OS THE CULTURE OF THE PINK. 7^ 



[laving been a cultivator of pinks nearly thirty years, induces me to 

 send you the method I adopt, for the propagation of that flower, which 

 is by piping, being the most safe and expeditious plan that I know of. 

 About the third or fourth week in June, I begin piping, choosing a 

 southern aspect in the most airy part of my garden, and I always 

 choose my mould of an open texture, worked finely with the spade for 

 the first four inches, and for the next two inches I sift some mould- 

 through a fine sieve, with one-fifth of drift or river sand laid on the 

 top of the above, I then take a straight edged board, and level it all 

 over ; the length and breadth of the bed, to be regulated according to 

 the quantity to be piped ; since I have been a dahlia-grower, 1 have 

 struck my pipings where I have struck my dahlias ; having removed the 

 frame I take oft' the top surface until"! come to the dung, 1 then take a 

 fork and shake as much of the dung as will cause a gentle heat, I after- 

 wards lay a piece of old matting on the top, to prevent the worms from 

 working up, covering it over with the mould as above described, the 

 next object being to select the most rare and new sorts, which I pipe 

 first, covering them with glasses varying in size from four to twenty- 

 two inches square, using the small ones for the best sorts, I generally 

 take the grass or side shoot from the plants with the number stuck to 

 them, keeping each sort separate, I then proceed to cut off the pipings, 

 stripping the leaves to the second joint, and with a sharp knife cut them 

 close under the joint, taking care not to injure it. In those sorts; in 

 which the joints are shorter, I cut the third or fourth joint, I then short- 

 en the tops as close as possible to the heart without injuring it, and as 

 I cut them I place them in small pans of water to stiffen, which causes 

 them to enter the ground more freely, taking care to keep each sort 

 separate, I then take the glasses and make a print in the mould with 

 them, I next proceed to take each piping singly and stick them into the 

 mould up to the first joint, three quarters of an inch apart, after having 

 filled the space I proceeded to give them a gentle watering, takin» care 

 not to put the glass down close until they are dried, or it will cause 

 them to damp off: I proceeded in this manner until I have gone through 

 the whole of my collection, being particularly careful to shade them 

 from the mid-day sun, which I do by placing hoops a-cross the pip- 

 ing place, covering them with matting from eight in the morning till 

 five in the evening, giving them the full benefit of the morning sun till 

 eight o'clock : in the course of three weeks many of the glasses may be 

 taken off, and at the end of six weeks most of them will be fit for 

 planting out into the bed which should be prepared ready to receive 

 them, planting them three inches apart in the row.?, and each row four 



