Douhle-flowered Chinese Chrysanthemums. 219 



the Horticultural Society, vol. v. p. 322. &c., dated Jan. 1 826 ; 

 in which 48 species or varieties are enumerated, but without 

 any sections, divisions, or subdivisions whatever, and with in- 

 sufficient attention to their natural affinities ; which renders it 

 very difficult for any one, and more especially a tyro, to ap- 

 preciate and understand them sufficiently. Wherefore I send 

 you, hereunder, what I conceive to be an improved and more 

 natural arrangement of them, nearly as far as known to me ; 

 referring them to, and identifying them with, Mr. Sabine's va- 

 rieties in every instance, as far as practicable, and likewise to 

 published figures wherever I have been able to find any. 



I possess, alive, several other reputed varieties ; but these, 

 at present, I refrain from mentioning, hoping to describe them 

 more completely another year, when I may know more about 

 them, and be better able to appreciate their characters. There 

 have also very recently been raised, and flowered, various 

 seedHng varieties, which were exhibited at the December 

 meeting of the Horticultural Society of London, which were 

 chiefly obtained from seeds of the Early Blush, the Early 

 Crimson, and the Two-coloured Red. These, however, I 

 must abstain from further mention of at present. 



There have been various methods recommended for the 

 cultivation and propagation of these showy plants, and that 

 by cuttings in May is now almost universally adopted. But 

 I do not approve of this for strong fibrous-rooted, hardy herb- 

 aceous plants with late autumnal blossoms ; for critical time 

 is lost by the delay of striking the cuttings ; and, if they are 

 accelerated by heat and glass, they are (more than any other 

 plants) debilitated, weakened, and dwarfed, and often lose 

 their lower leaves by the time their flowers are open, having 

 a faint and sickly appearance, instead of the vigorous growth 

 of such roots, if annually parted and transplanted like peren- 

 nial asters or other hardy perennial plants. 



I recommend their voracious and very fibrous roots to be 

 parted in autumn, or early spring, and planted in very rich 

 manured light soil, at the foot of a south or west aspected 

 wall, with not more than one, two, or three branches from 

 each root, trained to the wall as regularly and as thinly as a 

 peach tree, cutting off" all superfluous shoots and weak lateral 

 flower-buds. 



They must, when planted, be watered in the usual way, 

 and afterwards, all over their leaves, with a fine rose watering- 

 pan, lightly, as a fine slight shower, as often as their foliage 

 flags, quailing to the beams of a powerful sun, which will 

 sometimes be thi'ee times a day in the hottest weather. 

 This will quickly re-erect their drooping leaves, without 



