102 VILLA GARDENING PART i 



will probably die if allowed to flower at all. lu this ease it is 

 better to sacrifice the flowers by cutting the spikes off", and encourage 

 the production of growth, which may possibly be strong enough to 

 make cuttings. The remedy, of coiu-se, is to propagate early, and 

 establish the plants in pots, so that they receive no check when 

 planted out. 



Raising Plants from Seeds. — This is most interesting work, 

 especially when set about in a systematic manner, i.e. when the 

 flowers are carefully fertilised with pollen from a variety calculated 

 by the properties which both parents possess of raising improved 

 flowers. Unless this care is exercised there is very little chance 

 of raising anything worth saving. Of coiu-se all seedlings, if the 

 flowers are double, are worth a place in the border for the produc- 

 tion of flowers for cutting, as scarcely anybody has too many 

 Carnations or Picotees for that purpose. Having decided upon the 

 parentage of the proposed seedlings (and as a rule both should 

 belong to the same class), a little before the blooms are quite 

 expanded, or at any rate before the anthers are mature or fit to 

 burst, two or three of the inner petals should be removed from the 

 female parent, as well as all the stamens from the same flower, 

 with a small pair of propagating scissors, but in no way to interfere 

 with or injure the styles. The blossom intended to furnish the 

 pollen is then operated upon, but in a different manner, as in this 

 case the stamens must be left, removing the style or stigma and 

 a few of the inner petals. These latter must be carefully extracted 

 so as not to injure the base of the stamens. As a rule the top 

 flowers in each plant are the best to save seed from, and as soon 

 as the pollen is in a fit condition it may be applied with a small 

 camel-hair pencil to the style of the female parent. The saving 

 of really choice seeds is an important matter, and is best carried 

 out under a glass roof of some kind. The pods should be carefully 

 gathered when ripe enough. All seeds of this class of plant keep 

 best in the pod till spring, when they shoidd be rubbed out and 

 sown in a gentle warmth — the greenhouse or a slight hotbed will 

 do. The seedlings should be potted as they require it, and may 

 either be kept in the pots the first year and be planted out in 

 March -of the second year, or be planted out as soon as large 

 enough the first year. All I have written will apply as well to 

 the Picotee as the Carnation. 



Pinks are of smaller growth than Carnations, and will bear 

 more hardship from stress of weather. Consequently, there is no 

 occasion to winter them in frames ; indeed, the best-marked flowers 

 are from autumn-planted beds. The preparation of the beds is 

 important ; fresh tiu-fy loam, if prize flowers are wanted, is very 



