CHRYSANTHEMUM WORK FOR APRIL 



GEO. HOLLIS, BRACONDALE, ONT. 



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HRYSANTHEAIUM cuttings for ex- 

 hibition purposes should be taken 

 during March or even earlier, although they 

 can be taken in April, as a long growing 

 season is required to develop a good stem 

 and a larger flower. S'hould you decide to 

 try some of the novelties, your order should 

 be placed at once, as the growers start ship- 

 ping as soon as danger from frost is over. 

 By ordering now you can top your new cut- 

 tings, and in this way increase your stock 

 before planting time arrives. 



In growing chrysanthemums, for either 

 exhibition or commercial use, the secret of 

 success is to never let them get a check from 

 the time of taking the cuttings to flowering 

 time. The method generally used is to 

 place some clean, sharp sand, in a bench or 

 flats about three inches deep, in a tempera- 

 ture of 55 or 60 degrees, shaded from the 

 sun, and to keep the sand rather wet. Se- 

 lect the best cuttings, which should be sitrong 

 and not hard wooded, and in two or three 

 weeks the cuttings should be rooted. Re- 

 move them from the cutting bench, shake 

 the sand from the roots, and pot in small 

 pots. The soil should not be too rich at 



first. Shade from the sun for a few days, 

 but afterwards give them a sunny position 

 and lots of air. In about two weeks they 

 should be shifted into three-inoh pots, and 

 by the second week in May they should be 

 ready to plant in the bench, or, if they are 

 to be grown in larger pots, a larger pot will 

 be required. 



If grown for cut flowers the main lot of 

 cuttings need not be rooted before May first, 

 but if short of stock, root all the cuttings 

 you can get. WHien they are large enough, 

 take the tops and root them. 



STANDARD VARIETIES. 



The folloiwing is a lisit of standard and 

 tried varieties : 



White.— T. Eaton, W. H. Chadwick, 

 Western King, Mrs. H. W. Buckbee, Mrs. 

 Nathan Smith, Convention Hall, Kalb. 



Pink. — Dr. Enguehard, Mrs. H. Flick, 

 Marie Liger, A. J. Balfour, Wm. Duckham, 

 Marion Newell. 



Yellow. — Golden Wedding. Golden Chad- 

 wick, Yelloiw Eaton, Mrs. Thirkell, Percy 

 Plumridge, Cheltoni. 



Red.— S. F. Wright, Lord Hopeton. G. 

 W. Childs, Harrison Dick. 



GOOD POTTING SOIL 



W.M. HUNT, ONT. AGRI. COLLEGE, GUELPH. 



LATE autumn or early spring is the 

 best time to make the compost heap. 

 An excellent metnod of securing a good pile 

 of potting soil is to obtain some good tough 

 sod from an old well fed down pasture 

 field, where the soil is of a loamy nature. 

 Cut the sod about four inches thick and 

 stack it in the open where it will be fully ex- 

 posed to the weather. 



Place the first layer of sods with the grass 

 side downward. On this place another 

 layer of sod, grass side downward, as before, 

 after which spread on a layer of well rotted 

 stable manure or cow manure, to the depth 

 of three or four inches. Repeat with two 



layers of sod and one of manure until the 

 pile is large enough. Build the pile up- 

 right and keep it perfectly level until fin- 

 ished. 



It will take eight or ten months for this 

 material to rot sufficiently for use in potting 

 plants. When it is ready cut down from 

 top to bottom with a sharp spade, as re- 

 quired. The proper proportions of soil and 

 manure to make a good rich compost may 

 be obtained in this way. The soil will 

 make a good compost for bulbs, roses, ger- 

 aniums and the more common plants. For 

 begonias, fuchsias and the more tender 

 plants, or for sowing seeds in, about one- 



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