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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



plants, and twelve plants to the row, or 120 plants. Plants 

 from these boxes will stand potting into 2y2 in. and 3-in. 

 pots, if intended for selling as pot plants in April and 

 May. Some small seedlings can be planted more thickly, 

 those with narrow foliage like Tritoma and plants with 

 small foliage. Young plants can be kept growing in 

 these boxes, in good condition for planting out in the 

 open ground, a period of six to eight weeks. 



When room becomes scarce in the greenhouse, these 

 boxes of plants may be placed under the benches for a 

 short time, until the weather is favorable to shift them to 

 the cold frames, where they should be left to harden off 

 before planting out in the ground. 



After each box of seedlings is pricked off, set it on 

 the greenhouse bench, where it is to remain while the 

 plants are growing. Give a thorough watering with the 

 can and fine rose, then shade with paper for a few days 

 until the young plants begin to grow and can stand the 

 sunlight without drooping. Shade a little later each day 

 and uncover a little earlier ; this helps the plants to be- 

 come accustomed to the sun in less time. 



Weeds should be picked out as soon as they are large 

 enough to pull. Naturally the weeds grow best and if 

 allowed a good start, a crop of weak plants is the result. 



Keep the surface of the soil loose by drawing an eight- 

 penny nail, back and forth, between the rows of plants, 

 this allows the water to settle through the soil, to the roots 

 instead of lying on top. 



Much can be said in favor of growing plants from seed, 

 in boxes until they are ready for planting out in the open 

 rounds, especially if they are to be sold as field grown 

 plants. 



They occupy much less room than if grown in pots, a 

 large item when propagating stock in the greenhouse. 

 The pots and all the time it would require to handle in 

 the operation of potting is saved. 



They are shifted from the greenhouse to the frames or 

 place of planting in less time and instead of hundreds of 

 empty pots to gather and store away in bins, there are a 

 few boxes. 



When planting they can be handled more readily than 

 pot plants, if knocked out of the boxes properly, in one 

 sod. Then as much as the planter can handle with one 

 hand is taken from the sod, the separate plants being 

 broken off as they are placed in the trench. — American 

 Nurseryman. 



(To be continued.) 



THE AFTERMATH. 



By Wm. E. Tricker. 



The Queen of Autumn has again passed another 

 eventful season; the exhibitors with their strenuous 

 struggles and battles are finished — the victors wallow- 

 ing in glory and the man who was defeated setting 

 his teeth with a stronger determination to lift the 

 coveted honors another season. 



Yet there are men upholding the assertion that the 

 'mum today is no better than twenty years ago. Look 

 over all the exhibitions and see what varieties hold 

 the laurels. Is it the introduction of twenty or even 

 five years ago? Compare Robinson and Merza with 

 Wm. Turner and Mrs. Gilbert Drabble; Bessie God- 

 frey and Appleton with Ramapo and Mrs. Lloyd 

 Wigg, and see how far ahead the latter varieties are. 



An exhibitors' list of several years ago would in- 

 clude varieties such as Ben Wells, Golden Wedding. 

 F. A. Cobbold, Jones, Church, Hutton, Salisbury, and 

 Cheltoni. Consider for one moment where the ex- 

 hibitor would stand a ghost of a chance today with 

 the above mentioned varieties. The intellisrent man is 



well aware of the wonderful strides being made in the 

 "mum line, and therefore knows that to keep the pace 

 he must procure the latest and best of the new season's 

 varieties. Looking back, especially the past ten years, 

 an exhibitor with the prize card has always staged at 

 least 50 per cent, of the novelties — take the past ex- 

 hibitions for instance, where Converse, Drabble 

 Angus, Turner, etc., swept all before them. 



Never before has the 'mum fever been so high and 

 every year we see new competitors aspiring to dis- 

 tinction and fame. What further demonstration does 

 one need to verify the fact that the 'mums were never 

 so large or embraced such distinctive colors as at the 

 present day? 



Passing from the Japanese varieties to the single 

 flowered kinds, it is astonishing to note the stage they 

 have arrived at. No gardener can afford to be without 

 them. Wliat can fill their place? What looks more 

 exquisite and charming than the singles with their 

 great variation in color? What flowers can be used to 

 better advantage on the dining table and in the vases 

 about the home? Their simplicity makes them at- 

 tractive to even the most critical. There are so many 

 varieties grown that one has to see them in flower to 

 select. The large semi-disbudded types are no doubt 

 the most popular. The finest yellows this year were 

 Josephine, Chas. Kingsley, ^larjorie Lloyd. In pink, 

 Joan Edwards and Sam. Nash. In white, Mensa, W. 

 Buckingham ; and Dorothy Dann, a beautiful salmon 

 bronze, along with Ruby Beauty and Alex Rowbot- 

 tom, both distinct crimsons, make up a collection that 

 cannot be surpassed. There were also many other 

 varieties well worthy of a place in the greenhouses of 

 a gentleman who want^the best of everything. 



Then we also have the large outdoor flowering type, 

 showing an array of color and variety rarely seen un- 

 der glass. 



As the days pass into the chill autumn, what is more 

 pleasing than seeing a border of color or a clump here 

 and there growing naturally and enhancing the sur- 

 roundings. 



During the past two years there has been introduced 

 into this country many of the French and English 

 varieties, out of which there has been selected fifty or 

 more varieties that are good growers, verj^ floriferous, 

 and in fact better adapted to this country than their 

 native home. It need not be inferred that these are 

 the Marie Masse type, but are the result of crossing 

 and recrossing the larger decorative varieties, and 

 these kinds are hardy practically over the entire coun- 

 try, provided they have a light covering of loose hay 

 or manure. 



Such varieties as Ethel Blades, Petit Louise, L'Ar- 

 gentuillius, L'Aisne, Harvest Home, Champagne, Car- 

 melite, etc., are some of the best doers and need very 

 little attention. There are some fifty splendid varie- 

 ties out of the many hundreds that have been tested 

 for the past two years that are best adapted for this 

 country with its varying climatic conditions. 



\\'e predict that in a year a two these early flower- 

 ing varieties will take the place of the Pompoms, since 

 they always flower early enough to make a splendid 

 showing for six or seven weeks, while the Pompoms 

 in too many cases are not in flower until too late to be 

 really eft'ective. 



ADVERTISERS: 



Our March issue will be the 

 Sho\v Number 



