THERE are still many chrysanthemum growers in England who can carry their minds back to the time when the first Japanese varieties of the "Autumn Queen" were exhibited at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, towards the close of the year 1861. Mr. Robert Fortune had made his second visit to the Far East in search of horticultural novelties, and in describing his discovery of the new flowers, he said : "I procured some extraordinary varieties, most peculiar in form and in coloring, and quite distinct from any of the kinds at present known in Europe; one had petals like long thick hairs of a red color, but tipped with yellow, looking like the fringe of a shawl or curtain; another had broad white petals striped with red like a carnation or camellia, while others were remarkable for their great size and brilliant coloring. If I can succeed in introducing these varieties into Europe they may create as great a change among chrysanthemums as my Chusan Daisy did when she became the par ent of the present race of pompons".

It is now a matter of history that Mr. Fortune not only succeeded in the introduction of seven different varieties of these new flowers, bu,t that English florists looked upon them with supreme indifference, if not actual contempt. Chrysanthemum growers here bad set up a hard and fast definition of what a show chrysanthemum should be, and anything that deviated in the least from their standard was rejected as a worthless and imperfect thing. It is easy to understand that the eye, long accustomed to look upon the regular, symmetrical form of an incurved chrysanthemum, with stiffly dressed petals, arranged with patient care by the friendly help of a pair of tweezers, could not tolerate the weird, fantastic, flimsy, long-petalled Japanese blooms that suddenly made their appearance on the exhibition boards at that time.

But outside the select circle of the old-fashioned florists was a large body of small amateur cultivators who had then begun to take up chrysanthemum cultivation, and numerous chrysanthemum societies were just then on the point of formation. When the Japanese flowers gradually crept into cultivation, visitors at the shows, and the public generally, who cared nothing for the hard and fast lines laid down by the florists, were astounded at the marvellous variation of form and coloring in the new flowers, and that did much to encourage raisers and importers to obtain new varieties of the recent novelties.

The flora of Japan was but little known before Fortune's time, and his discoveries led many people to make inquiries on the subject. In a short space of time we learned that for ages past the chrysanthemum had been grown in that country, with a devotion almost beyond precedent in the west. Reports came to hand of a splendid fete annually held in the gardens adjoining the Emperor's palace, where chrysanthemums were said to be produced in such a way as would astonish the most able growers in Europe. It is also noteworthy that so little was the art understood in England, at the time of the introduction of Fortune's novelties, that when exhibited here they were pronounced to be far inferior in size to those commonly seen in their native land.

As an enthusiast in chrysanthemum matters, the writer of this paper has never ceased t o take a great delight i n reading everything that came to hand about his favorite flower in the Far East, and the desire to obtain fuller and better particulars on the subject led him, a few years ago, to place himself in correspon -dence with a gentleman holding an official position in the Imperial University of Tokio - Mr. W. K. Burton from whom he has been so fortunate as to secure much valuable and interesting information of a literary and artistic nature.

It is of primary importance, however, for the present to confine the scope of this paper to the Emperor's an- . nual chrysanthemum fete. How long it has been held is difficult to say, but we are informed that chrysanthemum shows were originated in Japan about 1,000 years ago, in the reign of the Mikado Ouda. Invitations are sect out only to the highest officials in the land, and such foreigners of distinction as the imperial household may choose to honor, and the invitation is consequently much valued and sought after. It is usually held on the ninth of November in each year, but the guest is informed, by way of precaution, that if. the ninth is a wet day the fete will be held on the tenth, and should that day be also wet, it will not be held at all.

The tickets, of which the writer has one, are prettily designed. In size they are about eight inches by six inches; the border is composed of chrysanthemum flowers and foliage printed entirely in gold, on the top of which is a large heraldic kiku-mon or chrysanthemum crest, the national arms of Japan. The text of the invitation is printed i n black ink within the golden border, and is of course in the Japan-ese 1an-guage.

Mr. Burton last year was honored far beyond precedent, for he received the command of the Imperial Household Department to attend and photograph the show; t h e first time, it may be explained, that a camera has been allow-e d within Emperor' s gardens. Fortunate ly for the readers of The American Garden he was graciously permitted to present the writer of this article with a set of the views he took on the occasion, and was furthermore honored with permission to allow some of them to be reproduced in this journal.

There is usually a banquet held in connection with the fete, but last year, owing to the indisposition of the Emperor, it was temporarily abandoned, although visitors were permitted to view the flowers in the ordinary way. Mr. Burton says that he had previously had the privilege of attending the fete, and that to persons who are unacquainted with the chrysanthemun culturally it 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.

Utakata : From a Photograph taken in the Gardens of the Emperor of Japan.

Three-fifths natural size.

The gardens are extensive and the views very beautiful. The chrysanthemums are displayed in tents and under awnings of purple silk, bearing upon it the imperial 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 walking in military uniform, followed by a considerable retinue. He addresses a few words of welcome to each representative of the treaty powers, who are congregated in a little group to await him; then all follow in 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 allowed to enjoy themselves as they please until sunset.

In the photographs taken by Mr. Burton every type of Japanese chrysanthemum known in England is represented, 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, analogous to the variety called Kanakwmi, illustrated on page 724.

As to the methods of cultivation adopted, it would indeed 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 system 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 imagination.

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 England 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 measured 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 supports, 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 America, 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 important 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 surprises in store in this interesting flower.

London. C. Harman Payne.