32 THE CULTURE OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 



time the row will become bowed. For this reason never 

 plant within an inch of the line, so as to keep it straight. 

 Every fifth row should be left out, leaving beds of four 

 rows, with a path where the fifth row would have been. 



Hoeing and Staking* 



When planting is carried out in this way the rows of 

 chrysanthemums will appear straight from whatever point 

 one looks. Another advantage is that the important busi- 

 ness of hoeing can be easily and expeditiously performed. 

 I should recommend anyone who has more than ten rods 

 of ground to buy a Planet hoe, which can be run up and 

 down between the rows and also across the rows. This 

 should be done immediately after planting has been 

 finished, as it gives the ground a neat appearance and 

 also loosens the soil and prevents it drying and cracking 

 as quickly as would otherwise be the case. This system 

 of hoeing is also to be recommended whenever weeding re- 

 quires to be done. We rarely use hand hoes at Merstham, 

 unless weeds get too close and plentiful, for the wheel 

 hoes may be run within an inch of the plants until they 

 get large. A good motto is " never let a weed get large 

 enough to seed." 



Staking should be commenced as soon as the shoots are 

 large enough to tie, or a very heavy rain may break off 

 some of them. It is a good plan to place the sticks about 

 two inches from the plant, and always in the straight line of 

 planting. When staking it is best to use sticks which 

 will be a little below the flower heads when the plants are 

 in bloom, or else the flowers may get dashed against them 

 by the wind and be bruised. 



It is essential that the shoots should be kept securely 

 tied before the plants flower, for the rough winds and heavy 

 rains of September try the sticks and ties ; if the latter 

 are at all weakly the plants get blown down and hope- 

 lessly injured, and thus a whole season's work will be 

 wasted. This is one of the lessons which dilatory people 

 learn after their first season. 



