SPOON-FED CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
The flowers are spoon-fed in preparation for these 
shows. The finest specimens are put into pots filled with 
the richest of soil. They are grown through the summer. 
As autumn comes on, only a single bud is allowed to de¬ 
velop on a plant. All the vigor of that plant goes into 
this one flower. 
The strongest of plant foods are selected. One of these, 
rich in nitrates, is called “ plant blood.” It is ladled into 
the pot with a spoon. The chrysanthemum is a gour¬ 
mand for rich food. It will take such quantities of it as 
would kill many plants. After it has been fed plant 
blood, it is given sheep manure for a change. Tiring of 
this, cow manure is substituted. There may be other 
fertilizers. The appetite of the plant is pampered to the 
extreme. Finally it is given lampblack, which adds a bril¬ 
liant sheen to the flower. At show time each entry has 
all that could be put into one single bloom. There they 
are, gorgeous flowers a foot across, little resembling the 
modest ancestors from which they came. 
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