The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-10
QUEEN OF FALL FLOWERS.
The Chrysanthemum,W which All In-
diRnapOIis VIII worship This Week.
sd. Louis Post Disnatch.

originated in Japan. That centuries
ago. The leaf and flower are the emblem
and crest badge of the Mikado and have
been, as far back as japanese records ex-
teld. The hits of the swords forged at the
time of Go Toba had it hammered upon
the scabbards. 1t became the form of one
of the official seals of the realm and there
is undisputed evidence that China was busy
with fantastic culture of the plant as
long ago as Confucius. There have BEEN for
hundreds Of years feasts and festivals de-
voted to the show of the bloom in its ORR
entail homes, but neither in Japan nor in
China did the culture take the lines whicsS
improved the art of the flower. There was
tendency to make it into fantastic shapes,
the great triumphs being obtained when
the bush might be fashioned into the form
of dog or the bloom itself distorted into
a representation of something entirely for
eign to its own intentions. The Chinese
trimmed and tied them up until they looked
like pagodas, ships. horses and many other
shapes, which satisfied very much the Chi
nese sense of beauty, but which were re-
pulsive to the foreigners who first saw the
plant on its native ground.
Japan took to making colossal things with
the pet, and the botanists who saw it first
in the island kingdom laughed over the
folk resorted for effective exhibits at the
festivals
ENGLAND started the propagation of the
modern flower in the botanic garden at
Chelsea in 1764 The collection comprised
only small yellow blooms. The botanists
were disappointed in the work of getting
new types, and for many years the clrys-
anthemum trailed along at the tail of the
procession, neither hideous nor attractive
enough TO take any particular position. A
set or old Chinese reds less attractive than
the poorest of the present American types
arrived at the royal gardens at Kew in
1885, and was forgotten as soon as the nov
city wore out
America and England began to gossip
back and forth about the Eastern blossom
with the long pedigree about 1911. The Eng
llsh began TO solve the mystery of the
strangers makeup in 1885, and in eight
go nstu aIouShl 0ul 50 nahy new types
that the people OF Norwich prepared a
show. This spread the fame OF the coming
queen, and in succeeding years chrysanthe-
mum societies sprang up on all sides.
man named Salter was the bold pioneer
who put his faith and lie into the future
of the chrysanthemUm. His collection at
the time of the first English societies num-
pered nearly four hundred varieties, but he
found that the bloom did not prosper under
the cold winds and fogs of England. So he
moved to place not far from Versailles.
France. He became a great distributor, as
line.
The story runs along without a break 10
the time of Robert Fortune and his expert
enceS at Ak-saX-saw. His devotion to flow
ers amounted almost TO mania. He
explorer for the London Horticultural Soci-
ety-gave his whole time to seeking botan-
lcal novelties in foreign lands. He went far
into Japan in 1860 and came upon this town
near Yeddo. 1t not then as easy TO
travel, nor as safe in Japan as 1t is now,
but the English emissary put UP at a hotel
and determined to wait a year. if necessary
to get the types he had come after. He
cultivated with a vengeance the little man
who kept the gardens about the royal house.
and when the plants were ready he slipped
a few cheap pieces of jewelry into the royaI
gardeners hands started wi
ureS for the Seaboard. He was stopped by
an inspector the dock just as he was
boarding the ship with his luggage, but a
few more pieces of tawdry got him leave as
free as air. And it is very likely that this
incident was the real beginning of the
chrysanthemum in this country.
Philadelphia was in the lead about thirty
years ago. 1t held show in which the best
of the varieties brought back by Mr.. For
tune and the best of the seedlings developed
In England were shown. The tendency at
that time was to grow vast numbers OF
mowers on bushes as big as underbrush the
American pioneers boasting that it had been
possible to get between 1900 and 5000 bios
SONS on a chrysanthemum shrub which
measured fifteen feet in circumference.
They were of the pompon variety, and it is
probable that plants like those which the
amateurs began putting out at that time
have never been surpassed in China or
Japan. and they certainly have aot been in
this country.
1t was this search that led to the present
devotion which is almost an annual nation
al craze of q months duration. The Ameri-
formation about propagation which came
over the sea and started in along new lines.
There does not seem to have been any great
discoveries until about 1884. The gardeners
and ~reenhouse men in the East-not the
ones the trade, but those in private con-
SER 'es-had spent a number of years
exl lting with the seedlings. A host of
ne 4ades wild forms and fantastic
bic resulted, and the rare chance of get
tin even one good plant from a thousand
kept all but the most hopeful and persist
ent from the work: 1t was possible to sell
a worthy new one for enough to pay for all
the failures, but the worthy ones were
hard to get.
The interest Jagged along until 1885, when
the first show was held in New York-a
humble exhibit at which all the plants could
have been accommodated in a, geQtleman'S
parlor, and at which "Uncle John Chrysan-
cago showed a bloom in each of the forty
eight classes and took first prize from one
end Of the line to the other.
The moment the ability to cross-breed be-
came established the growers became furi-
Gus in their experiments. The chrysanthe-
mum leaped into favor with men who sup
piled the stocks for decoration, and the
public suddenly found itself face to face
with a gorgeous thing it had never before
known. The blooms which won first prize
in year were not even shown in many
cases the next year, being so far behind in
all points of the scores upon scores of de-
butantes which came crowding into the
field.
1t has been impossible to keep faithful tab
on the story of the chrysanthemtm during
the last ten years. 1t has been in high
favor about this length of time, partly be-
cause IL was popularity new, partly because
the very best of the types are absolutely
new, and partly because it has been as
profitable for the specialist to work in his
chrysanthemum garden in any other. A
number of the great growers have done
quite as well with their little collections OF
new plants as breeders of fine stock have
done with their herds of promising colts
1t is positively known that an Eastern
man paid 5000 for the first set of the type
which showed the hairy petals.
1t took the chrysanthemum long time
to get a place in the heart of the people,
but 1t was because the people would not
turn its way when ii WAS a modest thing.
AS soon as it became obtrusive there was
a change, and all over the country people
will tell you that the chrysanthemunn is one
of the easiest things to get along
with and one of the most cos
mopolitan flowers earth. 1t will
of the city and better yet in the suburban
garden-in neither place attaining the glory
of the greenhouse product. 1t responds
quickly to the least attention, and a rebuff
or slight or cruelty will he shown just as
soon. It must have sunshine. needs just
enough water and not too much, and lasts
longest after being cut in temperature
that is a bit cool. The bush will produce
many small flowers or one large one-sOme-
thing which must be regulated by the taste
of the grower In fact, there is nothing
about the flower which is not known at
this time 1t has ceased to be the mystery
IL used to be to the growers, has ceased to
be particularly profitable as crop.
A Senator's Gift.