July.] FLOWER GARDEN. 447 
Carnations. 
The choice carnations now in flower should be taken care of and 
assisted in their blowing, as directed lastraonthj you may likewise 
assist those of inferior qualities and that have a tendency to burst, 
by slitting the pod or calyx a little way at top, on the opposite side 
to where it shows an inclination to burst in two or three difterent 
places, so as to promote the spreading of the flower regularly each 
way. This should be done just as the flower begins to break the pod 
with a pair of small narrow pointed scissors, or with a sharp pointed 
knife, taking care not to cut the calyx too deep, but rather to open 
it a little at each place, and to leave as much of the bottom of the 
cup entire as will be suflicient to keep the petals or flower-leaves 
regularly together. 
Some florists take great pains in the opening of the flowers to 
assist nature in spreading and displaying the petals, so as to enlarge 
the circumference and dispose the flower-leaves in such a manner 
as to show the stripes and variegations to the best possible advan- 
tage, and for this purpose make use of a small pair of wire nippers, 
the points of which are flattened and bound around with silk or 
thread to prevent injury. With these they extract such of the 
petals as do not please, and display the others so as to suit their 
fancy. 
Continue to propagate your choice carnations and pinks by layers 
and pipings, as directed in page 422, for the performance of which, 
the early part of this month is a very principal time. Give the 
necessary shade and water to the plants now in flower, and see that 
those layers which were laid last month are kept sufficiently moist 
to promote their free rooting. 
When the layers are properly rooted, which will be the case with 
most sorts in a month after laying, provided due care be taken to 
keep them regularly moist, and to shade them from the heat of the 
meridian sun; they are then to be taken off* from the old plant with 
about half an inch of the stalk which connects them to it, and be 
immediately planted in small pots, one, two, three or four in each. 
The pots should be filled with the compost recommended in page 
296, previously adding thereto a little more loam and coarse sand, 
and when the plants are neatly planted therein, the pots should be 
buried to their rims in a convenient airy place, and arches of hoops 
placed over the bed on which to lay mats to shade the plants from 
the sun till well rooted and growing freely; and these mats are to 
be afterwards laid on occasionally as necessity may require, to 
protect the plants from too powerful sunshine or heavy torrents of 
rain, which are both injurious to them. 
Here they are to remain till November, when they must be re- 
moved into their winter repository, as then directed; during this 
time they must have a sufficiency of water as often as it may ap- 
pear necessary, to keep theui in a constant growing state and good 
health. 
The layers of the common kinds of carnations should, when taken 
off", be planted in beds of rich earth, in rows about six inches asun- 
