

OUR ‘MUM COLLECTION 
Our collection of Hardy Garden Chrysanthemums is the 
most up-to-date and modern in the country. We are now 
growing and testing over 500 distinct varieties. We have 
all the worthwhile new varieties produced by the best 
originators in the land. These include all the varieties in- 
troduced by Prof. L. E. Longley of the University of Minne- 
sota, the Chicago Strain developed by Dr. Kraus of the 
University of Chicago, the varieties originated by the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, the new English varieties im- 
ported from Canada, Bristols newest creations, and the bet- 
ter things from other growers. 
Culture 
Hardy Garden ’Mums are among the easiest of all hardy 
plants to grow. They will tolerate almost endless neglect 
and still survive and give some bloom. To have them at 
their best give them good culture, a sunny location, a rich 
soil, and do not let them suffer for want of moisture during 
the hot summer, and you will be rewarded with gorgeous 
blooms. 
’Mums in the garden should be planted in an open, 
sunny location and should not be shaded by buildings, 
large shrubs or trees for more than three or four hours per 
day. Any fairly rich soil, be it sandy, clay or loam, that 
will grow other flowers and vegetables well, will also grow 
good ’mums. Peat moss, leaf mold or barnyard manure 
worked into the soil is an excellent conditioner and much 
to their liking. 
Planting 
Spring is by far the best planting season. The proper 
planting time is when the spring garden work is well under 
way and the heavy ice-freezing frosts are past. Planting 
can begin about the time the early tulips begin to bloom 
and can be continued up until the peonies are in bloom. 
Here in Southern Minnesota this would be from about late 
April until mid-June. Farther South this date would be 
advanced according to the climate. This gives the plants 
until fall to develop a good root system and enough top 
to give abundant bloom. Well started plants grown in 
2%-inch pots and planted with a ball of earth around the 
roots are far the most satisfactory plants. One-year-old 
field-grown clumps seldom give satisfactory results as these 
are hard to handle, and there are usually not enough roots 
to support the many shoots that will spring up. In re- 
planting old clumps always divide them into individual 
shoots. Those from the outside of the clump are the 
strongest and should be retained, discarding the old 
stumpy center crown. Field-grown divisions packed with 
moss about the roots are often offered; these will usually 
grow but seldom give a good account of themselves. 
Our Sure-to-Bloom Plants 
We believe our sure-to-bloom plants, grown from virgin 
cuttings, well established in 24-inch pots and sent to you 
with a ball of good real estate about the roots are the most 
practical and economical plants to buy. These potted plants 
set out as late as early July will. with good care during the 
heat of summer, make fine blooming plants by October. 
We have hundreds of letters in our files from nearly every 
state in the country telling us how well our plants have 
done in all sections. Many of these plants were shipped 
over 2000 miles and still did remarkably well. 
Summer Care 
Good culture during the summer with regular loosening 
up of the soil about the plants to maintain a constant supply 
of moisture, to aerate the ground, and to keep weeds from 
becoming established is all that is necessary to grow good 
’mums. One or two applications of a well-balanced com- 
mercial fertilizer is beneficial but not absolutely necessary. 
Roughly, about a small handful of commercial fertilizer 
per plant at about one month intervals is sufficient. The 
first application could be made in late July or early Aug- 
'Mum Culture acnd Care 




ust. This highly concentrated fertilizer should not be used 
when the soil is dry as foliage and root burn will result. 
Be sure that plenty of moisture is available at time of 
application. 
Watering 
The best way to water ’mums is to make a saucer-like 
depression about the plant and lay the hose on the ground 
and let it run slowly. The following day the soil can be 
loosened up and leveled again. A thorough watering like 
this should be sufficient for a week or ten days, even dur- 
ing the hottest and driest weather. Sprinkling the plants 
from overhead should be discouraged as it invites foliage 
diseases. By keeping the foliage of ’mums as dry as pos- 
sible, spraying should not be necessary in order to grow a 
good crop of flowers. 
Pinching 
To have sturdy and well branched plants it is advisable 
to pinch the terminal shoots once or twice during the sea- 
son. This operation is done with the thumb and forefinger 
and consists of removing about one-half inch of the soft 
growing tip of the main shoots. The first pinching should 
be done when the plants are about 6 inches tall to induce 
lateral branches. When these lateral branches are 8 to 10 
inches tall the tips of these should be removed to induce 
more branches. Discontinue pinching by August Ist as the 
plants will soon be forming buds. The very early bloom- 
ing varieties should not be pinched after July 15th. A 
well-pinched plant will not need staking or other support 
as the growth will be strong and sturdy and will stand 
erect. 
Growing Late Blooming Varieties in the North 
In the far north it is almost impossible to grow and 
flower the late blooming kinds in the garden, as heavy 
October frosts usually spoil them when in bud. These var- 
ieties can easily be enjoyed in the north by digging them 
up just before hard frosts and planting them in a box or 
large flower pot. If they are shaded a few days and water- 
ed freely, they can be brought into the house or enclosed 
porch and be enjoyed in full bloom for a month or more. 
It so happens that some of the late kinds are also the most 
beautiful. "Mums are about the only plants we are familiar 
with, that can be dug from the garden, in full bud and 
bloom, and brought into the house without any noticeable 
check in growth. 
If you find that the color combination of the garden 
should be changed at blooming time, or you would like this 
plant in another location, just dig it up carefully, leaving 
as much soil about the roots as possible, and transfer it to 
another location. It will keep right on growing if water 
is applied freely. Or, try growing some plants in the vege- 
table or service garden during the summer. In the fall 
these plants can be transplanted to spots left vacant by 
early annuals that have passed and left open spaces in your 
border. Try a few this way—lIt’s fun. 
Blooming Time 
It has been definitely proven that Chrysanthemums are 
sensitive to light, and that the length or shortness of 
day determines the blooming time for a given variety. 
Shading a late blooming variety with black cloth for a 
few hours, both morning and evening, will hasten its nor- 
mal blooming time by 2 or 3 weeks. Given electric lights 
will also retard its normal blooming period. 
Minnesota being quite far north, where naturally the 
fall days are shorter than farther south, perhaps is the 
reason why a given variety will normally bloom 20 days 
earlier here than in Texas. We are located approximately 
200 miles north of Chicago, and we know that the same 
variety will begin blooming for us 4 or 5 days sooner than 
in Chicago. From this we deduct that perhaps 2 days 
for every 100 miles of latitude would be about the average 
difference in blooming time. Interesting, isn’t it? 
