November 24,1881.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 465 
24th 
Tn 
Birmingham Chrysanthemum Show, second day. 
25th 
F 
Wellingborough Chrysanthemum Show. Two days. 
26th 
S 
Birmingham Cattle and Poultry Show. Five days. 
27 th 
SUN 
1st Sunday in Advent. 
28th 
M 
29th 
TU 
30th 
W 
Liverpool Chrysanthemum Show. 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
T is only during the present century that the 
Chrysanthemum has commanded marked atten¬ 
tion, and^so popular has it become that nume¬ 
rous societies have been established for the im¬ 
provement of the flower that imparts cheer¬ 
fulness to the departing autumn. In 1808 only 
ten varieties were known, in the next nineteen 
years they had increased by thirty, making a total 
of forty sorts in cultivation, while thirty years after it 
' has been stated that one collection alone contained 
750 varieties. It may be roughly estimated that the Chinese 
forms of the Chrysanthemum have been grown generally in 
gardens in England about fifty years, while the Japanese 
section has just attained its majority from the date of the 
first introductions by Mr. Fortune in 1860. Although many of 
the very old sorts have almost or quite gone out of cultivation, 
or at least are widely dispersed, still a large number of the in¬ 
curved kinds now to be found on exhibition tables are many 
years old, for we are almost at a standstill in raising new varie¬ 
ties of these from seed. Sports we frequently have, some kinds 
producing them freely, notably the “ Queens," which have 
furnished us with several beautiful variations ; the grand trio 
of “ the Bundles," Jardin des Plantes, Venus, and others ; but 
in raising new and improved incurved varieties from seed we 
are doing nothing. 
From the French we have received numerous forms of the 
Japanese type, many of them valuable additions. Ten years 
ago the Japanese section was known only to a comparatively 
small circle of cultivators ; but now the long lines of boxes, 
containing hundreds of large flowers of peculiar, quaint, and 
grotesque forms, and of great diversity in colour, ranging from 
pure white to the most brilliant hues, are a striking feature at 
all the leading shows. Indeed, so rapidly have the Japanese 
forms increased of late, that it is easier now to stage a collec¬ 
tion of twenty-four distinct varieties of this section than it is 
to arrange the same number of good incurved varieties. 
It is not surprising in such a number of varieties so strikingly 
dissimilar, and some of them showing clearly marked characters, 
that some sort of classification became necessary. This want, 
indeed, was recognised years ago. In 1833 A. H. Haworth, 
Esq., F.L.S., formed an arrangement of the then existing forty- 
eight sorts, dividing them into sections. This classification 
was published in Loudon's “ Gardener's Magazine " and the 
“ Floricultural Cabinet" for that year, as follows :—Section I. 
Ranunculus-flowered, in which there are thirteen varieties 
named—viz., Yellow Indian, White Indian, Warratah Yellow, 
Spanish Brown, Blush Ranunculus-flowered, Small Deep Yellow, 
Small Pale Yellow, Small Flat Yellow, Buff or Copper, Rose 
or Pink, Pale Pink, Expanded Light Purple, and Quilled Light 
Purple. Section II., Incurving Ranunculus-flowered.—Under 
this heading there are six described as Incurving Lilac, Curled 
Blush, Quilled Pink, Large Quilled Orange, Gold-bordered Red, 
and the Superb White. Section III., China Aster-flowered, 
“ often showing a disc, and then much resembling China Asters." 
—We have here six more described as Sulphur Yellow, Two- 
coloured red, Early Crimson, Clustered Pink, Early Blush, and 
Paper White. Section IV., Marigold-flowered, with well- 
formed double flowers, resembling double Cape Marigolds in 
shape and size, and known by the names of Golden Bronze- 
back, Superb Clustered Yellow, Golden Lotus-flowered, Change¬ 
able Pale Buff, Starry Changeable Purple, Late Purple, and 
Brown Purple. “Section V., Tassel-flowered, being very tall 
plants with very large double and more or less conspicuously 
drooping flowers, whose petals are usually elongated and quilled, 
and often greatly resemble the form of a tassel." This appears 
to have been a very important section in those days, and under 
it are described eleven varieties. As the name “ tasselled " has 
been applied by some writers during the past two or three 
years to different forms of Japanese, it may be w 7 ell to cite 
from the author of that distinctive term :—“The Tassel-flamed 
Yellow.—The magnificent flowers of this tall plant appear 
rather late, and often measure above 5 inches in expansion, 
and make, perhaps, if not a more neat, at least a more showy 
appearance than any other of the group, being double and com¬ 
posed of innumerable chiefly quilled incurving petals, hanging 
more or less downwards, and when at their best resembling a 
flame-coloured tassel." Others are Tasselled Salmon and 
Yellow, Quilled Yellow, Late Quilled Yellow, Large Lilac, 
Tasselled Lilac, Tasselled Purple, Changeable Tasselled White, 
Narrow Quilled White, and Great Tasselled White. The re¬ 
maining five are described under Section VI. as Half-double 
Tassel-flowered, with only half-double flowers and narrow 
elongated quilled petals, often drooping, and somewhat re¬ 
sembling a tassel. The five are Half-double Quilled White, 
Pink, Buff, Orange, and Pale Orange. Thus Mr. Haworth in 
dealing with forty-eight varieties divided them into six diffe¬ 
rent sections, and it is a question if his arrangement was not 
more satisfactory than that of the present day with the legion 
of varieties now in cultivation. In forming Sections V. and 
VI. we might fancy the author was dealing with Japanese 
varieties, and it will be noticed that he divides the tasselled 
flowers into two sections. Not a few cultivators think that the 
time has arrived when the tasselled flowers of our day—the 
Japanese, should also be grouped in two sections ; and as the 
classification of Chrysanthemums is still a matter of contro¬ 
versy, I will attempt an arrangement which, even if it does not 
form the basis of a settlement, may possibly lead to a recog¬ 
nised mode of grouping if those readers who are interested in 
the subject will co-operate to the end in view. 
Section I.—Flowers in which the florets naturally incurve, 
in many instances to form a perfect sphere, the type being 
represented by such flowers as Mrs. George Bundle and Empress 
of India, which are merely cited as examples ; others of this 
section will be subsequently named. 
Section II.—Flowers the florets of which naturally reflex 
or turn backwards. This is a very important section, and the 
flowers are scarcely met with at exhibitions except where 
classes are specially provided for them ; they are, nevertheless, 
No. 74.—You III., Third Series. 
No. 1730.—You LXVI., Old Series. 
