PROGRESS IN CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



139 



examples abound that come near to them. The double 

 Chrysanthemum indicum, figured by Sabine in the " Horticul- 

 tural Transactions," 1822, may be regarded as the precursor of 

 the pretty Drin Drin, while the Small Yellow of " Horticultural 

 Transactions," 1824, may stand for Aigle d'Or or some such. 



Of Anemone flowers any number may be found lacking the 

 final finish of Lady Margaret, Gluck, or Queen of Anemones. In 

 " Horticultural Transactions " of 1824 and 1826 Mr. Sabine pre- 

 sents figures that may fill us with delight even now, and that, 

 at any rate, prepare the way historically for the Anemones and 

 the single Japs by means of brilliant examples. The T too -coloured 

 lied is a grand single with large disc and ray florets of a rich 

 glowing crimson colour. The Semi-double Quilled Pink and the 

 Semi-double Quilled Orange are such as we now class as single 

 Japs of fine fantastic quality, from which we might hope to 

 obtain Jap Anemones of the grandest pattern. 



An observation of some importance appears to be necessary 

 at this point. In the making of the Chrysanthemum we certainly 

 did not begin with raw material. The majority of varieties in- 

 troduced were obtained from the gardens of China and Japan ; 

 they came to us with much of man's work in them already, and, 

 above all things, with that disposition to vary beyond all known 

 limit which appears to become a characteristic of certain plants 

 that have been long under cultivation. It cannot be averred 

 that cultivation develops the initial impulse to variation, but it 

 is certain that cultivation encourages it, for we all select for per- 

 petuation the flowers that please us best, and in the end they 

 represent our taste almost as much — sometimes perhaps more 

 than as much — as they represent the species out of which they 

 originated. Between the more characteristic of Chinese and 

 Japanese Chrysanthemums the differences are great, but they 

 represent the diverse tastes of the people much more than the 

 diverse conditions of production. Forms that assimilate with 

 the Japanese have unquestionably been introduced from China, 

 but they are not specially characteristic of Chinese taste. The 

 change in form and fashion may be traced from the North-west 

 Provinces eastward through the Corea to J apan, where finally 

 the reflexed and incurved groups are but poorly represented, 

 while in place of them we have the magnificent absurdities that 

 in the eyes of our public threaten to outshine the incurved, but 



