- BOOK OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 



at one stage of the world's history they should have been 

 so far advanced in the hybridising and cultivation of 

 flowers, particularly theChrysanthemum, and then to have 

 fallen away and become quite inferior to other countries 

 in that respect. Without a doubt it is their seclusive- 

 ness that has been their undoing in not progressing 

 as other nations in the march of civilisation. 



Travellers and botanists who have explored portions 

 of China, and have through their intrepid daring con- 

 siderably enlarged our list of useful shrubs and trees, 

 deserve all honour. 



Down to the present day we are continually hearing 

 of disturbances in the interior of China, especially against 

 Europeans and Americans. Up to about a century ago 

 they held their interior practically from intrusion, and 

 even to the present time do not encourage commerce to 

 any great extent in their midst. 



They went into their fields and forests and out of 

 way places for plants to experiment on and cultivate, 

 much the same as we should with our own native 

 plants, did we make the attempt. 



The Corn Marigold (C. segetum) and the Ox-eye Daisy 

 (C. leucanthemum) represent the Chrysanthemum family 

 in our native flora. 



It may be generally accepted after much discussion 

 and research by those who have studied the life history 

 of the Chrysanthemum, that the original flower from 

 whence all our cultivated varieties have sprung is C. 

 indicum, a small, yellow, single-petalled kind. This is to 

 be met growing wild in parts of Corea, China, and 

 Japan. 



A few botanists claim that another variety C. 

 morifolium ( = sinense) has been used by the Chinese 

 in the early stages of cultivation and in conjunction with 

 C. indicum. 



That the latter flower is the principal one, if not the 



