1816.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



99 



landers excel) but he imposes upon himself the 

 task of giving us Remontant Carnations with 

 stiff flower-stems, which he obtained in 186G. 

 And it may also be said that Mons. Alegatiere has 

 produced a race which will be continued by seed. 



"A permanent race is almost a race which we 

 have created," (Henri Lecoq.) This kind has 

 the same merits as the Carnation Flon, and the 

 advantage of having large flowers and various 

 shades of color. Certain authors have said that 

 the culture and propagation are very easy. At 

 a time not very distant it was said and published 

 of the culture of the Carnation : " Grafting, con- 

 sidering the few chances of success which it 

 offers is seldom employed ; therefore it is recom- 

 mended to split the bottom of the graft and in- 

 troduce into it a grain of wheat, oats, barley or a 

 small pebble, to keep it apart." Without doubt 

 this means of grafting ofl'ers fewer chances of 

 success, as one of the grafts rots, and if the plant 

 coming from this graft does not die, it remains 

 weakly. Grafting was therefore condemned, 

 and layering,which w^as in its inf;xncy,was extolled. 

 Now the routine yields to observation, and by 

 the intelligent student of facts it is generally ad- 

 mitted that grafting is the best means of multi- 

 plying all plants. 



Thus it is admitted that grafts can be inade of 

 a plant when layers cannot. The graft cut, the 

 plant seeks to replace these cuts, to repair the 

 damage to which it has submitted,and reproduces 

 new branches, whilst the plant that has been lay- 

 ered nourished its half cut branches without re- 

 placing them. It has been said on this subject, 

 that shoots take root very easily; it is quite cer- 

 tain that cuttings make better plants than layers. 



These can be made (says my friend Alegatiere,) 

 at all seasons, but for those who have a green- 

 house and wish to propagate largely, the best 

 time is winter, that is to say, January and Feb- 

 ruary, and they will have plants that can be 

 potted in April andMay,will be strong in the course 

 of the summer, and flower in the autumn. If you 

 have no bell glasses the sash of a greenhouse will 

 suffice to strike these cvittings. It is not neces- 

 sary to tell how to prepare these cuttings, — every 

 gardener knows that. An essential point tow- 

 ards success is to remove every day the leaves 

 that become yellow and not to fear to lift the 

 cuttings; on the contrary the undertaking is more 

 sure, for changing the place and soil from time 

 to time hastens them in rooting. And why? 

 Because the earth around them becomes mouldy 

 and if the cutting does not die the development 



of its branches is retarded. Frequent waterings 

 are indispensable, as excess of moisture is better 

 for Carnations than dryness. Cuttings made in 

 winter, take root generally in 3 or 5 w^eeks, ac- 

 cording to the variety. As soon as the cuttings 

 are rooted they are put separately in sniall pots 

 and brought gradually to the air, and the further 

 treatment is like A, B, C, to the workman. 



The cuttings having rooted it is best to put 

 them in the ground during April or the beginning 

 of May, (according to the season and climate,) in 

 a place well aired, as the Carnation loves air and 

 dreads to be confined between walls and trees. 



The nature of the soil is not difficult ; however, 

 it prefers fresh earth provided it is well drained, 

 as stagnant moisture is very destructive to it. 



Copious waterings, not too often repeated, it 

 likes, provided these waterings are of liquid ma- 

 nure and free of fovil materials. These last can 

 easily be disinfected by sulphate of iron. 



To preserve Remontant Carnation dwarf it is 

 better to take off" each flower-stem immediately 

 after the flowering, to 2 or 3 inches above the 

 base, the plant will then branch out more and 

 send forth new flower-stems. Carnations resist 

 the cold perfectly and can be left in the ground, 

 unless they are desired to bloom in winter. In 

 this case a good precaution to take is to shelter 

 the plants after a strong frost from the rays of the 

 sun by some covering. 



If they are to flower in winter, pot the plants 

 in October, at least those that show buds, and let 

 them be as late as possible (so that the buds do 

 not freeze) in an Orangery greenhouse, shed or 

 any other temperate shelter, and give them air 

 every time the exterior temperature is fit. The 

 amateur who has not a greenhouse for propaga- 

 tion should graft them in September, against a 

 northern wall in the open air. The striking of 

 them is then almost certain. This culture is within 

 the means of everybody. These same rules will 

 apply to many plants, especially those which are 

 called soft-wooded. Many horticultural publica- 

 tions contend that certain plants are difficult to 

 multiply by grafting. Why difficult ? Because we 

 are ignorant. Every plant grafts easily if we know 

 how to do it. It is to hide our ignorance that we 

 say a thing is difficult. " Seek and you will find," 

 says Jesus Christ, and it is and always will be true. 

 What man knows not how to do he declares im- 

 possible. Pride ! What he cannot comprehend or 

 what is above his intellect, he decides to be im- 

 practicable. Pride ! Jean Sisley. 



Monplaislr. Lyon, Dec. 19, 1875. 



