The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-12-06 00:00:00

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6,1884.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM AND ITS CUI.I'UI7',

Accorsitig to promise, I herewith aloe a- treatise:
upon the chrysanthemum and Its culture. Au a
deeeratiye ilant it takesot formost rank amid late
ummer and mido inter flowering subjects. they
are useful for window boxes, (specially adapted for
for a cool room window, and as border plants they
enliven the outside surroundings, and if the season
at the usual time of flowering is mild and open, they
are unusually Attractive and , and furnish the means
ofej-upplyino; flowers for bouquets. which, if not for
these, would be rather ccarce. For window boxes
theammmer or early flowering varieties should be
used, as these expand their flowers and are in full
beauty before the sharp frosts set ia. These, if
desired for this puipese, need not occupf the boxes
through the summer months, but may be grown in
pots, placing them in a nice open position, keeping
them well watered and staked. When the summer
occupants are getting rathoo shabby, the plants can
then be removed from their summer quatters and
transferred to the boxes, plunging them in the soil
or cocoa-nut fibre. When about afot or eighteen
in,hes high, smothered with bloom, these are quite
a picture, well repaying for the small amount of
i attention requited, but to grow them successluhly la ,
, small pots they require a liberal treatment in the
way of stimul int% such as guano or liquid maitre,
I given twice a week. It sounds to reason that so
I gross a root-fesdiug plant as this must of necessity
require something more than a handful of soil to
nourish it, especially when confined to such limited
quarters, but when grown in a border of coarse this
is not required to so great an extent. but a great
deal of benefit will be derived by watering with
I soap suds or house slops diluted with water. If p t
plants of the late flowering kinds are wanted for
room window decoration, cuttings struck in June,
four or five in a six-inch pot, and freely al:owed to
I grow without any stopping (as is usu illy practised
under the pot culture system) will make nice plants,
about filteel inches high, and will come in vary
serviceable for this style of gardening, but prefer
-
e should be given to the pompon or small flower-
ing section, as these give the best results. Large
blooms cannot be expected from plants a ruck so
late, and this is chiefly the reason that I advocate
the above kinds. Small specimens grown in this
way come in very set viceable for dinner table decor-
ation, especially wheu they do not lose their foliage,
and this may be avoided by liberal feeding and not
allowing the plants to become dry at the roots at no
time, in fact their foliage should never droop or
suffer for the want of it. As greenhouse decorative
plants they stand pre eminently high, filling up a
gap when oth r flowers are not obtainable, anti as
they stand a considerable titne:when cut and placed
in water, they are fitting subjects for the adornment
of a rsom, or when used in conjunction with a few
fern fronds, furnish a nice bouquet. Who does not
envy the fortunate possessor of a greenhonse,. where
one can cut a tea growing flowers of their own?
A house filled with these, when in full bloom, is a
sight not soon forgotten, and those of nif readers
who have been so fortunste to see those grown and
staged in the Temple Gardenseerystal Palace, and
elsewhere hi London, will agree with use that when
seen by huadreds at a time is a sight worth the tune
spent in viewing them. Here you see the plants
trained in various shapes, some as standards, others
with an umbrella-shaped • top, and as pincushions
close to the top of the pots, whilst others are simply
staked upright in the form of a brush; but what-
ever the style of training adopted, the cultural de-
tails are nearly the same throughout iich liberal
feeding, pinching in of the shoots, and repotting and -
disbudding—all amounts to the same thing. It
matters hardly at what time the plants are struck
from cuttings, but the earlier as a rule the better,
as then they have a longer period of growth to
mature their wood so as to produce those mag,uifi•
ceat blooms been at our shows. The proper time is
from. November to February but certainly not
later than the end of the last named mouth.
Cuttings made from the strongest of the young
shoos about four or five inches long, inserted in any
good steady soil singly in small pots, or four to six
may Ise put round the outside, of which are termed
sixty's will do Making them fl-m is the chisf
, thing. for if put in to loose they take some time be-
fore they are rooted. Any cool frame protected
from frost or a greenhouse shelf is the proper place
until rooted. Some strike their cuttings in heat
and keep them coddled in warm quarters, which is
, a great mistake, as it weakens the plants and laws
them spin Cly, whereby they require a deal of care-
ful nursing afterwards to grow them n to anything
like a sere iceable plant. The cuttings should be
, allowed to remain in the quarters assigned until
rooted sufficiently to pot th, ni separately o into pots
, the size they were strusk in, and these will be large
enough for a time. From now the cultural details
commence, and if good plants, capable of furnishiag
large flowers are wanted, then the reader must care-
fully carry cut the directions here given. The plants
may now at this time be about six or seven inches
in height, and if standards are required, leave them
giowing on as they like, merely placing a small
stake to support them. If dwarf trained specimens
am o reuses-ea is la a twee plan to pinch the tops off
the leading shoot when aboutathis height, thus in-
- ducing them to become of a bushy compact habit,
and from now the future training of the plant com-
mences. When the plants have filled the pots with
roots another shift will be desirable, using a little
decomposed manure, and broken oystershells
amongst the compost. The pots should be of the
s;ze called fortyeights, and the plants will require
potting firm, anti when done remove to a
cold frame admitting air upon all favourable oc-
c,sions, keep them as har ty as possible ;by so
doing the stronger will their aftergrowth be. do
net believe in cyldling this pl Int at all, for it is of
quite a hardy nature. After the end af April, pro-
vi ding they have become thorcughly inured to the
air, the lights may be taken off altogether, as a few
d egiees of frost at this time of the year rarely in-
jures them.
.They must receive every attention a
beg ards watering, and when than is the slightest
,isn of them becoming pot-bound shift them into
,heir blooming pots at once, and pces of tan inches
,n diameter are quite large enough. At this pot—
`mg, a little cow manure, crushed bones, or fowl
dun; may Lie used beneficially for the roots here-
aft. rto work into. The latter end of June should
be t he latest for the fitial shift, for at this time the
plaets make rapid strides ;and will receive the
greetest attention as regards pinching or stoppiag.
Alter the first time they will not need it until they
have made three or tour points, stopping then at
the third or fourth, and so on as they advance in
growth. At the end of July or first week in August
this must be •discontinued, and I cc n3:der this should
be the final stopping, as after this the a o al that is
made will require all the sun to mature it so as to
produce its bloom buds. The plants now will re-
quire starting, and these should be placed equi-
distantly so as to get them into specimen form,
m keeping the tied in as the growth advances. Those
required for staudards will now be all the better if a
stout upright stake about five feet long be used,
tying the centre shoot to it and looping the rest by
means of matting neatly in. A fortnight after being
placed in their flowering pots, allowing them a little
time for their roots to enter the. fresh soil, then
must the feeding by uing liquid manure made from
cow dung or sheep's droppings, or if procurable
from a tank Where the urine from a stable empties
into it, so much the better. The first week or two
this must be diluted. That is given them rather
weak, afterwards increasing the strength, giving
them it every other day. During the hot summer
months the plants will require watering twice a day
unless very dull, but on no account neslect them,
especially at this stage, for if they du not receive
regular attention now the flower buds become blind
and do not expand at the time when they should flower
During dry hot weather a watering overhead, with
a ro-e can, during the evening, will be of great
benefit, It is a good plan to plutase the pots either
in soil or ashes, placing a piece of slat under to
prevent the ingress of worms. From the end of
August the buds will be discernable and should be
thinned out when the size of a tea, leaving one to
a shoot if extra large flowers are wanted, allowing
the largest and best a taped one to come to
maturity, and, by a little peaatise this will soon be
an easy matter to aocomplish. Where quantity
and- not quality is desired little or no thiunino of
the buds is necessary, but this is a question I just
leave the cultivator to please hiinsAf about. The
Pompon varieties require hardly any disbudding
unless they are intend d for exhibition purpesss.
The large flowering sorts should have more as if
be left they rarely (pen them, and what do ex-
pand do not come so time as they do when disbudded.
The best compoat to use is good turfy yellow loam
leaf soil, with a dash ol sand, and dry manure as
advised above. If green fly should make its appear-
ance, a dusting of tobacco powder will settle them,
and for mildew a little sulphur dusted amongst the
foilage will keep it down. At the approach of frost
the plants should be removed into the greenhouse,
keeping them cool as possible, leaving the ventila-
tors open day and nigat, unless the waath ieh s very
severe indeed, where they will expand their blooms
to perfection, I thus give the treatment re-
quired in as simple a manner as possible: so that the
merest novice can, by following the instructions
laid down, grow plants from which flowers may
be cut not to be despised even by thcae ,vith a more
Ski If ul knowledge.—Communicated.

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9. Furisg4oll 14911(1914

WOLL STON.
•
-W.; it KENOMNS Crx.e.—Thii club gave the=
‘,l their.entert.innint•i of this winter ;:eason
oiiM.Juday last, in tile club room at the Infant's
School. Notwlthstanding the unfavourable weather
there was a fair attendance. Mr. Henry King wao
in the chair, and the following ladies and gentle-
men gave their services. Vocalists: Misses
Millward, Harris and Goddard, and Messrs. Bale
and Bowater. Instrumentalists.:—Miss Gilbauts
and Miss Mabel Gilba,nks (pianofort duet)' Miss.
Oxford (pianoforte solo), .Messrs. Kay and Palate ,
(violin) and Kreitchman (guitar). The programme
appeared to give great satisfaction and Mebsts.
Kny, Palm° and Kretchman obtained an encore for
their second instrumental trio, a similar compli-
ment being award,34 ;o Mr. Bates for his song
'The Four Jolly Smiths." Mr. W. Webb au- .1
companiecl.