PROPAGATION OF CARNATIONS 149 



amply rich by well-rotted manure, which will not only feed the plant 

 but render the soil better fitted to hold onto water enough to make it 

 thrifty. Though too much manure and water may induce too lush 

 a growth and perhaps increase calyx-bursting, which is a capital 

 crime in a carnation, one should never stint the plant with the idea of 

 strengthening it. 



A specific way to improve a sandy loam for carnations, which was 

 followed for many years by an Alameda grower, is this: "Use at least 

 one part of thoroughly decayed cow manure to five of soil, and add a 

 sprinkling of 'bone meal, about one 5-inch pot full to a wheelbarrow 

 load of soil. Where the soil has been manured for years one need not 

 use as much manure, but add fresh builders' lime in about the same 

 amount as bone meal. This is to cause everything in the soil that 

 is foreign to decompose, and is especially good for soil that is too fat 

 or rich. It also seems to prevent any green scum from forming on 

 the surface. The soil should be thoroughly mixed by turning over the 

 pile three times after the fertilizer has been added." 



For carnations the soil should be well drained. Excessive rains dur- 

 ing winter, following continuous irrigation during summer and fall, are 

 very dangerous to carnations if the soil is not well drained. 



Propagation. The easiest and surest way to secure a limited num- 

 ber of new plants from an old one is by layering as described on page 

 70. The best time for this method is July and August in the cooler 

 parts of the State, although it may be done successfully at almost any 

 time in this climate and in warm places is most successful in the spring, 

 while moisture is abundant. The layers will generally root in four or 

 five weeks. The operation is simple: Select a stem with partly old 

 and partly young wood; make a slit with a sharp knife at the base of 

 the young wood upwards, extending through a joint or two, so as to 

 form a tongue; peg down the layer rather firmly and add sufficient 

 light, sandy soil to cover the incision to the depth of an inch or two, 

 and keep the ground moist. When found, by removing the earth 

 gently, that the layer has rooted, it is cut loose from the old plant 

 and set out where desired to grow. 



The propagation by cuttings is practiced generally. The cuttings 

 are made of young wood, and long enough to have a firm base; insert 

 them firmly in clean sand in a seed bed or in a seed box in a cold 

 frame, shading with a cloth or lath cover. The cuttings may be made 

 with a heel or cut just below a joint; they should be well watered 

 after planting, but too much dampness must be avoided. 



Carnation cuttings can be rooted any time from September to May 

 with good success. They should be cut with a knife, as tearing dam- 

 ages the old plant. Three to four inches in length makes a good cut- 

 ting. Some advise to split up the cutting about one-eighth of an inch, 



