April 6, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



28 



CULTIVATION OF PERPETUAL 

 CARNATIONS BY AMATEURS. 



The following is the text of the paper read 

 by F. Fitch at the Conference held by the 

 Perpetual Carnation Society at the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Hall, March 21: — 



The rapid increase in popularity of the 

 perpetual flowering carnation, as well as the 

 improvement in the flower it&elf, during the 

 past few years, is little short of marvellous. 

 Many of our friends would claim that the 

 perpetual flowering carnation already com- 

 peted with the rose for the first place in 

 popular favour. It has become eo indis- 

 pensable as a decorative flower, especially 

 during the dull, dark days of winter, that 

 we might well wonder how we did without 

 it before its introduction. 



It is essentially a flower for the amateur, 

 for besides its many other qualitieis, it is 

 easy to grow, will flower practically the 

 whole year round, will last longer when 

 cut, and travel better than any flower I am 

 acquainted with. During the pa^t two months 

 I have sent one or two hundred blooms 

 every week to the South of France by par- 

 cels post, and I bear that they arrive in 

 perfect condition. I know of no other flower 

 that is so profitable to grow, for one can 

 alwayis go to the carnation house and be 

 sure of finding some flowers fit to cut, and 

 that, not for just two or three weeks, but 

 in almost any week in the year. 



If the amateur can devote a house to the 

 culture of these flowers, I would advise liim 

 to do so ; as the dry, buoyant, airy atmo- 

 sphere essential to their well-being is more 

 difficult to maintain if the house contains 

 other plants requiring different treatment. 

 The house should be placed so as to obtain 

 all the sun possible during the dull days 

 of winter. Ventilators should be arranged 

 along the roof and at the sides of the 

 house, which should be heated with pipes 

 sufficient to maintain a temperature of 50 

 degrees while the top ventilators are open. 



Raising; Young; Plants. 



Propagation should be effected between 



December and March ; cuttings rooted in 

 January, of course, making tlie best plants. 

 There is no doubt that one of the chief essen- 

 tials to the successful culture is the selec- 

 tion of the right kind of cuttings. They 

 should be chosen from strong, healthy 

 plants, for one cannot expect to have strong 

 examples if the cuttings are taken from weak- 

 lings, or healthy ones if taken from diseased 

 plants. This is a most important matter, 

 and one that cannot be too strongly em- 

 phasised, and any little trouble taken in 

 selecting cuttings for the future stock is well 

 repaid. The best cuttings are those found 

 half-way up the stem, and should be taken 

 off when about three inches long, with a 

 gentle downward pull, bringing with them a 

 little of the old stem. This should be re- 

 moved with a sharp knife. 

 ' Cuttings root in a temperature of 50 de- 

 grees to 55 degrees, and a bottom heat of 

 about 60 degrees. The American, and our large 

 market growers, make a bed of soft bricks 

 placed over a pit with hot-water pipes en- 

 closed about two feet below them. On the 

 bricks is then placed some sharp sand about 

 three inches deep, made firm, and watered 

 ^'ith a fine rose. In this the cuttings are in- 

 serted in TOWS about two inclies apart, and 

 one inch from cutting to cutting. The 

 ^vhole being covered with a glass case. 



The amateur, of course, could not carry 

 out his operations on such an extensive scafe 

 as the market growers, but if he can pro- 

 duce the same essential conditions, although 

 a more limited way, as the man who 

 Rrows for profit, he will not go far wrong, 

 ine soft brick bottom absorbs the moisture 

 irora the sand and returns it again when 

 the sand becomes dry, so that the bottom of 

 the cutting is always at a uniform moisture. 



A good plan for the amateur is to pljce 

 ^ <^ase, a box with a sheet of gla^s over the 

 top, or a handlight, in a corner of the house 

 ^^here it will have the recjuisite amount of 



bottom heat, and place in it cocoanut-fibre 

 refuse, or some such material, and then t-ake 

 some seed pans or strawberry sauper^, and 

 fill them with sand, moisten with a fine 

 rose, and insert the cuttings. Place the 

 pans in the case where they will require very 

 kittle more w.ater until they ar»e rooted, 

 which should be from three to four weeks; 

 but on no account should the sand be al- 



lowed to dry through. This mode is better 

 for the amateur in several ways than prick- 

 ing out in the bed, for it not only produces 

 the effect of the soft bricks, as nearly as 

 possible, but a-s some varieties are longer 

 in rooting than others, each pan can be re- 

 moved from the case as they become rooted, 

 leaving the others to enjoy the closer atmo- 

 sphere. Care should be taken that the cuttings 

 do not lie about or get dry, but are inserted 

 as soon as possible after being taken off the 

 plants. After they are placed in the frame, 

 put on the glassi shade from bright sun, 

 and admit air for an hour or so each day, 

 wiping the glass free from any moisture. 

 If these directions are followed, the cut- 

 tings will be sturdy and strong, and no 

 larger than when inserted. It is a great 

 mistak" to allow the cutting to begin growth 



until rooted. 



Many other means would suggest them- 

 seWes to the amateur under different c'r- 

 cumstances; for instance, anyone only want- 

 ing a few plants might procure a 10 or 12- 

 incli pot, put some good drainage in the bot- 

 tom, and till up to within five or six inches 

 of the top with sand. Put in the cuttings, 

 and place a piece of glass upon the top of 

 the pot, stand it on the top of a hot-water 

 pipe, and treat in the same manner a^ in thf> 

 propagating case. 



CTo be Continued.") 



MANURING OF FRUIT TREES. 



For the benefit of tliose interested in this 

 question we have pleasure in reproducing 

 here a few useful practical hints by Mr. 

 C. Heine, head gardener in the Posen 



Botanical Gardens, 



Fruit trees naturally require all the in- 

 gredients found in animal manure, such as 

 nitrogen, potash, phosphate, and lime. 

 Their requirements, however, in potash, 

 phosphate, and lime are, on an average, 

 much greater than has hitherto been sup- 

 posed. The application of these various con- 

 stituents will depend on the position of the 

 tree, the nature of the soil, and likewise the 

 development of the several parts of the tree, 

 such as the wood, buds, etc., so that quite 

 as much harm may be done by a one-sided 

 manuring as by no manuring at all. 



In kainit, which contains, besides the ne- 

 cessary potash for wood, leaf, and. fruit 

 formation, a corresponding amount of 

 common salt, we have a means of strengthen- 

 ing the trees' resistance to disease, especially 

 in the case of the stone fruits. For spring 

 application the sulphate or muriate of potash 



should be used. 



The application o: phosphate in the form 

 of basic slag or superphosphate promotes 

 bud and fruit formation, at the same time 

 producing a good flavour. The lime com- 

 bined with the phosphate is necessary for the 

 stone formation. 



In the case of sour land, on which the 

 trees suffer principally from disease and 

 canker, an application of fresh ground lime 

 will prove beneficial. This will purify the 

 soil, and the trees will soon become healthy 

 and fertile again. At the same time the lime 

 will have the effect of decomposixig the plant 

 food in the soil and making it available for 

 the trees. 



According to experiments it is specially 

 important, in order to obtain the best results, 

 to applv the different manurial constituents 

 at the "'proper time, lliis applies particu- 

 larly to potash and phosphate. It is known 

 that in dry soils both these ingredients will 

 remain a long time undissolved and useless, 

 for moisture is necessary to dissolve them, 

 and to render them available as plant food. 

 Fnr th's reason it is essential to distribute 



the manure as early as possible. In this 

 connection it must also be remembered that 

 in fruit plantations, where other crops are 

 still grown between the trees, these require 

 a large part of the manure, &o that if the 

 application is deferred too long, nothing or 

 very little is left to the trees. It follows 

 therefore that the potash and phosphate 

 dressings will only show a favourable effect 

 when they are given early. 



NORTH OF ENGLAND 

 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 



MEDAL. 



The medal for the North of England Hor- 

 ticultural [Society, of which we give an illus- 

 tration herewith, post^sses considerable 

 artistic merit. It has been designed by F. 

 Ranson, Esq., from sketches submitted by 

 the makers of the medal, Messrs. Fattorini 

 and Sons, Lim., art medallists, Bradford. 



The main feature of the design is the 

 figure of Mother Earth, known in Latin as 

 Ceres, and in Greek as Demeter, one of the 

 great divinities in Greek mythology, the 

 Goddess of the Earth. She is shown as 



I 



bearing in her right hand a bunch of 

 poppies, and in her left hand a basket of 

 as^;orted fruit. She is standing in a field of 

 wheat, and on one side the corn is shown in 

 growth, and on the other in sheaves. Behind 

 the field is the sun with its rays extending 

 over the upper portion of the medal, amongst 

 which are the letters N.E.H.S. 



Tlie treatment of the subject is happy, 

 and the medal has been much admired by 

 those who have had an opportunity of seeing 



it, 



FORTHCOMING ENGAGEMENTS. 



TUESDAY, April 9— Woybridge Horticultural So- 

 ciety's Mantlily Meeting. 

 WEDNESDAY, April lO.-Edinburgh Spring ^how ; 



two dav*:. 

 Kin.^sbridge Daffodil Show. 

 Eiiet Ang'lian Horticultural Club 

 THURSDAY, April 11.— Cornwall Daffodil Show, at 



Truro; two day£. , , „ , . o ■ * 



rUIDW \pril 12— Waniinj^lid Garden<^rs Sornty. 

 TrKsnAV. April Hi — Hoyal Horticultural Soi-iety : 



N-m-i'-Mi^ Ccntiniittot' iiuvt^; at U.'Mi a.m.; Pniit. 



F,.r d and On lnd Committer m<H^t at 12 oV-lnok : 



I.^ riir- it :i p. 111. on "Darwin a-s Ecolopi-vt. >'y 

 I'ruf. G. H^'uslow. Scientific Conimittf'j^ at 



Royal^Horticultiiral SorirtyV Daffn-lil -}i->w: tw.. 

 day.-. 



Shrr\vsliiirv Sititil-- Sbow. 

 WKDNK^n a"Y. April l7.--Hoya] Hnrticulturnl >o- 

 cictv'- Examination for Teacher-. 

 Koyal* Horticultural Society of Inland. Si.nn;j 

 Show. 



lioyal Mcttoroloi^io^il Society. 

 l?oVai Sof.i'Otv of Arts. 

 THURSDAY, April TS.—Ipewich Spring Show. 



Linncan Soc iety Meeting , ^ i ■ 7 t • 



Manchester and Nrrth. of England Orchid >.Miet\. 



Hereford Sprin^^ Show. 



])evon Daffmlil ami Sprino- I- lower Show, at M.^- 



moutU; two <lays. 

 <\TUHn\Y. April eo.~Chi>]ehur^t >prin.Er >how. 

 Tr»D\^ \pril -i?.— Br,HN>iit-hire Daffmlil Show. 

 WEDNESDAY. April 24.--Hoyiil Botanic 



\orth of Kn-land Horticultural -oon-ty, at L^-m!^. 

 TUrKSDW AiM-il i-i.-Midiand Uaff^'tlil >h. w :>t 



Socit tv 



Hirniinn-ham ; two d tvh. 

 .xrwich Spring Show. 

 Falmouth Spring Hhou ; 



IVS. 



