218 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



The pink is essentially a poor man's possession. It is not, like 

 its more stately brother, the choicer kind of carnation, an expensive 

 plant. It will grow away vigorously in the border in almost any 

 kind of soil, and it will of itself increase with surprising rapidity 

 by reason of the thick network of roots \vliich it throws out 

 beneath the surface of the ground. 



And what a lovely picture it makes in late June if grown in 

 batches in the mixed border ! The white kinds, notably Mrs 

 Sinkins and Her Majesty, should be found in every amateur's 

 garden. Nor, taking it all round, do I know a plant that forms 

 a more satisfactory edging to a long border than the white pink. 

 When it is in bloom it makes a magnificent picture, and even in 

 the depth of winter the fresh green of its foliage adds a touch of 

 brightness to what is generally a somewhat dismal scene of desola- 

 tion. 



Therefore the pink is well worthy of special cultivation, and it is 

 in July, when the best of the flowers are over, that the gardener 

 who wishes to increase his stock should set about the task. This 

 may be done by means of cuttings, and the method to be adopted 

 is fully explained in Diagram 26. 



First select a strong young shoot one, if possible, that is not 

 too soft and sappy. Hold it firmly with the left hand, and with 

 the right hand cut it off from the parent plant just below a joint. 

 The joint will be found at that part of the stem where a pair of 

 leaves clasps it. Now proceed to trim the cutting by removing 

 several pairs of the lower leaves, and when this has been done 

 make a horizontal cut through the centre of the joint. This 

 process should be repeated until as many cuttings as are desired 

 have been obtained. 



The cuttings, if they be taken in July, may with perfect safety 

 be placed in the open ground. A shady spot beneath a south 

 fence should, if possible, be selected. The plan I adopt is to make 

 a small bed, dig it up well, and introduce as much sand into the 

 compost as possible. I then draw drills- nine inches apart, as 

 shown in the illustration, and into the bottom about six inches 

 deep place a good sprinkling of sifted ashes. The object of this 



