THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 73 



know the difference, bnt when they attempt to purchase the same 

 thing, under tlie name they have taken, they find it not attainable. 



Seed Raising. — This suliject is one that should command the 

 attention of every grower of chrysantliemums ; for the operation 

 of saving seed is a very simple one, and at the same time in- 

 tensely interesting. 



Until within about ten years all the new varieties were raised in 

 Europe or imported from the East, but there is no reason why we 

 should not raise as many good varieties here as elsewhere. Let 

 us not, however, be too eager to thrus* our productions upon the 

 public ; but let us be sure that what we do send out are of superior 

 quality, and not be guilty of sending forth a host of inferior vari- 

 eties. 



All that is needful is to take the plants, after the flowers are 

 fully open, and place them in a warm and dry place ; an}- warm, 

 sunny room will do. The whole object seems to be to prevent the 

 collection of moisture among the florets, which causes them to 

 decay before the seed arrives at maturity. 



An abundance of seed may be raised without the aid of the 

 bru-h, and many hold that there is nothing gained by artificial fer- 

 tilization. But I have proved to m}- own satisfaction that it is 

 attended with as good results in the chrysanthemum as with other 

 plants. 



Mr. A. Forsyth, in an article on raising chrysanthemums from 

 seed, writes as follows in the " Gardener's Magazine " for April 20, 

 1872 : " But how about hybridizing? you will ask. Permit me, in 

 all sincerity and politeness, to say that hybridizing the chrysanthe- 

 mum is fudge ! Take A'our seed as you can get it, and with it 

 take your chances of the crossing nature has accomplished for 

 your benefit ; but do not suppose that any one less gifted than a 

 magician can manipulate the flowers of the chrj^santhemum with 

 the certainty that we operate on the flowers of geraniums and 

 fuchsias." 



Now I do not consider myself a magician, but in no less than 

 five different cases I have accomplished the object I had in view 

 by hybridization, or, more proi>erly speaking, artificial cross-fer- 

 tilization. That is, I wished to obtain the counterpart, in every- 

 thing but color, of a certain variety. To be sure, not all of the 

 seedlings were good ; but in each case I began by selecting vari- 

 eties that were as nearly as possible what I was striving for. 



