Chrysanthemums. 353 



But why are crown buds wanted at all ? One reason is that the 

 crown bud sometimes gives a flower ten days earlier, which is an 

 important consideration to those commercial florists who make a point 

 of getting the earliest blooms of the season into the large cities. 

 Moreover, there are many sorts which would naturally bloom too late 

 for the exhibitions. Some of these may be secured for an arbitrary 

 date by the use of crown buds. As a rule the crown bud gives a 

 larger flower, and mere size alone is valued out of all proportion to its 

 artistic worth at the shows. Again, some weak and crooked growing 

 plants are straighter and stiffer under crowns than terminals. Finally 

 in some cases crowns give better results (taking all things into consid- 

 eration) than terminals. Such cases should be regarded by Americans 

 as exceptions to the general tendency, but they are very numerous. 

 Earliness and size, then, are the chief merits of crowns, and they are 

 often at the expense of many and serious defects. 



The general tendency among crowns is towards a loss in form, 

 substance, color and foliage. The regularity of the incurved section 

 (which is aided in the English shows by artificial " dressing ") is often 

 lost. The whole outline may sufi^er, the broad, ragged florets hanging 

 in a heavy, flabby mass instead of curving inward to make a solid ball. 

 They are often "hollow-eyed," and there may be several yellow discs 

 or one so badly confused as to be called ''cross-eyed." Superfluous 

 florets commonly mar the unity of effect, and it is even recorded that 

 the tubularity of florets may be affected. The flowers often lose in 

 depth and solidity, the stems are devoid of foliage near the flower, the 

 keeping qualities are sometimes spoiled, and the colors lose both in 

 quality and quantity. Probably exceptions could be cited in every 

 point above mentioned, but some of these symptoms Lre likely to occur 

 even in blooms that win prizes.* 



The crown bud is often spoken of as essentially abortive in its 

 nature. The analogy is helpful. In figure 180 the small bud below 



* Exception may also be taken to the direction of a general tendency. 

 Thus Grove P. Rawson writes In the " American Chrysanthemum Annual, " 

 1895, "Crown buds in general ax'e preferable for exhibition flowers, espe- 

 cially when they are shown on boards, as was formerly the practice. Foliage 

 and stem not being taken into account, the blooms from crown buds average 

 larger, fuller, clearer tone of color, and have more substance than the 

 terminals." 



