264 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



highly desirable for the southern states, where early frosts 

 are the exception. They make excellent garden-flowers, 

 however, even as far north as central New York, provided 

 care is taken to select early-flowering varieties. 



335. Propagation. There is a mistaken idea that when 

 once planted, hardy chrysanthemums will flower in- 

 definitely. This they will do to a certain extent, but the 

 blooms are by no means as desirable or attractive as 

 when propagated each year. Chrysanthemums are rank 

 feeders and quickly exhaust the soil. Consequently, the 

 growth becomes weaker, and the flowers smaller, with 

 shorter stems. That they are hardy in most sections, and 

 will come up and grow each spring, is true, but the best 

 way to produce the greatest quantity of flowers is to take 

 cuttings from the plants every spring. 



As soon as the days have become warin enough to 

 start the plants into growth, and the shoots have become 

 two or three inches long, they should be removed, some of 

 the foliage cut off and the end squarely and smoothly cut. 

 These cuttings are placed in boxes of clear sand or in 

 sandy soil, and carefully watered. In a few days they 

 will have become well rooted. 



336. Planting outdoors. When well established in 

 soil, the young plants are planted in the herbaceous border 

 in fairly rich soil. The plants are pinched back several 

 times during the summer, to prevent spindling and to 

 make them stocky and bushy. This pinching should not 

 be done after August 1. They should be cultivated and 

 hoed frequently during the summer to prevent drying out 

 of the soil, and to keep the weeds in check. 



337. Staking. By August 15, chrysanthemums should 

 be staked and carefully tied up, to insure long, straight 

 flower-stems. They should begin to flower about Sep- 



