536 



TH±. GARDEN AND FIELD. 



May, 1914 



Almost any well-enriched garden soil 

 grows this type of Rose well. The 

 ground should be dug two spades deep 

 and manured — decayed farm manure 

 and bone-meal — previous to planting. 

 The soil under the Rose may be car- 

 peted with \'iolas or similar plants un- 

 til the Rose shoots touch the ground. 

 Subsequent manuring must be according 

 to the vigour of the plant and at the 

 discretion of the cultivator, increasing 

 the stimulants either by liquid manures 

 in summer or as solids worked into the 

 ground during winter. 



Pruning will be confined to shortening 

 back a few of the shoots at planting, 

 after which some of the old growths 

 may safely be removed every year after 

 flowering. 



The best varieties are, unquestionably, 

 those having wichuraiana blood. Not 

 only does the natural disposition of 

 these lend themselves to this form, but 

 their extended season of flowering com- 

 bined with the bright glossy semi-ever- 

 green foliage gives them priority, as 

 these are features so marked as to be 

 almost essential in a plan where the 

 plants must often be conspicuous for the 

 greater part of the season. 



♦ 



Colour in Carnation Breeding 



In order to develop more brilliant 

 shades. I have, as a rule, writes a cor- 

 respondent to "Horticulture," confined 

 my crosses to plants both bearing flow- 

 ers of the colour which I desire to im- 

 prove, that is to say, crimsons were 

 crossed with crimsons, light pinks with 

 light pinks, dark pinks with dark pinks, 

 whites with whites, and so on ; and the 

 result seems to indicate the following 

 hypothesis, viz.. that the percentage of 

 colour contained in the percentage of 

 several generations back controls to a 

 very large extent the colour of the 

 progeny. T do not, of course, mean that 

 by using parents on both sides that 

 have practically a scarlet pedigree for 

 several generations l)ack all scarlets will 

 be invariably produced, but that where 

 such parents are used, the chance of se- 

 curing the improved scarlet colour de- 

 sired are greatly increased. True, the 

 progeny of such parentage frequently 

 show many shades varying from tlic 

 red or scarlet, such as pinks, maroons, 

 ljurpks, and even white and yellow 

 grounds with more or less variegation 

 of all of the colours mentioned. Again, 

 a cross between a white variety, having 

 practically a white pedigree for several 

 generafions, frequently produces scarlet 



flowers; but, as a rule, such scarlets are 

 not as brilliant or persistent as those 

 produced from plants having mainly 

 scarlet pedigrees. One of the best ways 

 of proving this hypetkesis is to take two 

 scarlet parents, the pedigrees of which 

 are mainly white. By crossing these, 

 very few scarlets will be produced — 

 sometimes none at all — ^but a large per- 

 centage of the progeny will frequently 

 be pure white, or white grounds marked 

 with scarlet or various shades of pink. 

 I have sometimes thought that by taking 

 a scarlet variety of comparatively pure 

 scarlet pedigree and crossing it with a 

 white variety of the pedigree of which 

 is largely scarlet, more clear and per- 

 sistent scarlet tones are produced than 

 where the pure scarlet pedigrees are 

 used. For I have often found that 

 with pure scarlet pedigrees there is a 

 tendency for the colour, even though it 

 be very brilliant, to blacken, or turn 

 a slaty shade when exposed to bright 

 sunshine. 



— A Summary of Results. — 



The summary of the results of cross- 

 ing different colours may prove very in- 

 teresting. For instance, where crimson 

 was crossed with crimson the results 

 produced twelve crimson and five scar- 

 lets; where dark pink was crossed with 

 dark pink, thirty-seven dark pinks were 

 produced; where white was crossed with 

 white, thirty-four whites were produced, 

 and only one white variegated with pink, 

 there being no solid colours. Where 

 white was crossed with crimson, five 

 whites were produced and two scarlets, 

 the balance being divided between dark 

 pink, flesh pink, and crimson, but where 

 white was crossed with dark pink, the 

 result was three pure whites. 



There is another element in making 

 up these studies which may interfere 

 with their value in deciding the question 

 of paramount influence, and that is that 

 only varieties that possessed a number 

 of characteristics were preserved and 

 records kept of them. There is a great 

 mass of stuff that was thrown away, and 

 in making these crosses we were con- 

 stantly selecting plants possessing all 

 the characteristics desired. I am inclined 

 to think that the fact that we threw 

 away a lot of useless stuff will not 

 change the result. For instance, tak- 

 ing the result of crossing white with 

 white, there were saved for observa- 

 tion from these crosses thirty-four 

 whites and one white variegated with 

 pink, as all the white parents of both 

 sides were selected not only far their 

 good colour, but also for size and form 



of flower, integrity of calyx, healthy 

 constitution, stiffness of stem, vigour of 

 growth, and also for freedom of bloom. 

 The fact that thirty- four whites were 

 selected for trial as against only one 

 white variegated with pink and that the 

 results of these white crosses did not 

 produce anything in solid colours that 

 were worthy of selection for trial would 

 seem to indicate that whatever laws exist 

 in regard to the influence of the parents 

 upon the progeny would finally prove to 

 be applicable not only to colour but to 

 all other characteristics. 



^ 



Planting Carnations. 



Choose a spot for your bed in the 

 open — not itoo near a fence, and shel- 

 tered from the prevailing strong winds. 

 If compelled to plant near a fence run- 

 ning north and .south, keep as far away 

 from eastern side as possible. Beds 

 must have the early morning sun. If 

 fence runs east and west keep away 

 from north side to avoid shadows of 

 fence in winter. 



Trench all beds to a depth of 2 ft. 

 This operation must be done thorough- 

 ly. Don't bring the subsoil to the top. 

 After removing the top spit, loosen the 

 bottom soil to a depth of a foot or 

 more. Put in old bones, rubble, &c., to 

 provide good drainage. This is im- 

 perative. A fair amount of sand and 

 old mortar, well-rotted cow manure, 

 and bonedust may be well worked into 

 the top spit. Avoid a soil that is too 

 rich in plant food. A badly drained 

 soil is death to carnations. 



A change of soil every four or five 

 years is advisable. When making fresh 

 beds add some road sweepings to clay 

 soils. Lime in some form — old mortar, 

 etc., is quite necessary. Lime is 

 a plant food in itself, but it has also a 

 most beneficial mechanical effect on 

 soils, rendering heavy clays light and 

 porous and sandy soil more compact. 



Planting is a very simple matter. Make 

 your beds 4 ft. wide. Put in a line 

 about 9 in. from the edge, and with a 

 trowel put in young plants in three 

 rows about IS in. apart. Make the cen- 

 tre alternate with the outer rows. Paths 

 about 18 in. wide are all that are re- 

 quired between beds of carnations. 

 Plant firmly, spread out the roots, cover 

 well, but do not bury too deeply, and 

 see that the foliage is kept above the 

 ground. Water well at once and as 

 often afterwards as necessary. The soil 

 must not be allowed to become dry. Fix 



