PROPAGATION 75 



for benching in early May, or might be shifted into 4-in. 

 in April and benched right after Memorial Day. For those 

 with a light, sandy soil in the field, this stock, if intended 

 for field culture, would grow into , too large specimens, but 

 for a heavy loam hardly ever do the plants become too 

 large for housing, no matter how early propagated. 



The florist who does not set aside stock plants for 

 propagating purposes has to depend entirely on the side 

 shoots of the flower stems for his cuttings, and if any 

 quantity of them is to be taken, it is well to start early 

 in order to get them. The sooner after the New Year we 

 get bus}^ with rooting Carnations the easier the rooting, 

 the better the chances for a good sized plant next July, 

 and the more hkely we are to get enough worked up. Start 

 now, as you cut the finest long stemmed flowers of your 

 new sorts, save the cuttings and put them into sand. 



CUT-BACK PLANTS 



If you are short of a certain sort, and 30U wish to 

 work up a large stock from it for another season, do as 

 the speciahst does, and cut back the flowering stems and 

 thereby encourage the plants to give you side shoots, which 

 make the ideal cuttings. Quite a few of the Carnations 

 grown after the middle of January, if allowed to flower, 

 will furnish but little material in the way of cuttings. 

 The plants send up their flowering stems, but very few 

 side growths on them. Up to the middle of December we 

 usually can get plenty of cuttings from the plants that 

 were housed from the field in July and August. Don't 

 expect too much from your stock in the way of flowers and 

 cuttings. Of those sorts you have a large stock of, you 

 may not have any trouble in getting all the cuttings you 



