roots are now placed, the blossoms only being
pulled through to the outside, 30 that the
qtrnOfura whap ri "a ~ L.