160 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1892. 



Chrysanthemum. There were shown at the diiferent exhibitions 

 in this country in 1891, about one hundred seedling varieties that 

 received either prizes or certificates of merit, and a considerable 

 number of these were sold at prices from twenty-five to two 

 hundred and fifty dollars for a single plant and the control of 

 the stock. 



The effort the past few years has been to increase the size and 

 there have been some remarkable successes in that direction, but 

 at present the attention of growers is being turned towards the 

 improvement in color. There is perhaps slight chance for im- 

 provement in the present shades of white and yellow, but the 

 dark shades have come from the original purple, and we are yet 

 wanting those bright shades of red and pink that we have in 

 the rose. 



Dr. Walcott was among the first if not the first to grow 

 Chrysanthemums from American grown seed in this country in 

 1882. Previous to that time the English growers had not been 

 able to save any seed, and had sent their plants to the Channel 

 Islands from which to get their supply, and they have since been 

 obliged to work at great disadvantage owing to the cloudy wet 

 weather at the time the Chrysanthemums are in bloom, and they 

 have practiced cutting in the branches after the plants are 

 through blooming and from the blooms grown on winter shoots 

 have been able to gather some seed. 



The bright sunny days with us are favorable for maturing the 

 seed ; the requisites for success are sunlight, air and a dry atmos- 

 phere. The principal objects in cross-breeding are improvement 

 in color, form, size or vigor of plant, and success will depend 

 largely upon a proper selection of the parent plants. Having 

 a definite object in view select the nearest approach to what is 

 desired. The highest type of red at present is the Cullingfordii j 

 in pink, Mrs. Irving Clark ; in white and yellow we have many 

 good ones, perhaps none better than Ivory in the former and 

 Jardin des Plantes in the latter. 



When the pollen appears the flowers should be protected from 

 bees and other insects, and after transferring the pollen with a 

 fine brush the flower petals should be cut off to prevent moisture 

 by their decay, and if the plants can be placed in a room by 



