CHAPTEE VI 



Crown and Terminal Buds 



"Taking the bud" is a term in common use with 

 all Chrysanthemum growers, but the expression is 

 paradoxical and may,, in part, account for the hazy, 

 uncertain notions that generally prevail, especially 

 among amateurs, in regard to this most important 

 detail. Good culture availeth nothing if from want 

 of actual knowledge there be an improper or untimely 

 selection of the bud that is to develop ultimately into 

 a flower.- The bud question, therefore, is one calling 

 for close, careful observation. It is a matter, too, upon 

 which many who might be presumed to know are not 

 really well informed, especially as to the appearance, 

 characteristic features, different possibilities and treat- 

 ment of the several buds that appear upon the plants 

 during their season of growth. 



For the benefit of the uninitiated it should first 

 be stated that the term "taking the bud" means in 

 actual practice, selecting the bud. The operation of 

 "taking" it is the removal of surrounding shoots or buds 

 so as to concentrate the plant's entire energies upon the 

 bud "taken" or selected for future flowering. The 

 matter is somewhat abstruse because the Chrysanthe- 

 mum has marked peculiarities of bud development as 

 compared with other flowering plants we grow. A bud 

 formed upon a Rose or a Carnation develops into a 

 flower at any time or season of the year. Chrysan- 

 themums form buds that never advance beyond an 

 incipient stage, a temporary cessation of growth is 



