THE SOIL 85 



among the roots and then firmly pressing in, leaving a 

 shallow depression around the plant to receive the first few 

 waterings. The plants should not under any circumstances 

 be set lower in the bench than they were in the field. This 

 will save many a loss from stem-rot. Care should also be 

 taken to have the smallest plants on the south side of the 

 bench and the largest in the center or north of the center 

 of the bench. By Winter you will be able to distinguish 

 but httle diff"erence in the size of the plants. 



THE SOIL 



The matter of soil and soil supply is one of the 

 most important. We shall therefore deal with it some- 

 what fully. 



In speaking of ideal Carnation soil we mean the state 

 and nature the soil should be in when the plants are benched. 

 The best results we ever had were with soil we got out of a 

 lot of heavy sod piled up three months before we filled the 

 benches. This sod was taken from a pasture the last 

 week in March, a good spade deep. It was piled up and 

 by the end of June it was worked over with a plow and 

 pulverizer, and later, just before it went to the benches, 

 was worked over with spading forks and about one-sixth 

 of well decomposed stable manure was worked into the 

 soil. The rough pieces of sod were thrown on one pile 

 and later made use of for covering the bottom of the benches 

 instead of straw manure. You cannot get any better 

 material, no matter what else you may use. Always bear 

 in mind that Carnations lifted from the field do not want 

 to be planted in a soil with much fertilizer nor one full of 

 manure. The plants are not in shape to take up a lot of 

 food; they have to get re-established first, and make new 



