Mat, 1906 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



213 



can harmonize, or be made to live peaceably 

 as near neighbors. 



COLORS WHICH DO NOT BLEND 



Avoiding combinations of the primary 

 colors, the step from one to another is made 

 by means of the secondary color. For in- 

 stance, pass from yellow to red by means of 

 orange, from blue to yellow by means of 

 green, and from blue to red by means of 

 lavender or purple. This is not the easiest 

 thing to do when planting; even a skilled 

 colorist, working with paints on canvas, 

 finds it hard, and it would be hopeless for 

 the gardener to attempt, were it not for the 

 ever obliging and convenient white. Use 

 white flowers freely, for they offer the only 

 practicable color foils for the garden. 



ESSENTIALS OF CULTIVATION 



Success in growing hardy perennial plants 

 of any sort rests upon the thoroughness of 



the preparation of the bed before they are 

 planted. 



The ground must be well dug. Two feet 

 is none too deep to go, and into the loosened 

 soil, thoroughly work well-rotted horse or 

 cow manure — a layer six inches deep will 

 not be excessive. Make the earth firm, with 

 no hard lumps. If grass has been growing 

 on the place where the border is to be, chop 

 the sod into small pieces and spade it under 

 with the manure. 



PLANT EARLY 



Planting should be done in April, if pos- 

 sible, or very early in May at the latest. 



Set each plant deeply — right up to the 

 crown, but not covering it — and press the 

 earth firmly around the plant. Make no 

 mistake here : set them so firmly that a good 

 pull with one hand will not dislodge the 

 plant. 



The border being once planted and es- 



tablished, the first attention it needs each 

 spring, as soon as every plant has shown 

 even a tiny bit of its green head, will be the 

 loosening of the top soil by a light hoeing. 

 In this process the manure which it is usual 

 to spread in the fall may be worked under. 

 This done, the border takes care of itself, 

 except that weeds must be pulled and water 

 given. A light cultivation after rains (after 

 the surface is dried a little) will also help 

 wonderfully. Late afternoon is the proper 

 time to water, but give water at any time, 

 rather than let the plants suffer. 



ALL SNUG FOR WINTER 



In the fall, after the very last blossom has 

 passed, cut off the dead tops of everything 

 to within three inches of the ground, and 

 cover with a mulch of manure or dead leaves. 

 This feeds the plants, and also protects the 

 roots from heaving through alternate freez- 

 ing and thawing. 



The Art of Growing Exhibition Chrysanthemums— By I. L. Powell 



A MANUAL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MAMMOTH BLOOMS UNDER GLASS— MAY 1st THE LATEST 

 DATE FOR STARTING CUTTINGS, IF YOU WOULD WIN HONORS AT THE NOVEMBER SHOWS 



[Editor's Note — The author is superintendent for Mr. Samuel Thorne, at Millbrook, N. Y., and has a long record as a successful grower of exhibition 

 chrysanthemums. He grew and exhibited what good judges have declared to be the most perfect specimen plant ever seen in America. It measured nine feet 

 in diameter and four feet high; and carried at one time 324 good blooms.] 



TO GROW large specimen blooms of 

 chrysanthemums, cuttings can be made 

 and started any time between January ist and 

 May ist. With most varieties, those that 

 are started during March will give the best 



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The way to raise exhibition blooms. Single stem 

 plants growing on a bench, one bloom to a plant 



blooms, although good results may be had 

 from cuttings made as late as April 15th. 



STARTING THE CUTTINGS 



Propagation demands a bed of clean, 

 sharp sand, in a fairly light situation, where 

 a reasonably close atmosphere, with some 

 ventilation, and a temperature of 45 to 55 

 can be maintained. The regulation north- 

 side propagating house is good. I have 

 mad; an excellent propagating frame from a 



large box, about ten inches deep, boring 

 holes in the bottom, for drainage, putting in 

 three or four inches of sand, and after the 

 cuttings were in, covering the top with glass, 

 which could be removed, or raised, for ven- 

 tilation, as the occasion required. The 

 sand should be pounded firmly, before in- 

 serting the cuttings. Propagate from healthy 

 growths only, and place the cuttings in water 

 as soon as they are removed from the stock 

 plant, never allowing them to wilt. A good 

 cutting should be from two to three inches 

 long, having the two or three lower leaves 

 removed, and the remainder somewhat 

 shortened. Insert in the sand to a depth of 

 1 to i| inches, water thoroughly, shade from 

 bright sunshine, and ventilate sufficiently to 

 keep the air sweet. Cuttings should be well 

 rooted in from three to four weeks, and 

 should be potted as soon as the roots are 

 from one half inch to one inch long. 



When the plants are ready to be shifted 

 from their first pots, they may be planted in 

 the place where they are to be grown and 

 flowered. This may be in benches, boxes, 

 or six-inch pots, although plants for growing 

 in six-inch pots are better for being started 

 about the middle to last of April. For the 

 amateur or private gardener, boxes about 

 four feet long, that will accommodate from 

 six to ten plants, are very convenient. By 

 growing only one variety in a box, the plants 

 may be taken to a cool house or storage room 

 when the blooms are perfectly developed, 

 and cut as needed, whereas if grown in 

 benches, as soon as the blooms reach their 

 growth, they must be cut, or they will spoil. 



All pots, boxes, or benches in which chrys- 

 anthemums are to be grown, must be pro- 



vided with thorough drainage. This is 

 very important. For the bottom of the 

 smallest pots, a pinch of moss, or rough 

 material of any kind, will do, but at the 

 second, and all subsequent pottings, broken 

 crocks or coal clinkers should be used 

 liberally. Two inches of such material will 

 not be excessive for the largest size of pots, 

 boxes, or on the benches. 



The soil to be used for cuttings at the first 

 potting should consist of one-fifth clean sand 



A prize-winning "standard" on exhibition. Cuttings 

 for these largest plants should be rooted in January 



