Culture of Hardy Chrysanthemums 
By E. S: CoLPRIT 
Originator of New Hampshire Mums 
Several years ago, because of repeated disappointment with 
the hardiness and blooming season of existing “hardy chrysan- 
themums,” we began breeding experiments which have had 
quite satisfactory results to date. Selecting an extremely dwarf 
and early blooming type of Chrysanthemum Articum as the 
seed plant we used upon it the pollen of various korean hybrids 
and other early mums such as amelia. 
At first results were not startling. The Articum strain, be- 
ing pure, was strongly dominant and early hybrids showed lit- 
tle variation. There was a temptation to use great infusions of 
hortorum. blood in order to rapidly perfect new varieties. How- 
ever, as it was our object to produce hardier and earlier bloom- 
ing varieties for Northern New England, we stuck to a program 
of breeding from the Articum side only and rigidly culling the 
progeny. Accordingly these early hybrids were either selfed or 
interbred in order that latent characters might be brought out. 
Each year about three thousand seedlings are raised. These 
plants are wintered in the open field without protection. From 
those that survive this rigorous treatment about a half dozen 
plants are selected for earliness and quality of bloom. A slow, 
but steady, improvement has been noted from year to year. Va- 
rieties thus produced almost invariably have good foliage, are 
compact, requiring little, if any pinching, and are extremely flo- 
riferous. 
During the past three years these hybrids or New Hamp- 
shire Mums, as we call them, have been exhibited at the Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural Society shows in Horticultural Hall, Bos- 
ton. Our exhibit in 1941 attracted considerable attention be- 
cause of the brilliant color and unique habit of these varieties. 
We were proud to receive an Award of Merit on our most recent 
introduction, the variety “Cocheco.” An admirable pot or bed- 
ding plant, Cocheco is a brilliant p’nk in color and the small tufted 
