70 FLOWERS AND THE FLOWER GABDEN. 



winter. Choose fine healthy outside shoots, not those 

 which have, or have had, flowers. As earth to cover 

 the layers, have ready a compost of light loam and leaf- 

 mould, half and half ; and the best pegs for fixing them 

 are made of fronds of the common fern, birch, or hazel 

 twigs. Dress the stems intended for layering by cutting 

 off all the lower leaves, leaving about six nearest the top 

 untouched. If there are too many good shoots in the 

 pot, take some off for pipings. Make an incision with 

 a very sharp knife on the under side of the first layer, 

 just below the third joint, bringing the knife slanting 

 upwards partly through the joint. Still holding the 

 cutting, take a hooked peg in the other hand, and with 

 it fasten down the layer, pressing it gently, but firmly, 

 down to the soil. Proceed in the same way with the 

 layers all round the plant, and then cover the slit joint 

 with the compost to an inch in depth. Do not water 

 the newly layered plant until the next day, by which 

 time the wounds will have healed over partially. 

 Layering is done in the same way when the roots are 

 planted out of doors. The young plants may be sepa- 

 rated from the parent plant, and potted, in August. 



Carnations may also be propagated by pipings, when 

 the flowering is over. Fill the necessary number of pots 

 with the compost prepared for the carnations nearly up 

 to the top, and fill up with silver sand. Break off* the 

 pipings at the third joint, then in each piping cut a 

 little upward slit, plant them in the sand pretty thickly, 

 and place the pot on a gentle hot-bed, on a bed of sifted 

 coal ashes or river sand ; put on the sashes, and shade 

 the pipings from the sun, until they have rooted, then 

 harden them off gradually, and plant them out into- 

 small pots. 



The chief points in a carnation are a firm upright- 

 flower stem, calyx well and regularly opened, flower 

 round, with the petals regularly disposed, largest out- 

 side, decreasing in size to the centre, and colour clear 

 and distinct. Those with stripes should have the stripes; 

 widest at the edge of the petals. 



The yellow picotce carnations are very striking. These- 



