142 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



any Chrysanthemums thoroughly well, freedom from insect or 

 fungoid pests and generous treatment are absolutely essential. 

 In pinching or taking out the tops of the Japanese varieties in 

 April or May, it is well to cut the shoots back 2in. or 3in. 

 These points make splendid cuttings, and will root readily if 

 placed in a cool close frame, in the compost already described. 

 Immediately it is observed that the cuttings have rooted, ventila- 

 tion should be given gradually, and the plants kept strong and 

 short-jointed, pinching out all side-shoots as they appear, and 

 only permitting one stem to grow. When the cutting-pot is well 

 filled with roots, a shift into a 5 in. or 6in. pot should be 

 given ; in this the plant should flower. By confining the growth to 

 one stem, a short, strong plant, about ift. high, and with one 

 large, well-coloured flower at the top, will be the result. These 

 little plants are very useful for room-decoration, as they fit very 

 well into vases, and continue fresh for a week or longer. 

 More than one flower-bud will form, but all except the largest 

 and best buds should be removed. 



By sowing seed there is always a chance of raising new 

 varieties equal to, and sometimes distinct from, existing varieties. 

 Most of the leading seedsmen now advertise seed for sale. The 

 best time to sow is in January or February, placing it in gentle 

 heat to germinate, and afterwards keeping the seedlings close to 

 the glass. Potting should be done as often as necessary, until 

 finally the plants are in yin. or 8in pots, in which they should 

 flower. It is always advisable to pot all the seedlings, however 

 weak and delicate they may appear, as there is often the very 

 best amongst the weakest, and to throw such away as worthless 

 might be the means of discarding the only good variety in the 

 whole batch. On the other hand, equally as satisfactory varieties 

 occasionally originate from strong and moderately strong-growing 

 varieties, showing the uncertainty of pinning faith to either strong 

 or weak ones as the most likely to produce anything specially 

 noteworthy. As a rule, the blossoms the first year are very 

 disappointing, the major .portion of the flowers coming single 

 and semi-double, and a novice would probably throw them all 

 away ; this is a mistake to be avoided, for out of a large 

 quantity raised from seed, the writer has never found a really 

 good flower the first year. The better plan is to carefully select 

 those combining good colour and width of flower with the largest 

 number of petals or florets, and from such take cuttings in 

 November, growing them on in the usual manner. If any of 



