THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. 



259 



fixed on the end, to which a cord is attached; the shading can be run up and down very readily 

 on this principle. As soon as the flowering period is over, layering must be proceeded with. 

 Some of the surface soil must be removed, replacing it with some loam and leaf mould ; this 

 should be sifted, as the fine material only ought to be used. Layering has been frequently 

 described. The lower leaves must be stripped from the grow ths at the base of the stem ; with 

 a layering knife, cut into the stem below a joint, and cut upwards through the joint. Pull the 

 layer down, and peg it firmly into the soil at the cut part. Layering is done about the first 

 week in August, and the layers may be removed from the parent plant after the middle of 

 September, when they may be planted in small flower-pots for the winter. 



The amateur who really cares for his plants will look over them almost daily, and will soon 

 ascertain what attention they need during the winter. The main point is to see that the frames 

 are well ventilated, so that the air may pass freely over the plants. Watering is also 

 important. No wonder if spot is prevalent in some collections when one sees the plants 

 saturated with wet, and no care is taken to keep the leaves dry in the dark days of winter. 

 Water should be applied carefully to the plants that need it, and not to any that are 

 not really dry at the roots. Spot is not very destructive to the plants ; they grow out of this 

 disease as the plants start growing in the spring months. 



The Tree or Perpetual-flowering Carnation. — The value of this type of 

 Carnation consists in its flowering freely in the autumn, winter, and spring months. The 

 border Carnations and the Malmaisons cannot be 

 treated so as to get them into flower in autumn 

 and winter, whereas it is natural for this type 

 to do so. The treatment of the plants all 

 through is different, but there is no difficulty in 

 obtaining good flowering plants. The border 

 and show Carnations, w hether growing in flower- 

 pots or planted out, pass out of bloom by the 

 middle of August. About the end of that month 

 the Tree Carnations begin to bloom, and with 

 good management flowers can be obtained 

 through the w inter and spring months, until the 

 Malmaisons come into flower early in May, or 

 even in April. Of course, to do this a heated 

 greenhouse is a desideratum. The Tree Car- 

 nations are propagated by slips or cuttings. 

 The first lot should be put in about the 

 second week in January, and at that time the 

 greenhouse should be kept at a minimum 

 temperature of 5 5deg. There should also be 

 a propagating frame in the house, with some 

 bottom heat, say about 85deg. The plunging 

 material may be leaf mould, cocoa-nut fibre 

 refuse, or spent bark' from a tan-yard. The 

 smaller side growths, slipped off, form roots 

 more readily than the thicker growths. Five or six slips are inserted in a small pot, 

 using sandy loam and leaf mould, and a thin layer of sand may be spread on the surface ; 

 insert the slips firmly, and plunge the pots to the rim in the material inside the propagating 

 case. They soon form roots, and this can readily be determined by the growth they make; as 

 soon as the slips are well rooted, pot them off singly into small flower-pots, and to form nice 

 bushy plants stop their upward growth by pinching out the centre with the fingers. The plants 

 must be kept in this heated house until they have made some growth, when they may be taken 



DUCIIFSS OF CONSUELO. 



