726 



CHRYSANTHEMUMS AT 



THE J A PA NESE COURT. 



is a grand sight to look upon the marvelous trained 

 specimens and monster blooms, many of which are 

 specially raised from seed year by year for the Imperial 

 gardens. 



The gardens are extensive and the views very beauti- 

 ful. The chrysanthemums are displayed in tents and 

 under awnings of purple silk, bearing upon it the im- 

 perial kiku in rich profusion. The object of course is 

 to prevent the rain or sun damaging the flowers. There 

 is always a large assembly of visitors who have an hour 

 or two to roam about and see the gardens in general, and 

 the chrysanthemums in particular. Bands play all the 

 time, and the arrival of the Emperor is announced by 

 the playing of the national anthem. He appears walk- 

 ing in military uniform, followed by a considerable re- 

 tinue. He addresses a few words of welcome to each 

 representative of the treaty powers, who are congre- 

 gated in a little group to await him ; then all follow 

 i-n a sort of irregular procession round the gardens to a 

 large tent where the banquet is held. The Emperor 

 and his suite sit at a table at the end of the tent, whilst 

 the guests stand at a long table that extends the whole 

 length, or sit at little tables placed on the grass in front. 

 When the Emperor and his party have finished they 

 form a procession out of the gardens again to the sound 

 of the national anthem, and then the visitors are al- 

 lowed to enjoy themselves as they please until sunset. 



In the photographs taken by Mr. Burton every type 

 of Japanese chrysanthemum known in England is repre- 

 sented, besides some with the forms of which we are as 

 yet unfamiliar. Thus we notice blooms deep and full, 

 with long, broad, grooved incurved petals, resembling 

 Comte de Germiny, Boule d'Or, Grandiflorum, and 

 others belonging to that distinctive type. Then there 

 are some with thread-like petals, standing out erect and 

 stiff, and some having enormous long tubular ones, anal- 

 ogous to the variety called Kanakwmi, illustrated on 

 page 724. 



As to the methods of cultivation adopted, it would in- 

 deed be difficult to describe them all. Some plants 

 are grown with numerous varieties, grafted on to a 

 single stem and trained fan-shaped ; others are to be 

 seen grown in the form of huge flat pyramids. One 

 plant of a group of three which was photographed car. 

 ried 417 fully developed blooms at one time, another 

 had 346, and the third being furnished with 243. But 

 the Emperor's gardeners are not restricted to the sys- 

 tem of growing a large number of flowers on a plant 

 for decorative purposes ; they also understand and are 

 adepts in the culture of specimen blooms. One of the 

 photographs represents a house with several hundred 

 single stem plants, all bearing one large bloom, each 

 of colossal dimensions, and in this photograph the 

 variety of form and coloring appears beyond our imagi- 

 nation. 



The names of most of the flowers are of course written 



in Japanese, but they are on curious long tickets tied 

 just beneath the bloom. Some of the principal sorts are 

 poetically translated, as Autumn Mist, Mountain Cloud, 

 Ten Thousand Times Sprinkled with Gold ; others are 

 merely Japanese names romanized, as Sug-aw-ara, Kaga- 

 ribi, Aunobiki, Ogonno Tsuyu, Hanakai, Sanono Wa- 

 tari, Utakata, Chikiwgi and Kanakwmi. 



The last named variety is one of the most singular in 

 this extremely interesting collection, although in Eng- 

 land we should hardly consider it up to our standard of 

 an exhibition flower. The petals are of great length, but 

 the huge yellow seedy center would not be regarded 

 with favor here. When fully extended the petals meas- 

 ured exactly sixteen inches from tip to tip, and were of 

 a deep bronze yellow hue. The illustration here given 

 (p. 724) will convey some idea of this curious form as 

 seen in the Emperor's collection. 



Of Utakata, another variety also figured, two views 

 were supplied by Mr. Burton. In addition to the single 

 bloom, one represents the entire plant, literally covered 

 with large blooms of the purest white. It appears to be 

 a valuable flower, being of good size and substance, 

 quite solid in build, and was raised from seed. 



In one of the photographs, where only single stem 

 plants are shown, the foliage is thick and leathery, 

 showing that cultivation of the highest kind has been 

 adopted. The plants are all staked with bamboo sup- 

 ports, and in those cases where the flowers are com- 

 posed of long thin petals a circular wire support is 

 placed close up under the flower to keep it in proper 

 position. Many of the examples portrayed are quite 

 double, but a large proportion are what we look upon as 

 single-flowering Japanese, being easily distinguishable 

 by their large yellow centers or eyes. There are but few 

 flowers bearing resemblance to the Mrs. Alpheus Hardy 

 or Louis Boehmer type. 



Although the Japanese Horticultural Society has 

 recently depicted in its transactions a green flowered 

 variety, we have not been able to ascertain definitely 

 that the traditional blue chrysanthemum is included in 

 the Emperor's collection. 



In England until quite recently there have been few 

 opportunities of growers being placed in possession of 

 chrysanthemums imported direct from Japan. In Amer- 

 ica, however, it is otherwise, and from what we can 

 learn here it would appear that the importations into the 

 United States are more numerous and frequent. We 

 have during the past few seasons received some import- 

 ant additions, and those known to have come from Japan 

 are found to be very distinct from the varieties we have 

 been in the habit of obtaining from the French raisers. 

 Now that our means of communication with American 

 importers of Japanese plants are becoming more easy 

 than before, we may confidently hope to have many sur- 

 prises in store in this interesting flower. 



London. C. Harman Payne. 



