THE CARNATION MANUAL. 25 



kept pinched back and not allowed to flower 

 during the summer in the hope that they might 

 be grown on into big plants, and produce a fine 

 show of bloom the following summer. The result 

 was that during the winter many died, and those 

 which survived were so crippled as to be worthless. 

 The winter, it is true, was exceedingly severe ; but 

 layers, with but few exceptions, stood it uninjured. 



It is of the utmost importance also that the 

 layers should be well rooted; those that are not 

 should be unhesitatingly rejected. 



As the subject of layering Carnations will be 

 treated elsewhere in this " Manual " it will not be 

 necessary to touch upon it here. 



The whole success, however, of the following 

 summer depends upon these layers being well 

 established in the border before the rough cold 

 weather sets in, and this may not and probably 

 will not be assured unless they are all in their 

 places by the middle of October. 



Planting. — The writer prefers planting the 

 layers singly, about fifteen inches apart. They 

 may, however, be put in in groups of three layers, 

 in the form of an equilateral triangle, presenting in 

 summer the appearance of a single fine plant. 

 This detail may be left to individual taste. The 

 main point to be remembered is to plant fairly 

 deep and very firmly. 



This matter of firm planting is most important 



