FEBRUARY. 45 



THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 



The cold wet autumn has been very unfavourable both for flowers 

 and seeds ; perhaps the Chrysanthemum suffers more from these 

 causes than any other flower, for in our northern latitude it is im- 

 possible to reckon upon a sufficient number of fine days in October 

 to bring it to perfection in the open ground, much less to ripen its 

 seed ; but despite all these drawbacks, the Chrysanthemum is every 

 season obtaining fresh admirers, and the magnificent blooms and 

 specimen plants exhibited at Stoke Newington, Highgate, and other 

 places, cannot fail to bring it into still greater repute. What is 

 there so gay in the conservatory at this dull season as the Chrysan- 

 themum, or what so useful in bouquets as the charming little Pom- 

 pons ? But after all, the grand thing with Florists will be the show 

 flowers; and those who remember how few there were of that character 

 ten or fifteen years ago, will readily acknowledge that a great advance 

 has been made, and that perseverance has in a degree overcome the 

 obstacles interposed by the elements, for now there is no difficulty 

 in putting up a stand of 24 fine flowers ; not, perhaps, all incurved, 

 like " Beauty, Queen of England, Pio Nono, Dupont de l'Eure, or 

 Goliath," but each year's seedlings adds some gem, so that the list 

 will soon be complete. 



Hitherto but little seed has been saved in England, and that with 

 extreme difficulty, our variable climate presents an insuperable bar- 

 rier to its ripening in its natural season in the open air ; but is it not 

 possible to obviate this — may it not be made to bloom in August 

 instead of November ? It surely is worth the trial, even if it should 

 not be successful. We know that it can be retarded, which perhaps, 

 is still more advantageous. While in France I frequently saw the 

 Chrysanthemum in flower in April and May ; and by following the 

 same culture, may not the same result be anticipated in this country ? 

 There it was found the cuttings struck in September and October, 

 kept in a close frame during win er, bloomed in the spring ; and 

 also that plants topped in August and September, when put into 

 general heat through the winter, flowered in March and April. The 

 experiments were made merely to produce flowers as far as possible 

 out of their natural season, and without any reference to seed. Let us 

 however study to carry the experiment still further ; for with the sun- 

 shine of spring may we not reasonably expect the seed will come to 

 maturity ? It would be advisable to try this plan with semi-double 

 flowers in the first instance : there is an old variety named Casimer 

 Perier very suitable, — a fine red carmine with wide incurved petals; 

 it was from this that Madame Poggi and others of that colour were 

 obtained. But chance has done what years of toil might never have 

 effected; fcr in 1851 a yellow seedling was accidentally raised, which 

 came into flower in June, and continued until the end of September; 

 having been proved again this season with the same result. A plant 

 of it was sent to me last May, and has been blooming in the open air 

 from July until the middle of October. As a flower it possesses 

 small merit, being nearly single; but for its extraordinary precocity 



