114 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
Growing Chrysanthemums. 
Robert Blackwood, Lake Geneva, 
at Annual Convention. 
Chrysanthemums have been 
grown in this country for over 
one hundred years, and though 
each year sees them gaining in 
popularity, they are not receiving 
the interest these beautiful 
flowers deserve. The types are so 
different and the forms and col- 
ors so varied that they cannot but 
please even the most critical of 
flower lovers. The most distinct 
and most grown types are the 
large flowering, the single, the 
anemone and the pompon. All 
ai*e of easy culture and while they 
are seen at their best in green 
houses, even the best varieties of 
any of these types can be grown 
to near exhibition quality in cold 
frames. Everybody cannot have 
a greenhouse, but every flower 
loving member should have some 
cold frames and on this method 
of growing 1 will start. Frames 
should be of wood 18" high at the 
back and 12" high in front and 
made to fit three or four sash : V 
wide and 6' long. If 2" x 4" 
posts 3' above ground are put 
in at the outside corners the 
frame can easily be raised at any 
time during the growing season 
by adding boards to fill up under- 
neath. The plants that have 
given you satisfaction and that 
you intend growing another 
year should be cut down to the 
soil after flowering, taken out of 
the pots, some of the old soil re- 
moved and planted close together 
in the frame. Give them a 
thorough watering and make sure 
they are propeidy labeled with 
strong labels. Cover them over 
with dry leaves and put on the 
sash. Bank up the frame with 
leaves, straw or manure and 
cover over the sash with sacks or 
such like covering. If some air 
is given on warm days during 
winter that should be all that is 
necessary to carry them over win- 
ter nicely. In spring when dan- 
ger of hard frost is past the 
leaves and other covering should 
be removed, but be careful to 
cover over the sash on occasional 
cold nights. Pretty soon the 
plants will show growth and then 
is the time to select and cut off 
rooted suckers and put them into 
small pots or plant in the frame in 
rows 3" apart and 6" between the 
rows, adding a little sand to the 
roots while planting. In four or 
five weeks they will have made 
strong roots and should be trans- 
ferred to 4" pots using a fairly 
rich soil composed of say five 
parts fibrous sod with one part 
Avell rotted cow manure added. 
This is best prepared the previous 
fall, but any good soil with some 
bone meal added will grow nice 
plants. When the roots reach 
the sides of the pots and before 
they are potbound they should be 
potted into their flowering pots 
and 6" is a nice size. The pots 
can then be plunged to their rims 
in the frame if some stones or 
broken pots are put under the 
pots for drainage and do not over- 
crowd. When the plants are over 
3" high their tops should be 
pinched off to encourage side 
growths and every time the side 
growths are 3" long the tops 
should be pinched off until the 
1st of September, when they are 
allowed to grow. From the first 
of June until the middle of Sep- 
tember the sasli can be kept off 
entirely and after that plenty of 
air should be given when the tem- 
perature is over 45°. The cooler 
they are grown the more cold 
they will stand. If by chance a 
hard night’s frost catches them 
April, 1917 
uncovered, cover over the sash the 
.first thing in the morning to keep 
the sun out and let them thaw out 
in the dark in this way and a few 
degrees of frost wont hurt these 
cool grown plants even when in 
full flower. Give them plenty of 
water at all times and syringing 
on sunny forenoons during the 
summer is beneficial. Keep off 
green and black fly by dusting 
with tobacco dust or by spraying 
with one of the advertised insecti- 
cides. Chrysanthemums are lit- 
tle troubled with diseases, but 
should a little mildew appear on 
the plants a dusting of sulphur 
will check it. By growing early 
and late varieties you can have 
flowering plants from the first of 
October until into December for 
your home, and for your many 
friends, for with a surplus of such 
plants you will have many 
friends. 
Out door chrysanthemums are 
old time favorites and who does 
not remember Mother's or Grand- 
mother’s pompons. They are 
very hardy and after flowering a 
covering of branches and leaves 
will put them through an ordin- 
ary winter, but the better way is 
to lift them after flowering anil 
carry them over winter in frames 
as recommended for frame grow- 
ing. The roots can then be di- 
vided and planted out in spring in 
good soil and other than cultivat- 
ing and watering in very dry 
weather, they will require little 
attention. During the growing 
season a mulching of well rotted 
stable manure will help retain 
the moisture and strengthen the 
growth. When danger of frost 
comes a covering of cheesecloth to 
keep off frost and sun will pro- 
long their flowering season. At 
this time, too, a few plants put in 
pots will make very fine house 
plants. 
