CHRYSANTHEMUM SEEDS AND SEEDING. 



107 



the luscious and demoralising sweetness of the Gardenia or the 

 Tuberose. Even the leaves and young shoots of the Chrysanthe- 

 mum are agreeably aromatic when pressed in the fingers. By 

 carefully selecting the sweetest varieties and judicious cross- 

 breeding much may be gained in this direction. 



8. Time of Flowering. — This is important, as we want any 

 quantity of good early-flowering kinds of the Madame Des- 

 grange and Wm. Holmes types, as also vivid and free- 

 blooming pompons like Golden Shah. Chrysanthemums that 

 are sure to flower well during September, October, and November 

 will add a wealth of colour to our parks and gardens everywhere. 

 I shall say no more on this head because our friend Mr. Piercy 

 has made this branch of the subject peculiarly his own, and is 

 waiting to tell you about them. 



As to very late kinds, so far they have not proved so useful. 

 Meg Merrilies, Fleur de Marie, and the old Grandiflorum 

 often flower well into January, as do Eoseum superbum and 

 other varieties after being cut down early in June. Late blooms 

 are easily obtained by well-known cultural means of retarding 

 the growth and buds, but the early-blooming kinds must have 

 precocity inbred in them, and there are enormous potentialities 

 in this way yet to be developed. 



Even the best of raisers in France, in England, in America, 

 anywhere in the whole world, so far as we at present know, have 

 never yet equalled the natives of Japan in their culture of this 

 flower from seed. The names of three or four Japanese seedlings 

 occur to me that are unique in their way, viz., Comte de Germiny, 

 Edwin Molyneux, Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, Thunberg, and some 

 few others, and, froni these and other known results, Japan 

 seems worth ransacking for varieties from one end to the other. 

 We may not find the " true blue " variety, but we should at least 

 be able to gather many new and beautiful forms in their native 

 land, and w r e might also establish a trade in the best and choicest 

 of Chrysanthemum seed with the natives of that interesting 

 country. 



Xornenclature. — Not only should the final selection of seed- 

 lings be a rigid one, but their names should be as short and 

 euphonious as possible, and should in all cases be authenticated 

 by the name of the raiser. As things are, much time and labour 

 is wasted in writing long names, and as several popular names 



