POPULAR GARDEN PLANTS. 



423 



with stems a foot long two days before they are 

 fully expanded, and put in water in a dry, dark, 

 and cool place. It is easier to keep a flower a 

 week than to push it on so as to gain a day. A 

 flower is at its best when it has all the centre 

 florets well up, and none of the basal florets 

 have begun to decay." 



Such important matters as stopping, taking 

 the bud, and whether crown or terminal buds 

 are preferable, can be determined by a know- 

 ledge of the varieties gained only by experience. 

 Mr. H. J. Jones has laid down the following 

 general principles : " Respecting the early-flower- 

 ing section, the varieties should be allowed 

 to break naturally, and many of them being 

 branching in their habit of growth, they con- 

 tinue to develop shoots until the terminal buds 

 appear; in cases where the buds are thickly 

 displayed, a few of these should be rubbed out; 

 but in many cases the foot-stalks continue to 

 grow, and at length each flower is developed 

 upon a long stem. There are three kinds of buds 

 known to Chrysanthemum growers: the break 

 bud, formed the second or third week in May; 

 the removal of this bud causes the plant to make 

 several shoots, and the grower should select 

 from three to six of these according to the 

 number of flowers he wishes the plant to pro- 

 duce, removing all the rest. At the tips of 

 these shoots the second bud will be formed, 

 and this is known as the crown bud; as a 

 ganeral rule this bud gives the largest and best 

 flower. When this bud appears, which should 

 be in August, all the shoots round it should be 

 removed, so that the whole force in the shoots 

 may go to the development of the bud it carries. 

 Should the crown bud appear before August, 

 remove it, and allow only one of the shoots 

 around it to grow. This as a rule gives a second 

 crown bud, but sometimes it forms a third kind, 

 termed the terminal bud, and known by having 

 a cluster of small buds round it instead of shoots." 



Insect Pests. — Chrysanthemums are subject to 

 the attacks of green and black fly; an effectual 

 remedy is one of the insect powders prepared 

 for the purpose. Frequent syringing, in warm 

 dry weather, also helps to keep fly under. The 

 earwig, if not kept down by means of traps, is 

 a source of trouble, injuring the buds and young 

 shoots. A small bug or fly which lodges about 

 the points of the young shoots should be exter- 

 minated. A white thrips is occasionally trouble- 

 some during dry weather; it may be kept in 

 check by syringing the plants with soot-water. 

 The leaf-miner sometimes attacks Chrysanthe- 

 mums (see p. 83). 



A fungus disease known as rust affects the 

 tissues of the leaves, and, forming spores which 

 ripen and burst, is carried about in the atmos- 

 phere. As soon as the presence of the rust is 

 noticed, any plants affected by it should be 

 isolated, the spotted leaves removed and burned, 

 and the plants then be sprayed with sulphide 

 of potassium, a half-ounce of it being dissolved 

 in a gallon of water. This has been found a 

 thorough cure if the plants be taken in hand as 

 soon as the rust is perceived. (See also Chapter 

 XIII. on " Fungus Diseases "). 



Seedlings. — It is difficult to secure home-saved 

 seeds, as they do not ripen freely during the 

 winter months. When obtained they should be 

 sown in March in gentle heat. The seedlings, 

 if well managed, may flower in the November 

 following, but a second season's growth is needed 

 to reveal their true character. New varieties 

 are also obtained by sports, termed by the 

 botanist bud variations. Without any apparent 

 cause a plant will develop a shoot which differs 

 from all the rest, it may be in leaf or flower, 

 in form or colour, or both, and this shoot, if 

 removed and treated as a cutting or a graft, 

 will probably have all its characters fixed and 

 perpetuated. The same variety of Chrysan- 

 themum has been known to sport in several 

 widely separated places simultaneously. Many 

 of the best varieties have been obtained in this 

 way. 



Grafted Chrysanthemums. — The Paris Daisy, 

 C. frutescens, has been used as a stock for the 

 Chinese Chrysanthemums. Val d'Andorre, 

 grafted on to this stock, grew in two years 

 nearly 9 feet through, and bore 790 well-formed 

 flowers. The graft was made in January, and 

 the plant was shifted on until, when about 

 twenty months old, it was planted in a tub a 

 yard across. The Paris Daisy is recommended 

 as a strengthening stock for weakly seedlings. 



Selection of Fifty Japanese Varieties. 



Australian Gold. — Canary -yellow ; line exhibition 

 variety. 



Australie. — Rosy-amaranth suffused with white. 



C. F. Payne. — Yellow, striped red ; fine exhibition 

 variety. 



Charles Davis. — Rich rosy-bronze, sport from Viviand 

 Morel. 



Duke of Wellington. — Buff, deeply shaded with salmon. 



Edith Tabor. — Pale-yellow, long drooping florets. 



Edwin Molyneux. — Rich crimson, gold reverse, broad 

 florets. 



Ella Curtis. — Golden-yellow shaded with chestnut. 



Emily Salisbury. — Pure white, large. 



Eva Knowles. — Orange-red shaded deep-red. 



G.J, Warren. — Pale-yellow, sport from Madame Carnot. 



