THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. 



than to be kept free from weeds by a liberal use of the Dutch hoe. Good kitchen garden 

 soil answers well for seedlings, no addition of loam being needed, but if the soil is not rich 

 1 trench it r8in. deep at least, put a layer of manure at the bottom, and another layer 

 6in. or Sin. below the surface. This treatment of the soil enables the plants to bear up 

 bravely during a hot, dry season, as the roots penetrate deeply after the feeding material. 

 A warning is necessary to those unacquainted w ith the nature of soils ; it will not do to 

 trench up soil to the top that has not been there before. New subsoil is not adapted to grow 

 anything until it has been well turned over two or three times and mixed with decayed 

 manure, and twelve months would be required to get it into fairly good condition. Named 

 varieties of Carnations are planted out in October or even as late as November if the weather 

 is favourable. Layers planted out at this season are always vigorous the following year, and 

 produce more layers than spring-planted Carnations from pots. There is an advantage in 

 planting out from flower-pots in March or April, losses being reduced to a minimum, and 

 if the plants have been well kept during the winter they never fail to succeed. After 

 planting give a light dressing of decayed manure over the surface of the ground ; it keeps the 

 roots in better condition, and they start more freely into growth. Carnations must not be 

 left to themselves after planting. Those put out in the late autumn months may be assailed 

 by slugs and the leather-coated grubs. The slugs and snails may be destroyed or, at least, 

 kept from the plants by sprinkling soot over the surface of the ground ; it is a good fertiliser 

 for Carnations as well, and thus answers two purposes. The grubs in their tough outer 

 casing are impervious either to powdered lime or soot, but as they usually feed at night a 

 good lamp and a patient watchman will soon thin their numbers. In spring the Carnation 

 maggot, Hyelemia nigrescens, is an unwelcome addition to our Carnation pests ; it gets into 

 the heart of the plant, and unless prev ented wcTd soon destroy it. The only way is to get 

 a needle and dig the maggot out as soon as evidence of its existence can be found. In its 

 winged state it greatly resembles the house-fly, and can be captured depositing its eggs on 

 the leaves of the Carnation. It is found about the plants in April. Small seedlings 

 as soon as they are planted out are assailed by it, and suffer more than the named 

 varieties, 



PROPAGATION OF BORDER CARNATIONS. — This is best done by layering, and the 

 time chosen as soon as the flowers are over. Strip the lower leaves away from the plants 

 intended to be layered, and with a sharp knife cut through a joint, peg the layer into the 

 ground at the incision, and place some fine sandy 

 soil around them. They soon form roots, and 

 are ready to be removed from the parent plants 

 some time in September, generally about the end 

 of that month. If the layers have to be planted 

 out the strongest and best of them should be 

 selected, and plant them out as they are taken 

 from the plants. The layers must be put into 

 the ground as deep as the first pair of leaves ; 

 those intended to be planted in the spring should 

 be potted up into small flower-pots. I use 

 what are termed in the trade middle 6o's. Any 

 particularly strong layer may be planted in a 

 large 60. Keeping the young plants over the 

 winter is not generally understood. Amateurs 

 are too anxious to preserve them in good con- 

 dition ; they are afraid to allow a touch of frost 

 to reach them, and the plants are frequently 



injured by kind treatment. For instance, the duke of Orleans. 



