Chrysanthemums Without Glass— R.M.Mitchell, 



THE LARGE FLOWERED TYPES SUCCESSFULLY GROWN IN THE OPEN 

 — THE YEAR'S ROUTINE — SELECTED LIST OF AVAILABLE VARIETIES 



I HAVE been quite successful in raising 

 the larger flowered chrysanthemums 

 without the aid of glass. I have tried 

 nearly every variety that has come to 

 my attention, and I have made a selection, 

 from the whole, of those that can be handled 

 most easily because they seem to have hard- 

 ier or more sturdy constitutions. In the 

 table which accompanies this article I have 

 selected those varieties which I have found 

 to be preeminently the best. Of course, 

 in other sections these lists may be some- 

 what modified, and farther north the 

 list may have to be reduced. Only exper- 

 ience can tell. I recommend those who 

 live north of Baltimore to use only the 

 early blooming varietes for outdoor culti- 

 vation, lifting the plants and potting them 

 just before they come into full bloom. If 

 late varieties are used, they would have 

 to be potted considerably in advance of 

 their blooming dates. Farther south 

 than Baltimore even much later varieties 

 could be used. The man who has a green- 

 house available can simply suit his own 

 fancy in selecting from the host of varieties 

 to be seen on exhibition tables; but I 

 and a good many other readers of The 

 Garden Magazine, must confine our 

 attention to these hardier types. I no 

 longer envy the greenhouse owner the 

 fine blooms he has in the fall. I have 

 them myself, and so can you, too, if you 

 will but devote just a little time to the 



plants every day from the beginning of the 

 season in January. 



Really good sturdy plants with strong 

 stems and foliage in November 

 are the result of cuttings r 



rooted in January, if possi- ^c " 



f 



i 



M* 



Plant of single chrysanthemum Catherine Living- 

 stone, three days after being lifted into a pot 



ble, but at all events be 



fore the middle of April. 



You can get flowers 



from cuttings rooted as 



late as July and under 



favorable circumstances 



even in August, but 



these later plants will be y,< 



small and lacking in vigor. 



It is the steady growth in the early 



spring months, when they are building up a 



root system, that tells in the final result. 



Young cuttings can be grown on in the 



dwelling house in the window garden, by 



keeping sufficent humidity in the air; but 



better still, plant them in the hotbed with 



soil about eight inches deep. Set out the 



young plants ten inches apart each way and 



have a soil that is loose, friable and composed 



largely of leafmold. Keep the roots moist, 



not wet, and under no circumstances give 



fertilizers at this stage. 



PLANTING OUT 



North of Baltimore it would be safe to 

 set the plants in the open from the middle of 

 April to the first of May, depending upon 

 weather conditions. Wait until all danger 

 from frost is past. By that time, they will 

 have made considerable growth, and some 

 pruning will be necessary. Plan exactlv 

 what you expect to make of each plant 

 before you set it out; (i. e., whether it is to 

 be grown as a bush with a multitude of 

 flowers; to a single stem, maturing one 

 enormous flower; or to several stems, each 

 to produce a large flower), and prune 

 accordingly. For a bush cut off the top 

 when the plant is about eight inches high, 

 allow the three or four branches immedi- 

 ately below the cut- to grow until they 

 are about six inches long, then cut off 

 their heads. Continue this process until 

 about August ioth, but not later. 



For a single stem, all branch growth must 

 be pruned off as fast as it appears. 



If the plant is to carry more than one 

 bloom, pinch out the centre when it is about 

 eight inches high, allow the development 

 of the number of breaks (branches) that 

 you desire to bloom, and keep them, as well 

 as the main stalk, free from any further 

 branches. 



INCREASING THE STOCK 



The larger cuttings thus taken off may 

 be used to increase your stock of plants. 

 Prepare a flat with clean sand, to be kept 

 moist at all times; insert the cuttings in this 

 sand, pressing it firmly around them. Cut 



137 



The decorative value of the naturaUy grown flowers 

 is very great. They are small, but borne in profusion 



off all leaves but the pair at the top of 

 the cutting, and shorten these to about half 

 their size (this to reduce the evaporating 

 surface). Keep the flat in a sunny place, 

 ata temperature of from 50 to 70 degrees. F., 

 and in from eight to twenty days, de- 

 pending upon the variety, your cuttings 

 will be rooted, and ready to transplant. 

 Plant out in a sunny location, and allow 

 at least two feet each way between the 

 plants. The ideal soil is a light loam, with 

 plenty of leafmold worked in. A stake, 

 four to six feet high (depending upon the 

 variety), should be driven firmly into the 

 ground close to the stem of each plant as it is 

 set out, and as the plant grows it should be 

 tied to its stake at intervals about a foot 

 apart. Be sure that the stake does not 



