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MUM CULTURE 



/^ IN CALIFORNIA 



California cultural methods, though practicable only in the compara- 

 tively limited areas where a California-like climate prevails, are of interest 

 to florists in general, in all latitudes and longitudes. A San Francisco 

 v;holesaler here relates how mums are handled in the vicinity of his city. 



rHE first California chrys- 

 anthemums were grown at 

 Menlo Park, a short dis- 

 tance southeast of San 

 1^ ^ Francisco, in 1887. Some 

 l^^-i^ were also cultivated at San 

 ^"N^ Rafael, a few miles north- 

 • • ff9 ward from the Golden 

 i^bs^b:^ Gate. These were sold as 

 potted plants and for gar- 

 den use. They were principally grown 

 under glass, but a few were produced 

 outdoors. The outdoor flowers were not 

 protected in any way and their season, 

 consequently, was short. September 25 

 was about the earliest date of their ap- 

 pearance and Thanksgiving day usually 

 saw the last of them. There were a 

 number of varieties, among them what 

 were known as hairy mums and anem- 

 ones. Some of the latter were twelve 

 inches in diameter and quite handsome. 

 Unfortunately, the stock of these va- 

 rieties is lost. No doubt they would sell 

 well if produced now. 



Stretching the Season. 



Later, the growers began to cultivate 

 chrysanthemums outdoors for the cut 

 flower market. By covering them with 

 cheesecloth and disbud- 

 ding them, it was pos- 

 sible to extend the pro- 

 ducing season for two 

 months, beginning a 

 month earlier and con- 

 tinuing a month later 

 than formerly. At pres- 

 ent the season runs 

 practically from August 

 15 to Christmas o r 

 later. 



Central California 

 mums are mostly pro- 

 duced in the region be- 

 tween San Francisco 

 and San Jose and the 

 .Japanese are their 

 chief propagators. The 

 chrysanthemum is their 

 national flower and 

 was originally brought 

 to California from their 

 country. Few are more 

 patient and skillful in 

 its propagation than 

 they. The young plants 

 are set about six inches 

 apart, in beds, and are 

 grown one flower on a 

 stem. They are tied 

 and staked in the same 

 way as in the green- 

 house and are covered 

 with cheesecloth. Con- 

 siderable commercial 



By J. A. AXELL. 



fertilizer is used. When mature, the 

 cut flowers are tied in bunches of six 

 dozen each and hauled to the market 

 in motor trucks. No boxes are used; 

 the bunches are simply wrapped in 

 paper and cheesecloth. The San Fran- 

 cisco market is located on Bush street. 

 Here the trucks begin arriving toward 

 midnight and the flowers are carefully 

 placed in water for the morning's mar- 

 ket. This opens at 7 o'clock and is 

 usually thronged with buyers. 



Favorite Mums at Frisco. 



Among the early varieties commer- 

 cially grown are Chrysolora, Golden 

 Glow, Monrovia and October Frost. 

 These are ready about September 1. 

 For midseason there are Bonnaffon, 

 Chieftain, White Chieftain, William 

 Turner, Yellow Turner, several bronze 

 varieties and Mrs. May Hunter. The 

 last-mentioned was disseminated by a 

 local grower several years ago and is 

 an especially fine keeper. The late 

 mums are Appleton, Wells' Late Pink, 

 Helen Frick and Charles Eager. The 

 growers stay by these varieties and 



In Chrysanthemum Season at Podesta & Baldocchi's Store, San Francisco. 



are slow to change for the newer ones. 

 Large quantities of mums, including 

 pompons, are also produced by Chinese 

 growers. These mums are of the usual 

 commercial varieties, but are not dis- 

 budded and grown as single flowers. 

 The plants are allowed to bush out and 

 a number of blooms are produced by 

 each one. They appear during the mid- 

 season and frequently last till after 

 Christmas, 



Pompons and singles are grown in 

 great abundance, but do not come in as 

 early as some of the larger varieties. The 

 heavy cut of these is usually about the 

 middle of October. 



Long-distance shipping of chrysan- 

 themums has been going on intermit- 

 tently for a number of years, but did 

 not assume large proportions till 1914. 

 At that time both buyers and shippers 

 began to realize that the flowers could 

 be successfully sent across the conti- 

 nent, provided proper methods of han- 

 dling and packing were employed. 



Eccentricities of Expressmen. 



Each year the business has increased 

 materially, in spite of all difficulties. 

 Until recent years nearly all shipments 

 were carried in ordi- 

 nary express cars, as 

 no refrigerator service 

 was available for the 

 purpose. The fact that 

 the flowers, even under 

 those circumstances, 

 usually reached their 

 destination in good 

 condition speaks well 

 for their carrying ca- 

 pacity. When ship- 

 ments arrived in bad 

 order, the trouble was 

 generally due to care- 

 lessness of express 

 agents. In many cases 

 the damage was caused 

 by the boxes being 

 piled close to steam 

 pipes and subjected to 

 continual heat. This 

 would naturally cause 

 the flowers to shrivel 

 and present a bad ap- 

 I)carance. Again, agents 

 have been known to 

 pile fish and other wet 

 goods on the boxes, 

 drenching the stock 

 with water — sometimes 

 salt water. The result 

 can be better imagined 

 than described. How- 

 ever, the business is 

 rapidly assuming large 



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