DISBUDDING 39 



they may be killed. Green -fly may be destroyed by 

 spraying the plants with some approved insecticide, a few 

 gallons applied by means of a knapsack sprayer being 

 sufficient to treat a large number of plants. 



Outdoor Chrysanthemums are usually allowed to grow 

 and bloom naturally, and they are best treated in this 

 manner when grown merely for the decoration of the 

 garden, but for cutting purposes flowers of a rather better 

 quality are sometimes desirable. In such cases disbudding 

 must be practised, and if suitable varieties are selected 

 surprisingly good results may be obtained. As a rule the 

 plants should be allowed to break naturally, afterwards 

 disbudding them to one bloom to a shoot, or it may be 

 necessary to thin the shoots somewhat if extra good blooms 

 are desired, but care must be exercised in this matter as 

 "hard" buds occur even out of doors and they open only 

 with great difficulty. In all cases where disbudding is 

 practised a little protection of the kind already described 

 should be given. At about the time the flower buds begin 

 to show the plants may be given a little manure water, 

 this, of course, if the weather is dry, but if showery, a light 

 sprinkling of artificial manure once or twice, at intervals 

 of a fortnight, will have an equally good effect, and greatly 

 enhance the colour of the flowers. 



Plants in light soil need much more water and manure 

 than those in soil of a heavier nature, and great care must 

 be exercised in the latter case, both as regards water and 

 manure, or the plants will produce coarse wood and very 

 little flower. 



There are so many varieties of almost equal merit that 

 it is no easy matter to compile a list. However, the 

 following varieties have been selected with great care. 



