338 



THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



water and the consequent admission of air which follows. In no other way can healthy 

 growth within the soil and above it be produced. 



The plants must be shifted before the roots coil closely and firmly round the 

 pots, and the soil containing them must be moist but not wet. If clean pots were 

 previously used, not a fibre will be left behind in their removal, but if they were 

 dirty inside, several roots may be torn away. Mortar rubbish over the crocks is 

 good as drainage, but avoid using broken bones, for some of these do much more harm 

 than good. Cover the drainage with some of the most fibrous of the compost and 

 set the plant on a small firm mound, exactly in the centre of the pot, spreading the roots 

 loosened from the crocks evenly all round. Apply the fresh soil in layers and make it 

 quite firm with a heavy flattened "potting stick." Finish off neatly and firmly, leav- 

 ing the full depth of the rim of the pot or more, for watering purposes. Affix a stake 

 at once, long enough to support the plant up to the first natural break. The stem must 

 be made secure against winds and crookedness. 



The positions assigned the plants ought to be sheltered from cold and rough winds. 

 At the same time it is possible to choose a too cosy site, in which the growth may 

 be too soft and weak to be satisfactory. Mildew is more liable to be troublesome in 

 low, damp positions, than on a higher and more exposed site. Arrange the plants 

 according to their known habit of growth, in double or single lines so as not to shade 

 each other. "Worms must be kept out of the soil by setting the pots on boards, or a 

 thick bed of coarse ashes ; into which, however, the roots must not pass through the 

 drainage. "Water ought not to be needed for three days or so after re-potting, but the 

 soil and roots must not be allowed to become so dry as to cause nagging of the leaves. 

 Several light syringings for arresting evaporation, are preferable to making the new soil 

 sour by an excess of water. The water supply must increase with the extension 

 of roots and the evaporating surfaces of the ever-increasing number of leaves. Those 

 who judge the most accurately as to when to give and when to withhold water, are the 

 best growers of chrysanthemums. 



Timing the Buds. 



The most successful exhibitors of chrysanthemum blooms are not necessarily those 

 who grow the larger number of plants, and it is a mistake to have more than can be pro- 

 perly attended to. Success is more a question of studying the habits and characteristics 

 of the varieties, and paying strict attention to "timing the buds." The object is to 



