30 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



floriferous to a quite unusual degree, and is, moreover, easily and 

 rapidly propagated with the simplest appliances. 



" Again, it is an almost, if not quite, hardy subject : and though 

 a slight amount of artificial heat is at times necessary or desir- 

 able, yet it is quite possible to cultivate even the fine show 

 varieties successfully up to a certain point without the aid of any 

 heating apparatus whatever. 



'' In form, size, and color the flowers are also extremely varied, 

 and for the most part artistic, lacking entirely the stiffness and 

 formality of the Camellia and several other flowers ; in size they 

 vary from the tiny pompone, one inch across, to the huge Japan- 

 ese blossom, one foot or more in diameter ; while the range of 

 coloring is also exceedingly large, and the hues for the most part 

 are veiy rich and soft, if not exactly brilliant. Without doubt, 

 the introduction, or rather development, of the large-flowered 

 Japanese varieties, with their fantastic and endlessly varied forms, 

 and rich, aesthetic coloring, has done much to popularize the 

 plant. One has only to compare the general appearance of a 

 stand of twelve or twenty-four of even the finest incurved varie- 

 ties with an equal number of Japanese flowers, to appreciate the 

 great superiority, from a decorative point of view, of the latter ; 

 while the plants themselves are, on the whole, of a decidedly 

 more robust and vigorous constitution, and consequently iTiore 

 readily cultivated than the formerly more favored incurves." 



One more advantage possessed by the Chrysanthemum is that, 

 unlike the Rose, it evinces very little objection to a smoky atmos- 

 phere, and may be cultivated almost as successfully in the heart 

 of a city or large town as in the purer air and under the clearer 

 skies of a country spot. As a proof of this, I deem it only neces- 

 sary to refer to the remarkable showing of Chrysanthemums 

 found in the Temple Gardens, in the very midst of the smoke and 

 the black fog of London. But to produce this result, intelligence 

 and a thorough knowledge of the gardener's art are a prime 

 necessity. 



" As cut flowers Chrysanthemums are unsurpassed, if equalled. 

 The colors are admirably suited for all decorative purposes, while 

 the blossoms not only pack and travel better than those of most 

 other subjects, but they also retain their freshness for a long time 

 when placed in water, often, in a cool and dry atmosphere, for 

 some weeks.'' 



