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NOVEMBBB 27, 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



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COMMERCIAL OHBYSANTHEMUMS 



Their Treatment. 



The chrysanthemum (Greek: Golden 

 Flower) includes many of our peren- 

 aials, which we will exclude and only 

 deal with our two favorites, the large 

 mum and the pompon. 



The last twenty years have produced 

 wonders in the mum, thanks to such 

 men as Mr. Pockett, E. G. Hill, Chas. H. 

 Totty, Elmer D. Smith, A. Herrington 

 and one in our own locality, C. W. John- 

 son, at Morgan Park, 111. Others, too, 

 have done great work and are doing it 

 yet, but the above-named men have put 

 dollars in the pockets of all mum grow- 

 ers, regardless of where they live. 



Care of Cuttings. 



Let us begin with the single-stemmed 

 mum. Start propagating in February 

 and March from plants cut back the 

 previous fall which have been growing 

 in flats or on a bench during the winter 

 in a cool, airy house. Use only good, 

 strong cuttings. I have found it prac- 

 tical when making cuttings to dip them 

 in a nicotine solution with a little soap 

 added. If the cuttings are not clean 

 when placed in the sand, the result is loss 

 of cuttings and stunted plants, which 

 are sure to give dissatisfaction the 

 whole season. A good batch of rooted 

 cuttings means an even crop, all one 

 size, with no "deadheads" on the 

 bench. Keep plenty of stock plants, so 

 that you can get as many cuttings into 

 the sand at one time as you need of 

 each variety. On some fast-growing 

 varieties I take my cuttings when the 

 plants are done flowering and place them 

 in sand at once. In that way I don't 

 have to bother with stock plants. How- 

 ever, I do not believe this to be prac- 

 tical with a slow grower. 



I prefer 2i/^-inch pots for my cuttings, 

 instead of flats, as the plants are taken 

 fare of for a long time, and when the 

 pots are filled with roots, liquid manure 

 can easily be applied, which proves quite 

 beneficial to the young plant. 



Benching the Plants. 



When Memorial day has passed, get 

 ready to bench out your mums. Several 

 methods are used; some growers plant 

 ♦^ight inches apart, some six inches, 

 '»thers seven inches. The latter I believe 

 ideal for commercial purposes, as I get 

 fine foliage and fine blooms when the 

 plants are set this distance apart. At 

 «ix inches a strong grower has not much 

 >'hance. When the young plants are 

 established, stake them at once; when 

 they fall over, they lose vitality, and 

 as a rule these are the first to get red 

 spider and black spot, two things hard 

 to conquer at the same time. 



A paper read by Hans Jepsen at the nipeting 

 "f the Commercial Flower Growers' Assodfltion 

 "' riiicago November 20. 



For spot on mums I believe the copper 

 ammonia solution the best; for spider, 

 good water pressure. When aphids make 

 their appearance, I believe fumigating 

 to be the most efficient remedy, as the 

 fumes reach down into the crown; be- 

 sides, butterflies and millets are also 

 killed by the fumes. 



When spraying is done, I like to start 

 about 2 p. m. and lower the vents to 

 about three inches, as this helps to keep 

 the odor in the house. In Denmark 

 much fish-oil soap with nicotine is used 

 for spraying and is effective and harm- 

 less. Hydrocyanic acid gas is good, but 

 dangerous. I do not care to recommend 

 it, but use it myself when it is necessary. 



Spraying Important. 



In summer I spray my mums overhead 

 three or four times daily. Insects can- 

 not live where there is sufficient mois- 

 ture in the air. We have passed through 

 a dry, hot summer, and my mums have 

 had but one fumigation and are per- 

 fectly clean. They have never been 

 syringed and have no spider. 



Spraying daily early in the season 

 will do away with much labor when the 

 mums come into bud. When grass- 

 hoppers and leaf rollers make their ap- 

 pearance, I use arsenate of lead. I do 

 not favor Paris green; it burns too easily 

 on a hot day. When August comes 

 around I apply a mulch of either cow or 

 sheep manure; both are good. Remem- 

 ber the mum is a gross feeder. From 

 August on the plants are active and 

 need much food. In Europe we used a 

 great deal of night soil and guano, these 

 two being cheap years ago. 



It takes a strong plant to produce 



a first-class flower; when the bud is 

 about half-grown the plant will need 

 more food, and when the petals com- 

 mence to loosen, raise the temperature 

 to 52 degrees at night to give the flow- 

 ers the right color and size. When the 

 blooms are matured, cool off a few days 

 before cutting. 



Taking the Bud. 



Do you know that some growers lose 

 out when it comes to the time to take 

 the bud? I have known men to say: 

 "We will take the next bud; we are too 

 busy now." In most cases the crown 

 bud is the best; in some the terminal 

 bud is used. There is a big difference 

 between the two. A crown bud is the 

 third bud and the end of a season's 

 growth. A terminal bud is borne on 

 a growth coming from beneath the 

 ,crown bud when not disbudded. When 

 crown buds are wanted, be on the job 

 and be extremely careful, lest in a few 

 days the terminal buds get the best of it. 



I believe you have all read articles 

 about packing in our trade papers. It 

 is brought up every year and is most 

 important. There are too many flowers 

 coming to the market spoiled in packing. 

 Putting too many in a box is poor policy. 

 Mums should be handled less than any 

 other flower, but, it seems, get the 

 most abuse. 



Pompons. 



Pompons are treated like the large 

 mums while young, with the exception 

 that one must keep on pinching to get 

 as bushy a plant as possible by July. 

 After that let them go, and they will do 

 the rest. When spring comes, my pom- 



Chrysaatbrmum House at Range of E. H. Montgomery, Fairfield, la. 



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