Gardening for Amateurs 



491 



same size at the end as the base of the 

 cutting, and the soil must be pressed firmly 

 around the latter. Water them in with 

 tepid water applied with a can to which a 

 fine rose is attached. A little bottom heat 

 assists the cuttings to root, and the pots 

 may be plunged in fibre in a propagating 

 frame with a bottom heat of about 55 or 

 60, and an overhead temperature of several 

 degrees lower. The frame should be kept 

 fairly close until the cuttings are rooted, a 

 little air being admitted in the morning only 

 for two or three hours ; at the same time 

 the glass should be rubbed dry. It is 

 advisable to shade the cuttings lightly 

 from bright sunshine, and to give them a 

 gentle spraying with the syringe on bright 

 days. They will take root in from three weeks 

 to a month. After the lapse of that period 

 a little air is given and the amount gradu- 

 ally increased, as the cuttings make progress, 

 until the light may be removed from the 

 frame entirely. When the young plants 

 are nicely rooted, say in six or eight weeks, 



pot them on into 2^-inch pots, using a com- 

 post consisting of 3 parts loam and 1 part 

 leaf -soil, with a little silver sand added ; 

 for this potting the whole of the soil may be 

 passed through a -inch sieve. Make sure 

 that the young plants are moist at the root 

 before being potted, and afterwards grow 

 them in a temperature ranging from 50 

 to 55. 



Cuttings in Sand. Carnation cuttings 

 will also root readily in sand alone. When 

 this method is adopted, place a layer of fine 

 sand in the bottom of the frame 3 inches 

 deep, press it down firmly, and water it well. 

 The cuttings are inserted in this at 2 inches 

 apart, and the rest of the treatment is the 

 same as already described. Those who re- 

 quire only a small number of plants might 

 insert the cuttings in a box or in large pots 

 three parts filled with sand, and keep a 

 sheet of glass over the top until they are 

 rooted. It is not advisable to leave the 

 cuttings in the sand after roots are formed ; 

 it is best to put them in quite small flower 



Cuttings of Perpetual Flowering Carnations inserted in a bed of sand in a frame 

 in the greenhouse. 



