General Greenhouse Culture 



Scott, Harry Fenn and Mrs. Thomas W. Lawson, may be topped as late as 

 the ist of September. 



Preparation of Soil for Greenhouse Culture 

 The English Method 



The better soil we afford our carnations the better will be the result. 

 The old English method of paring off sods from an old pasture field and 

 piling them up in alternate layers of sods and manure, in the proportion of 

 about one-fifth manure to four-fifths sod, cannot be very well improved upon ; 

 but it is an expensive method, and in the large American establishments is not 

 very often practiced. 



The Field Method With the Plough 



A preparation of the soil, almost as good as the foregoing, is to spread 

 the manure evenly upon the sod ground early in September, and plough it 

 under, running the plough about five inches deep, following that by break- 

 ing up the soil thoroughly with the disk harrow. Another light coat of manure 

 may be spread on the ploughed ground late in November, and turned under, 

 the ground being left rough and in ridges, so that it will get a thorough 

 freezing. In the spring the ground should be ploughed as early as possible, 

 and again two or three times, finally throwing the soil together in long 

 ridges, so that when removing it from the field to the benches, carts may be 

 driven in the alley-ways between the ridges, and the soil will not be tramped 

 upon nor compacted by driving over it. 



Fillink Benches 



In filling the benches, care should be taken to get the soil evenly firmed 

 throughout the bench. The best manner of doing this is for a man with a 

 shovel to turn over all of the soil as it is thrown upon the bench, and to care- 

 fully pack it so that the entire mass will be of an equal degree of density. If 

 the benches are filled evenly and the soil is of uniform texture and density, 

 watering the carnation plants is much more simple, and can be more effect- 

 ively done than where the bench is improperly filled. Light loams and sandy 

 soils are benefited by tramping, or compacting, the bench after filling, but 

 such is not the case with heavy, stiff clay soils. 



Benching Carnations 



The proper time for lifting and benching will vary in different locali- 

 ties according to climatic conditions. Where the carnation plant attains 

 an early matured growth, and where the temperature conditions are moderate, 



