and moderate nutrient and salt levels, cuttings 
will take off quicker if planted the day after 
steaming. 
Try it! 
d. Never plant cuttings in bone-dry soil. 
e. Plant shallow. 
Haw can we emphasize this enough? A cutting 
with roots set 2-3 inches below soil surface will 
take twice as long to get going. Try it both 
ways to convince yourself. . 
Set cuttings so that roots are just barely buried. 
Firming soil with a roller before planting helps 
keep the men from burying cuttings. 
f. “Mist” 
: new cuttings 3-4 times daily—till estab- 
lished—especially in hot weather. Cuttings kept 
misted constantly after direct planting will 
never stop growing. Come as near this as you 
can with frequent spraying. 
g. Cold Storage. 
If cuttings have been stored at a low temper- 
ature, be sure to warm them up gradually—at 
least 12 hours at 50-60° before planting in a 
hot greenhouse. 
h. Exposure. 
Exposure of cutting roots to hot sun for even a 
few seconds kills them. It’s a temptation to lay 
them out on the bench as you plant. 
practical 
hours of 
job very 
watering 
Are you using automatic watering? There are several quite 
systems available, any of which stand to save you many 
precious time. The Hoseboye pictured here has done the 
nicely on our Mums—and incidentally, is feeding as well as 
it in this photo. Details page 4. 
ball 
yo - bake 
WEST CHICAGO 
ILLINOIS 
i. ae ie 
A quite practical method of applying liquid fertilizers—especially for 
the smaller grower. The fertilizer solution is mixed in the regular 
insecticide sprayer tank, spraying nozzle is removed from the boom, 
and you’re all ready to go! A 500 sq. ft. bench can be covered in 
10-15 minutes. Details page 4. In the photo: Frank Watanabe. For 
other ways of doing this job, turn the page. 
POINT #4. SPACING— 
TOO CLOSE MAKES CULLS. 
For normal season Pomps where a uniform quality 
spray is desired, space 6 x 7, prune to 2 stems per 
plant, 3 on outside rows. This will give very few 
culls and you'll be averaging 6 stems per 9-10 
ounce bunch. 
Some growers space 7 x 8 or 8 x 8 inches, prune 
all plants to 3 stems. This gives more culls, less 
uniform cut, and more stems per foot. 
Standards: the trend seems to be away from a 
6 or 7 inch Mum. They bring little more than 
good, clean 4 to 5 inch blooms. We are spacing 
our pinched standards 7 x 8, 3 stems per plant. 
Off season spacing—see page 15. 
#5. FEEDING AND WATERING— 
SO IMPORTANT! 
Most mum crops (our own included) , could gen- 
erally make more growth, production, and quality 
if they were fed and watered more regularly. Yet 
there are cases of injury due to excesses—mainly 
in feeding. 
Let’s talk about the excesses first. Injury from 
overfeeding usually results from either 
a. heavy fertilizer applications on a tight soil— 
not enough humus—poorly drained, or 
b. heavy shots of feed to plants before they are 
in active growth, or 
c. feeding too big an application at once. A 
bench of mums that are standing still, hardened, 
or yellowed because of tight, poorly drained soil 
certainly can’t be improved by a very heavy 
fertilizer application. 
The next question, how to set up a feeding pro- 
gram that will be adequate, yet not excessive. 
Here’s how we go about it. 
3 
