ho may wish to grow a
representative collection, and where there is convenience it is
desirable to do so in order to observe their widely different forms and
colours, as well as to enjoy a long succession of bloom.

So well is the Chrysanthemum known that little could be usefully said of
it by way of description; but well as it is known and easy as its
culture is, there are few things in our gardens that show to greater
disadvantage. This should not be with a subject which offers such range
of habit, colour, and period of blooming; and when such is the case,
there must be some radical mistake made. The mistake I believe to be in
the selection, and that alone. If so, the remedy is an easy matter. Let
me ask the reader to remember three facts: (1) Many sorts grown in pots
and flowered under glass are unfitted for the borders or open garden.
(2) The later flowering varieties are of no use whatever for outside
bloom. (3) Of the early blooming section, not only may the finest
varieties be grown with marked effect, but they, as a rule, are of more
dwarf habit, and will afford abundance of bloom for cutting purposes for
nearly two months. Selections are too often made from seeing the fine
sorts in pots; let it be understood that all are perfectly hardy, but
owing to their lateness, their utility can only be realised under
artificial conditions. I am not now considering pot, but garden kinds,
and no matter what other rules may be observed, if this is overlooked it
will be found that though the plant may grow finely and set buds in
plenty, they will be so late as to perish in their greenness by the
early frosts; on the other hand, of the early section, some will begin
to bloom in August, and others later, each kind, after being covered
with flowers for several weeks, seeming to finish naturally with our
season of flowers.

There is nothing special about the culture of this very hardy and
rampant-growing plant, but I may add that, though it will stand for many
years in one place, and flower well too, it is vastly improved by
division of the roots in autumn or early spring every second year. The
earth of its new site should be deeply dug and well enriched with stable
manure; it will not then matter much what sort of soil it is--the more
open the situation the better. How grandly these decorate the borders
when in masses! and as a cut flower I need hardly say that there are few
to excel the Chrysanthemum, either as an individual b