April S, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
257 
COMING EVENTS 
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Royal Society at. 4.30 P.M. Linnean Society at 8 P.M. 
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Crystal Palace Spring Show, two days. 
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Royal Botanic Society at 3.45 P.M, 
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Palm Sunday 
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Royal Horticultural Society. (Fruit and Floral Committees at 11 A.M.) 
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[Promenade Show. 
PEEPETUAL CARNATIONS. 
we except Tea Roses it may safely be asserted 
that Carnations are the most serviceable and 
generally popular flowers in cultivation, this 
being especially the case with the section known 
as Perpetual or Tree Carnations. At the same 
time, fully appreciated as they are, they are by 
no means generally well grown, neither do they 
receive such good treatment as their merits 
entitle them to. Thanks to Mr. Taylor, who 
when at Longleat not only grew them to perfection, but also 
instructed many others, myself included, we now thoroughly 
know their special requirements. 
As was pointed out to an inquiring correspondent on page 
236, to have Carnations good when most required—viz., 
during the winter months, the stock of plants should be raised 
annually, it being found that vigorous young plants are 
superior in every respect to old plants, no matter how well 
the latter may have been treated. Cuttings may be struck any 
time during January, February and March with a fair 
chance of their being grown into strong flowering plants, but 
if struck much later the plants will be both smaller and later 
in flowering. Supposing no cuttings are to be had, would-be 
growers should procure a few strong plants from a nursery¬ 
man of good repute, and it is advisable when ordering to 
state that they are required for furnishing cuttings. When 
received they should be stood in the lightest position in a 
greenhouse or in a house where but little heat is given, 
carefully supplying them with water and removing all bloom 
buds, the object being to induce the formation of strong 
shoots for cuttings. 
The tops of strong leading growths are naturally selected 
by the inexperienced, but these are not the best and will 
seldom form such good branching plants as those from side 
shoots. The latter are usually slipped off with as little 
injury to the main stems as possible, and require but little 
trimming, the removal of the lowest pair of leaves, which 
are usually small, sufficing. Any cuttings, however, much 
above 4 inches in length may well be shortened to a joint 
much as we would any softwooded plant, but there is no 
necessity for mutilatiug or shortening the leaves. Those 
who have a considerable number of cuttings ready at one 
time may strike them in boxes not less than 6 inches in 
depth ; these being properly drained, filled to a height of 
3 inches with fine loamy sandy soil, and surfaced with silver 
sand. The cuttings to be dibbled in firmly and about 2 inches 
apart each way, be watered in and covered with squares of 
glass, which, if made air-tight by having strips of paper 
pasted over all the edges, will further assist the cuttings in 
striking. The boxes may be placed either on a gentle hotbed 
or on moist stage in a forcing house where no strong fire heat 
or bright sunshine will affect them. If a few cuttings only 
are available at a time, these may be inserted thinly round 
the sides of small pots, and stood or plunged either in a 
propagating case or a Cucumber frame. Last season our 
cuttings did not strike so readily in pots, owing to the attack 
No. 197.—Vol. VIII., Third Series. 
of some fungus generated in either the loam or leaf soil, 
which made the plants late. This season we are using 
peaty soil and large well-drained pots and pans, covering the 
cuttings with bellglasses, the results being perfectly satisfac¬ 
tory. The soil in the pots or boxes should never be allowed 
to become dry, and the cuttings require to be shaded from 
bright sunshine. They take about three weeks to strike. 
Directly the cuttings are rooted they commence growing, 
and to prevent their becoming drawn and weakly gradually 
remove the glass, exposing the plants to the lignt and air, 
and pot them before the roots become much interlaced. The 
greatest care should be exercised in potting, as the roots are 
exceedingly fragile and may easily be broken from the stem. 
We prefer to cut or dig out the cuttings rather than shake 
them out of the boxes or pots, as in this manner every plant 
has a small ball of soil about the roots, and little or no check 
is experienced from the operation. The strongest plants may 
be placed singly into 3^-inch pots and the more weakly into 
pots a size smaller, employing a compost consisting of two 
parts of fine loam to one of sifted leaf soil, with the addition 
of a little silver sand. The plants should be returned to the 
shelves or be placed near the glass in a house where a tem¬ 
perature is maintained, say, from 50° to 60°, with the usual 
rise with sun heat. At this stage particular care should be 
taken to prevent rapid weakly growth, as they cannot well be 
kept too dwarf so long as no actual check either from dryness 
or coldness is experienced. In the case of very strong early 
plants, or if the plants be much drawn, it is advisable to stop 
them once; but all that are branching or late struck are best 
unstopped, or otherwise they will not flower freely until the 
spring, and perhaps not then. 
Before they have become root-bound a shift should be 
given them, and this in our case is usually into their largest 
pots. The size of pot given depends upon the vigour of the 
plants and the habit of the variety. In all cases it is better 
to underpot rather than overpot Carnations. The majority 
of ours, however, are flowered in 8-inch and 9-inch pots, but 
those of moderate growth, such as Miss Jolliffe and A. 
Alegatiere, are either flowered in 6-inch pots or given a second 
shift. Those late struck may be placed three in an 8-inch 
or 9-inch pot, and will do better in this manner than if 
flowered in small pots. I am aware that great numbers of 
well-flowered plants find their way into the markets growing 
in 5-inch pots, but for continuous blooming this size is too 
small. 
The compost which appears to suit them well consists of 
four parts of roughly broken strong turfy loam to one each of 
good half-decayed stable manure and sifted leaf soil, adding 
road grit or silver sand freely, and a sprinkling of bone meal. 
It is not advisable to add any powerful artificial manure to 
the compost, but it may with advantage be given to them at 
the flowering period, all the pots to be clean and well 
drained, and the soil made rather firm to suit the fibrous 
roots. 
The plants after potting should still be kept under glass, 
not in strong heat, but preferably in a cold frame or pit 
where they can be kept rather close for a few days. Gradually, 
and before they become at all drawn, give more air. Towards 
the end of April and during May the lights are best drawn 
off on fine warm days, and well tilted in wet weather. When 
well established give all air possible, and by the end of May the 
plants may be stood on a bed of ashes in a sunny but sheltered 
position in the open air. In cold wet districts, and in all 
cases where there are few roots, the plants are best kept in 
frames, these being blocked up off the ground so as to admit 
plenty of air, and the lights pulled off during bright and dry 
weather. Miss Jolliffe and Souvenir de la Malmaison are 
the most susceptible of injury from cold rains, and these we 
rarely move from the frames. All the leading growths should 
be kept carefully supported, as if once they get crooked they 
cannot be safely straightened. At Longleat they used to 
support all bushy plants with birch branches much as we 
No. 1853. —Vol. LXX. Old Series. 
