MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 71 



Carnations. — Two distinct types of Carnation, the 

 Winter-flowering and the Malmaisons, are well suited 

 for greenhouse work. The former are gaining in 

 popularity and well deserve it. They should be pro- 

 pagated from cuttings or slips of the small side growths 

 which form on the main stems early in spring, and may 

 be struck in pots plunged in bottom heat so arranged 

 that the tops can be kept fairly cool at the same time. 

 When ready, pot off singly into small pots, place in a 

 temperature of 60 deg., syringe freely, and keep 

 them growing until mid-April when they may go into 

 a cooler house. Some varieties require stopping, in 

 which case the tops should be pinched out once or twice 

 to make them bushy, but all operations of this sort 

 should cease in June if flowers are wanted in winter, 

 and at about that time the plants should be moved 

 to a sunny spot in the open air, plunged in ashes and 

 left there until the end of summer when they may be 

 returned to the greenhouse and placed well up to the 

 light. In a wet season, plants plunged outside suffer 

 through the heavy rainfall and should be protected from 

 this. Carnations delight in old pasture loam (which 

 has been stacked for several months), with sand and 

 powdered sea-shell or bone meal mixed in moderate 

 quantities with it. They should never be over-potted, 

 a shift of two sizes bigger should never be exceeded at 

 a time. Good plants may be grown in six-inch pots. 

 Watering must be done with great care as Carnations 

 will not thrive with an excess of moisture at the roots. 

 When the plants commence flowering, weak manure 

 water may be given, or a little concentrated manure 

 sprinkled now and then on the surface soil. Green fly 

 is a troublesome pest that must be dealt with very 

 frequently in order to keep clean plants. Malmaisons 

 flower in the summer months when treated naturally, 

 and will not thrive under artificial heat, from 45 deg. 



