ON CARNATION CULTURE. 77 



pressed by the " Journeyman Gardener," — " stick three dozen plants 

 into a bed four yards square," — but whoever saw such a bed for 

 Carnations? — "place them zigzag: this being performed in March 

 or April, place a flower-pot on the plants when it is likely to be a 

 frost, and attend to tie them carefully when recpiired." No more 

 being said of their future management, we shall probably find the 

 young beginner thinking that he has done all that is necessary to 

 ensure success, and calmly trusting to Nature to produce him first-rate 

 blooms. But no protection being afforded to his expanding flowers, 

 wet weather probably comes on, and what is the result ? With a 

 humid atmosphere and a lack of sunshine, the " Young Beginner " 

 has to mourn over rotting petals and half-expanded flowers, instead of 

 the magnificent blooms which he fondly expected would have brought 

 him honour on the day of exhibition ; for when that day arrives the 

 probability is that he will not have a flower worth exhibiting : 

 whereas, had he attended to the minutice of cultivation, as laid down 

 in the seven pages which have exhausted the patience of the " Jour- 

 neyman Gardener," he might have had as good a chance as the 

 larger cultivator, everything depending upon the care and attention 

 of the cultivator in the blooming season ; and if he has not time to 

 pay attention to them, then he might as well have had his money in 

 his pocket and been possessed of no plants at all — at least as far as 

 exhibiting is concerned. I conceive, therefore, that this part of the 

 subject is not " too much extended." 



Another complaint about the article is, that I have not gone into 

 chemical technicalities respecting the nature of my soil. This I do 

 not think necessary. I would again recommend the " Young- 

 Beginner " to begin with " good fresh soil," which certainly should 

 be of a "friable" nature ; and if he finds it too poor, he can easily 

 improve it by the annual addition of a little well-decomposed turf, 

 which is exactly what I have done with my own this season, and I 

 have no fears for the result. I succeeded uncommonly well last 

 season without the use of " soot," and shall pursue a similar course 

 this. The "Journeyman Gardener" is cpiite at liberty to avoid my 

 Plkonasm, and if he can arrive at the same results by going by 

 steam and shorter cuts, there is no call for any further personal 

 recrimination. For my part, I shall not again reply to anonymous 

 personalities. 



