Chrysanthemums of 1896. 307 



For all other purposes there is more satisfaction in having three 

 to six flowers on a plant, as we did the past year. 



We have never received so uneven a lot of plants as in 1896. 

 It seems to be hopeless to get a uniform lot of plants representing 

 all the novelties, in the year of their introduction. The last lot 

 of American varieties came last year on the last day of August 

 and the plants that were fit for testing together were not planted 

 out in the bed until August 22, a month late for ideal results. 

 This bed was composed of well rotted clay sod and manure, 

 in the proportion of four to one. A liberal sprinkling of 

 bone meal was worked in, and the bed thoroughly cultivated by 

 hand. On the 26th of September, applications of liquid cow 

 manure were begun. Never was there a more uneven lot of 

 plants than those shown in our photographs of the bed, and 

 never has Mr. Hunn, in his long experience with chrysanthe- 

 mums, dared to give the bedded plants so much stimulating food. 

 The results far exceeded our expectations, and the November 

 display was a brilliant one, although the novelties themselves 

 were not intrinsically as meritorious with us as in 1895, which 

 was a year of exceptional advances. 



The importance of beginning early can hardly be over-esti- 

 mated. We got the best results from such plants as the largest one 

 shown in Fig. 82. This was the typical home-grown plant from 

 March cuttings. The next largest plant was a fair sample of a 

 lot grown from rooted cuttings received April 22. The four 

 small plants represent fair samples of lots received from different 

 sources in summer. All of them were represented in the trial bed 

 and none gave anything like the satisfaction we got from home- 

 grown plants of varieties introduced the year before. There are 

 two great factors in producing chrysanthemums, — the quality of 

 stock received and the subsequent management. How important 

 the former element is may be seen by contrasting Figs. 83 and 

 84. Here we have the best results that we were able to produce 

 from poor and good stock. Notice how much fewer and weaker 

 the rays are in the one case, and how completely double is the 

 flower of Fig. 84. Indeed the latter has the over-fed look which 

 one often sees in the exhibition hall. Coarse, heavy rays are 

 are not always a varietal characteristic but usually a mat- 



