ON THE CARNATION. 117 



check ; for the formation of roots must necessarily require a certain 

 supply of sap ; and, at all events, the layers should be removed when 

 ■well rooted ; for after they have got a large quantity of fibres they 

 may then be getting sustenance from their own as well as the parent 

 plant ; andjthus having a double allowance of nourishment, they will 

 then'be likely to spindle. 



The operation of layering properly is one of some nicety, but there 

 are many bunglers ; much has been written ; but it requires practice 

 and patience to do it well. I tried last year a plan recommended by 

 a writer in one of the floricultural publications ; it was merely to cut 

 out a notch just below a joint. It certainly had simplicity in its 

 favour ; but I must candidly say, that those thus operated upon were 

 the worst rooted in my collection. Still I shall, if possible, give the 

 plan another trial next season. The system generally followed, and 

 the one that I find to answer best, is, after having provided an equal 

 quantity of road-dust and decayed leaves, or other vegetable soils, well 

 mixed, and a quantity of pegs, either made of braken or fern, or, what 

 is far better, leaden ones, cast in a mould, I place my pot in a wheel- 

 barrow, or on a low table, and take my seat in front. I then with a 

 sharp knife remove the lower leaves close to the stem, and shorten 

 the ends of the others ; but, as I before observed, I am not fond of 

 cutting away too much. When all the layers are trimmed, some of 

 the compost must be put on the pot ; and, having selected the joint 

 to cut through, I place my finger at the back, to keep it steady, and 

 gently insert the point of a surgeon's dissecting knife, of the smallest 

 size, in the centre of the stem, pushing it gently forward, with the 

 edge downward, until the blade is half through ; I then give the 

 handle a slight twist, and bring the blade out below the joint on the 

 under side, thus forming a nice tongue. The nib is then cut back to 

 a joint and the piece of leaf stripped off, leaving a small bud at the 

 bottom ; it is then carefully pegged down in the fine soil which had 

 been placed on the pot; each layer is operated on in a similar 

 manner. When all down they have a little more soil put on them, 

 but by no means should they be buried deep. It sometimes happens 

 that there are shoots so high as not to be conveniently brought down 

 to the same level as the others ; when this is the case, a large piece 

 of broken pot is placed within the rim, which holds up the soil, and 

 makes a higher surface in which they are layered, or sometimes they 



