48 THE CULTURE OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 



public favour, and are certain to increase in popularity as 

 time goes on. Early flowering singles may now be re- 

 garded as an annual as well as a perennial. Seeds were 

 offered for sale by me for the first time in January, 

 1909, and many growers w T ho sowed the seeds in February, 

 and bedded the plants in the same way as asters, were 

 able to cut sprays of chrysanthemums in July. From this 

 time until the blooms are cut down by the frost a plentiful 

 supply can always be depended on. 



Propagation. 



In dealing with the cultivation of all kinds of early 

 flowering chrysanthemums, including singles, it is neces- 

 sary to begin with the preparation of the ground they are 

 to occupy. During the winter months trenching or deep 

 digging should be carried out so that the soil may become 

 pulverised by the frost. Plenty of manure should be 

 applied. If the ground is very light or sandy, I should 

 advise the use of cow manure, but otherwise stable 

 manure is preferable. Although it is a fact that 

 chrysanthemums will thrive almost anywhere, still, to 

 obtain the best results, it is essential that due regard 

 should be paid to these matters ; and if, when digging, 

 some vaporite or kill-grub is worked into the soil, con- 

 siderable trouble will be avoided later on. 



There are various methods of propagation. The best 

 way is to lift one or two stools of each variety after they 

 have flowered, and put them into a cool green-house or 

 frame, keeping the stool fairly dry and well ventilated. 

 When the cuttings are two or three inches high in 

 February, March, or April they may be taken off and 

 rooted in the ordinary way, i.e., dibbled into boxes of 

 sandy soil, fairly close together. Watering should be 

 done with a fine rose, and the cuttings should be put into 

 a rather close house, heated to about 45 degrees, but if 

 the temperature runs up to 60 degrees on sunny days it 

 will do no harm. 



In about five or six weeks the cuttings will have rooted, 

 when they should be moved into a cooler house, or frame, 



