S8 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIS2, 



Fig. 2736. Chrysanthkmum— Maud Dean. 



ing gardeners of China and Japan. In the 

 latter country it is the national flower, and 

 may be seen upon all the modern Japanese 

 coins. The " kiku," as it is there called, is 

 also one of the crest badges of the imperial 

 family, and is used on the official seal. On 

 the ninth day of the ninth month it held the 

 annual '' Feast of Chrysanthemums," when, 

 it is said, the people not only revel in the 

 beauties of the " mum " but feast on a cold 

 slaw made of its petals. To some unknown 

 Dutch voyager is probably due the honor of 

 first introducing it into Europe. This 'was 

 about the end of the seventeenth century, but 

 it was not until the second decade of the 

 present century that the flower came into 

 general cultivation. 



The first seedling raised in Europe was in 

 1827, and the first chrysanthemum show 

 held in England was at Norwich in 1829. 



New varieties were from time to time 

 brought in by the tea ships, and the list of 

 varieties under cultivation increased each 

 year. The first plants of the Pompon sec- 

 tion were sent to England in 1846 by Robert 

 Fortune, a collector for the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society, and in i860 he introduced the 

 first varieties of the Japanese type. From 

 that time to the present the interest in its 

 cultivation has steadily increased. 



Just when the chrysanthemum was intro- 

 duced into America we do not know, but the 

 first chrysanthemum exhibit for prizes on 

 this continent was held at Boston in 1861, 

 under the auspices of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society. In 1868 it was 

 styled a chrysanthemum show. These 

 shows are now common annual occurrences 

 throughout the country. The chrysanthe- 



FiG. 2737. Chrysanthemum — N. H. Lincoln. 



