November, 190." 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



163 



221. By pinching out the tip of the main stem 

 when it is well started a plant liKe this is produced. 

 You thus get fairly large flowers. Florists allow only 

 the main stem to grow, producing only one flower 



An observant gardener can tell of course by 

 the color and general appearance of the 

 foliage whether the plant is assimilating 

 proper nutriment or whether to let up or to 

 give some quick-acting fertilizer. That is a 

 matter of experience, not book knowledge. 



Naturalists tell us that the atmosphere is 

 full of the spores of fungi. This is a fact 

 which is usually borne in on the cultivator 

 some day in late August, when a cold dash of 

 rain will start fungus beautifully on the 

 leaves of the chrysanthemum. For this the 



cultivator must ever be on the lookout, and at 

 once wage war with the sulphur bag or 

 bellows. Aphides there will be for the untidy, 

 careless cultivator. I have grown my share, 

 but offer no excuses for such easily reduced 

 foes. Tobacco dust or kerosene emulsion 

 will conquer them, but it is generally best to 

 use the former late in the season. 



Successful chrysanthemum culture, even 

 outdoors, where we do not seek to raise the ex- 

 hibition blooms, means a deal of attention to 

 the growing plants. Of course, while his plants 

 are growing the cultivator will judiciously thin 

 out superfluous growths and cut back, to pro- 

 duce the number of stems which he thinks 

 are proper for his plant. That is a matter 

 for individual judgment and taste. When 

 the first cool days of fall arrive the chrysanthe- 

 mum man can keep fairly warm walking 

 around his plants as he judiciously dis- 

 buds, a matter which requires taste and 

 experience. 



If one is not an enthusiast on large 

 flowers there is huge satisfaction to be 

 got from the fine effects of sprays, with less 

 rigor of disbudding. You may take your 

 choice — it's smaU flowers in abundance or 

 a very few large blooms. To me distinct- 

 ness of form and good coloration are more 

 important than great size, while rigidity of 

 stem is not a line of beauty. The picture of 

 small plants which have been rather thor- 

 oughly disbudded for large flowers does not 

 fascinate me. But it is one of the great real 

 charms of gardening that each one of us may 

 indulge his own pet fancy without causing 

 offense to others, and we are all content to 

 have in our neighbors' gardens what we 

 would not tolerate in our own. Therefore 

 let me have my chrysanthemums with plenty 

 of flowers. 



There is no disguising the fact that the 

 grower of late fall flowers like the chrysanthe- 

 mum requires certain qualities of vigor and 

 enthusiasm not too generally distributed, but 



222. If pinched earlier the plant would be more 

 bushy without the straight stem at the bottom. By pinch- 

 ing the secondary shoots about August 1st, you gel 

 still more but smaller flowers 



the results are profitable and the work need 

 not be necessarily harassing. At this time, 

 when the cultivation of the chrysanthemum 

 is usually conducted on commercial lines, the 

 cultivator with taste has a chance to show his 

 individuality by selecting and growing the 

 less-known kinds and working up a fall show 

 certain to attract the attention and apprecia- 

 tion of real flower fanciers. If one cannot 

 grow masses one might devote himself to 

 producing a dozen or two large plants in pots. 

 Such plants well grown are as useful as they 

 are ornamental. 



223. Chrysanthemums of all sorts can be grown in this way, and their variety is remarKable. The commercial florist's ideals have so dominated chrysanthemum 

 growing that hundreds of beautiful forms and colors which, however, won't ship well, are now rarely seen. Nothing else gives so many flowers during the early 

 frosts after the tender plants have been Killed 



