Soils 



to the friability of the soil upon which the sod has grown ; and where the 

 basic soil is a sandy loam, the leaf mold and sand may be omitted. 



Upward of seventy years ago, carnations were extensively grown in Eng- 

 land for exhibition purposes. The different English growers brought to a 

 state of great perfection the variety of carnation which they then grew. 

 Flowers from three to four inches in diameter, upon stems thirty to forty- 

 five inches in length, were grown and exhibited. ( See quotations from Don 

 and Hogg, Chapter i.) 



Thomas Hogg, the great carnation grower of that date, gives the fol- 

 lowing formula for the preparation of soil in which to grow carnations : 



"Take three barrows of loam, one and a half barrows of garden mold, ten barrows 

 of horse dung, one barrow of coarse sand. Let these be mixed and thrown together 

 in a heap and turned two or three times in the winter, particularly in frosty weather, 

 that it may be well incorporated. On a dry day towards the end of November take 

 a barrow of fresh lime, which as soon as slack strew over while hot in turning the heap. 

 This accelerates the rotting of the fibrous particles of the loam, lightens the soil and 

 destroys the grub worms and slugs. If there be much rain during the winter so that 

 the strength of the compost is reduced and the salt washed from it, take about seven 

 pounds of damaged salt and add to the compost heap, either dissolved in water or 

 strewed on the heap by hand. The addition of the salt will be attended with the most 

 beneficial result upon the future health and vigor of the plants. This compost should 

 be protected from washing rains and should be allowed to lie at least six months before 

 it is used. For flowers that are apt to sport in color, and especially for the yellow 

 picotees, the strength of the compost should be lowered, using three barrows of sound 

 staple loam, two barrows of old rotten cow dung, one barrow of horse dung, one-half a 

 barrow of sand and one-half a barrow of lime rubbish, and prepare and incorporate well 

 as above described." 



Maddock, another celebrated English carnation grower, prepared his 

 compost as follows : 



"One-half in bulk of rotten horse dung one year old; one-third fresh sound loam; 

 one-sixth coarse sea or river sand. Mix these ingredients together in autumn, lajnng 

 in a heap about three feet thick, turning three or four times during the winter, especially 

 in frosty weather, when it should be laid out sufficiently thin that the whole mass may 

 be thoroughly frozen. This will be fit for use in the following spring. The earth and 

 sand may be added to it in March, and the whole should then be well mixed. Where 

 the air is pure, experience has pointed out the propriety of using less dung and more 

 loam ; therefore, the quantity of sand, loam and dung should be in this case reversed.'' 



From these descriptions of the soils used by the English growers of 

 seventy years ago, the reader will gather the inference that the carnation is 

 about as gross a feeder as any plant that we have. I mention this fact par- 

 tictdarly, as some years ago many carnation growers throughout the United 



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