26 THE BOOK OF THE CARNATION 



will) tokuco powder t<> destiny any green fly lurking on 

 the young foliage, and if rust shows, the tips of the leaves 

 cut off. The soil next the inside of the flower-pot is then 

 stirred with a pointed stick, a little sandy compost added, the 

 tongues (v. Chapter X.) made, the stems twisted to enable 

 the layer to be brought down, and each neatly arranged so 

 as the whole forms a di< !< just inside the rim of the pot. 

 A practice common among gardeners is to layer the shoots 

 in the open. For this purpose a piece of vacant ground on 

 a warm border is chosen, each plant to be propagated is 

 then turned out of its pot and plunged sufficiently deep in 

 the soil to bring the shoots to its level. It facilitates opera- 

 tions when the layers are made previous to plunging the 

 balls in the soil. A compost of sandy peat, or sandy leaf- 

 mould should be at hand, and a little of this mixed with 

 the soil to hasten root action. Layers treated in this 

 manner produce healthier and more sturdy plants than 

 those operated in pots and kept under glass to form 

 roots. The latter practice, however, can be commended 

 when the layers are made as soon as the shoots are fit, 

 these yielding quite a different class of plants to those left 

 till the blooming season is over. It not infrequently 

 occurs, too, that splendid material for pot-culture is secured 

 from layers produced from healthy plants grown in beds 

 or borders in the open. In any case the inexperienced must 

 bear in mind that a strong, healthy layer, to start operations 

 with, is worth any extra care expended to secure it. 



It will be more convenient to treat of the Carnation 

 for ordinary greenhouse decoration previous to enlarging 

 on the florist sections. A good selection for this purpose 

 will include : Cecilia, a grand yellow ; Barras, scarlet ; 

 Lady Hermione, rose; Agnes Sorrel, maroon; Sir 

 Bcvys, crimson maroon ; Benbow, buff; Ensign, blush; 

 Herbert J. Cutbush, glowing scarlet ; Lady Mimi, deep 

 pink ; Anne Boleyn, salmon ; Loveliness, salmon-pink ; 

 Hildegarde, white ; Mephisto, small bloom, deep crimson ; 



