The Garden Magazine, November, 1921 



133 



Who now sighs for the Sweet William of other days when such 

 splendid varieties as Newport Pink and Scarlet Beauty are 

 grown? Nor has it lost, in its new guise, its "homely cottage 

 smell," for which it has always been beloved. Consider the 

 added ruffles of the Petunias; and the good clear colors, the ex- 

 quisite tints to be found in the new Verbenas; the enchantments 

 of the recent Gladiolus; the augmented beauty of Sweet-peas, 

 Calendulas, Poppies, Stocks, Columbines, Michaelmas Daisies, 

 Peonies, who must all be saying with the old lady in the nursery 

 rhyme, "Can this be I"? 



Consider, too, the great treasure that has come to us from for- 

 eign lands, to say nothing of that which lies within our own coun- 

 try which we are only lately coming to appreciate and to make 

 use of. Undoubtedly it is a fine thing to be making gardens 

 in this great twentieth century with its manifold advantages, 

 but it is well to bear in mind that its greatest advantage lies 

 in all that has gone before. Let us look attentively at the old 

 gardens and try to endow our splendid new ones with the charm 

 of their settled repose, their unaffected simplicity, their inviting 

 livableness. 



FOLLOWING THE CHRYSANTHEMUM TO THE 

 LAND OF ITS INHERITANCE 



KIYOSHI SAKAMOTO 



What the Chrysanthemum Means to the Japanese— Its Ancient Tradition and Present-day Cultivation 



Editor's Note: The Chrysanthemum is such an established feature of our American gardens and plays so important a part in 

 prolonging the all too swiftly passing pageant of autumn that Mr. Sakamoto's account of its significance in the life of his people, its 

 place, and the detailed technique of its culture in Japanese gardens of to-day holds special interest for us. 



HE chrysanthe- 

 mum, the emblem 

 of our Imperial 

 Family, is, in the 

 estimation of us Japanese 

 the kingof flowers. History 

 tells us that it was in all 

 probability imported from 

 China in the reign of the 

 Emperor Nintoku (3 13 A. 

 D.), gradually establishing 

 a new home in Japan. 



One of the annual func- 

 tions of the Imperial Court 

 of Japan is a "Chrysanthe- 

 mum party" which is held 

 on the ninth day of the 

 ninth month (September 

 in the lunar calendar) and 

 is honored by the presence 

 of the Emperor himself, 

 high officials of the court, 

 and other dignitaries of 

 state. They all participate 

 in the celebration, which 

 takes the form of feasting 

 and composing of poems 

 to the flower. In the past 

 a feature of the function 

 was the chrysanthemum 

 sake served on this 

 special occasion instead of 

 an ordinary kind. This 

 unusual beverage was 

 made from a mixture of 

 rice, sorghum, and chrys- 

 anthemum stalks and flow- 

 ers, of which the latter 

 were always gathered on 

 the ninth day of the ninth 

 month. It took just one 

 year for this mixture to 

 effervesce, it is said. The 



AS THE JAPANESE GROW THEM INDOORS 



Here we have a very orderly array of potted plants with an ingenious 

 device for concealing the ugly bases. Allowed plenty of space, each 

 specimen has attained a sturdy growth topped with healthy bloom 



Chrysanthemum party is 

 still given every autumn as 

 of old, but, regrettable to 

 say, the use of this curious 

 drink has somehow or 

 other disappeared from 

 the menu of the festival. 



The festival originated 

 in imitation of a Chinese 

 custom which was founded 

 on an ancient legend, but 

 later underwent changes 

 and became a social gath- 

 ering with the composition 

 of poems by contestants as 

 its chief attraction. The 

 ancient legend runs as fol- 

 lows: 



IN THE time of the Han 

 1 dynasty in olden China, 

 Chang-fang once warned 

 Kwang-ching that a serious 

 calamity would befall him 

 on the ninth day of the 

 ninth month unless he 

 drank chrysanthemum 

 sake on a high mountain, 

 and that he must carry a 

 silk bag full of gumi (fruit 

 of Elaeagnus pungens) on 

 his arm as he ascended. 

 Kwang-ching followed the 

 directions of the warning 

 to the letter. As the 

 prophet predicted, the cat- 

 tle and poultry of Kwang- 

 ching suddenly died on the 

 very day; a mishap Chang- 

 fang explained by saying 

 that the domestic animals 

 and fowls died in their 

 master's stead. Thus in 



