CHRYSANTHEMUMS

Grey River Argus, 22 June 1920, Page 6

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

THEIR GULTIYATION. ■ '.-*■■•«■■ (3Jy J. F. Sinclair). : : By way of introduction to .this series Pi articles, I cannot do better tl^fl quote from one who was' in"his t?me, pne of the*- foremost exhibitors' i n Sritain: "The cultivation of the 1 Chrysanthemum has long sin c "c : passed' from, the of h&pKaz«n.rd, and has 'become, in a humble s^hse, aji. fexact science,' a scierice progressiye. ly-restoji-ng itself into rule's which r* ceiye ;the .recognition - and of the experienced Tcultivator. it is she 1 knowledge ,and intelligent apprecia- ! io > n °f. .* h #e rules,, either, by ,4h e ~more •slow a'^d. labourigus,.procege ofpersoHai experience and experiment, or by,.the more .easy , and. expeditipus.., method of utilising the labo,iirs. of ;. others, .which enables the" grower, .tp enter upon, hi? tas^k with some hope of ujtimajbe sue-, cess." . . ; ..,.'■ ■ To make the artie!«_ mdre intelligible; I shall, in due season/ take the cultivation in sections, such as. prpppga^ tioh, potting on, "final potting^ ' after treatment, stopping aiid»i trimming— thejr objectj taking the liucTJ eu«. „ ; , . PROPOGATION. ' ■Jfa. first, important point is etroncr putting, and these caa oidy'te qbtained fr 9J n o l d stotfs (old i»al.s;,: Properly cared for. ; It i s impos'sibl^ tQ get. good cuttinjgs.from stools stuckr aTOvin,,odd .corners, . ,Th ey should be' Piaped |n. sp^ie /C ppl. : hgus.e,, frame, or shed, .where fijos^t ,c an ,be. kept ojaf, apd «*ere can get p l en t x fl f light and, a ? r v Thm away all weakly /suckers from the bose,. Jt i s g'^eat 'n\jstake to suppose weak ".cuttingjs "tn'l, make strong plank. .Many groAyers will only take cuttings .rested s^ock, a s they hold, that plants Ma artificially do not give good cuttings Doubtless rested stock is Ijest, tut the average grower h^ neither the ,time or space at his command to grow .'it, ' but if the old stools are properly cared for, the resu'.ts will be good. ; In selecting, the cuttings avoid shoots that spring from the siem or i branches of the plantj except an the case of such as are new or rare when they may be used t o increase 'stock f but they seldom make gpod flowering plants. The best are tjiose . shoots! which spring from the earth near the) collar of the planter, end the best are those wliieh are stout, short-jointed ones, which should be taken whe,n about three inches long. See that they are . free from insect and fungoid pests. Remove th c two lower beams close to the stem, and cut the lattejr over c'.ose to. the lowest* joint with a keeij-edged knife, and the: cutting is ready, to be planted in thej soil. The compost should be " 'equal, parts of loam arid Jeaf-soil, and a good, dash, of x sharp sand, and all passed through a fine seive. Strike in thumb pots when possible, as the roots' do not get disturbed in potting the' little plants on. Fill the pot fairly firm, and sprinkle some sand on tap/ Use a email dibble in planting, andpress the soi] firmly around the base of the cutting, so that the soil will riot sink away from the base. When! thumb, pots are not available, two; three or. four ,\ but no more cuttings can. be. inserted round the edge of a. 4: inch ppt. .Give a gentle watering to* settle the soil . about the cutting.; Stftyd the Bpts on, sifted ashes, or; coarse sand, to ensure a cool, moist

foundation, in a. frame or box; cover r with sheets of. glass .to exclude air,, and, prevent flagging. Place frame or box in a cool greenhouse or inside a large box (g-lass covered), ; \viier c the temperature can be kept aj \f rom .4.0 deff. to 50 deg. . if this temperature rnnot be maintained in- frosty weat'o', a sneot of brown paper, spread or: r the glass in the evening will keep Hi "cuttings right; as a fall to 35deg. viM not hurt them. -^ v 1""'i more watering should be required. \yith the exception of a gent!e sprinkling every fine day: until roots are emitted. The glass ought to be taken off for about half an hour every day to dispel the accumulation of condensed mixture, and .should be . wiped dry before it is replaced. This to a great extent w.'H prevent damping. Shade with scrim during bright w.eatherj.

The proper time to strike., is ,frp, m , the j middle of June to the middle of July. Some growers . protest against' the early striking, because the plants' ! are apt to loose a fey more of their. I bottom leaves than those struck later, : I but I. us is a mere trifle when, w e gain i).i inch pr more in depth of bloom. 5 1 Plants intended to . produce, decorative' flowers only '»eeecl not*be struck until th e ; jnid'dj[e_ s cjf August.. Ip aboui/fpur weeks, mnny .of the cutting, will be rpoteoV. ; this is" easily Hnojvn by the imprbyed appearance; of the plants. X.A, K .A, li^ c ? :r ? an t^e^ be given for, a. fe^ hours every day until the pftnts* can fdo f without the glassaltogether.^ ' ' cuttings : „tl iat . * T& not i-Q,pted,^shpulc( j)e transferred to. a box Jby thernselyes; otherwise, they wi!l, flag' badly..' in a ;f ew iiours^. . . After ,the .plaits are^ able .to . stand the removal of the glass—^itliput flagging, they should be placed on a pencil covered with. sifted ashes, and the pots should not on any .account touch one .. another. . „ Without-,, plenty of room and light, it is impossibly to get the short-jointed stock which is . su essential to success, Venti'.ation is a difficult matter at this season. . Avoid allphilly droughts as they a^e injurious at all times, but more particularly at this. Until the V ants /are hardy > enoiigli to be transferred outdoors, the' : | water that is used for watering and spraying should be about^S degre.es. (The next article vvill aPP ear sometime in-August.) r __- ' r " '