
uable use is made of early flowering thru getting October 
varieties in September; and with pompons or the smaller 
bunching classes this can be done with advantage in an 
outdoor cloth house, for this class is generally hard enuf 
to stand several days of rainy wet weather. The large ones 
are softer, therefore more susceptible to loss thru rot 
under much atmospheric moisture. In fact some large 
October varieties tend to decay or spot during high Sep- 
tember temperatures under greenhouse conditions unless 
atmospheric moisture is controlled. 
As a tule the largest flowering varieties are the softest. 
We have quite successfully grown the large ones in frame 
houses covered with Flex-O-Glass attached to sash that fit 
into the framework of the house and are put in place as 
eatly as the big Mums show color.* The advantages of 
such open structures are full air exposure all summer and 
economy. Both are telling points. Also, these structures 
can be closed in all around to keep out frost in our lati- 
tude. until November, especially if a few 1 inch steam 
pipes are run thru them. We have several such 20 ft. wide 
structures in the 35 ft. wide spaces between our regular 
large houses. This shelter is made to order for locating 
such structures. It should be clear that the production of 
early Pompons outdoors under cloth should be as eco- 
nomically done in the east as on the west coast. And it 
should be equally true that when the big flowers are grown 
in the light structures referred to, the added cost over that 
of the California growers should not exceed, possibly not 
equal, the western grower’s air express cost to eastern 
markets. Don’t forget, too, that the western grower some- 
times loses his crop thru untoward weather conditions. 
Put in a few words, shading for early bud setting and 
flowering of these short day plants consists of shortening 
daylight hours. This is done thru covering them closely 
from around 5 P.M. until 7:00 ‘the next morning. Usually 
black sateen cloth is used, but we have used a sisalkraft 
paper with equal success. During daylight hours the de- 
gree of darkness need not or cannot practically be made 
total, but to get it dark enuf there should be no small 
openings for light to stream in, and the cloth should not 
be too old. The degree of outdoor darkness just before 
total darkness is about right when shade is applied. The 
shade material is supported on the beds with framework 
and wire, the material being unrolled over it thru being 
attached to a round pole in 10 ft. wide sections. Paper 
can only be used on top of the bed. For the sides use cloth 
attached to an upper wire along which it can be pushed 
back and forth by means of rings attached to cloth and 
wire. Where a considerable area is covered, we arrange to 

'Flex-O-Glass is an inexpensive material and in our section can be bought 
locally. Also, I believe Sears list it under ‘“‘sun ray cloth’’. While it 
tends to soften and run under high temperatures, we use it only during 
fall and spring; and if cared for find it good for 2 years and costs 2Yoc 
a square foot. 
{14] 
BETTER MUMS FOR 
FLORISTS 


Apricot Queen, two to a plant, with Albatross on the 
right grown in a Flexo Glass house photoed October 
7th, started shading July 30th. 
unroll the covering over the whole including walks. This 
makes side covering unnecessary except the outer edges of 
the area, and requires less material. The suggestion has 
been made that the shading material can be made to do 
double duty by applying it at 3 o'clock in the afternoon 
and at dusk moving it to another lot, over which it 1s 
left until 9 o’clock the next morning. According to several 
growers who have tried it, this is not a practical suggestion. 
Work involved in moving the cloth back and forth and 
being certain that no openings for light are left would 
alone make it impractical. Chances are the failures re- 
ported with it were caused by overlooking openings for 
light to stream in due to making the changes. 
Planting for shading should be done 2-3 weeks earlier 
than when flowered normally. This is to insure stem 
length, the production of which of course ceases when buds 
are set. Terminal buds are usually set on pompons in 
3-4 weeks after shading starts. The early or October va- 
rieties might make it in 3 weeks, assuming that the shad- 
ing is heavy enuf and no undue light is streaming thru 
small openings. The effect about such openings will be 
delayed setting. With pompons the shading should be 
continued about 10 days longer for the benefit of the lat- 
erals that appear and set some later than the terminals. 
Buds or the big standards should be about the size of a 
nickel before shading is discontinuéd. Flowers may usually 
be expected with October varieties in 8-9 weeks after shad- 
ing begins; but this will vary some with varieties and sea- 
sons. 
Should applying shade be missed a few times, or if old 
or rather light cloth be used, the only effect will be to de- 
lay bud setting a few days—possibly a week. Also, on a 
rainy evening we prefer to either not apply the shade or 
remove it after dark. This is to avoid the close, high at- 
mospheric humidity that closing them in sets up. Such an_ 
atmosphere sets up ideal conditions for the development 
al 
7% 
re 
