



Geo, ]. Ball 
In clean, fairly well-en- 
riched soil and with stock 
that is free of insects and di- 
sease, nothing will respond 
more easily and freely than 
will Mums of any kind. Yet, 
why the occasional failures, or 
very ordinary results? We be- 
lieve much of it is due to not 
considering Mums as seriously 
as they deserve. If you plant 
late with whatever stock you 
can pick up, chances are you'll 
get a ‘“‘catch” crop. Lack of 
foresight in the matter of 
young stock gets many Mums 
off to a bad’start. If a cost 
accounting were applied to 
most such starts, many would 
be found close to the red or 
well into it. Generally speak- 
ing, it can pretty safely be ; 
said that unless you get off to a favorable start more 
net might be made by forgetting the Mums and plan- 
ning well for an early winter crop such as Snaps, Stocks 
or Peas. Future competition from California will no 
doubt be felt; but thru stimulating our standard of pro- 
duction, or culture and there’s plenty of room to do so, 
the net result will increase the profit and value of this crop. 
SOIL PREFERENCE 
Mums do not require any particular type of soil. They 
will flourish in stiff clayey material if it is opened up with 
organic matter such as stable manure. Besides the favor- 
able life organic manure introduces, and the fertility it 
unlocks, the aeration it maintains in heavy soil might be 
more important in growth than we realize. On the other 
hand, some of the nicest Mum growth we ever enjoyed 
was made thru gravel culture. Important point about both 
is the aeration it promotes and this is a necessary factor in 
any growth. So it is clearly management of the material 
we have that counts. 
If soil is sandy it calls for organic matter to give it body 
or something that will anchor the fertility applied, which 
otherwise would leach away. If old greenhouse soil that 
has been manured for years is used, chances are that a test 
of it will indicate plenty of fertility; frequently it is too 

“October Pink’’ the single that doesn’t lose its color when shaded. 
Heavy producer, clear rose pink. That’s John Jacobs, West Chicago, 
Illinois, the grower on the right. 
high in nitrates and should be 
leached, preferably with hot 
water. If hot water isn’t avail- 
able, cold water will do. The 
best treatment is steaming fol- 
lowed by cold leaching. Dan- 
ger of verticillium disease on 
crop 
makes steaming necessary in 
any preceding Mum 
our opinion. 
SOIL pH 
Before we knew anything 
about pH we were sometimes 
puzzled with the behavior of 
crops. Today it becomes an 
easy matter to check on the 
acidity or alkalinity of our 
soil, and this should be done 
not with the thot of keep- 
ing the pH at a given point, 
but to prevent its getting too 
far one way or the other. We have frequently checked the 
soil of what appeared to be a perfect bed of Mum growth 
and found it varied little from neutral; but the school 
boys tell us it should be slightly on the acid side for this 
crop. When it becomes distinctly alkaline, and most soils 
tend to become so, an application of sulphur (2 Ibs. to 
100 sq. ft. of bench) will change it over. 
PROPAGATION 
This operation starts in the fall with the benching of 
clean stock plants in clean soil, and preferably raised 
benches. Reason for such benches; they expose the stock 
to better light and air; also they dry out better; and they 
are easier to work on. In the near south we should 
imagine that the ideal place for propagating stock would 
be a sash-protected outdoor frame. During open periods 
of weather they could enjoy full exposure to the air, and 
during severe weather canvas or straw over the sash could 
keep out 15-20° of frost. It is the full exposure to the 
open that gets life and vitality into frame grown stock 
plants. Thru the depth of northern winter they should be 
run quite cold and the soil rather dry or not wet enuf to 
Gi FF 
promote growth, idea being to permit the rest they naturally 
should have. While this treatment is not necessary, it will 
Note—See General Index and Alphabetical Index of all varieties on page 33. 
fei) 
