360 Cultivation of the Carnation and Picotee. 



ation, for they are found to be much more brittle early in the 

 morning than after having been subjected to the influence of 

 a few hour's sunshine. Let the pots be now filled with fresh 

 riddled soil ; and take a shoot in the left hand, bending it to- 

 wards the stem of the parent plant, with the forefinger be- 

 hind it at the second or third joint, or where it is intended to 

 commence the incision, which must be about a quarter of an 

 inch below the joint ; let the knife be placed there, and cut 

 fully half-way through the stem, bearing your knife evenly 

 upwards nearly half an inch through the joint, leaving rather 

 the largest part of the divided shoot, to what is generally 

 called the tongue, from whence the roots will proceed, and 

 cut off horizontally the small nib, or portion of the stem at- 

 tached to the tongue, just below the divided joint, or it will 

 not strike root so freely ; and be very careful not to break 

 the part connecting the layer with the stem, or it will not 

 root at all ; but bend it sufficiently to open the incision, that 

 you can bear the tongue straight downwards into the soil, 

 and peg it there rather firmly, before you let loose the layer, 

 in order to prevent the gash from closing ; place the layers 

 erect as you proceed, and do not let them be leaning about 

 in a slovenly manner ; cover them with your soil about half 

 or three-quarters of an inch deep, and give them a light wa- 

 tering through a fine rose, to settle the earth around them. 

 The waterings in dry weather, should be repeated, but al- 

 ways lightly and with moderation, so as not to disturb or 

 wash the soil from the layers ; and the cracks, if any appear 

 in the soil over the layers, should be regularly rubbed or 

 raked off. In about six or seven weeks they will be gener- 

 ally rooted, and in a proper state to be potted for winter pres- 

 ervation ; therefore, having first prepared your small pots of 

 four and a half inches wide and five inches deep, internal 

 admeasurement — and soil is apt to get dry very soon in those 

 of a smaller size — with an oyster-shell, slate, or pitcher at the 

 bottom of each, and after having about half-filled them with 

 your compost, proceed in the following manner : — Take up 

 the layer pegs, and lift a plant or two, to ascertain if they are 

 properly rooted ; and if so, take a sharp knife, and cut the 



