FLOWERING PLANTS 109 



To make the plant form a bush, pinch out the terminal 

 bud when the plant is five inches high ; then, after the 

 branches have grown to a length of four or five inches, 

 pinch out the terminal buds of the branches. Always 

 support chrysanthemums with stakes. 



Keep the plants well cultivated early in the season. 

 In July give them a mulch of two inches of old manure. 

 Water once a week with liquid manure until the buds 

 begin to open. Give the plants a mulch of coarse manure 

 during the winter, to protect the roots. 



Cuttings may be used for propagating, as with the 

 coleus and the fuchsia. 



Pests. Use tobacco dust to fight plant lice. 



THE COLEUS 



The coleus lends itself to a great variety of uses 

 for beds, borders, edges, window boxes, and pots. 



Start seeds in boxes in February or March, covering 

 lightly and keeping in a warm place ; they will germi- 

 nate in about a week. When the plants have two or three 

 leaves, transplant them to other boxes or to pots. The 

 coleus must not be planted out of doors until the ground 

 is quite warm, for the plants are very sensitive to cold. 

 Pinch out flower heads and take off branches if necessary 

 to keep the plants symmetrical. The coleus may be grown 

 with cannas. Give the two plants the same attention. 



The coleus may also be easily grown from slips started 

 in sand and then transplanted. 



