222 THE FLOWER-GARDEN. [CHAP. VIII. 



which are striped or streaked with three colours; 

 and the Picotees, which are much the hardiest, 

 and are only bordered with a narrow margin of 

 some dark colour, or dotted with very small 

 and almost imperceptible spots. The carna- 

 tion, in its wild state, is a native of England, 

 and is generally found on the walls of some 

 old castle or other ruin, or growing in very 

 poor, gravelly, or calcareous soil. The culti- 

 vated plant, of course, requires different treat- 

 ment; and the following directions have been 

 kindly given to me by one of the first growers 

 of carnations in France, whose opinion may 

 be relied upon. " The compost should be 

 a fresh mellow loam, mixed with an equal 

 quantity of terre de taupiniere (casts from 

 mole-hills); to this mixture should be added 

 a fifth of well-rotted cow-dung, so thoroughly 

 decayed as to have become quite black. The 

 soil thus prepared should be pressed firmly 

 into the pots, more so, indeed, than for any 

 other plant: thus there should be twice as 

 much earth as usual in pots for carnations. 

 The pots are placed in the sun till the 15th 

 or 20th of November, and watered a little 

 at a time, but often. After the 20th of No- 

 vember, at latest, the plants should be kept 

 entirely in the shade, so that they may not be 

 exposed to the sun at any time during the day; 

 and it is also absolutely necessary that they 

 should be kept under a roof where they may 

 be sheltered from the rain and snow; but they 

 must not be put in a hothouse, as a cold situa- 

 tion suits them much better. During frosty 

 weather, they should be very little watered, in 



