The 1895 Chrysanthemums. 



I. Sundry Remarks upon the Subject. 



It is charged that the rapid popularization of the chrysanthe- 

 mum is mere fashion. It may be so; but if fashion were hence- 

 forth always to produce so many beauties as it has in the chrys- 

 anthemum, it might be forgiven its endless record of follies. The 

 transcendent merit of the chrysanthemum lies in its almost limit- 

 less variety of form, texture and color of flowers. There is no 

 plant known to American gardens which approaches it in these 

 respects, not even the rose. Such variety of form is possible only 

 in compositous flowers, in which each floret is a distinct element 

 and capable of independent development. One cannot feel the 

 truth of these remarks until he has an opportunity to study a 

 large collection of varieties growing together. He will then see 

 that almost every form of compositous flower which the mind can 

 picture has here arisen. 



Yet, various as the chrysanthemums are, there are limitations 

 to the development of the species in certain directions. For ex- 

 ample, it is idle to look for a blue chrysanthemum. This is not 

 because of any assumed or theoretical incompatibility of the blue 

 and yellow series of colors, but simply because no true blue vari- 

 eties have ever yet appeared, to our knowledge. The only guide 

 in the breeding for particular characters is experience, or the ob- 

 served behavior of the species. The chrysanthemum has been 

 cultivated for some thousands of years, but amongst all its de- 

 partments it has given no blue flowers. It is reasonable to ex- 

 pect that if no hint of such variation has occurred in all this 

 eventful evolution, we can have little hope for its appearing in 

 the future. The same remark will apply to the much-coveted 

 but ever-evasive blue rose. It is a fundamental tenet of plant- 

 breeding that the operator must put himself in line with the 

 natural tendencies of the plant and work harmoniously along 



