THE CARNATION MANUAL. 15 



Cool Treatment. — Those who cannot avail 

 themselves of bottom-heat must strike under cool 

 treatment. The best way to proceed is to prepare 

 some fine soil, as recommended above, and make 

 a bed of it on a shady border, if possible on a 

 s^oot raised above the ordinary ground-level. Put 

 the cuttings in this bed when it is made thoroughly 

 firm, give them a good sprinkling by means of a 

 rose watering-pot, place a hand-glass over them, 

 leaving it on until the cuttings show signs of 

 growth. Occasional sprinklings of the cuttings 

 will be necessary according to the dryness of the 

 weather ; and some shade over the hand-glass will 

 be requisite when the sun shines brightly. 



It may be asked — Do rooted cuttings make 

 such good flowering plants as layers ? and will 

 they bloom so early ? To these questions the 

 reply is — Strong pipings or cuttings make fine 

 plants, but they are generally later in flowering 

 than plants obtained from layers. 



Layering. — August is the month in which to 

 layer Carnations; the shoots have become firm, 

 and can be manipulated without danger of 

 snapping ofl". The first process is to trim the 

 layers, using a pair of sharp scissors, cutting aw^ay 

 the leaves close to the stem up to about the fourth 

 or fifth joint from the point. Then, by means of 

 a pointed stake, take out from the pot two inches 

 or so of the old soil, and replace it with new, 



