132 



GARDENING. 



Jan. 15, 



Chrysanthemums. 



CHRySftNTMEMUMS-CULTURE IN POTS. 



For many amateurs whose space is 

 limited, this is the most satisfactory way 

 to grow them, as it admits ot greater 

 variety and to be used for different pur- 

 poses. For decorating rooms in the 

 dwelling house few plants are better 

 adapted than a nicely grown natural 

 plant in full bloom. With very little care 

 they last in bloom for some weeks. 



Start in March with a nice young plant 

 say from a 2-inch pot. As soon as it is 

 ready for a shift pot it into a 4-inch pot, 

 using fresh, clean, loamy soil with but 

 very little manure in it, the object being 

 to get the plant to make short, sturdy 

 growth. Water carefully when first 

 potted and when it needs water only, as 

 overwatering is very detrimental to the 

 plant, at this stage. Keep all insects 

 cleared off by fumigating, or syringing, 

 and give as much air as is reasonable on 

 all favorable days, maintaining a night 

 temperature of about 50°. 



As soon as the plant begins to make 

 new growth after this shift, pinch the top 

 out at about six or seven inches from the 

 liase, which will cause several shoots to 

 break out from the sides; these arc neces- 

 sary to form the plant. When this sized pot 

 is weH filled with roots shift the plant into 

 a 6-inch pot, using the same kind of soil, 

 and grow on in the same way, and as 

 the shoots lengthen out put a few small 

 stakes into the side of the pot and grad- 

 ually draw the shoots outwards, tying 

 them to the stakes. By the middle orend 

 of May the plant should have its last 

 shift into an 8 or 9-inch pot, using this 

 time vei-y rich soil, two parts good fresh 

 loam (rather heavy is the best) and one 

 part well-decomposed manure broken up 

 fine, and well mixed before using. In pot- 

 ting this time, as in each shift, be sure 

 and drain the pots well by placing one 

 large piece of broken pot over the hole, 

 and several smaller pieces over that, press 

 the soil firmly and do not bury the balls 

 any deeper than they were in tlie previous 

 po tting. After this, place the plants back 

 in greenhouse for about eight or ten days, 

 just long enough to get the roots fairly 

 started in the new soil. Then with a 

 shovel or spade make a trench anywhere 

 in the garden where it is fully exposed to 

 the sun and not near trees, — but if it is 

 somewhat sheltered from the strong west 

 and north winds so much the better- 

 five or six inches deep, and level in the 

 bottom, in which jjlace any aid board 

 eight or ten inches wide, on this board 

 stand the plants about fifteen or eighteen 

 inches apart, then place thiee or four 

 inches of ashes around the bottom of each 

 pot to keep earth worms away, and over 

 this place any old hay or dry litter suffi- 

 cient to nearly cover the outside of the 

 pots up to the rim. Cive them water as 

 required, and if any of the shoots arc 

 growing much stronger than others to)) 

 them so as to induce uniform growth as 

 nearly as possible. From this on they 

 will need very little attention except to 

 give them water when needed and keep all 

 weeds pulled up as soon as they appear. 

 During this time the branches may need 

 a little support, just enough to prevent 

 their getting broken by rough winds. If 

 ten or twelve nice even shoots are allowed 

 togrowfromthe main stem it will be am- 

 pleto make a nice plant. AllotlKrsslioMid 

 be broken off as soon as they aiijK-ar. 

 These are to be kept growing steadily till 

 they show buds, then it will have to be 

 decided whrther m few tine flowers .nre 



wanted or a larger number of less size. 

 If the former are wanted leave only the 

 center, or first bud that shows on each 

 shoot and pick out all the rest as soon as 

 large enough to do so. If more flowers 

 are wanted then pick out the first crown 

 bud and allow three or four of the side 

 buds to develop; this makes the most 

 show. As soon as any indications of frost 

 appear lift the plants up and place them 

 in a greenhouse or in some airy place 

 where they can be protected from frost 

 and the flowers will develop very fast. 

 When they begin to show color they can 

 be taken into the dwelling rooms or any 

 place needed so long as they get clear 

 daylight. 



It will increase the size of the flowrs 

 considerably if as soon as disl.mdded the 

 plants get some weak liquid manure once 

 a week, but be sure you do not give it to 

 them too strong or when the plants are 

 still wet enough; better let theplants bea 

 little on the dry side before giving stimu- 

 lants in any form. If really fine exhibi- 

 tion flowers are preferred they can be had 

 by taking a cutting rooted in May and 

 grow it on slowly as advised forthe bush 

 plant, but do not put it into a larger pot 

 than 6-inch. Keep the plant trained to 

 one stem and disbud all except one center 

 bud, this will give one very fine flower on 

 each plant. 



Alter all the bush plants are put inside 

 nearly all the stakes oughtto be removed, 

 as the plant if grown as above and only 

 the dwarf growing varieties are used it 

 will be virtually self supporting and be 

 very much more graceful and attractive 

 than if a lumber yard or its contents are 

 piled up endway around the plant. Such 

 trained plants are simply hideous, un- 

 gainlv, and cannot ever be called beau- 

 tiful.' John N. May. 



Summit, N. T- 



The Greenhouse. 



FLOWERS THE FLORISTS GROW AND MAKE 

 MONEY OF. 



"Hastkr Sunday will be late this year" 

 said Mr. Purdue, a progressive and pros- 

 perous florist of East Orange, N.J,, tome 

 the other day, and florists will have to 

 regulate their forcing operations accord- 

 ingly. "These Bermuda Easter lilies were 

 potted about the 25th of August, and kept 

 back; they will get one more shift out of 

 these 5Vi-inch pots into 7-inch; as soon as 

 they fill their pots with roots, then we 

 will plunge them in sphagnum moss, give 

 them plenty of liquid manure, heat, and 

 moisture, and force everj'thing that is in 

 them out of them, and then throw the 

 bulbs away. I rarely get fewer than seven 

 blooms from a bulb, and very often ten to 

 twelve. Of course the plants grow high 

 and ungainh', but we cut them off at the 

 desired height, and stuck the stems into 

 damp moss and the flowers keep nearly 

 as long as on the plant, anyhow they 

 keep long enough for Easter decoration, 

 and that is our purpose. Some florists 

 have them in bloom before Christmas. 

 We arc keeping these warmer now and 

 gradually increasing the temperature and 

 moisture." 



SWAINSONA GALEGIFOl.IA ALIiA, a pea 



flowering shrub, though not new, is most 

 useful as a florist's flower for cutting; 

 planted in the bench itgives a continuous 

 succession of sprays of purest white 

 flowers. 



Hydkanc.eas that are in cold frames 

 will need to be taken into gentle heat 

 nbinit Iniiunrv 10 for liastcr decoration. 



It takes ninety days before Easter, when 

 Easter is early to force, the hydrangea and 

 get the best results from it. As the sea- 

 son advances, and it is nearer a plant's 

 natural time for flowering, it will take 

 less time to force. 



Deutzia gracilis.— Mr. John Farrell 

 says, from his experience, it takes five and 

 one-half weeks before Easter Sunday 

 when it is in March, to force Deutzia 

 gracilis. 



The best paying flowers. — Mr. Pur- 

 due tells me the plants that pay him best 

 are, first, carnations, second, violets, 

 third, roses; then the Easter Harrisii 

 lilies, hydrangeas at Easter, "cold 

 storage" lily of the valley in before 

 Christmas, and stevia. -Chrysanthemums 

 pay him only indirectly, by utilizing the 

 benches in summer— a dull time of the 

 season, and by attracting crowds of peo- 

 ple to his store in November. He says 

 poinsettias don't pay him at all. 



.\ZALEAS should be brought from the 

 cold houses in which they have been kept 

 till now, and gradually given more heat 

 as the buds swell, and as the flowers are 

 ■wanted. X good way to ruin your 

 azaleas is to force them year after year, 

 without giving them any rest. When 

 they are brought in from outside, in the 

 fall, they should be placed in cold houses 

 or pits without any fire heat, exceptsuffi- 

 cient to keep out severe frosts. The tem- 

 perature of the house vve have them in 

 goes down to 32° some nights. Don't 

 force them too quickly; the longer the 

 growing season is the better it is for the 

 plants, unless you want to throw them 

 out when you are through with them, as 

 one would an Easter lily. 



Orange, N.J. Wm. Fitzwilliam. 



FROZEN WINDOW FLflNTS. 



F. S. A., Hammond, Ind., writes: "The 

 icy breath from an open window passed 

 over my window plants, stiffening the 

 leaves of many of them. Those of the 

 geraniumsand fuchsias wilted and crisped, 

 necessitating cutting them off; the stems 

 are uninjured. 1. How can I restore 

 them to their former luxuriance in as 

 short time as possible? 2. Will this 

 slight freeze affect the bloom of freesias, 

 the flower stalk not yethavingappeared? 

 3. How shall I treat a small palm that 

 seems tired of life?" 



1. Cut off the frozen, wilted or dead- 

 ened parts, keep the plants a little drier 

 than before, and cooler rather than 

 warmer, always of.course avoiding frost. 

 Don't rush them into fresh growth with 

 the view of quickly regaining their former 

 fullness, but let them come along slowly 

 at first till you find out how much injury 

 they have sustained and cut them back 

 to sound eyes or wood. If the roots are 

 good they will soon show recuperative 

 energy. 



2. Probably not. Freesias stand con- 

 siderable frost if the check is not very 

 sudden or severe, but no matter how 

 hardy a plant may be if it has been kept 

 in a warm room and then suddenlv ex- 

 posed to frost it will sufter. If thefoliage 

 has escaped unhurt very likely the flower 

 buds have too. 



3. Throw it away. We might write a 

 column telling you liow to nurse it, but 

 it would be the voice of ignorance or 

 hypocrisy. A sick palm is a pretty sick 

 plant, and something that cannot be 

 recuperated in a month or two as one 

 would a soft wooded plant like a gera- 

 nium or a fuchsia. True, even sick palms 

 both as window plants and greenhouse 

 plants, may after a long time be restored 

 to health, but the uncertainty is great. 



