356 Cultivation of the Carnation a?id Picotee. 



that would be very injurious to both the plants and the 

 blooms. The inner-growing shoots, of a moderate length, 

 are those which are really the most suitable for the purpose 

 required, inasmuch as they always root the sooner ; the out- 

 er-growing strong shoots may then be left in the pots for 

 layering, and sometimes a few favorites of those upon the 

 borders for a second year's blooming ; which if adopted, four, 

 five, or a larger number of the strongest, may be pegged 

 down equidistant around the blooming stem, in order to keep 

 them steady, and preserve them from being whirled about 

 and broken by the violent winds of the winter. In the spring 

 neat sticks for the support of each flower-stem should be 

 placed in a circle round the stool, at the top of which a light 

 wire hoop may be fixed, for the purpose of preserving the 

 sticks in a perpendicular position and at a proper distance 

 from each other ; or some skeleton wirework, painted green, 

 will look much neater, and may be appropriately adopted by 

 those who prefer it. By this method the writer has obtained 

 upwards of fifty splendid blooms at the same time, upon a 

 single plant ; and the number of shoots for either piping or 

 layering produced the second year is generally immense ; but 

 it is advisable not to continue them in bloom beyond the 

 second year, as they subsequently fall off in nearly all their 

 most admired properties. Supposing the pipings are taken off 

 as directed, the next step is to carefully tie each sort together, 

 label them, and prepare them for planting by cutting them off 

 below the third joint, or where it is not very tender and juicy, 

 nor yet too hard and woody ; then strip the two side-leaves 

 at that joint, and pinch oft' the next two above, shortening 

 the top leaves a little, whereby their progress may be the bet- 

 ter observed. All the pipings should be prepared in this man- 

 ner before any of them are planted, taking particular care to 

 tie each sort together again with the label as before, and if 

 they are laid upon the ground in shade they will not be in- 

 jured if necessity required that they should remain there till 

 the following day ; for when slightly withered they are bet- 

 ter than if planted before the wounds occasioned by their 

 preparation are dry and healed. Let the pots be now filled 



