CHRYSANTHEMUM 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



309 



Many of the midseason varieties are good for Thanks- 

 giving and after if planted late. Elmek D. Smith. 



Subsection V. — Culture of Chrysanthemmns for 

 MlxhiMtion, 



This branch of cultivation naturally requires more 

 care than any other, and the cultural side counts for 

 very little compared with the personal qualities of the 

 exhibitor after the fls. are delivered at the exhibition 

 hall. Prize-winning is more like business than floricul- 

 ture, and is, therefore, largely a matter of experience. 

 It is hard to extricate any fundamental principles, but 

 some suggestions are made under JSxhibitions. Many 

 towns have never seen any kind of a flower show but a 

 Chrysanthemum show. Tlie prizes are often larger and 

 more specialized than with any other flower. As soon as 

 the schedule of prizes is published the competitor 

 should pick out the classes he intends to try for. The 

 importance of strong stock can hardly be overstated. 

 Novelties or highly forced plants are more likely to 

 give poor results than selected stock carefully grown by 

 the competitor himself. Next to a general comprehen- 

 sion of Chrysanthemum culture, perhaps the two most 

 important factors in success are the quality of stock and 

 the choice of variety. In the biggest exhibitions, novel- 

 ties are classed by themselves. One of the commonest 

 mistakes that beginners make is to depend too much 

 upon novelties for general prizes. It is desirable to ex- 

 change visits with other growers, to take the horticul- 

 tural periodicals, to master the art of shipping, and to 

 study the analysis of successful varieties. To meet a de- 

 sired date, crown buds can be used to hasten late varieties. 



As the century closes the varieties that win the most prizes 

 are : White — Mrs. Henry Robinson, Mayflower, Xiveus, The 

 Queen, Mrs. Jerome Jones, Our^Iutual Friend; Yellow— 'Ma.jor 

 Bonnaffon, Modesto, W. H. Lincoln, (.xolden Wedding, Miss 

 Georgiana Pitcher ; P^lnA:— Viviand-Morel, Mrs. Perrin, Maud 

 Dean; ii^ed— Geo. W. Childs. -^^ ]yj^ 



SECTION II.-CULTUEE OF MARGUERITES INDOORS. 

 There are two types of Marguerites, the common one, 

 or Paris Daisy, with coarser green foliage, and the 

 glaucous Marguerites, with finer cut, glaucous foliage. 

 The former, C. frutescens, is better for cut-flowers. 

 The latter, C. anetJiifoliuiii , is probably better for large 

 specimens. Marguerites are standard plants with flo- 

 rists and in the conservatories of amateurs, being of 

 easy culture and remarkably free from enemies. They 

 are cultivated for two distinct purposes, — for cut-flow- 

 ers and for specimen plants, young plants being used 

 for the former purpose, and older ones for the lat- 

 ter. For cut-flowers, the cuttings are rooted in spring, 

 and the florists usually keep the plants in pots all sum- 

 mer outdoors, though this is not necessary for amateurs, 

 and fls. are produced during the following winter. It is 

 sometimes said that Marguerites do not lift well in the 

 fall after being planted out all summer in the garden, 

 and that unrestricted root-room makes the plants too 

 large for the best production of cut-flowers. The prin- 

 ciples underlying the matter are as follows : in turning 

 plants out of pots into the open ground in 

 spring, a plant that has fllled its pot well 

 with roots tends to make a much more 

 compact root-system in the garden than the 

 plant that had but a few roots in its pot, 

 and the former plant is easily lifted in the 

 fall and with less damage to the roots. As 

 a matter of fact. Marguerites do not belong 

 to the class of plants that are dif&cult to lift 

 in the fall, and it is only a matter of start- 

 ing the cuttings early enough in spring to 

 get the plant moderately pot-bound before 

 it is planted out into the open ground. 

 Specimen plants are most attractive in the 

 second winter following the spring in which 

 cuttings were struck. After that they are 

 likely to become too large and straggling. 

 While in the garden the fls. should not be 

 allowed to form, if the main object is high- 

 grade cut-flowers in quantity for the winter. 

 Old plants that are unfit for further use in 

 the conservatory may be turned out in sum- 

 mer and will furnish scattering bloom all 

 summer, though the fls. are likely to be 



rather small. If there were sufficient demand it could 

 be easily managed to have fis. in every month of the 

 year. It is a great pity to cut Marguerites without any 

 foliage. The rule is that all fls. look best with some fo- 

 liage, especially their own. With a little forethought, 

 just as many fls. can be secured, and they will look 

 much prettier and last longer. There are very few con- 

 servatories without some Marguerites. An excellent 

 plan is to have a number of plants in 6-inch pots from 

 cuttings struck the previous spring. A plant looks 

 bad at first when the fls. have been removed on sprays 

 a foot long, but in a short time they are ready for cut- 

 ting again. With a little management a succession of 

 fls. can be maintained without making all the plants 

 thin or unsightly. Such sprays will last a week or two 

 in water, and the opening of the larger buds is an addi- 

 tional feature of beauty which is lost if fls. are cut with 

 short stems and without foliage. Robert Shore. 



.SECTION in.-CULTURE OP CHRYSANTHEMUMS 

 OUT OF DOORS. 



The oldest of the outdoor types are the Pompons 

 (Fig. 150 ) , which produce from 40-100 buttons an inch 

 or two across, with short and regular rays. Such plants 

 can be left outdoors all winter. A selection of these old- 

 fashioned kinds is given on page 308, under head of " (8) 

 Pompon." Since the large-flowering or Japanese types 

 have come in, numberless attempts have been made to 

 grow them outdoors, but with poor results. The green- 

 house varieties are not so hardy. In the north they are 

 likely to be killed by the winter. Their fls. usually lack 

 in size, depth and symmetry, largely because there are 

 more of them on a plant than a florist allows for his best 

 blooms, but chiefly because they do not get as much care 

 in general as is given to plants under glass, where 

 space is precious. For the very best results. Chrysan- 

 themums must be flowered under glass, and they need 

 the greatest care and forethought practically all the 

 year round. Half-way measures are unsatisfactory. 

 Thus it happens that the Japanese varieties are usually 

 unsatisfactory out of doors, and the Pompons are chosen 

 by those who can give very little care to plants and 

 would rather have many small fls. than a few large ones. 

 This also partly explains why no two dealers recommend 

 anything like the same list of Japanese varieties for 

 outdoor culture. Nevertheless, it is possible to grow ex- 

 cellent fls. 4 and 5 or even 6 in. across outdoors, but it 

 requires staking, disbudding, and some kind of tem- 

 porary protection, as of a tent or glass, during frosty 

 weather. Pig. 458 shows a cheap and simple structure 

 of coldframe sashes resting on a temporary framework. 

 In severe weather a canvas curtain can be dropped in 

 front, and the window of a warm cellar in the rear 

 opened to temper the air. Fig. 458 is taken from Gar- 

 den and Forest 1 :523, where J. N. Gerard has left a de- 

 tailed and delightful account of his success, which is 

 sure to rouse the enthusiasm of expert amateurs. For 

 general outdoor culture, however, where no special care 



458. Suggestion tor protectmg Chrysanthemums that are to bloom outdoois 



