Gardening in California 



large enough to be handled, the seedlings should be planted, three 

 inches apart, in boxes filled with light soil, and transplanted to 

 their blooming quarters early in November. This treatment 

 will bring them into flower early in April. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



This hardy and important Fall-blooming plant is a favorite 

 with all plant lovers, and, to grow to perfection, requires con- 

 siderable care and skill, but good results may easily be had 

 by ordinary garden treatment if the soil is deep and well-enriched 

 by a generous allowance of rotted manure. 



It is propagated by cuttings, by suckers or by dividing the 

 roots in March or April. Cuttings should be inserted in a gentle 

 heat, or in a cold frame kept close and shaded for a few days; 

 as soon as they are rooted, they should be potted in three-inch 

 pots and returned to the frame, being shaded until they make 

 fresh roots, when they should be given plenty of air and kept 

 close to the glass, care being taken that they never once suffer for 

 want of water. Plant them where they are to bloom, early in 

 May or as soon as they have made six inches of growth. 



The young shoots should have their points pinched off to 

 encourage the stems to branch; this operation should be 

 repeated once a month until August 1st. Plant them about 

 two feet apart; after planting, mulch the entire surface ^of 

 the beds or borders with half -rotted horse-manure and give the 

 ground a thorough soaking with water. Chrysanthemums require 

 enormous quantities of water, care being taken, however, not to 

 sour the soil by giving too much. In the hot dry districts of the 

 State they should be planted, if possible, on a northern exposure 

 or partially shaded during the Summer months. 



The Chrysanthemum is divided into many sections including 

 the incurved (whose strap-shaped florets curve inward), the re- 

 curved (whose florets curve outward from the center), the 



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