Arum Lilies

We decided to plant our Arum Lilies out of doors late in spring, in order to save that necessity for incessant watering which exists when the plants are kept in pots. We planted them in a trench, where they established themselves cheerfully. They are now strong plants, and in view of the necessity of lifting them towards the end of the month, we shall act wisely by checking the growth at once. This can be done by chopping round them with a spade some nine inches from the stem, so as to sever the out-running roots.

Young Carnations

If we layered our "grass" early, the plants will now be well rooted. Whether they are or not can be ascertained quite easily by scraping away the soil round the layering peg. There will probably be a cluster of fibres a couple of inches thick, in which case the stem may be cut through and the plant taken up without any hesitation. If, on the other hand, there are only a few short threads of root, more time should be allowed, and the mounds should be moistened if dry. The young plants can be put direct into the positions which they are to flower in next year if desired, and on the whole they are best out of doors, as they are less liable to destruction by "rust" - a fungus which causes brown patches on the leaves, and leads to great loss of foliage. There is a certain risk of injury by frost, but the plant is really hardy in most soils. It is more likely to be killed on a damp site than on a well-drained one. Rabbits must be excluded from the garden. These animals will come close to a house in the quietude of dawn, and they are very fond of Carnations. The majority of growers pot their young plants, and winter them on a bed of cinders in an unheated frame. If they can be kept free from rust, such plants are certainly bigger in spring, as a rule, than plants which have been wintered in the open air; but they must be examined periodically, and any infected leaves removed. Three and a half or 4-inch pots will be suitable, except for very strong plants, which may have 5-inch. The soil should consist mainly of fibrous loam, with a liberal dash of sand. The plants should be potted firmly.

Chrysanthemum Buds

I have described the "crown" buds on Chrysanthemums, and told how they generally appear in August. They are distinguished, as I have said, by the fact that a cluster of growing shoots breaks out beneath them. If, instead of a flower bud with its attendant set of growth buds, a cluster forms which consists entirely of flower buds, a large one in the centre and small ones around, we no longer have "crown" but "terminal" buds. We see that when a crown bud forms, the plant has not finished producing shoots, because the leaf buds below the crown would carry growth on if they were not pinched out; but when the branch produces a cluster of flower buds only, it may be taken as a sign that there will be no more shoots produced. I describe the terminal buds, because plants which are grown under less severe restriction than the prize bloom plants may not produce crown buds at all, and if readers knew only of the latter they would be surprised to have a cluster of flower buds without any growth buds beneath them, and wonder what was the best thing to do. " Are terminal buds ever used for prize blooms?" it may be asked. The answer is that it is quite exceptional. Sometimes a plant grown on the three-stem principle is developed with terminal buds, and large flowers got, but the crown bud is generally used. Terminal buds on bush plants may be thinned down to the central one if a few fairly large flowers are wanted, but if a plant full of flowers is required, to give small blooms suitable for cutting, the clusters may be left unthinned.

Taking Terminal Buds off Chrysanthemums.

Fig. 69. - Taking Terminal Buds off Chrysanthemums.

a. The terminal bud.

b. Smaller buds which must be cut off, as denoted by the dark lines.