96 THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 



Chrysanthemum. To obtain best results, cross-fertiliza- 

 tion must be resorted to; careless or indifferent work 

 here, or haphazard gathering of seed, fertilized only in 

 the imagination, or depending upon insect agency, will 

 not bring satisfactory results; perhaps in isolated in- 

 stances a novelty of merit may be produced, but expe- 

 rience teaches it to be an utterly unreliable procedure. 

 The experience of successful producers of Chrysanthe- 

 mums goes to show that scientific methods alone will 

 win. Methods based upon accredited results and using 

 carefully recorded data, form the only true way of 

 securing satisfactory returns from efforts to improve 

 the Chrysanthemum. 



HYBRIDIZING THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 



The right way to proceed with hybridizing is to 

 conceive an ideal in the mind before commencing the 

 work. Perhaps the raiser of new Chrysanthemums 

 cannot, like Michael Angelo, see an angel in a block of 

 rough hewn marble, but in similar manner we can 

 picture in our minds what a blending of the finer 

 qualities and attributes of two parent Chrysanthemums 

 may bring forth perhaps not exactly a winged angel, 

 but possibly an almost angelic creation of petals, form 

 and bloom may be the resultant outcome. If, for 

 illustration, a variety possessing an exquisite color, but 

 lacking in other qualities necessary to make the ideal,, 

 is to be improved upon, the pollen parent selected 

 should possess the qualities lacking in the female 

 variety selected. In other words, seek to breed into your 

 prospective seedling an improved form, or stiffer stem, 

 or other good quality lacking in the mother selected. 

 If you have a color scheme to work, keep this in mind 

 in selecting the pollen from a plant which harmonizes, 

 in measure, at least, with the variety you propose 



