THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



141 



THE CARDINAL FLOWER. 



f Lobelia cardiTuiiisJ 



This beautiful native we find adver- 

 tised in some seed catalogues, among 

 the novelties of the season. This is a 

 move in the right direction, and this 

 brilliant and gorgeous flower which has 

 been growing wild in our meadows and 

 along our brooks ever since man first 

 set foot on our soil, and no one knows 

 ^how many millions of years before, is 

 probably a novelty to many who have 

 lived a life-time within a short walk of 

 its native habitat. We search the 

 wide world over for " novelties," while 

 here they are growing around us in 

 splendor and brilliancy. Nothing more 

 dazzlingly beautiful can be imagined 

 than a bed of Cardinal Flowers in au- 

 tumn, when in full bloom, grouped in 

 a shady spot on a smooth, velvety lawn 

 with a group of Cannas or Rhododen- 

 dron as a back-ground. 



THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. 



PROPAGATION BY LAYERS. 



The proper season for layering is 

 June or July. When the time arrives 

 for performing the opei-ation, procure a 

 quantity of small hooked pegs ; then 

 take a trowel and remove the earth to 

 the depth of an inch or so directly un- 

 der the shoot to be layered. Take the 

 shoot in one hand, and with the finger 

 and thumb of the other hand remove 

 the leaves from the body of the shoot, 

 and shoi*ten those at the top an inch 

 or so. With a thin, sharp knife, cut 

 through the strongest joint on the 

 body of the shoot, cutting upward until 

 within a short distance of the next 

 joint, and if the joints are close it may 

 be necessary to cut through more than 

 one. The slit may be from one to two 

 inches in length. Then press the cen- 

 tre of the shoot down to the earth, be- 

 ing at the same time careful to keep 

 the slit open and the top in an upright 

 position; take one of the pegs and 



secure it in this situation. A little 

 clean sand placed around the cuf'will 

 aid in the formation of roots. In Sep- 

 tember or October the shoots thus lay- 

 ered will be rooted sufficiently to sepa- 

 rate from the parent plant, when they 

 may be cut away and removed to win- 

 ter quarters. 



PROPAGATION BY PIPINGS. 



This is a simple operation, yet re- 

 quiring great care and attention to in- 

 sure success. Prepare a small bed in 

 some partially shaded part of the gar- 

 den, composed of the same materials as 

 that recommended for the seed bed, 

 but with a larger portion of sand. Se- 

 lect the strongest short-jointed shoots, 

 and cut them oflf immediately below 

 the second or third joint from the to[> 

 of the shoot. 



As fast as prepared in this manner, 

 place them in a pan of rain water to 

 prevent flagging. Plant these shoots, 

 or pipings, as they are called, as soon 

 as a sufficient quantity is prepared in 

 the bed, an inch and a half asunder ; 

 water slightly through a fine rose, and 

 after the leaves are thoroughly dry, 

 cover with a hand glass and shade from 

 the mid-day sun. Pipings may be pre- 

 pared in July or August, and if closely 

 covered with a hand or bell glass, and 

 shaded from the sun, will scarcely re- 

 quire any water until rooted. If they 

 should need water, it will be found, in 

 most cases, sufficient to pour a little on 

 the outside of the glass. This will 

 moisten the earth inside, and prevent 

 the cuttings or pipings from drying. 



POT CULTURE FOR EARLY FLOWEttlNG. 



In September or October, provide a 

 sufficient number of pots, six or eight 

 inches in diameter at the top. Make 

 a compost of two parts turfy loam, one 

 pai-t of thoroughly rotten hot-bed 

 manure, and one part of clean lake or 

 river sand ; place on the bottom of the 

 pots a layer of broken crocks, and on 



