The Garden Under Glass

6o THE GARDEN UNDER GLASS drained off can be put closely together in the propagator. It can scarcely be hoped that the cuttings will root until four to eight weeks have elapsed, but when this delightful event takes place the close conditions of the propagator may be relaxed by setting these pots either in another propagator or at the far end, where they will receive more air and may in a f ew days be inured to more open conditions so as to be able to be put on the greenhouse shelf. The First Potting of Chrysanthemums The soil advised for cuttings will do well for the first potting if to it be added some sifted horse manure which has been used for mushroom growing, and just the slightest sprinkling of Clay’s. I like to put the rooted cuttings into 2|-inch pots known as thumbs. They will quickly fill these with roots and are not so liable to suffer from over-watering as when they are moved to 3-inch pots. At this stage their needs may best be catered for by keeping them close to the glass but not subjected to chilling winds, by syringing them frequently and by shading only when the leaves cannot be kept erect by syringing. Whatever shading is used should be dis-carded as soon as possible. By assiduous attention to these matters they will soon be found to root through this compost so as to qualify themselves for a 4-inch pot, and eventually on to a 6-inch or a 7-inch, and lastly to a 9-inch pot, which should be large enough for any Chrysanthemum. In each of these successive pottings the soil should be made strenger, meaning that loam should predominate over any other material and that the amount of animal and Chemical manures should be increased. The folio wing f ormula is what I generally use