350 Cultivation of the Carnation and Picotee. 



while ever so attentive to most other plants, they seemed to 

 treat this as of little consequence. 



We would not have it understood by this, that the carna- 

 tion is a very difficult plant to manage. It is not so. Yet it is 

 important that certain operations necessary in the cultivation 

 of the plants, should be done in season and done right ; on 

 this everything depends. If the layers are not properly made, 

 they will not root : if not done in season the plants will be 

 too weak to stand the winter. If the soil is not good the 

 flowers will be small : and if they are not set out in good 

 season in spring, our dry weather will overtake them before 

 they are established. All, therefore, that is necessary is care. 

 The very best flowers in England are the growth of the 

 weavers, who have but a few hours to spend in their garden 

 in the course of the year. 



The carnation and picotee have as yet received but little 

 attention by our amateur cultivators ; and it is doubtful if a 

 dozen good collections of a dozen fine named varieties could 

 be found in the country. They are favorite flowers of ours, 

 and we have not only taken some pains to introduce many 

 articles upon their culture in our pages, but have always had 

 a good collection and have raised many fine ones from seed. 

 In one of our earlier volumes, (II, p. 329,) is an excellent 

 article from the Hon. S. Walker, who was at that time an 

 enthusiastic amateur, and had a good collection. Other val- 

 uable communications, and extracts from foreign journals, 

 will be found in the succeeding volumes ; but the attention 

 which has lately been given to these flowers, has induced us 

 to copy an excellent paper from the Gardeners' Journal, by 

 Mr. Dickson, the floral editor, which will save a reference to 

 previous volumes, by those who possess them, and will sup- 

 ply all the information needed by our many readers who 

 have not access to them. 



English cultivators grow their carnations in pots ; those 

 who wish to try them in this way, can follow the directions 

 of the writer ; those who do not, should winter their young 

 plants in frames, placed either directly in the ground or in 

 pots ; either way they will keep well, provided the frame is 



