February, 1912 
Twelve varieties of good Carnation seed may be pur- 
chased from any reliable seedsman for $1, twenty-five for 
$1.75, and fifty for $3. Seed may be planted from Febru- 
ary to May in a mixture of loam, sand and leaf mold. They 
are set a quarter of an inch apart and covered to a depth of 
an eighth of an inch to insure regular germination. Carna- 
tions show so strong a tendency to sport that it is considered 
more prudent to begin with plants ready for benching in 
Autumn. Cutting may be propagated from September to 
the end of May. They should be taken from the flowering 
stem of a healty, vigorous plant, and should be broken off 
at a length of about three inches and placed in a shallow 
box full of sand. They like a firm-rooting medium, and this 
sand, as well as the field soil later, must be trampled or 
pounded before and after planting. Growers set cuttings 
about half an inch apart, with about two inches between 
the rows, shade from strong light until the roots start, and 
sprinkle the sand enough to moisten it. 
Cuttings spend one month in sand, one in two-inch pots, 
till these are filled with roots; one in three-inch or larger 
pots, and then the plants are placed in four-inch pots, or 
boxes four inches deep, where they are set from nine to 
twelve inches apart and supported by a lattice of string or 
wire over the bench, about midway of the plants, where 
foliage conceals the supports. Leaving plants too long in a 
small pot or placing them too soon in a large one is apt to 
interfere with their development, and nothing helps a plant 
that has been placed in an unsoaked new or unwashed old 
pot. While in the two-inch pots, baby plants must be given 
light soil, careful watering, have tall tops pinched off to 
make them sturdier and multiply flowering stems, and all 
buds pulled off to conserve strength for Winter blooming. 
The value of propagating Carnations by layers consists in 
the rapidity and certainty with which varieties can be in- 
creased without weakening the resulting plants, because the 
connection with the parent is not severed until the scion 
has roots of its own, able to provide for its wants. In this 
process, the novice must not cut the shoot quite through, but 
about half way; then, turning the knife upwards, he splits 
The “Mrs. Ward’’ Carnation is one of the most satisfactory varieties 
AMERICAN HOMES 
AND GARDENS $9 
The “Pink Delight’? Carnation has proved very popular with amateurs 
the stalk for a distance of half to three quarters of an inch. 
A longer split would ruin the process. The “‘tongue’’ thus 
formed is gently bent outward away from the stem, inserted 
its full length in propagating soil, and held in place with a 
bent or forked twing. Soft, short shoots are best to work 
on and produce roots more quickly. For layering, a mixture 
of leaf-mold and sand makes excellent soil. Efficient drain- 
age is secured to Carnations by a flat piece of potsherd laid 
over the hole for drainage, with broken shard, brick or 
small clinkers laid over that to a depth of half an inch to 
an inch. ‘The bottoms of boxes or benches are covered in 
the same manner to a depth of three quarters of an inch. 
The best soil for benched plants consists of fibrous loam 
mixed with leaf-mold in the proportion of a third, and sand 
forming one sixth of the quantity. This, or any other com- 
post, must be mixed and “‘ripened” out of doors for a year 
before it is put in the house benches. The stem of a plant 
must not be lowered in transplanting, and the soil must be 
pressed well around the roots. By the end of April, Carna- 
tions are established in their bench quarters or set in the 
open field, from nine to eighteen inches apart, where all the 
care they need is cultivation, water on rare occasions, and 
care that no moisture settles at the roots, where it induces 
stem-rot, which is deadly to Carnations. Plants should not 
be watered on cloudy days, as this invites “rust,” nor in the 
sun, as that scalds the foliage. Very early morning is the 
best time to water Carnations. 
Before taking plants indoors, the greenhouse should be 
thoroughly cleaned and fumigated; plants should be ex- 
amined in a corner of the garden, and every one affected 
with “‘rust,”’ ‘“‘spot,” “‘rot,’’ yellow-mottled bacteria or any 
other disease should be burned. After removal to the 
greenhouse, plants require more water and a little shading 
from sunlight while the roots are settling in their new soil. 
Root action is quick in rich bench soil, and blooms appear in 
four to six weeks. Disbudding must be constant if one 
wishes to obtain great size and long stems in flowers re- 
tained upon terminal branches. Liquid fertilizer must be 
given two or three times a week, and some growers inspect 
