The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-01


The shadows, frightening, stretch at noon;
The fields are stripped, the groves are dumb;
The frost flowers greet the icy moon
Then blooms the bright chrysanthemum.
The stinening turf is white with snow,
Yet still its radiant disks are
Where soon the hallowed morn will show
The wreath and cross of Christmas green;
As in autumns dying days
1t heard the heavenly song afar,
And opened all its glowing rays.
The herald lamp of Bethlehem's star
Orphan Of summer kindly sent
To cheer the fading years decline.
In all that pitying heaven has lent
No fairer pledge of hope than thine
Yes! June lies hid beneath h the he's snow
For every seed that sleeps below,
A spark that kindles into flame.
Thy smile the scowl of winter braves.
Last of the bright-robed fowery train,
Soft sigSing over the garden den,
So may lifes chill November bring
Hopes golden flower, the last of all,
BeforS the angels sing
Where blossoms never fade and fall.
So wrote Oliver Wendell Holmes OF the
yellow flower which is one of autumn's
glories.
Again the chrysanthemum season has
begun somewhat earlier than usual keep
ing up the record of the year in bringing
vegetation of all kinds ahead from one TO
two weeks in their different ripening sea-
sons
The chrysanthemum has come to be
garded as the ideal show flower; no other
flower has the spectacular, decorative ef-
feet. 1t is ornamental, snowy to a high
degree. good keeping quality and Of beauti
full clear colors. No one has succeeded in
hybridizing varieties of scarlet and blue.
Attempts have been made in artificial
coloring. but with doubtful success. The
beautiful clear white, yellow and the deli
cate pink shades, also a few dark browns
are the most valued in commercial life.
Some Of the varieties are really wonderful
in fneness of texture and pure color. Few
flowers are SO well adapted for the orna-
mentation of dwellings, whether treated
cut flowers or potted plants. Their beauty
as a decoration has long been recognized
and the season never passes without num-
erous chrysthemum luncheons, fetes and
weddings. For banquets, only the orchids
can rival them in lasting qualities. If cut
| In full bloom the blossoms will last several
weeks by keeping the water pure with
| charcoal.
IN OTHER LANDS.
While the Europeans have a great ad-
| miration for the chrysanthemum, the jap
anese, with fine artistic taste, entertain an
| enthusiasm over the flowers that APP
proaches a passion. They love flowers
above every other decoration, and the
golden chrysanthemum holds the place of
honor 1t is usual for them to name
women after flowers and Madame Chrys-
anthemum is much favored. A custom pre-
walls I'm the chrysthemum season of cover
ing figures of human form with a coating
of clay and arranging the flowers upon
them in colors in imitation of their dress
goods. These manikns may represent men
taking part in some scene Of action or
women making, or offering tea The figures
are placed on exhibition and
admission is charged to see them. Each
year in November. in all the large cities
in Japan thousands of plants sold,
trained generally TO one stem with soil
tary large flower at the top, often ten to
twelve inches across. The Chinese are very
extravagant in flower culture, and train
their plants into fantastic forms, and the
chrysanthemum is fashioned into gay
pagodas. horses, ships and stays, with more
ingenuity than artistic merit. A Japanese
device is the building UP of efigies of the
greatest NEUROLOGICAL and historical char
acters by means of bushels of chrysanthe-
NUNS. The Sun Goddess is thus repre-
sented or the japanese Hercules Benkel,
in white, purple and yellow flowers. Near
Yeddo a special imperial party is given
every year in honor of this national flower
of Japan. and at this leading exhibition of
the world, as We may call it, the plants
displayed have not less than 375 to 430 fully
developed blossoms upon a single specimen
at a time.
The first home of the chrysanthemum
was the countries of Japan and China. in
both of which it is regarded the national
emblematic flower. 1t has always been
looked upon there with reverential regard.
and is used in great profusion in the adorn-
ment of the temples and homes. The plant
has been known in Japan and China from
very ancient times whereas in Europe and
America it's cultivation was neglected for
many years, and only a few varieties were
cultivated, whose small imperfectly-shape ped
flowers gave no indication of the beautiful
| blossoms of to-day, which combine so many
desirable qualities. abundance of blossom,
richness Of colorng. elegance of form and
long duration of life. Chrysanthemums
| found favor in France before being re-
ceived into England. and the climate was
thought more suitable for their culture
| They were extensively raised and many
nurseries established. The Dutch took the
| chrysanthemum from Japan to Holland
| and in 1859 we learn that they We're cult
| waited in some of the gardens there. But
we lose sight of them as garden plants in
| Europe until 1894 where We find them
grown in the Apothecaries' Botanic Garden
| in Chelsea. London, taken there probably
| from France or Holland.
NEW VARIETIES.
They were not, however, grown to any
extent till some years later, when a French
merchant brought three varieties from
| China-white, violet and purple. Only the
| last of these lived but they were widely
| propagated, and in 1870 found their way
| into England. During the mkt twenty
| years great many new varietiv have been
| introduced from China into England, and
course of time they found their way TO this
| country, where they are now grown as sue
| cessfully and in as many varieties as any
| where in the world, except i'm Japan. An
other authority states that a small yellow
blossom grew in the botanical garden at
| Chelsea, England, in 1894. but the first
| large lowered variety was received at the
Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1895. This earliest
| Chinese chrysanthemum. known as the old
| red or purple, bore slight resemblance to
the poorest of our present flowers, and this
was followed by other importations Each
year a fine display of several thousand
| plants is given at the Temple and Inner
Temple gardens in London. At the close of
the war with China a member of the Lon
don Horticultural Society was sent TO that
country to collect rare plants and found