342 
GLENNY ON THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. 
down to the bass-matting at each division ; 
it enables the flower to open even instead of 
its bursting out on one side, and secures a 
more unifoi'm bloom. As the petals come out, 
the largest, or what are termed the guard 
petals, should be brought down to form a 
lower dish, as it were, for the rest to cover ; 
to help the laying of them it is usual to place 
a card on the bud, half way up it, where the 
tie is ; this card and the bud are held in their 
respective places by means of a piece of cop- 
per wire stuck into the stick, and bent into 
a round hook, or loop, almost closed at the 
extremity, in which the stem is put, and the 
wire bent, so as to keep the card in its place 
as well as the bud, projecting it generally 
about four or five inches from the stick. 
These cards are cut round, and in the centre 
a circle is drawn, about as large as the largest 
bud is, say as large as a shilling, then with a 
sharp knife cut across this circle four times 
opposite ways, right through the substance, 
when by pushing a pencil through it, or a 
taper stick, like a vent peg, it pushes the 
points out, and they form so many springs to 
hold the card in its place, even if the wire 
were not used to put them on the bud : the 
card is slit from the centre hole to the edge 
on one side only, the stem is introduced 
through this ' slit to the centre hole, and the 
card is pushed up to the bud, which partly 
goes into the hole, and is kept there. The 
lower or large petals, as they open, are 
brought down on the card to form the outer 
row, which should be circular. The petals 
of the next size are brought down one over 
each place where the others join, and form a 
second row ; the petals yet rather smaller 
are to be placed on the joints of the second 
row, and so form a third ; when all that can 
be placed in rows are adjusted, the remaining 
ones, if any, should be placed in the centre, 
upright, to form a crown ; but if there be a 
petal, all of a colour, or without any colour, 
or if there be any in a bizarre which has only 
one colour, — all bizarres ought to have two, 
— they should be pulled out, for any one of 
them would disqualify a flower, and in show- 
ing, cast it out. These instructions more par- 
ticularly belong to July, but, as in many 
seasons the flowers come in June, it is 
necessarily placed in this month. Attend 
to the watering, for while plants are grow- 
ing and blooming, they require a good deal of 
moisture. 
July. — Stir the earth between the seed- 
lings, and as soon as they are large enough 
to hold, thin them out to two inches apart, 
pricking in the young seedlings taken away 
into other pots. Having given the treatment 
for the two months nearly complete in one, 
there remains little else than repetition. But 
all the small shoots that are not likely to be 
long enough for layering, should be taken off 
and struck like the pipings of pinks, under 
a hand glass, on a little mild bottom heat. 
They make excellent plants in general, though 
they do not make so much increase. The 
pipings only require about three joints of a 
shoot, for so that there is a sound stem, the 
shorter they are the better. This month you 
may begin layering — an operation which is 
thus performed : — Cut off the leaves pretty 
close to the stem of all the shoots that are 
long enough to lay down under the surface, 
all but the top three joints, then make an 
incision in the stem, on the under side, half 
way between the second and third joints, 
.under the lower leaves left on, and to nearly 
the middle of the stem, bearing the knife 
upwards, right through the second joint, and 
cut off at the joint the sloping piece below it ; 
the place to peg it down on must be dug up, 
or loosened with the knife, and a little sand 
should be mixed, and with a peg made like a 
little hooked walking stick, four inches long, 
peg down the layer, so that the whole of 
the slit part is under the surface, which must 
be filled up level ; and all the shoots are to go 
through the same process. The pegs for this 
purpose may be made of birch, which is full 
of these hooks, or of fern leaves, which are, 
perhaps, better. After doing them, give 
water to settle the earth about them, and 
leave them to their fate. 
August. — Complete the layering of the 
whole stock as soon as possible, and attend 
constantly until they have all struck. If any 
bloom has been finer than usual, and you de- 
sire seed, take out the decayed petals, that the 
pod may swell and ripen without rotting. Save 
seed only from those with thick smooth petals, 
good clear white, tolerably full flowers, and 
smooth edges. Water the seedlings frequently 
in dry weather, and let them have all the air, 
as well as gentle showers, when there are such; 
on no account must they be deprived of air : 
when the sun is too hot put them in the shade, 
and this month they may be removed to a 
shady border, well protected from slugs and 
other vermin, there to gain strength for pot- 
ting out in their winter pots. 
September. — Continue watering the lay- 
ered plants, and occasionally examine the 
seed-pods, for when they turn yellow they 
may be gathered to lay by in dry paper bags. 
The stems may be cut down, and the sticks 
carefully withdrawn, for the fibres of the old 
plant will generally be found matted round 
the pitched stick, and if they were violently 
drawn out, they would, in some instances, 
bring the plant out with them, and disturb all 
the layers. You may now prepare small pots 
(size 60 for one plant, and 4S-size for two), 
