THE MALMAISON CARNATION 43 



strike root freely from cuttings, but they can all be 

 propagated by layering. The cuttings should be taken 

 off in May, but only those too far removed from the 

 base of the plants to be easily layered. They do best 

 in a propagating frame in a forcing house, but with 

 a little bottom heat in May artificial warmth is 

 unnecessary. The cuttings may be struck in sandy 

 soil in boxes or in pots, or one cutting may be 

 inserted in a 2i-inch pot. They take from four to 

 six weeks to strike out roots, and when well rooted 

 they may be transferred to 3-inch pots. Layering 

 is done in June, so that it can be finished before the 

 border varieties are layered in July and August. 

 Get good strong layers. Some amateurs strip off 

 too many leaves ; this is a grave error, and not 

 necessary for the production of strong, handsome 

 plants. 



The best Malmaison Carnations are obtained from 

 layers cut at a point where the wood is moderately 

 ripe, but is neither too hard nor in the least sappy. It is 

 only necessary to cut through the joint. Cut the part 

 to be layered close to the joint, and peg it firmly in 

 the surface soil. This should be loose and sandy, 

 and into which the rootlets will enter freely ; but 

 upon the whole the finest plants result from the 

 following practice. There are generally exhausted 

 cucumber frames that have been made up with stable 

 manure and leaves. The spent cucumbers are re- 

 moved, some soil suitable for layering is put into the 

 frame, and the Malmaisons turned out of their pots 

 and planted in it. 



