PLANTING LIST 329 



Centaurea, see Corn-flower. 



Chard, or Swiss Chard: A hardy vegetable which has recently 

 become popular, and rightly so. All summer it will yield greens, 

 as well as firm white stalks, for the table. There are two or three 

 kinds ; the best has a dark green glossy leaf, with broad and white 

 stalks. Sow thinly in earliest spring in rows a foot or more apart, 

 after soaking the seed. Do not thin till the plants are nearly six 

 inches tall, when the thinnings may be eaten. Thin again until 

 the plants stand a foot apart. Feed with top-dressing, and with 

 nitrate of soda every fortnight. Pick the leaves as needed, taking 

 care not to exhaust the plants. There are no troublesome pests or 

 diseases. 



Chives, or Chive, or Cive : A hardy plant of the onion family, 

 perennial, growing in clumps which spread rapidly and are easily 

 divided. It is frequently sold in provision stores in spring. Planted 

 in a damp rich soil it lives from year to year, and is often handsome 

 with blue flowers which bear no seed. It is used for flavoring. 



Chrysanthemums : These fall into two classes, annual and peren- 

 nial. Both are hardy. 



Annual Chrysanthemums: Mostly single flowers, the blooms 

 mostly white and the yellows, with dark centers, hardy, and easily 

 grown from seed. Among them is the Shasta Daisy. They are fine 

 for cutting, or for massing in the garden, and they bloom from July 

 till after frost. Their height ranges from one to three feet. Sow 

 under glass in April, outdoors in May, and set out from one to two 

 feet apart, according to the size of the variety. The soil need not 

 be rich. 



Perennial Chrysanthemums: These are among the finest flowers 

 that grow, though chiefly the Japanese and the pompon kinds are 

 suited for the garden. They may be raised from seed, like the 

 annuals, but are most easily grown from root divisions. Japanese 

 varieties are late, though recent varieties flower as early as August. 

 For a flower requiring little care, and blooming at a time when almost 

 all other flowers are gone, the pompon chrysanthemum cannot be 

 too highly praised. It likes sun and a rich soil, but requires no 



