CHAP. XVII VILLA GARDENING 101 



alleys between enable the cultivator to give the plants frequent 

 attention dm-ing the growing season -without treading on the bed. 



The routine u'ork will consist of w^eeding, watering, and tying 

 up the flower stems with care, and during the time this work is 

 going on, very frequent, almost daily, attention will be needed to 

 prevent the ties doing injury. To obtain very fine flowers the 

 buds shoidd be thinned, and after the flower buds are formed a 

 mulch of very old manure all over the bed will be beneficial. It 

 keeps the soil in a nice moist condition, without so frequently 

 having recom-se to the waterpot as would otherwise be necessary. 

 To obtain flowers with correct markings a thin shade will be 

 necessary as soon as the flowers begin to expand. Occasionally 

 a bud may, during a rapid season of growth, burst open pre- 

 matm-ely, by cracking up the side. If the bud can be spared, 

 remove it ; if not, a bit of soft matting wound round to check the 

 lateral movement, and give time for the bud to swell out in its 

 normal state, will be foimd to answer. 



Propagation by Layers.— Yi\\% is the recognised mode of increase 

 by the leading growers, and it is generally performed in July, 

 when the young shoots are getting firm at the base. The requisites 

 needed for the work are a sharp knife, some hooked pegs, and a 

 supjoly of gritty compost, to cover the w^ounded part and induce 

 an early formation of roots. All the shoots that can by any means 

 be made to reach the earth may be layered. First place some 

 of the gritty compost several inches deep round the base of the 

 stool, then take each shoot in succession, strip ofl" any leaves from 

 the bottom of the branch that may be in the way, then make an 

 incision on the underside of the branch, cutting half way through 

 the stem in a slanting direction through a joint. Sometimes a 

 piece of the tongued portion is removed, but this is hardly necessary, 

 as simply cutting a slit in the stem arrests the sap at that point, 

 which, when it is pegged down and buried fii-mly in the sandy 

 compost, produces roots freely. If done diuing dry weather, or 

 if drought sets in before the layers are rooted, watering should 

 be resorted to, in order to get the layers rooted early in autumn. 

 After those young shoots which can reach the soil are layered, 

 the others from the middle of the plants may be taken off and 

 used as cuttings or pii^ings. Carnations and Picotees root as 

 freely this way as Pinks do, and this plan is not so troublesome 

 to perform as layering, only the pipings will require to be covered 

 with handlights, or be planted in a frame. It sometimes happens 

 that plants turned out late, and which, perhaps, are weakly through 

 being layered and potted late in autumn, spindle without making 

 any grass ; and not only will the flowers be poor, but the plants 



