210 THE FLORIST. 



and most vital importance. It is better to winter in pots than 

 to plant late. 



In preparing beds for the Pink, mix-in well -decom- 

 posed manure liberally, if you expect them to be well laced ; 

 and also trench in a good spit of manure the last time the beds 

 are turned, for the roots to feed on when they are throwing 

 up their bloom. It is also of great importance, particularly if 

 the soil be heavy, to raise the beds considerably — say six, 

 nine, or even twelve inches — above the walks, leaving them 

 round, in order to throw off the heavy rains that we generally 

 experience in autumn. About March, when the beds should 

 be top-dressed, the edges can be raised by the help of slips of 

 slate, wood, or turf; thus bringing them nearly to a level, 

 that the plants may receive copious watering, should the wea- 

 ther be dry, with three or four good soakings of weak liquid 

 manure when forming their buds. Pink-culture in pots has 

 often been tried, and frequently recommended. Last season 

 this plan had an extra stimulus, owing to prizes having been 

 offered for examples in pots by the Horticultural Society of 

 liondon; but unfortunately the show was too early for the 

 bloom, yet our experience is the same. The varieties gene- 

 rally laced very well, appeared to be smoother on the edge 

 than those grown in beds, clean, and mostly with good white 

 — all strong recommendations. We consider the experiment 

 to have been highly successful, as on two occasions, the Chel- 

 tenham and Mario w exhibitions, the majority of our blooms 

 were from pots. For early shows they will be exceedingly 

 useful, as they can be advanced a week or ten days by placing 

 them in a frame. The advantages of this will be more appa- 

 rent during a late season like the past. The pots need not be 

 larger than 8-inch, as a 8-light box would hold a consi- 

 derable number of them, and this is a convenient size for 

 lifting about. Soil similar, but it should contain a little more 

 manure than that in which Carnations are grown. 



We potted some permanently into the blooming-pots in 

 autumn, others we wintered in 4-inch pots, repotting them in 

 March ; but there was no perceptible difference in the flowers. 

 It is our determination to further test their growth in pots 

 next season. 



The old kinds that have maintained their position as 

 favourites are Criterion, Sappho, Lola Montez, Mrs. Herbert, 

 Narborough Buck, Great Britain, King of Purples, Laura, 

 Optima, and Whipper-in ; these have all been prominent 

 wherever even but few have been collected together. 



We would suggest that, at the forthcoming exhibitions, a 

 permanent good would be effected were the number of blooms 



