166 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



They are best planted out in beds of six rows, nine 

 inches apart, and the same distance between the plants, 

 with eighteen-inch alleys between the beds. The Carna- 

 tion is very impatient of a wet soil, and care should be 

 taken that the land be made dry by draining or otherwise. 

 As the Carnations grow they throw up flower shoots, which 

 must be cut off all through the season, until about the 1st 

 or 15th of September. If the plants are wanted for winter 

 flowering, this cutting back of the flower shoots induces a 

 dwarf and stocky growth, which is very desirable in the 

 Carnation. If they are grown in large quantities for win- 

 ter flowering, by far the best way is to plant them on the 

 benches of the green-house, at about the same distance as 

 they were growing outside, any time in October ; but if only 

 a few are required, to mix in with a general collection of 

 plants, it is more convenient to grow them in pots, so that 

 they may be moved about as may be necessary. Of the 

 varieties grown, though we have some hundreds, as in 

 the case of Roses, we have only a few suited for winter 

 flowering. Of these, so far, the most productive is La 

 Purite, a deep carmine variety; next, a variegated variety 

 of the preceding. Among whites, Maimie and De- 

 graw take the lead. In yellows, we have Astoria and 

 De Fontana, but these fall far short of the others in pro- 

 ductiveness of flowers. 



The flowers of La Purite and other colored sorts sell in 

 New York at $2 per 100, the whites usually at $3 per 100. 

 Even at these low prices they are a fairly profitable crop, 

 as the bulk of the flowers is given previous to the middle 

 of January, when the forced plants, being of but little use, 

 are usually thrown out to make room for other plants. Al- 

 though the Carnation is nearly a hardy plant and may be 

 kept anywhere in winter in a cold green-house or pit, even 

 if occasionally slightly frozen, yet it is also susceptible of 

 being forced freely. "We usually keep our houses, when 

 we are forcing for flowers, at from 50 to 60 at night. 



