THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 



FEW flowers are more valuable to the beginner in garden- 

 ing than the Chrysanthemum, and its culture has increased 

 amazingly, until in every town almost in the British Isles, the 

 Chrysanthemum show is an event of some importance in the 

 autumn months. Of course in the land of the Japanese and 

 Chinese the flower is held in great esteem, and in Japan the 

 Chrysanthemum fete is one of the high festivals of the year. 

 Varieties that create sensations in the show tents have been 

 raised of late years, and the flowers seem to increase in bulk as 

 the years go by, until in the near future no soup plate will hold 

 the long, frequently picturesque, florets. Even quite a small 

 grower may win prizes at the exhibitions, and tl showing " is 

 popular at the present day. Those who care little for mon- 

 ster specimens may enjoy a feast of blossom at little expense 

 of time, labour, and money. Growing plants for exhibition 

 requires considerable skill, a thorough acquaintance with the 

 most recently raised varieties, and ample leisure, but those 

 desired merely for the greenhouse, conservatory, or border, 

 are easily managed. As the following notes show, the Chry- 

 santhemum is divided into many groups : Japanese, Japanese 

 incurved, Japanese reflexed, incurved, pompon, Anemone 

 pompon, Japanese pompon, reflexed, single, and even other 

 divisions. We are pleased to find that raisers are giving much 

 attention to the raising of outdoor varieties of good rich 

 colours. In the late days of August, throughout September, 

 and a part of October, Chrysanthemums give colour to the 

 border or flower-bed, and with the assistance of such fine old 

 kinds as Cottage Pink, their season is continued far into the 

 autumn. 



How to Obtain Good Cuttings. The best cuttings are those which 

 develop at the base or crown after the plants have finished flowering 

 and been cut back. It is usual to cut back plants to within a few inches 

 of their base, making an exception in the case of those somewhat shy in 

 the production of cuttings. The reason for leaving a greater length of 

 stem in such cases is that cuttings frequently develop on the stem and 

 must be detached. A good rule with show plants is to shake them out 

 of their flowering pots, then reduce the ball of earth sufficiently to re- 



167 



