172 Select Carnations, Picotees, and Pinks. 
bushy habit. Lifting may be commenced any time 
after July 5th and onwards to the middle of Sep- 
tember, but the third week of August is the average 
date for most varieties. The time for lifting depends 
vpon variety, the maturity of the plants, and the 
object in view. The Carnations are lifted with as 
good a ball of soil as possible, and planted on the 
benches, the houses being kept close, shaded and 
moist for a time till the plants recommence growth. 
Moderate waterings. at the root give the best re- 
sults, and provided the soil is just nicely moist the 
plants will soon commence growing again. Very 
late planting causes the stems to be short, so that 
August 18 1s a good date to bring the plants in- 
doors. 
Those who grow their plants in pots may practice 
stopping up to the beginning of September to get 
the best crop of bloom about Christmas, in the case 
of such early varieties as Mrs. T. W. Lawson and 
Harry Fenn. Late ones like Prosperity should not 
be stopped after the second week of July. 
JULY. 
Border Carnations. 
Give unremitting attention to dis-budding and 
tying during this, the flowering, month, and secure 
those buds with rafha or rubber bands that are 
lable to split the calyx. 
Layering may be commenced during this month 
in the south, though August is more suitable in the 
Midlands and the North. The operation may be 
commenced anywhere as soon as the grass is fit. 
This is usually just as the flowers commence to 
fade, though it may be done earlier in the South and 
sometime before the plants have finished flowering 
im Scotland, as Carnations there bloom til] well into 
September. 
The beds or plantations of seedlings planted out 
over a twelvemonth ago will commence flowering, 
and the enthusiastic raiser will inspect them more 
or less every day. Single and all inferior flowers 
may be pulled up at once to give the remainder 
more room, unless, indeed, the flowers are wanted 
for cutting. 
Show Carnations and Picotees. 
Those who grow for exhibition will find their 
hands full as this month advances. Tying, dis- 
