fertilizer such as 4-8-4 or 5-8-7 at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 square 
feet at intervals during the growing season pays good dividends but 
should be discontinued when the plants begin to bud. Single plants 
should receive a teaspoonful well mixed with the surface soil. 
Chrysanthemums seem to do well in soil that 1s somewhat on 
the acid side but if the foliage appears leathery and has considerable 
red or purplish coloration the use of lime will probably prove bene- 
ficial. If the surface soil about the plants is kept well cultivated 
chrysanthemums will stand considerable dry weather but if water 
can be supplied when buds begin to appear the bloom will be much 
larger. A peat: moss mulch about an inch in thickness also gives 
good results on light soil. In heavy soils the peat moss may better 
be incorporated in the soil. 
In wet weather, when heavy or poorly drained soils are water- 
soaked, symptoms of lack of phosphorus or nitrogen may be ob- 
served because of the inability of the plant to utilize these elements 
under such conditions. A garden fork may be inserted under the 
root system of the plant so as to slightly raise it without breaking 
the lateral roots. A few cinders or coal ashes about the plant -cal 
also be a help. 
Many varieties of chrysanthemums are tall growing and, if al- 
lowed to grow unrestrained, produce small clusters of blooms on 
ungainly stems. Such kinds should be pinched back two or three 
times during the growing season, beginning as soon as they reach 
a height of five or six inches.. In this way compact, bushy plants are 
formed which are smothered with blooms. The cushion mums and 
many of the newer varieties grow naturally bushy and require no 
pinching. 
Best results are obtained it plants are taken up each spring ancl 
divided. This allows thorough preparation of the bed and the reset 
plants are more vigorous than the old clumps. Commercial growers 
use only rooted cuttings to produce blossoms of exhibition quality 
so do not be afraid to divide into small pieces. 
Even varieties that are hardy to extremely low temperatures 
may not live over winter in your garden if soil conditions are not 
right. If you have difficulty wintering chrysanthemums in the open, 
the plants may be taken up with. as “much soil as will cling to the 
roots and bedded close together in a cold frame. A cool cellar, if not 
too dry, is satisfactory storage or even an unheated building if too 
much alternate freezing and thawing does not occur. 
All plants and seeds offered in this catalog postpaid. 
