Carnations— "What is the Matter, and other Queries. 



TT^D. Western Horticulturist. — I would like to have information on a few 

 ■J-^ subjects which I think would be valuable to a number of your readers, else I 

 would not ask the space in your journal. 



First. — It is the general belief in this part of the country, that apple trees must 

 be grown from cions taken from bearing trees in order to have them bear early. 

 That if grafted from young or nursery trees, they will be a long time in coming into 

 bearing. Now I think this ail bosh, but want better authority than my own 

 opinion. 



Second. — What's the matter with my carnation cuttings, that they won't root ? 

 I have very good success with florist and other pinks, pelargonium and other plants 

 requiring a greenhouse temperature, but have failed to root the carnation satisfac- 

 tory. I take the cutting soft enough to break if bent, cut it about 1 J inches long, 

 insert it in the sand which generally stands at 60, though sometimes a little higher. 

 I have some in the bench now which have been in nearly two months, and nearly 

 all have grown over an inch, yet there is not more than 10 per cent, of them have 

 rooted. Please have some old florist give us the mode of cultivating the carna- 

 tion. Thanks for Halliday's piece on the violet, such information is very valuable 

 to me. 



liastly, I wish a thorough description of the mode of propagating the grape under 

 glass. Does it require special houses, or will our common ridge and furrow plan, 

 and hot water pipes be sufficient ? Is it green or ripened wood that is used ? 



By answering the above you will greatly oblige a would be 



Topeka, Kansas. Propagator. 



Remarks. — Whether an apple tree grown from a cion cut from a bearing tree, 

 will come into bearing at an earlier stage of growth, than from a cion taken ofi" a 

 young nursery tree, we do not pretend to know, though our opinion is the negative. 

 We are inclined to think, ho\\ever, that for top grafting large trees, cions from 

 bearing trees will fruit the earliest. Tliere appears to be little or no definite infor- 

 mation upon this subject, but should our life be spared four or five years longer, we 

 hope to gather more light than we now have upon it, for we have both experiments 

 well under way. 



For propagating the grape under glass, it matters little what the style of structure 

 for the purpose may be. We have not the space t6 spare in this connection for the 

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