THE GARDEN AT HOME 



that the cuttings are rooted, each one is potted singly in 

 a small (2j-inch wide) flower pot, the soil mixture used 

 consisting of sifted loam with plenty of sand and a little 

 leaf soil. The freshly potted plants should be put back 

 under the cloche for a few days ; by tilting the cloche 

 first a little, then more, they may be gradually inured 

 to the lower temperature of the greenhouse. When 

 well rooted in the small flower pots they are repotted 

 into those 5 inches wide, as described for the seedling 

 plants. 



" Stopping " the shoots to induce the formation of 

 bushy plants is an item of considerable importance 

 in growing Perpetual flowering Carnations. The first 

 " stopping " consists in removing the point of the young 

 plant when about 5 inches high. It is not sufficient to 

 cut off the top, for this has no effect, since it results in 

 shortening the leaves only. The base of the plant should 

 be held firmly while the top i.e. the growing point is 

 pulled out. Thus, other shoots are induced to form, and 

 a bushy plant is produced. The second and final " stop- 

 ping " takes place late in June or early in July, when the 

 points of the shoots that have since developed are taken 

 out, as already described. It is not advisable to allow 

 many growths to form on the same plant, or the flowers 

 will be small and of poor quality. Five stems are 

 sufficient. Then, if the side shoots and all flower buds 

 except the central one on each stem are subsequently 

 removed, there will be five fine flowers on every plant as 



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