On the Cultivation of the Pink. 331 



the same compost as they were sown in, in an open, airy situa- 

 tion; plant them in rows, about ten inches apart in the row, and 

 twelve inches from row to row; during the winter, cover the 

 plants with pine boughs, or any other light covering; — by "these 

 means they will generally flower the following summer. When 

 they begin to shoot up their stalks to flower, they ought to be 

 supported by sticks, and attentively looked after as soon as they 

 begin to blow, to ascertain which of them promise to be good 

 flowers; pull up all single and ill colored flowers, to allow the 

 others more air and room; propagate the good ones by layers. 



To Propagate by Layers. — After you have made choice of 

 such shoots as you intend to propagate, and have loosened the 

 soil round the plant, and, if necessary, raised it with fresh soil, 

 that it may be level with the shoot intended to be laid down, 

 strip off the leaves from the lower part of the shoot, and cut off 

 the top of the leaves; make choice of a strong joint, the third or 

 fourth from the crown of the shoot; then with a sharp knife make 

 a slip close below the joint, about three fourths through the 

 shoot, from the joint upwards; remove the swelling part of the 

 joint where the slit is made, so that the part slit may be shaped 

 like a tongue; for if the outer skin be left on, it will prevent their 

 pushing out roots; then make a hole in the earth with your finger, 

 just where the tongue in the shoot is to come; put into the hole 

 about a tea-spoon full of silt, or fine sand, from the river; then 

 with your finger and thumb gently bend the shoot into the earth, 

 observing to keep the top as upright as possible, that the sht may 

 be open; and, having provided forked sticks for the purpose, 

 thrust one of them into the ground so that the forked part may 

 take hold of the layer, in order to keep it down in its proper 

 place; then cover the shank of the layer with soil, giving it a 

 gentle watering, which should be repeated as often as it is neces- 

 sary to promote their taking root. They will have taken root 

 in about five or six weeks; cut them off from the parent plant, 

 leaving about an inch of the stalk below the incision attached, 

 and plant them in pots or beds, or in the borders, 'as you intend 

 to bloom them. The soil suitable for the carnation and pink is 

 rich maiden loam, to which add one third part of well rotted 

 cow dung, and about one sixth part of drift sand from the side of 

 the river, or other water courses; to this add a small quantity of 

 air-slacked lime, say a quart to a barrow full, and about double 

 the quantity of wood ashes; mix these well together several 

 times in the autumn and spring, and use it the second season ; 

 protect your compost with boards from the drenching rains and 

 the mid-summer sun. 



To Propagate by Pipings. — The piping of the carnation is not 

 attended with as much success as the piping of the pink. Our 

 warm weather, during the months of July and August, is much 



