Raising Carnations from Seed 



pods shriveling up and turning brown on top. The seed pods must be 

 watched and not allowed to stand too long before they are gathered, as some- 

 times the pods burst open, scattering the seed, and it is lost; but it should 

 be gathered as soon as thoroughly ripe. 



The stem should be broken off about four inches in length, and the 

 pod and stem placed together in an envelope and put in a dry place, to 

 remain until thoroughly cured, after which the pods should be broken open 

 and the seed cleaned and placed in small envelopes, upon which the name 

 of the cross, the date on which it was made, and the time the seed was 

 gathered, should be plainly written. 



The best time of the year to pollinate carnations is either in the months 

 of October or November, or in January or February and early March. As 

 a rule, I have secured a greater number of good varieties from flowers that 

 were pollinated in October or November than from those which were pol- 

 linated in the spring. Possibly, the reason is that in the fall months there is 

 less pollen floating about in the air, and the hybridizing is not interfered with 

 by foreign pollen being introduced to the pistil. If the blooms were pro- 

 tected by gauze covers both before and after pollination, it might insure 

 better results during the spring months. 



\Ye aim to sow as much of our carnation seed as is ripened by the 

 ist of February. A second sowing is made on the ist of March, and a 

 third sowing about the ist of April. Seeds which do not ripen by the ist of 

 April are not then sown, but carried over and sown in February of the fol- 

 lowing year. 



The seeds are sown in shallow flats, not more than an inch and a half 

 to two inches in depth, or in shallow fern pans. These flats, or pans, have 

 sufficient drainage so that the soil will not become sour. The soil should be 

 of a light, friable nature, but with sufficient body to hold the proper degree of 

 moisture ; it should be thoroughly sifted, and the flats filled evenly and 

 firmed. Shallow drills, one and a half inches apart and an eighth of an 

 inch deep, are made by pressing a slat about a quarter of an inch wide into 

 the soil. The seed is sown in the drills at a distance of half an inch apart 

 and covered with not to exceed an eighth of an inch of fine soil. The surface 

 of the soil is then moistened with a fine spray, and the flats are placed in a 

 light house, where the temperature is about 56 to 60 degrees at night. 

 The soil is kept moistened by spraying with a fine spray, and if during 

 the intense heat of bright days the sun dries out the soil too fast, shading 

 with thin paper should be afforded, to be removed as soon as the power of the 

 sun decreases. 



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