THE HEART OF THE YEAR 



labelled), there are always a few sorts which he desires July 

 to have more of. They establish themselves as favourites 10-31 

 because of their vigorous growth, or because they have 

 fine flowers, or because they are very sweet. If the 

 amateur is fortunate enough to get varieties which 

 combine all these merits, let him take care to get a good 

 many plants of each, for they are real floral treasures. 

 There is no finer and more desirable plant than a really 

 good Carnation, and in these days of much fungoid 

 disease, strength of constitution is of special importance. 

 The time to propagate Carnations is from mid-July to 

 mid-August, and the method is to layer the tufty outer 

 growths. (If you would pass as one of the elect among 

 Carnation specialists, you must take care always to allude 

 to these growths as " the Grass.") Plants which have 

 languished through the winter as a result of the attacks 

 of "mould" or "rust," or which have been checked in 

 spring by wireworm, sometimes exhibit but a very poor 

 and weakly growth of "Grass" by mid-July ; in this case 

 it is prudent to defer the layering and endeavour to 

 strengthen the plants by giving them a few soakings 

 of liquid manure, and top-dressings of rich, loamy soil. 

 There may be several growths on each plant, and all 

 may be layered separately. Place a small mound of 

 soil under each as a preliminary, then remove a few 

 of the leaves from the stem about one-third of the 

 length of the stem (calculating from the parent plant), 

 and make a slit along the stem about an inch long, pre- 

 ferably through a joint. Do not cut a slice right out, 

 as in budding Roses, merely pass the knife half-way 

 through the stem, and then turn the edge of the blade 

 so as to cut longitudinally for an inch. This forms 

 what gardeners would term a "tongue," and the word 

 is not inapt. Keep the tongue raised by slipping in a 

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