THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



July treatment. Each has its individuaHty. The importance 

 10-31 of the bud question lies in the fact that unless it is 

 properly handled the blooms of different varieties will 

 be at their best at different periods, and the exhibition 

 grower likes to have them simultaneously. One way 

 of ascertaining the necessary treatment of the buds of 

 the respective varieties is to ask the florist who supplies 

 them in the first place to give details. Every new 

 variety which is procured ought to be entered in a book, 

 and its particular requirements marked. If this practice 

 is adopted, there is rarely any difficulty. True, a little 

 hitch may occur in the case of one variety or another, 

 for no system can be devised that is absolutely, auto- 

 matically perfect when weather influences come in, but 

 an odd error is rarely disastrous. So much by way of 

 explanation ; now, reverting to the second break, let me 

 say that it may come any time between the middle of 

 July and the end of August. It is likely to suit the 

 grower best if it comes about the middle of August. 

 Supposing, however, that it comes in July, as is some- 

 times the case. The break is too early, and the plant 

 should be artificially controlled so as to bring about 

 another. The flower bud, which in this case will be 

 called the " first crown," should be removed from each 

 shoot, and the three growing buds below examined, the 

 weakest two being discarded. This of course leaves the 

 plant with three branches as before, only each has, so to 

 say, a fresh growing tip. The shoots will grow on, and 

 in the course of about three weeks will break again. 

 This time the flower buds (now called " second 

 crowns ") will be retained, and the shoots which spring 

 below them removed. Roughly, it takes eleven weeks 

 to develop a prize Chrysanthemum bloom, thus a bud 

 which forms at mid-August ought to be a fully developed 

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