CHAPTER VIII 



Field Culture of Carnations 



AT the present time probably 95 per cent, of the carnations grown com- 

 mercially are planted in the field, cultivated during spring and 

 summer, and allowed to make their growth before being planted on 

 the greenhouse benches, where they mature their crop of flowers. The 

 preparation of soil for field planting is described in Chapter IV. All carna- 

 tion plants should be planted in the field as early in the spring as the soil 

 can be gotten into proper shape, and danger from frosts is over. This period 

 ranges from the ist of April to the middle of May, according to locality and 

 latitude. In this latitude, we frequently are able to plant by the middle of 

 April, sometimes as early as April i, and aim to have the bulk of the 

 planting done by the loth to the I5th of May, although many of the later 

 struck cuttings are planted as late as the ist of June. These late cuttings 

 make vigorous plants, that produce fine flowers ; but such plants do not bloom 

 as freely early in the season as the earlier rooted stock. 



Assuming that the soil has been properly ploughed and harrowed, and 

 finally finished with a pulverizing harrow so that it is in a smooth, mellow 

 condition, the first step to determine will be the distance apart to plant. If 

 for hand cultivation, the plants should be placed in rows not less than fifteen 

 to eighteen inches apart, and not less than ten to twelve inches apart in the 

 row. These rows should be laid out with a line, as it is essential that they 

 be straight, in order to enable the hand cultivator to be used to advantage in 

 after cultivation. 



In planting for hand cultivation, a Firefly Hand Plow may be used to 

 advantage, cutting a shallow drill not more than one and a half to two inches 

 deep, which will be a sufficient depth to nicely hold the ball of roots of the 

 young plants. The ground should be very soft and mellow when planting, 

 and care should be exercised not to press the plants down too deep. The 

 ball should be gently firmed in the soil, and loose earth drawn to the neck of 

 the plant, so as to leave the top of the soil thoroughly mellow. The plant 

 should not be set any deeper in the soil than it has been in the pot ; that is, 

 the neck of the plant should be just at the surface, or not to exceed an eighth 



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