July] FLOWER GARDEN. 447 



Carnations. 



The choice carnations now in flower should be taken care of and 

 assisted in theip blowing, as directed last month; you may likewise 

 assist those of inferior qualities and that have a tendency to burst, 

 by slitting the pod or calyx a little way at top. on the opposite side 

 to where it shows an inclination to burst in two or three different 

 places, so as to promote the spreading of the flower regularly each 

 way. This should be done just as the flower begins to break the pod 

 with a pair of small narrow pointed scissors, or with a sharp pointed 

 knife, taking care not to cut the calyx too deep, but rather to open 

 it a little at each place, and to leave as much of the bottom of the 

 cup entire as will be sufficient to keep the petals or flower-leaves 

 regularly together. 



Some florists take great pains in the opening of the flowers to 

 assist nature in spreading and displaying the petals, so as to enlarge 

 the circumference and dispose the flower-leaves in such a manner 

 as to show the stripes and variegations to the best possible advan- 

 tage, and for this purpose make use of a small pair of wire nippers, 

 the points of which are flattened and bound around with silk or 

 thread to prevent injury. With these they extract such of the 

 petals as do not please, and display the others so as to suit their 

 fancy. 



Continue to propagate your choice carnations and pinks by layers 

 and pipings, as directed in page 422, for the performance of which, 

 the early part of this month is a very principal time. Give the 

 necessary shade and water to the plants now in flower, and see that 

 those layers which were laid last month are kept sufficiently moist 

 to promote their free rooting. 



When the layers are properly rooted, which will be the case with 

 most sorts in a month after laying, provided due care be taken to 

 keep them regularly moist, and to shade them from the heat of the 

 meridian sun; they are then to be taken off' from the old plant with 

 about half an inch of the stalk which connects them to it, and be 

 immediately planted in small pots, one, two, three or four in each. 

 The pots should be filled with the compost recommended in page 

 296, previously adding thereto a little more loam and coarse sand, 

 and when the plants are neatly planted therein, the. pots should be 

 buried to their rims in a convenient airy place, and arches of hoops 

 placed over the bed on which to lay mats to shade the plants from 

 the sun till well rooted and growing freely; and these mats are to 

 be afterwards laid on occasionally as necessity may require, to 

 protect the plants from too powerful sunshine or heavy torrents of 

 rain, which are both injurious to them. 



Here they are to remain till November, when they must be re- 

 moved into their winter repository, as then directed; during this 

 time they must have a sufficiency of water as often as it may ap- 

 pear necessary, to keep them in a constant growing state and good 

 health. 



The layers of the common kinds of carnations should, when taken 

 ofl", be planted in beds of rich earth, in rows about six inches asun- 



