41 



THE CULTURE OF GARDEN CARNATIONS. 



By A. Herrington. 



The greatest success in the culture of any class of 

 plants is only attained by the observance and 

 practice of essential details. These, as far as Car- 

 nations are concerned, are simple enough for any- 

 one to understand and perform. The first and 

 most important matter is that of soil. Those 

 who can command an unlimited supply of loam 

 are fortunate, because there is nothing better than 

 this. The beds in Avhich I have been growing 

 Carnations for several years past were specially 

 prepared for these plants and Tea Roses. They 

 were dug out to a dej)th of about two feet, and 

 filled up with loam — the top spit of a pasture. But 

 loam has its drawbacks, for it generally teems with 

 one of the worst enemies of the Carnation, namely, 

 the wire-worm. This grub, however, is but the 

 larvse state of a beetle which lays its eggs in grass- 

 land, and therefore, by trapping the grubs at first 

 and destroying them, in the course of two or three 

 seasons we can be effectually rid of it. That, at 

 least, is my experience of wire-Avorm. However, 

 ordinary garden soil will gi'ow as good Carnations 



