General Notices. 325 



Carnations, Picofees and Pinks — their propagation. — The propagation of 

 these plants by pipings, may now be commenced ; the following method we 

 have found the most successful : — Make up a bed two feet in height in a 

 shady situation — let it be composed of rotten manure, which possesses a 

 gentle warmth ; place a one, two, or three-light box over it, according to 

 the number of pipings you intend to plant. The compo^ for this purpose 

 should consist of one part rotten turf, one part horse manure two years old, 

 and one part loam and road sand, in equal quantities ; this should be sifted 

 through a very fine sieve, and turned frequently in the open air to incorpo- 

 rate and sweeten ; after which, place a layer of it, four inches in thickness, 

 over the bed that is prepared ; level it on the surface, and water it freely 

 with a fine rose watering pot the night previous to planting. The glasses 

 we use for striking are octagon shaped, and measure ten inches in diam- 

 eter, five inches deep at the sides, and raised at the top two inches ; we 

 occasionally use larger glasses, but seldom find them answer so well. In 

 taking the pipings from the parent plants, be careful not to strip the main 

 stem — the better way is to cut them off with a knife. We prefer the top- 

 most shoots for piping, for two reasons ; first, they are generally of a slen- 

 der growth, and will more readily strike ; secondly, if left on the plants, 

 they are difiicult to layer without breaking. It is necessary to leave five or 

 six of the young shoots on each of the mother plants for layering ; if they 

 are over-pruned, it is detrimental to the plants, and injurious to their future 

 blooms. The pipings should be prepared by taking the two side leaves off 

 at the third joint from the top, and cutting the stem through horizontally, 

 just below it ; shorten the two leaves above it, and the piping is complete. 

 Having prepared and carefully labelled the number of sorts you intend to 

 plant, proceed in the following manner : — First, sprinkle a small portion of 

 silver sand over the bed, then make an impression with the glass that you 

 may know the distance to plant them ; fill a garden-pan with water, and 

 place it inside the frame, that each variety may be immersed during the 

 time of planting ; take each piping between the finger and thumb, and gently 

 run it into the soil three quarters of an inch in depth ; the distance between 

 each piping should be half an inch, and the same between the rows. After 

 planting, they must be watered sufficiently to moisten the soil through ; let 

 them be well dried before covering them over with the small glasses, or 

 they are likely to mildew. The advantage of double glassing will be found 

 of great benefit in cold and wet seasons. 



Pinks. — These flowers will require great attention during the next three 

 weeks: the pods must be carefully examined from day to day, and tied with 

 bass to prevent them from bursting. We advocate the use of bass for this 

 purpose, in preference to the India-rubber rings, or any other material. 

 The rings are strongly recommended by some parties, but, in our opinion, 

 they are a decided failure ; we lost from twenty to thirty blooms in one sea- 

 son by trying the experiment. The short round pods that are difficult to* 

 open, require the bass to be placed twice round them, and secured firmly 

 by a double knot ; those of a better shape will do very well with a single 

 VOL. XIII. — NO. VII. 30 



