340 
GLENNY ON THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. 
growing them with every prospect of success, 
by merely attending to the rules which are 
hereafter laid down, in the proposed treatment 
for all the seasons of the year. It must, how- 
ever, be mentioned, that the treatment is in- 
tended for weather and climate which is sup- 
posed to prevail usually at the season ; and 
may, in some cases, be as wide of the mark 
as unusual earliness or lateness can make it. 
Nevertheless, it will be found, in most cases, 
to provide for difficulties and changes, as well 
as to simplify the treatment, as much as 
possible. 
MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS AND MANAGEMENT. 
January. — The plants require this month 
little else than securing for them a free circu- 
lation of air ; they are in frames, in forty- 
eight sized pots, one pair in a pot, and, if pro- 
perly wintered, on a dry bottom, from which the 
water that runs through the pots can run off. 
If there be hard frost, they may be covered 
up, for that can do them no harm, while, if it 
were severe enough to get through the sides 
of the pots, the fibres would be injured. Yet 
the plant is pretty hardy, if planted in the 
open ground. To secure this circulation of 
air in perfection, the glasses should be quite 
opened or taken off, and the frames should 
not be deep. These plants will stand almost 
anything but damp, and that is fatal, for it 
engenders mildew and canker, and the destruc- 
tion of all the energies of the plant follows 
as a thing of course. They require very little 
moisture, but must not be suffered to dry up 
altogether. If, therefore, the weather is mild, 
they cannot have too much air, and, if frosty, 
they should be covered ; they must never have 
the glasses off at night, for there is no depend- 
ance on the absence of frost twenty-four 
hours. The plants out in the open beds may 
have light litter upon them to keep off frost, 
but they must not be smothered up too much, 
and the litter ought to be dry. 
February. — There can be no difference 
made in the treatment from last month, except 
what the weather enjoins. If it be frosty, the 
glasses should not be opened, except when the 
sun temporarily raises the temperature above 
the freezing point, which it will, in protected 
places, in the middle of the day. It is as 
necessary, however, to protect from wet as 
from frost, and snow is almost poison to them ; 
so that, except the watering given to them to 
keep a little moisture in the pots, there ought 
to be no fall allowed to reach the plants. Take 
off the yellow under-leaves ; and if there be a 
spot on the foliage, or the ends of the leaves 
beginning to turn yellow and decay, cut off the 
decaying part down to the sound green leaf; 
stir the surface of the earth, if it begin to turn 
mossy; and if any of the pots keep moist while 
others are dry, examine the drainage. Now 
mix up some loam and well-rotted cow- dung. 
If the loam has the turf rotted in it, and has 
been formed of turfs cut thick on purpose, 
two-thirds will be loam, and one-third rotted 
vegetable matter, and it would require three 
parts of the loam and one of cow-dung, al- 
though the turfy loam alone would grow them 
well. The mixture should be laid together 
this month, after being well mixed, and scru- 
pulously examined to see if there be any wire- 
worm or grub, or hot, and to get them perfectly 
cleared out. The sun getting more powerful 
enables one, even if there be frost, to open the 
frames much longer in the middle of the day, 
and give air, which is more essential than an)'- 
thing to the well-being of the plants. It is 
essential, also, to occasionally remove the pots 
from the frame, and sweep out all the dirt, 
dead leaves, and brush all the sides of the pots; 
in short, to clean everything properly, for 
cleanliness is everything in the culture of this 
family. If you pick off dead leaves, or cut off 
any portions of the foliage, by no means let 
any of the stuff go into the frames, for nothing 
is more destructive than decaying vegetation. 
Always keep in mind that a free circulation is 
the first thing to secure, and the next a clean 
frame and a dry bottom, although the free 
circulation will very often counteract the 
effects of a wet one. 
March. — This month is treacherous at all 
times : biting, cold frosts, heavy falls, drying 
winds, and storms, are not unfrequent, and all 
must be provided against as carefully as pos- 
sible ; giving air whenever the weather will 
permit must be a first consideration ; turning 
over the compost, and hunting for the vermin, 
is a very necessary duty, and providing for 
potting into the blooming pots must not be 
neglected ; procure the sizes called sixteens 
and twelves, the former for pairs and plants, 
the latter for threes ; let them be well baked, 
and stand level. The treatment of the plants 
in the frames must be according to the weather 
— the same as if the same weather were in 
January or February. 
April. — This month you may commence 
potting the plants in the blooming pots, 
and you should first provide a large quantity 
of crocks for drainage : that is to say, broken 
flower-pots made into still smaller pieces, to 
fill about two inches of the large pots with, 
before you put in the compost; then bring 
plenty of the compost to your potting-table, 
and a supply of the crocks, and having your 
plants and the blooming-pots all ready, fill 
the latter about two inches up with crocks, 
first covering the holes with pieces large 
enough to stop the smaller ones from going 
through ; then put on compost, high enough 
to enable you to place the ball of earth con- 
