The Washington herald., 1911-10-29
NUNS ON EXHIBIT
HERE THIS WEEK
Tenth Annual Show Opens
November | OH the Mall.
r, WILLIAM l.. ALTDORFER

On Wednesday of TINS week, NOvem-
Der /, the Department of Agriculture Will
open its tenth annual chryanthemum
exhibition at the green houses in Four
teenth and B streets northwest. This
season the department expects TO have
one of the finest mum" shows ever
produced at the gardens. nOtwithstand-
ing il has been hard one for chryan-
tnemums because of the extreme heat.
The exhibit will contain n number of
the rarest and newest varieties Of Chrys-
anthemums in existence.
There will be more than $50 varieties
of the autumn queen, from the tiny but
ton chryanthemum to the large Towering
stalk six feet in height with a blossom
the size of a dinner plate. OF the smaller
ones there are a greater variety, and
though the pOmpOns-as the shOrt-stemed
one are called-inClude the button flower,
it would hardly be fair 70 say the en-
tire pOmpOn family are littfe ones. Many
of this variety are of considerable size
and are among the choicest of Chryan-
themums for decorative purposes Men,
bers of the pUmpOn race are cut back
so as to make the plant spread. thereby
causing it to bear massive clusters of
blossoms which present a striking con-
trast to the single blossom plant
Fully Fifty Varieties.
OF the plants grown to single stems,
the large bed in the center of the green
house is given oyer to this class. What
these plants lack in nunDer they make
up in quality, as many as fifty different
kinds of chryanthemums are seen in this
floral household Of giant NUNS" Aside
from the sizes Of the chrysanthemums
At, -
which gives it a characteristic place IN
the family to which it belongs. and
throughout the floral kingdom there is
no more striking example of modesty
than In the Chryanthemum world. No
glarinG COlors are seen here-none but
the sOftest shades and most delicate
tints are the favorite garb of the mum"
family. Unlike her sisters of the rose
and carnation kingdom. the mum"
never dressed in bright red. Blue she
never dons. A iavorite color with the
Chryanthemum tribe is yellow and pur-
pie. and often a very soft dark red is
worn, while white seems to be in style
a all times, and is worn extensively by
all members OF the family.
There are in China and Japan, the
home of the wild chrysanthemum, two
species of the chrysanthemum. One is
known as "indicum." while the other is
the 'sinense." The first has yellow
flowers, while the "sinense'' has white
flowers. which are sometimes tinted with
pink. From these two species all other
varieties now in cultivation have been
grown.
The varieties Of the chrysanthemums
under cultivation are divided into classes
known as 'pompons, which have COM
rarativeIy small flowers, and the "ans
emone fiowered. the chief characteristic
of which is the enlarged discfiorets in
the center of the flower. Another variety
is the Chinese and Japanese large flow
cred NUNS which usually have either
lncurved or recurved petals
Dr. B. T. Galloway, Chief Of the Bureau
OF Plant Industry, has given much atten-
ton 20 the growing Of the chrysanthe-
mum, and the results OF the experiments
made along this line has been of great
assistance 10 florists throughout the coun-
try. while the high grade of the flower
to-day is due to the careful propagation
and study given it by this bureau.
The Oriental ''CrOsseS."
Many of the varieties to be seen in the
exhibition are crosses between the do
mestic mum" and the wild chrysanthe-1
mum of China and Japan, which much
resemble the common field daisies.
Among the hills Of China, Mr.. F. Meyer,
agricultural explorer of Uncle sam,
found some especially fine plants of two
wild species of the chrysanthemum. Both
seeds and plants were secured and sent
10 Washington. 1t is from these plants,
crossed with the American cultivated va
rieties, that many of the new forms now
in the government greenhouses have been
grown. There will be hundreds of these
new creations on exhibition, and those
Who attend the exhibition will see rare
chry ysanthemums never on exhibition be-
fore.
The propagation of the chrysanthemum |
Is study in itself, and though 1t is not |
the most difficult flower to raise, it. is !
one which must he given |
great care II a high order of perfection |
Is desired. The flowers Is raised from cut
tings set out in sand beds in the prOpa- |
eating houses during March and April /
where they remain from three to four /
weeks, when they are transpIanted to
pots. From the small pots they
are moved to four-ihch pots. and, later
on to eight-inch pots In these pots they /
are developed to- the towering stage.
Selection OF cuttings receive the most /
careful attention. and only the hardy and
strong stems are used. while the ends
are trimmed with a sharp knife so asI
TO avoid bruising. Cuttings from three
10 three and one-half inches long arel
placed in sand beds having an average !.
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