General Greenhouse Culture 



kinds are lifted as early as the loth to the I5th of July. We have, however, 

 secured magnificent crops from many varieties of carnations by lifting as late 

 as the ist of October. Late lifted plants are apt to give a large crop of com- 

 paratively short-stemmed flowers, while in the case of the earlier lifted stock, 

 though not producing as abundantly, the blooms will be of better quality, the 

 stems being longer and stronger, and the product will bring a sufficiently 

 advanced price to practically make up the difference in the yield. 



Digging Plants from Field 



In lifting plants great care should be exercised in digging and carrying 

 them into the greenhouses. The digging should be done by careful men, 

 and all of the root possible taken in with the plant. As soon as plants 

 are dug they should be placed in trays and carried at once into the green- 

 houses, or into a shed where they can be shaded and kept as cool as pos- 

 sible, and should never be allowed to lie around, in the sun to become 

 dried out and wilted, as such treatment is decidedly detrimental. In 

 some soils a slight ball of earth may be taken up with the roots. In hard, 

 stiff clay soils that are inclined to bake, it is frequently essential to take in a 

 considerable ball of earth ; otherwise a large portion of the root system is 

 lost. In our soil at Queens, a light ball of earth, about four to four and a half 

 inches in diameter, rilled with fibrous roots, is generally secured with plants 

 that are planted in the field from pots. But where planted from flats, or in the 

 case of cuttings planted direct from the sand to the field, it is not possible 

 to get such balls of earth, the soil shaking off the roots entirely without doing 

 material damage. 



Selection of Stock in Digging 



In digging plants they should be carefully selected ; that is, the digger 

 should go over the field and select those of even size. A second selection 

 should also be made, and even a third. In case the plants are small, they 

 may be doubled up in order to fill the spaces. The object of this selection is 

 to get a more even stand of growth and bloom upon the benches. 



Planting on Benches 



Planting upon the bench is one of the most important of all the opera- 

 tions connected with carnation growing. If it is not properly done, a great 

 variation and diminution of the crop may be expected. Care should be 

 taken not to plant too deeply. The plant should stand no deeper in the soil 

 upon the bench than it does in the field. The soil should be thoroughly well 



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