CHRYSANTHEMUMS FROM SEED.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9594, 8 December 1896, Page 3

CHRYSANTHEMUMS FROM SEED.

By a correspondent of The Garden. The raising of Chrysanthemums is absorbing, a very large share of attention at the present time, and deservedly so. But, great as is the interest manifested in the raising of these plants from seed, it will, I feel sure, be greatly extended in the near future when it becomes more fully and more generally recognised that we can save seed of these plants in England, and that the seedlings themselves compare favourably with those sent us from either France or America. When the average British amateur gardener fully grasps this fact and sets to work on the right lines, we may hope for the accomplishment of even greater things than those already known to us. Anyone starting in this field to-day has a decided advantage over those who took in hand the work ten or twenty years ago. The materia,! at disposal now is much more varied and of a distinctly higher standard than it was then, and this to the beginner is a great gain. The height of many of the very finest varieties is also very much reduced, which is a point in the right direction. In the matter of height, however, the raiser cannot have all his own way, even though he selects plants of dwarf* habit to begin with. For example, I have raised seedlings from the Desgrahge section that have grown to.upwards of six feet high the first year, while the parents were not more than two feet from the pot. This, however, was an exception from the majority, though *mariy from the same source Reached four fee# and five feet high. These latter are much more convenient in a variety of ways, and to the grower of large blooms much less risky. The latter as a body, however, do not appear to object to tall-growing varieties, provided size of bloom follows; To my mind, however, there is a far wider field for usefulness open to the raisers of .Chrysanthemums from seed than that of merely supplying the exhibition board, an item that has received unstinted attention up to the present time. But what lies far away and beyond, the exhibition ball in point of importance is a new race of. these autumn flowers that will give beauty and colour to our gardens till the waning months of: the year—a really hardy race, conspicuous by their hardiness and freedom of flowering. Colour, of course, or at least variety, will assuredly be the inevitable result, once a perfectly hardy race is established," and, if I mistake not, there should be plenty of demand. By selecting some of the hardiest and most varied of the kinds now grown, such, for example, as Piercy's Seedling, Flora, Lyon, La Vierge, Precocity (Delaux), making these the seed-bearers, and using

tray other good free-flowering and hardy kinds for the pollen parents, a race of sturdy habit should result. These given are specially noteworthy for hardiness, dwarf habit, and freedom of flowering, but are I pompon or hybrid pompon, so that by mix* ' ing some of the hardy Japanese kinds, a new break might be the result!: At any rate, i* is worthy of a trial. It will be noted above that I have used the term ENGLISH SEKnUXGS, and I employ it purposely, for the simple reason that large numbers of new kinds bearing this distinction have no real claim to it. True, the seedlings are raised here, but the great bulk of the seed is sent from abroad. The genuine English seedlings are without doubt only those that have been obtained as a direct result of cross-fertilisa-tion in this country, and of these there are now many first-class kinds. Anyone desirous of saving his own seed will have to grow his plants from tho beginning with that object in view. And in this connection he will do well to select a thin rather than a too vigorous cutting, that shall be grown slowly and with only limited root room through the season. Pots of six inches or seveu inches diameter will bo ample for the final shift, and in the place of the rich soil usually recommended for tho final shift only a moderately rich soil should be used. Water should only be given moderately, and no manurial aids of any description should be used. In short, the chief aim and detir* should bt to build up a thin plant that will produce thin, open-eyed flowers, the exact opposite of what is usually aimed at. These thin, wiry grown plants are not only the best for seed-bearing, but are also best for producing the pollen. With a variety e£ plants grown on these lines there should be no difficulty in securing good plump seed. The plants should be duly housed prior t« the flowers expanding, and he kept in a dry, freely ventilated position and not too moist at the root. As soon as the flowers expand upon those plants intended for seed-bearing, the whole of tho disc florets containing the pollen should be carefully removed. If allowed to remain, any fixed object in view will be rendered void and useless. From this time the stigmas of tho petalled or ray florets should be watched daily. This will be the more readily done, and it will also be more convenient presently, for the purpose of, fertilisation, if the petals are shortened, almost to the tip of the stigmas. By shortening the ray florets by degrees, and while the flower is quite young, the stigma will sometimes protrude. This in the case of those with tubular-shaped florets is sometimes an advantage, inasmuch as the stigma has scarcely room to develop itself fully. With those with strap-shaped florets this it not at all needful, as the stigma is often readily seen. With the assistance of a small lens the stigmas may be watched, and when the lobes at their summit are well developed and assume a somewhat viscid appearance, the pollen from any desired Kind should be lightly dusted over them, taking care not to injure these delicate organs by a too vigorous application. I have found it a good plan when the pollen is plentiful and the stagtn&s well exposed to take the- pollen-bearing bloom, and, carefully denuding it of its petals, to hold it over the proposed seed-bearer, and tapping it on a finger held crosswise over the flower head, allow the pollen to fall naturally. In this way there is no risk of injuring these delicate organs, which by the use of the brush is scarcely separable from it unless in the most careful hands. Still, the brush must be employed, more or leea simply because pollen is often scarce enough. Beyond repeating the operation on a second day nothing remains to be done save to make a full entry at once on the spot of the way the cross has been effected and the varieties participating. The aim now is t< mature the seed, which takes from six t< ten weeks, depending on the time of year. During the ripening process it should be remembered that the plant is shorn of its petals, and that moisture will only be needed very sparingly to keep foliage and stem plump. And be sure not to permit of a thicket of shoots at the base thai shall absorb the requisite strength for maturing and perfecting the seeds. When the seeds are fully ripe they may be sown at once. The beginner will, of course, be anxious to know if he has secured any good seed at aIL This may readily be determined by spreading all on a sheet of white paper very thinly, and with the aid of the lens carefully examining the whole. A perfect seed of $j Chrysanthemum is brownieh in colour* ribbed, : roundish, oblong, ' obtuse, . to/a slightly curving at the point of attachment with Uie i capitulum, and may sometimes be seen attached to the flower-head when the petals are all decayed. This, then, is the sum total of saving seeds of these flowers. Beyond this the mode of treatment {in raising the seeds should be much the same as that employed in the raising of many things tinder glass. Sow the seeds in sandy soil made rather firm and cover lightly. Given a good water* ing prior to sowing, little more should be needed for some days, particularly if the pets are covered with darkened glass* Plump seeds quickly germinate as a rale, in. fact I have had the seedlings appear in eight days from sowing, while others have not appeared till six weeks, all from the same head of seed. In oae of my first attempts at seed-saving I secured some twenty-one seedlings from three small heads, the majority of which proved to be good doubles, though not; all of them advances on existing kinds. Several were well worth retaining for their purity and freedom of flowering. Care must be taken that slugs or caterpillars do not reach the seedlings, as one of these will quickly devour any number. Raise the seed-pots on pots plaoed in deep wide pea* of water. In this way they ane usually scoured.