HADING INFORMATION 

The Ube of Black Cloth Shading 
to evens the Hlowering Seen 
The commercial use of applying black cloth to advance the flowering season has been used suc- 
cessfully for the past fifteen. years. The biggest change has not been in the application of the colth 
but has come about with varieties and their culture. The varieties in the following list lend themselves 
to black cloth shading. The dates opposite the varieties are those found satisfactory when the given 
blooming date is desired. 
USEFUL HINTS 
I—Use a good durable Black Cloth which when applied will reduce the light int- 
ensity to 2 foot candles or less. More light intensity than this will result in delay- 
ed flowering and unevenness of bloom. 
2—Short day treatment matures the plants earlier, therefore it is necessary to have 
the pompons 12 to 15 inches high and the standards 18 to 24 inches high when 
the shading treatment is started. When plants are short at the start of the shad- 
ing period you will have short cut flowers when ready to cut. 
3—The cloth should be applied at 5 P.M. and removed at 8 A.M. Continue cover- 
ing each evening on pompons until the latest buds show color and most of the 
flowers are well developed. For large flowering varieties shading can be discon- 
tinued after all flowering buds have attained the diameter of approximately one 
half inch. 
4—Be sure that covering is complete on all benches shaded, as any leaks in light 
will cause uneven spots in the bench at blooming time. 

5—When shading out of doors or under aster cloth, it has been found that metal 
clamps similar to those used in battery shops will hold on the black cloth better 
than clothes pins or safety pins. 
6—When growing large flowering varieties outdoors give some protection as rain 
and wind storms play havoc when not protected. 
7—Best results are obtained when varieties of approximately the same blooming date 
are used for any one particular shading. When a spread in blooming dates is 
desired, repeated shading of a few varieties at weekly or ten-day intervals has 
proven more satisfactory than grouping a large number of varieties into any 
one shading. The shading dates given are those which have been found to be 
best for the respective varieties. We recommend benching six weeks prior to 
shading. 
8—Continue to give the plants which are being given the short day treatment the 
same care as those grown normally. We have collected the data on the ideal time 
to bench and pinch for the respective dates of bloom when shading is started 
at various dates. This is found in the tables on the following pages. 
9—Select the first bud on standard varieties that appears after shading is started. 
10—Black cloth should be applied each evening although missing one night a week 
will give fair results but delayed flowering results when cloth is not applied each 
evening. 
As an added suggestion, we would recommend the removal of black cloth after night fall to 
allow for a better circulation of air. This would prevent the accumulation of dampness and the un- 
favorable results that usually occur therefrom. This of ocurse will cause considerable extra work as 
the cloth must be replaced before morning. We feel however, that as this will improve the growth 
and the foliage it will be well worth the effort. Perfection is never obtained without added effort. 
