CHAPTER XI 



CHRYSANTHEMUM CULTURE 



No flower has ever taken a firmer hold on the affec- 

 tions of all peoples than the chrysanthemum, for 

 whether one travels in the Orient, Europe, our own 

 country, or in the out-of-way corners of the earth, 

 the all-popular 'mum is present in the gardens of 

 both rich and poor, and no park or public garden is 

 considered complete without it. Every year brings 

 forth new forms, shades of color, habits of growth or 

 other evidences of progressive development, so that 

 interest in them is never allowed to wane. Never 

 were such satisfactory sorts to be had as at present, 

 and never was enthusiasm among the 'mum fanciers 

 at a higher pitch. 



No other garden plant is accorded such varying 

 treatment as the chrysanthemum, and our amateur 

 gardeners grow them ranging in size from the diam- 

 eter of a half-dollar to that of a large tea saucer. 

 This development is wholly a matter of care; not 

 throughout the year, but for a small portion thereof. 

 If new plants are started every spring and given 

 ordinary garden care, such as all plants usually re- 

 ceive, until within sixty days of blooming, and are 

 then given special treatment, the amateur may pro- 

 duce just as good blooms as the professional. While 

 proper treatment is not difficult, eternal vigilance is 

 the price of good 'mums. 



PROPAGATION 



Chrysanthemums may be propagated either by di- 

 viding old clumps into small clumps, single shoots, or 



