THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



55 



Exhibition Chrysanthemum Plants. 



mostly in the cut blooms and in a 

 much smaller extent in a medium sized 

 plant in a pot. Cultural directions for 

 both will be found below. The stand- 

 ards and large specimens are left to 

 the private gardener who has time, 

 money and space. 



A Commercial Flower. 



Take note during flowering season 

 of varieties wanted for your next sea- 

 son's crop and remember that if few 

 varieties are grown it simplifies labor 

 and expense, and there are so many to 

 choose from that color, form and sea- 

 son can be all covered by varieties 

 that you have found easy to grow. 

 Select plants for future stock that 

 have produced the best flowers, mark- 

 ing them before the flowers are cut. 

 Lift sufficient plants and place them 

 in flats, keeping them after first water- 

 ing rather on the dry side in a cool 

 house until time to start them grow- 

 ing to produce cuttings. Do not use 

 any weak shoots for cuttings. Throw 

 them away, it will afford room for 

 the stronger to develop. Chrysanthe- 

 mums root readily in sand or finely 

 sifted coal ashes in an ordinary pro- 

 pagating bed until end of May or early 

 June. After that date you will be 

 more successful with a bed in a cold 

 frame, shaded with cloth, lath or shad- 

 ed glass, tilted back and front to in- 

 sure a free circulation of air; and the 

 bed must be kept copiously watered; 

 this is very important. You often see 

 chrysanthemum cuttings drying and 

 wilting in June and July. They have 

 been allowed to get dry or the sun has 

 been shining on them, so water copi- 

 ously twice a day in fine weather. 



The 'best time to propagate varies 

 with the different varieties and the 



size of flowers wanted. For large long 

 stemmed flowers of early varieties, 

 such as Ivory, Bergmiann, Bonnaffon 

 (Bonnaffon can be grown early) and 

 other dwarf sorts, February is not too 

 early to put in the first batch. From 

 that time on propagating can be con- 

 tinued until August. For late flowers, 

 many of the free growing varieties do 

 well and produce fine flowers on side 

 benches from late cuttings. Those 

 propagated as late as August can be 

 planted on the benches direct from 

 propagating bed without any potting, 

 and will grow from the start if kept 

 sprinkled and shaded for a few days 

 during the hottest hours of the day. 

 Earlier rooted cuttings that have to 

 be potted will want a 2 or 2 1 / r inch pot. 

 Let them be well rooted before pot- 

 ting. Use a moderately heavy soil and 

 not too rich. When well hold of the 

 soil in the pots a side bench of a car- 

 nation or violet house will suit the 

 young plants of most varieties finely, 

 always giving them as much air as 

 possible and room to grow without 

 drawing up. The earliest struck batch- 

 es will require a 3 or S^-mch pot be- 

 fore planting out time. Some of our 

 finest varieties which have a tendency 

 to produce a flower larger than the 

 stem can hold erect will be greatly 

 benefited by having three or four 

 weeks out of doors before planting on 

 the bench. Such varieties which are 

 weak necked should be grown slow 

 and hard wooded and should never 

 from the time they are rooted be al- 

 lowed to attain a soft, rank growth. 



The early varieties should be plant- 

 ed on benches in four inches of soil; 

 raised benches with good drainage will 

 enable you to control the growth and 

 ripening of the wood. The late varie- 

 ties are all right in solid beds, provid- 



ing the texture of the soil and drain- 

 age is right. 



A heavy, free loam that the water 

 will pass through freely, with the ad- 

 dition of one-fifth of rotted cow ma- 

 nure and a liberal sprinkling of pure 

 bone flour will be an excellent com- 

 post. A "liberal sprin-kling" is rather 

 indefinite, so I will say one pint to a 

 bushel of soil can be used safely. If it 

 were mixed with the soil a month or 

 two months before planting, so much 

 the better. The chrysanthemum is 

 called a free and even rank grower, 

 but over rich soil produces very large 

 soft flowers. The flowers produced 

 on a soft forced growth are in poor 

 condition to withstand the handling 

 they have to undergo before they 

 reach the retail counter and to pro- 

 duce durable, firm flowers a well ma- 

 tured growth of the wood is as neces- 

 sary as is a good, dry house and abun- 

 dance of fresh air. 



This unnaturally stimulated growth 

 may not be the whole cause of the 

 rust, which is fatal to some of our best 

 varieties, but it is certain that it puts 

 the plant in an excellent condition to 

 be attacked by the disease. The rust 

 usually appears in September and lat- 

 er when there is promise of great 

 flower buds. It is then that we are 

 subject to great changes of tempera- 

 ture. If the growth is soft it is due to 

 either too rich a soil or too much 

 water at the roots or even too much 

 moisture in the house, produced by 

 water not draining off freely under the 

 paths and benches. 



That grand variety Golden Wedding 

 has been grown in the neighborhood 

 of Buffalo since its introduction. We 

 hear of its failure in many places, but 

 where there is no stagnant water in 

 the house, and the roots have received 

 it sparingly, and planted in a soil that 

 water passes freely through, I have 

 not seen a vestige of disease on it. 

 This grand golden yellow will hold its 

 own with any new varieties, particu- 

 larly when the grower will learn to 

 withhold water. It cannot be done 

 right in a soil that the water does not 

 pass freely through. 



To sum up this particular point, en- 

 courage a free growth till buds are 

 selected, then gradually withhold wa- 

 ter which matures the wood and as- 

 sists bud formation. To the inexpe- 

 rienced let me say that no serious 

 check in growth must be given but 

 merely less water than formerly, 

 which will firm the growth. 



For early varieties, where crown 

 buds are used, care must be taken not 

 to resume free watering until the buds 

 are well formed, otherwise we will not 

 get perfect flowers, but many unsala- 

 ble ones. After the buds are well form- 

 ed the judicious use of animal manure, 

 either in the shape of a mulch or li- 

 quid, is safe and beneficial. I prefer 

 to apply in a liquid form, as we can 

 keep better track of the condition of 

 the soil. 



While a free circulation is at all 

 times necessary as well as keeping the 



