( 'L AUKS V II/LE, TENN . 
31 
CHRYSANTHEMUM CULTURE. 
EW plants will exist under as much neg- 
lect as a Chrysantlieinum, and yet there 
is none more capable of being so highly 
developed than this now all popular 
plant. Out of the hundreds, probably 
thousands, of ladies and others that grow 
Chrysanthemums, only a very small pro- 
portion of them give them the proper 
treatment. In most cases after they set 
their plants out in the Spring, nothing 
further than a little working and weed- 
ing, and perchance a stake to keep them 
oft’ the ground, is about the sum and 
total of the cultivation they receive. 
With such treatment as this you may 
get a very showy plant in the Fall that 
to a majority of people would appear 
very pretty, but good flowers or handsome plants can never he attained in this 
way. It is not many years since it was said that the Chrysanthemum would 
not do well in the South, but our experience and the experience of others at 
various points throughout the entire South have completely refuted till that has 
been said in that direction. We believe on the contrary that the climate of the 
South is especially suited to its cultivation, and we are determined to prove it 
not only by our own practice here, blit by the care and cultivation our plants 
receive by all who follow our instruc- 
tions, and as an inducement to do this 
we offer some valuable premiums to 
the parties that send us the finest 
blooms next November. 
HOW IT IS DONE. 
In early Spring secure nice healthy 
young plants in a fresh growing con- 
dition. Avoid those that are rather 
large and have a hard woody stem. 
These are plants that were rooted in 
November and December and got 
stunted through the Winter, and on 
this account will not make a vigorous 
growth, and areaptto rustand become 
unhealthy long before the Summer is 
over. Better far secure a nice grow- 
ing plant with soft wood and in a 
healthy condition, if well rooted no 
matter how small, for it will soon 
grow off with much vigor, and if pro- 
perly cared for, will retain it all the 
Summer and look rich and luxuriant 
when the large hard wooded plants 
before mentioned look stunted and 
less vigorous. We grow all our large 
specimen plants from cuttings rooted Mrs. Carnasiie. 
in February and March. We give elsewhere a list of the different varieties best 
suited for a special object of culture. After selecting your plants, choose a nice 
open spot where they will have sunshine each day. Make the soil rich to a 
depth of at least eighteen inches with cow manure, and a little hone dust if at 
hand. If the soil has a tendency to be stiff or clayey, add a little sand to keep 
it porous, as the Chrysanthemum delights in a rich rather light soil. Set the 
plants carefully out, taking care that the roots are moist and in no way suffer- 
ing for want of water. As soon as your plants begin to grow, place a nice stake 
to each one. Allow only one shoot to grow, and when this lias attained the 
height of about eighteen inches, nip the top off with th# finger and thumb. 
Don’t nip it down too far, just only (he centre bud is all you want to remove. 
This will cause it to emit side branches, all of which must be removed from the 
lower part of the stem, and by no means let any come up from the foots. These 
