THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 207 



ventive of " damping " is to move the plants about from time to 

 time, so that they do not remain for long in one position. 



When fog prevails a gentle heat should be maintained, and the 

 ventilators be kept closed. 



Thanks to the many kinds of early flowering hardy chrysanthe- 

 mums that are now at the disposal of the amateur gardener, he 

 is able to secure blooms of the most popular of autumn flowers 

 from August onwards. They may be planted in the open border 

 in April or May, and, with very little further attention save such 

 ^as is necessary in regard to staking and tying, they will thrive 

 luxuriantly and produce flowers for cutting in abundance. The 

 early flowering section is now so comprehensive that it includes 

 not merely the Singles, but also many representatives of the 

 Japanese, the Pompon and the Anemone-flowered classes. 



The chief cultural necessity is richly manured ground, for, as 

 will already have been gathered, the chrysanthemum is a gross 

 feeder. The question whether the buds of early flowering varieties 

 sTfouId be thinned out is one the solution of which may be left to 

 individual taste. If the grower desires to secure one or two good- 

 sized blooms on each stem let him thin out all superfluous buds ; 

 but it is the natural habit of the plant to carry a mass of com- 

 paratively small blooms, and, for my part, I think the general 

 decorative effect of a fine head of small flowers is better than an 

 isolated bloom here and there. Therefore I disbud sparingly, 

 and in many cases not at all. 



In the event of dry weather during August it may be well to 

 supply a mulch of littery manure to the base of the plants to 

 conserve the moisture at the roots. 



The outdoor chrysanthemum may be propagated either by 

 the division of the roots in April or by means of cuttings. The 

 latter can be " taken " in March and inserted in sandy soil in 

 boxes, which will require to be kept in a warm greenhouse until 

 the cuttings have rooted. When this has occurred the young 

 plants can be placed in small pots, be hardened off in a cold frame, 

 and be transferred to the open border in May or June. 



After the plants have finished flowering in the autumn it is 



