OCTOBER 137 



as a door-mat, like Iris graminia. The Michaelmas 

 Daisies of the Novce Anglioe section make root tufts too 

 close and hard to be cut with a knife, and here the 

 chopper of the plasterer's hammer comes in. Where 

 the crowns are closely crowded, as in this Aster, I find 

 it best to chop at the bottom of the tuft, among the 

 roots ; when the chopper has cut about two-thirds 

 through, the tuft can be separated with the hands, 

 dividing naturally between the crowns, whereas if 

 chopped from the top many crowns would have been 

 spoilt. 



Tritomas want dividing with care ; it always looks 

 as if one could pull every crown apart, but there is a 

 tender point at the " collar," where they easily break 

 off short ; with these also it is best to chop from below 

 or to use the chisel, making the cut well down in the 

 yellow rooty region. Veratrums divide much in the 

 same way, wanting a careful cut low down, the points 

 of their crowns being also very easy to break off. The 

 Christmas Rose is one of the most awkward plants to 

 divide successfully. It cannot be done in a hurry. 

 The only safe way is to wash the clumps well out 

 and look carefully for the points of attachment, and 

 cut them either with knife or chisel, according to their 

 position. In this case the chisel should be narrower 

 and sharper. Three-year-old tufts of St. Bruno's Lily 

 puzzled me. at first. The rather fleshy roots are so 

 tightly interlocked that cutting is out of the question ; 

 but I found out that if the tuft is held tight in the 



