Carnation Culture in Massachusetts 



breakage later. Six inches above the ring I find a good distance for the 

 first tier, and ten to twelve inches above this for the next. But the needs 

 of the variety must govern the distance. A light strip of wood, seven- 

 eighths of an inch square, with a groove cut with a saw in each end, should 

 run across the bed, at distances of five or six feet apart. The outside No. 

 12 wires, inserted into these grooves, keep the wires at a uniform distance, 

 and allow tightening of the cross strips. Two-ply hemp is a good size to 

 use. A sixpenny nail driven through, about one inch from each end of 

 the cross strips, and inserted in the end of a bamboo cane, pushed down 

 firmly to the bottom of the bench, and cut to the desired height, will keep 

 the whole framework at a uniform distance from the surface of the bench. 

 The strainers at the extreme ends of the bench can be made of pipe or angle- 

 iron, which are neater in appearance than wood. 



A night temperature of 52 to 55 degrees is a safe one to maintain dur- 

 ing the winter months, with a rise of 15 degrees during the day, when 

 sunny. 



Plants that have been housed early in July will benefit by a light stimu- 

 lant, in the form of weak liquid manure, during the latter part of November 

 or December, but later planted stock will not require any extra nourish- 

 ment for a month subsequently, providing the proper ingredients were incor- 

 porated into the soil before planting time. 



Regarding the compost to use, in the East, where loam is gen- 

 erally shallow, the best plan is to plough the sod on an old pasture 

 as soon as the hay is cut, which is usually during June or early 

 in July. In the fall this should be stacked in ridges eight to 

 ten feet wide and two to three feet deep, turning the grass side down; 

 and a liberal dressing, say, about one foot of cow manure, or half stable 

 manure, spread over the surface, and allowed to remain until early spring, 

 when the whole should be cut up, thoroughly mixed, and a liberal sprink- 

 ling of bone meal applied. I have found it beneficial to apply half the fer- 

 tilizer in the fall, when stacking up the sod, and the balance during spring, 

 when turning and mixing the compost, as bone meal often requires months 

 to decompose sufficiently to be available for plant food ; and when applied 

 as a top dressing indoors, during winter, has not become of service until 

 after the soil has been cleaned out for the next season's crop, and so its 

 fertilizing benefits have been lost. 



As a stimulant, weak applications of liquid manure are beneficial dur- 

 ing the spring and summer months, for general culture. For several years 

 I have used pulverized sheep manure as a top dressing (instead of liquid) 



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