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ANTIRRHINUMS 15 



the mistake of trying to improve good progress by 

 applying such liquids at too high a strength. Great 

 injury may be caused through too powerful a dose of 

 chemical manures. 



The only insect troubles that are likely to prove in- 

 jurious to Antirrhinums are greenfly and small cater- 

 pillars. Timely spraying with some such insecticide as 

 Katakilla, Kilzall, or Abol, will keep the plants clean. 



When showing in classes for a stated number of spikes 

 cut the finest spikes, with as many open flowers as possible, 

 and with stalks as long as it is possible to cut them. 



Cutting should be done either in the early morning or 

 in the cool of the evening, and if the flowers are to travel 

 a considerable distance they should be placed in water for 

 an hour or two, then carefully packed in a long box lined 

 with soft tissue-paper. 



Antirrhinums travel better in this way than standing in 

 tubes of water, because the vibration and jarring of the 

 standing stems during a journey causes many of the 

 "pips," as the individual blooms are termed, to fall. 



Although classes for individual spikes are still provided 

 at some shows, and whilst readily admitting that a dozen 

 well-developed spikes of good varieties make a very 

 attractive display, it must be granted, even by the lover 

 of the old florists* ideals, that the modem and increas- 

 ingly popular method of showing Antirrhinums in masses 

 is productive of far more imposing results. The best 

 method of all is that of grouping on ground space in such 

 a manner as to represent as nearly as possible a bed or 

 section of a border of growing plants. For this purpose 

 a certain proportion of large spikes should be suitably 

 distributed, the intervening spaces and foreground being 

 filled in with smaller spikes taken from plants that have 

 been pinched but not reduced to few stems. Even these 

 small spikes should, however, be lightly arranged to 

 preserve a natural effect, not crammed closely into the 



