General Greenhouse Culture 



February and early March have, upon the whole, given rather the best results 

 during the entire season; however, some of the finest crops of carnations I 

 have grown were from cuttings taken during the month of April. These 

 were taken from April i to 15 ; were potted up in two-inch pots about the 

 ist to the loth of May ; set in the open ground from the ist to the loth of 

 June, and lifted and planted on the benches during the month of September. 

 While the crop of flowers from such cuttings was not quite as abundant as 

 that from the earlier stock, the stems were stronger and longer, and the 

 flowers larger and of better substance. Each grower will have to determine 

 from actual experience the best time to take his cuttings. With varieties 

 which are rampant growers, and which do not lift well, we have not secured 

 as good results with very early cuttings as with those taken the latter part 

 of March up to the middle of April. If a carnation plant is too large it does 

 not lift as well, as it suffers more severely ; and the quantity, as well as the 

 quality, of the flowers is somewhat impaired; while with the late blooming 

 varieties it is necessary to take earlier cuttings in order to secure the crop 

 at the proper time. 



I have formed the opinion that a carnation plant lifted with the least 

 possible check, and kept in vigorous growth, will produce the best results, 

 such as length and stiffness of stems, size of bloom, substance of flowers and 

 keeping qualities. I believe that every check to a carnation plant is a detri- 

 ment. We all know that in the growing of specimen chrysanthemum blooms 

 any serious check impairs the quality of the flower, and I have never seen 

 any tangible evidence, or reason, why this should not also be true with 

 the carnation. 



Potting Young Carnation Stock 



The potting of young carnation plants from the cutting bench is one of 

 the most important operations, and should only be done with care and judg- 

 ment by experienced men. Too many young carnation plants are potted 

 deeply; that is, the root crown is buried from three-quarters to an inch be- 

 neath the surface of the soil. This is wrong. The root crown should not be 

 more than a quarter of an inch beneath the surface of the soil. In the case 

 of deeply-potted cuttings, many of them are apt to die off, especially if the 

 plant should happen to be over-watered. Great care should be taken in 

 watering young stock. The young plants should not be allowed to become 

 too dry, nor should they be kept constantly soaked, or so heavily watered as to 

 compact the soil and render it sour. They should be shifted as soon as 

 they have made their growth, and should not be allowed to become pot- 



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