CARNATION 



59 



house plauts seems incomplete without them. Carnations 

 grow readily from cuttings made of the suckers that form 

 around the base of the stem, the side shoots of the flowering 

 stem, or the main shoots before they show flower buds. The 

 cuttings from the base malce the best plants in 

 most cases. These cuttings may be taken from 

 a plant at any time through the fall or win- 

 ter, rooted in sand and potted up, to be held 

 in pots until the planting out time in the 

 spring, usually in April, or any time when the 

 ground is ready to handle. Care should be 

 taken to pinch out the tops of young plants 

 while growing in the pot, and later while in 

 the ground, causing them to grow stocky and 

 send out new growths along the stem. The 

 young plants should be grown cool, a temper- 

 ature of 45 suiting them well. Attention Carnation 

 should be given to spraying the cuttings each day while in 

 the house to keep down the red spider, which is very partial 

 to the Carnation. In the summer, the plants are 

 grown in the field, and not in pots. The soil in 

 which they are to be planted should be moderately 

 rich and loose. Clean cultivation should be given 

 throughout the summer. Frequently pinch out the 

 tops. The plants are taken up in September and 

 potted firmly, and well watered ; then set in a 

 cool, partially shaded situation until root growth 

 has started, spraying the foliage often, and water- 

 ing the plant only as it shows need of water. 



The usual living-room conditions as to moisture 

 and heat are not such as the Carnation demands, and care 

 must be taken to overcome the dryness by spraying the foli- 

 age and setting the plant in a position not exposed to the 

 direct heat of a stove or the sun. In commercial houses, it 

 is not often necessary to spray established plants. Pick off 

 most or all of the side buds, in order to add to the size of 



Carnation cut 

 ting 



