BETTER MUMS°* FOR 1944 rrom— Gieg@all 
Some Cultural Suggestions 
In its natural state nothing grows more easily 
than the cool temperature Mum, but when we 
attempt to make them profitable under today’s 
varying conditions of culture and markets, some 
rather exact information is necessary. The sub- 
ject warrants a volume by a practical grower. 
We will attempt to briefly comment on a few 
fundamentals. 
SOIL The best Mum growth we ever enjoyed 
was in gravel or soilless culture. We were in- 
clined to attribute this to aeration, that is a fac- 
tor in this: culture. This, we believe, points to 
the importance of drainage or watering, when 
ground beds are used. Frequently we meet with 
weak, rather lifeless growth that clearly indi- 
cates lack of healthy active roots. Good root 
development is not possible in a heavy, soggy 
soil, so watch drainage. Raised beds are of 
course safest but good growth in ground beds 
can be had if they are completely drained and 
the lower soil examined before each watering. 
We grow Mums in greenhouse soil that has not 
been changed for 12 years; but it is steam ster- 
ilized annually. Also a barrow of well rotted 
manure is added to each 100 sq. ft. plus about 
8 Ibs. 20% acid phosphate. Usually twice dur- 
ing the growing season a top dressing of Vigoro 
at the rate of 2 Ibs. per 100 sq. ft. is added. 
If watering is properly managed Mums will 
grow in stiff clayey soil to which organic matter 
or manure must be added. We have also noted 
how well Mums will do in gravel, all of which 
proves that soil management, not its type, is 
the point that counts. 
POMPONS OR MUMS? This is easily an- 
swered for a retail grower who must have some 
of both, plus the anemones and singles. But 
for the market grower this poses a question 
that cannot be passed up by saying there is a 
demand for all classes. Today or at any time we 
want to know what varieties or classes pay out 
best. To answer this flatly, we generally find 
that the time required in disbudding the large 
classes sometimes leaves the net profit very close. 
Where the planting is extensive, and unskilled 
or lower cost help is used for this work, the 
cost 1s reduced, but when a skilled man’s time 
must be charged against the crop it becomes 
quite different. With pompons all this work is 
cut out, and when growth is unchecked and be- 
comes long stemmed and the choicest varieties 
are used the gross returns can easily equal that 
of well grown standards. This will be found 
particularly true with the present labor situation. 
As we see it the reason big Mums are not more 
profitable is due to the general lack of cost ac- 
counting among the growers. In other words if 
growers more generally realized the difference 
in net returns they would go easier on the dis- 
budded stock which would automatically up 
their selling price. While it would be a mis- 
take to lay off the big ones entirely, yet this 
detail of Mum growing is something to consider. 

EUROPA. A brilliant Cardinal red single. 
PROPAGATE OR BUY CUTTINGS. . Since 
we are interested in selling cuttings you might 
feel that it is impossible for us to deal with 
this question impartially. But here are some 
facts. You will agree that vigorous clean cut- 
tings are necessary to start with. To produce 
such, the stock plants must be on a well ex- 
posed, light bench, from say January to June. In 
our competitive wholesale market we could get 
during that period 50 to 60 cents per sq. ft. 
from such bench space. A retail grower could 
probably get more. Have you ever figured what 
it cost in material and time to fight midge on 
old stock plants all winter and spring and 
probably have some in the end. Cost account- 
ing is not a matter of ¢7me to do it; with an in- 
terest in it, that is easy to find. We have def- 
nitely established the fact that planting out a 
good rooted cutting makes unmistakably a freer, 
cleaner growth than an early propagated plant 
that has been carried along for a month or two. 
Besides the added cost of such an early propa- 
gated, more or less checked plant, consider the 
reduced cost of labor when rooted cuttings are 
planted from the propagating bench directly 
to where they flower. Besides, ordering your. 
cuttings from a specialist, to be delivered any 
day you say, relieves you of considerable re- 
sponsibility at a season when every hour counts. 
But after all, whether to buy or propagate de- 
pends on one’s individual setup. Generally 
speaking, propagating Mums is not at all a 
question of knowing how, but of being able 
