58 HOLLYHOCKS. 



Carnations love warmth ; therefore give them a 

 sunny aspect to blow in. The seedling plants may 

 be treated like young pinks, but this difference 

 must be observed ; pinks love shade, and carna- 

 tions love warmth. A bed of carnations is a beau- 

 tiful object. The pots can always be sunk in a 

 border or bed in fine weather. Carnations may be 

 layered, or piped, or slipped for propagation. 



Water your carnations in pots once a week with 

 lime water, if they appear drooping, for this pro- 

 ceeds from a worm at the root; but the brine will 

 destroy all insects quickly, when poured upon the 

 compost heap. 



In propagating double Wall-flowers, take slips 

 of the young shoots of the head : this will perpet- 

 ,|l uate the double property and color of the flower, 

 from which they were slipped. In saving seed for 

 wall-flowers, choose the single flowers, which have 

 five petals or flower leaves. Double flowers have 

 no seed. 



Water the slips, and keep them shady and moist: 

 they will root by September. 



Plant your Hollyhocks in September or October, 

 where they are to remain. Hollyhocks are a noble 

 flower, and they love a strong soil. Let a succes- 

 sion of these flower plants be attended to in the 

 biennial seed-bed. Keep them some inches apart 

 from each other in the seedling-bed, for they form 

 large straggling roots. The hollyhock looks well 

 in clumps of three, at a good distance apart, in 

 large gardens or shrubberies, but they are some- 

 what too overgrown for smaller parterres. 



Be particular in gathering your seeds on a fine, 

 dry day, and put each sort in a separate brown 

 paper bag till you require them. The very finest 



