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

| are too tender for our chilly autumns and
| are obliged TO be sheltered They pay well
| for this attention by preserving brighter
verdure and fresher and more brilliant col
| ors. Although we think of the late autumn
and first winter months as the season for
| chrysanthemums, yet certain varieties. as
| the late-blooming Japanese types. will grow
| in the sunny corners OF gardens until Feb
ruary. The summer boomers begin in
August and the season has been extended
now from August until February. With
such an Improvement, in time We may en-
girdle the year with blossoms.
America has welcomed the chrysanthe-
mum with outstretched arms. A short
walk upon our streets will prove the truth
of the assertion. The windows of the flor
lists are filled with glorious masses of
plants and blooms. The earlier varieties
come in yellow and pink, and following
close. with some new varieties at the same
time, the white ones. Chrysanthemums
are frequently called after prominent men
and women Certain varieties bore the
names of lie Grand, Napoleon, Eugene,
Voltaire. Old Princess Royal, Queen Of
England, etc. To-day we have chrysan-
themums with names too numerous TO
mention, among the most prominent being
Domination. Ivory. George w. Childs.
Glory of the Pacific, Nine. Bergman, Mrs.
H. Robinson. Minerva, Major Boueffou.
Mutual Friend Interozean. Nemesis, Mrs.
f. G. Darlington, The Queen. Golden Gate,
Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, Carrie Denny.
Empress of Japan, Innocence, James q.
Blaine, Prince Karl Moonlight and many.
many others.
The chrysanthemum-a compound Of two
Greek words, meaning gold and flower
belongs to the species which include the
oxeyed daisy, feverfew, sunfiower and
marigold. There are 1000 varieties OF the
flower to be found in the catalogues of
to-day. The house of Levegne, which OBJ
tanned the chief prize at the Exhibition OF
National Horticulture in France, had six
hundred distinct varieties.
A SEASONABLE FLOWER.
Amid the desolation that this season OF
| the year brings to our gardens the chrys-
| anthemum appears in its bright beauty
and partially consoles us for the loss of
| the other flowers. 1t is called the Queen
of Autumn, and right royalty the stately.
| graceful blossom takes first rank among
| the flowers of fall.
Gardeners divide chrysanthemums into
| three classes-the incurred, with the petals
| turned inward; the reflex, with the petals
| turned outward, and the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT,
which has center like the German aster.
| To these may be added the pompon, the
| quilted or pir-feathered japanese, and the
| tassel-howered Japanese. The anemone-
| Powered is quite rare and difficult TO culi-
vate.
The seed is planted the last week of
March. In April or May the plant likes a
south aspect, but in the summer months 1t
| should be kept shaded. When eight TO ten
| inches high the plants are pegged down to
| prevent them from growing too tall. Their
| height varies from three TO seven feet
Plants are also produced by bud variation.
Branches bearing entirely different-colored
| flowers and sometimes OF quite distinct
| form occur on the same plant, and If al
| lowed to grow the young shoots from the
| base of the branch are propagated and the
| variation becomes a fixed form. Intelli-
| gent sowing and careful selections have
| given fine results and several types nave
| been developed quite distinct in the form
| and arrangement of their flower petals
| Sometimes the petals curve upon them
| selves as to form Il regular large head. as
in what are called the Indian chrysanthe-
NUNS. Others curve outward and give q
| more open form TO the WnOle, aS III lHe
| Chinese chrysanthemums. Again the corol-
! las deviate i'm every direction, constituting
! an odd, irregular type, but marked with
| artistic elegance, as in the Japanese chrys-
| anthemums.
| Many legends exist concerning them and
! poets immortalized the flowers. One OF
them runs thus: 1.-THE chrysanthemum is
| now so wonderful and varied in form, color
and size that we can't help admiring it,
| but few of us ever knew that it had the
power of comforting immortality. In one of
the Confucian temples, in China. there is
an image Of the genius of the chrysanthe-
mum. The being represented is said to be
girl who drank the wine Of the chrysan
| themum flower in the Han palace and thus
became immortal. Those students who
pray to her are successful in their eXamina-
tions. In a cave there is a painting drawn
upon the wall of a woman holding a chrys-
anthemum in her hand. She is called The
Lady of the Chrysanthemum,' and those
who pray to her have remarkable dreams,
sure to come true, say the natives. Our
| patrons who believe in dreams should pur-
| chase the best punches of chrysanthemums
| in the hall, put them under their pillows at
| night or use them in place of pillow and
dream their best"
| WILLIAM G. BETERMANN.