CHAPTER III. 



THE CHKYSANTHEMUM. 



For hundreds, if not thousands, of years, this plant 

 has been held in high esteem by the inhabitants of Cbina 

 and Japan. In the latter country, a festival is held in 

 honor of this, the national flower, and the nobles, as 

 well as the peasants, enter into the festivities. The 

 highest of all Japanese decorations is the Imperial Order 

 of the Chrysanthemum, which is only conferred upon 

 persons of royal birth, or, in rare instances, upon the 

 nobility, and is regarded as a high distinction, even by 

 foreigners. 



The chrysanthemum was introduced into Europe 

 about two hundred years ago, but was not generally 

 esteemed until the first part of the present century. 

 The first European seedlings were grown in 1827, and 

 the interest excited at that time has been kept up, by 

 the curiosity and admiration over the developments that 

 have from time to time been made. The present cen- 

 tury probably covers the history of the chrysanthemum 

 in America, and it is said that the first American seed- 

 lings of any value were raised as recently as 1879, by Dr. 

 Walcott, of Cambridge, Mass. Since that time the 

 interest has rapidly increased, until it is now the favorite 

 flower of its season. The attention given to developing 

 new varieties from seed has given us hundreds of kinds, 

 many of which excel in size, color, and form the best 

 that have been imported. Among those who have done 

 most to popularize the chrysanthemum by importation 

 of the best Oriental and European seedlings, or by grow- 



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