26 Chrysanthemum Culture for America. 



suitable for the purpose of raising seedling chrysanthemums, 

 Mr. Salter went to Versailles in 1838 for the purpose of estab- 

 lishing a nursery to enable him to accomplish his design. He 

 imported from England most of the Jersey and Norfolk seed- 

 lings, to which he added 250 of the best French sorts, so that 

 in 1840 the number of varieties he had in cultivation amounted 

 to between 300 and 400. Five years after his establishment 

 in France, Mr. Salter produced his first seedling, "Annie Sal- 

 ter," in the nursery at Versailles, which he sent out in 1844, 

 and which is well known at the present time. In 1847 the 

 " Queen of England" followed, which is considered a good 

 variety to-day, although forty years old. The French revolu- 

 tion of 1848, with its social changes, necessitated Mr. Salter' s 

 return to his native land, where he died in 1874. 



Up to 1865 the influx of the new varieties of incurved, 

 reflexed, and large anemone flowers continued, and many of 

 our favorites appeared at the date, viz : Cherub, John Salter, 

 Lady Slade, Nil Desperandum, White Christine, Cleopatra and 

 others. The chrysanthemum was now probably a more popu- 

 lar flower than ever. Societies had sprung up all over the 

 country, and during November the exhibitions were thronged 

 by thousands of admirers. Some years elapsed after the intro- 

 duction of the Japanese sorts before they became common, 

 or before seedlings were raised from the new varieties. They 

 were, however, not much admired by old school florists, who 

 contemptuously dubbed them "ragged jacks," on account of 

 their curious forms and irregular petals. It is believed that 

 those originally introduced were Grandiflorum, Golden 

 Dragon, Bronze Dragon, Striatum, Laciniatum and Roseum 

 Punctatum. One of these died on the way, but \vas afterwards 

 reproduced from seed of the survivors. Previous to the year 

 1866, no seedlings were distributed from the Japanese sorts, 

 and probably the first of them were Aurantium, Countess de 

 Boregard, Gold Thread, Mad. Godilott, Tarantula, and 



