CARNATIONS GROWN AT HOME. 169 



ing. The rooted layers will bloom very early the following sea- 

 son. When well rooted, they, as well as the rooted cuttings, 

 should be 'potted in three or four inch pots, and carried through 

 the winter in a semi-dormant state, in the cellar near a window, 

 comparatively dry, but not killing dry. There is a vast differ- 

 ence between those two conditions of the soil, which degree can- 

 not be described, but common sense must determine. 



In the spring, from the 15 of April to the first of May, they 

 should be transplanted in the border for blooming. This is the 

 routine of cultivation that must be pursued. After a carnation 

 plant has bloomed out doors, or in the house one season it is 

 worthless; it has lived its life and by nature served its purpose 

 and no attempt should be made to continue its useless existence. 



I endeavor to give the plainest and most practical directions 

 for the culture of carnations — my purpose being to show how they 

 may be grown by anyone who is willing to devote a little time 

 and trouble to their care. 



Some kinds of carnations are hardier than others, some bloom 

 earlier in the season than others, some develop their flowers best 

 under glass, or in a greenhouse, others bloom grandly in their 

 open borders. I will give a list of colors and kinds which are 

 best suited for open cultivation, at the homes of those who choose 

 to try them. 



Out of the entire list of white carnations there is not one 

 whose reputation for out-door growth is so well established as is 

 that of Mrs. Fisher. This white variety is grown almost exclu- 

 sively by florists for their open air carnation bloom. Its flowers 

 are a pure white, large and deliciously fragrant. One can not do 

 better than to grow it. 



For pinks procure Diaz Albertina, Daybreak, Wm. Scott and 

 Rose Queen. In carmine, select Tidal Wave; scarlet, Portia; 

 white-variegated, Helen Keller and Goldfinch. In the pure yel- 

 lows there is but little choice — Gold Nugget and Golden Triumph, 

 and these are not very meritorious. 



The two or three kinds of carnations which experience has 

 proven to do the best in pots in the window of the sitting room 



