422 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



heat, or the pots may be placed under a hand- 

 light or small frame, where they can be kept 

 close until rooted. If well watered when 

 planted, they will not require more until rooted. 

 No attempt should be made to force the cuttings 

 into growth in any way. 



In a month they may be potted into 4-inch 

 pots in a soil consisting of three parts fibry loam, 

 one part leaf-soil, and one part rotten manure, 

 sand, and wood ashes, placing them in a house or 

 frame, and keeping them close for two or three 

 days. By the middle of April another shift 

 may be given into 5-inch pots. It is better to 

 under-pot rather than over-pot at this stage. 

 The compost preferred by one of the most suc- 

 cessful growers is three parts fibrous loam, one 

 part leaf- mould, two parts well -decomposed 

 stable manure, a good sprinkling of silver sand, 

 some sifted lime rubbish, with the addition of 

 1 pound weight of dissolved bones and bone- 

 meal to each bushel of the compost. The soil 

 should be pressed firmly into the pots. If con- 

 venient, the plant should stand in a frame for a 

 few days after repotting, and then be placed in 

 the open on a bed of cinder ashes. If this shift 

 has been given in May, and the plants are placed 

 in the open within a week, protection against 

 frost should be at hand. Early in July the final 

 shift should be given, provided that the roots 

 have reached the sides of the present pots. The 

 compost for this shift should be the same as 

 that used for the previous one. It should be 

 prepared quite a month before being used, and 

 be turned two or three times. The pots for 

 the final shift may be 7-inch to 9-inch. Perfect 

 drainage an inch deep is necessary. The soil 

 should be well rammed, and a space of about 2 

 inches left for water. Too much stress cannot be 

 laid upon the importance of firm potting at this 

 stage. The plants may now be placed in lines in 

 the open, so that sunlight and air may have free 

 access to them. Staking and security against 

 winds and storms should have due attention. 

 These directions are for the cultivation of the 

 Incurved, Japanese, Reflexed, and large Ane- 

 mone-flowered sections. 



Pompons. — The cuttings of these should be 

 taken in January or February. A bushy habit 

 should be aimed at, but if grown for exhibition 

 blooms, disbudding must be practised; terminal 

 rather than crown buds produce the best blooms, 

 and they should be selected from the middle of 

 August to the middle of September according 

 to the variety and the season. 



Early -flowering Chrysanthemums. — These are 

 mainly Japanese varieties, but some are Pom- 



pons, and a few it is difficult to classify. 

 They are mainly of dwarf-bushy growth, free 

 of flower, and they require little if any disbud- 

 ding. For cutting for market and for decora- 

 tive purposes they are invaluable. Cuttings 

 of these need not be struck until February or 

 March, and as soon as they are strong enough 

 they may be planted out in the open in a shel- 

 tered position. It is well to stop the leading 

 shoots two or three times. They are very use- 

 ful in the flower border, flowering in July and 

 August. They are also grown in pots for the 

 conservatory in early autumn. 



Single -flowered Chrysanthemums. — There are 

 many pretty varieties of these, both large and 

 small flowered. The cuttings should be struck 

 in March, and when strong enough planted out 

 in the open, stopping the shoots if they make 

 long breaks. The later-flowering varieties may 

 be lifted and potted to bloom in February. Or, 

 instead of planting out in the open, they may 

 be grown on in pots, stopping the shoots when 

 6 inches high. With care it is possible to have 

 nice specimens in 6-inch pots that will flower 

 freely. 



Housing the plants. — As they need warmth 

 and a dry atmosphere to produce fine blooms 

 and keep down mildew, an early vinery may 

 be utilized for the purpose, although a plant- 

 house which can be wholly devoted to the pur- 

 pose is best. By the first week in October, even 

 in the driest parts of the country, the plants 

 should be under protection. The varieties 

 earliest to flower may occupy the coolest and 

 shadiest parts of the house; the later-flowering, 

 the warmest and most airy. One well-known 

 cultivator recommends that " after the house is 

 filled and the foliage has become perfectly dry, 

 choose a still night, shut the house up close 

 any time after the sun has ceased to shine upon 

 it, and give it a thorough fumigation with 

 nicotine or 'XL All' Vaporizing Compound. 

 The ventilators should be reopened as soon as 

 the fumes have passed away, say four hours or 

 so after fumigating." Plenty of air should be 

 given both night and day, but the side venti- 

 lators should be closed at night against damp 

 air. In dull cold weather a little fire-heat may be 

 put on merely to dry up moisture and assist the 

 expansion of the blooms. Watering should be 

 done early in the day, and unnecessary wetting 

 of the foliage should be avoided. Stimulants, 

 such as weak guano-water, should be used with 

 caution. 



"If flowers are required for exhibition, and 

 are likely to be ready too soon, they may be cut 



