CARNATIONS 



CULTURAL NOTES 



305 



Plants which have been growing in the benches from July on 

 ill usually produce side shoots at the base of or along the flower 

 ,ems by November, which, when about 3 in. long make ideal 

 ittings. No knife or trimming is required. Hold the stem with 

 left hand and with a sideward twist of the right you can easily 

 imove the shoot its entire length, ready for the propagating bench, 

 isert in the sand a good inch deep and press the sand firmly. Don't 

 lade the cuttings during December; they won't wilt if the sand 



kept fairly moist at all times, and if just a little bottom heat can 

 e had. Inside of a month ninety-five per cent of the cuttings are 

 >oted, ready for 2-in. pots. A house of 50 deg. is all right for propagat- 

 ig as well as for the small stock. By February the plants are 

 >ady for a shift into 3s and the removal of their centers so as to 

 void developing a flower stem, and to encourage the plants to grow 

 ushy. By the middle or end of April, the plants can be transferred 



a coldframe to be hardened off, the first and second week giving 

 lenty of air on bright days and finally removing the sashes alto- 

 *ther. Get ready to plant in the field by early May, allowing about 

 in. between the plants in the row, and sufficient room between 

 le rows to permit cultivating. 



Fig. 123. CARNATIONS IN THE FIELD. Some 65,000 plants grown as a substitute 



tor farm crops near Washington, D. G., for a retailer in that city. Set out in April, 



the plants were well along when this picture was taken in July. 



