OBSERVATIONS ON THE CARNATION. 129 



owing compost : three barrows of loam, one and a half of garden 

 mould, ten ditto horse manure, one of coarse sand, to be mixed and 

 thrown together in a heap or ridge and turned over three or four 

 times in the winter, particularly in frosty weather. On a dry day in 

 the end of November take a barrow of fresh lime, which as soon as 

 it is slaked, strew over while hot in turning the heap ; this destroys 

 grubs, worms, &c. 



If there has been much rain during winter, so that th strength of 

 the compost is reduced and the salts washed from it, I take (says Mr. 

 Hogg) about seven pounds of damaged salt and add them to it, 

 either dissolved in water or strewed over with the hand. The seed 

 may be sown in the open border (if the soil be light, dry, and fine) 

 in the spring, at the time of sowing hardy annuals, but it is much 

 better to sow it in pans or boxes. In March sow the seed in pans or 

 boxes ; they may be placed in a moderate hot-bed just to cause the 

 seeds to come up, but they had better be removed before long for 

 fear of weakening and drawing the plants. Keep the boxes in an 

 airy, dry place, and water moderately, not over much, in case of 

 damping off. When the young plants have six leaves and become 

 about three inches high, they should be planted at about six or seven 

 inches apart, taking care to water them till they take fresh root. 

 Defend from excess of rain and frost by mats or hoops placed over 

 the bed in the usual manner ; they will in general blow the following 

 summer. Laying is in a manner indispensable for continuing sorts ; 

 the time to perform this operation is about the 21st of July, and from 

 that to the 21st of August ; the plants should receive a good watering 

 the day previous to laying, because they can only receive it for some 

 time after through the rose of a very fine watering pot. Hogg says 

 the first thing is to trim the plants by cutting off the leaves next the 

 root, and about an inch in length of those at the end, moving at the 

 same time the surface mould in the pots, and adding to it about 

 half an inch in thickness of the finely sifted compost. They will 

 then be ready for the incision, which must be made with a sharp 

 knife longitudinally on the under side, a little below the second or 

 third joint from the top; the knife must pass completely through the 

 joint and extend a cpiarter of an inch beyond it, forming an incision 

 of nearly an inch long, and dividing the stem of the layer in half 

 lengthwiBe as far as it goes. If the weather is good, they will be fit 



