THE AMATEURS FLOWER GARDEN. 
119 
possessing a powerful spicy perfume. For ordinary garden 
purposes, the cultivation of carnations, picotees, and pinks is 
the same, and therefore they may all be disposed of as one 
plant, which will effect a saving of space, and enable the 
beginner the more readily to master the first principles. We 
shall begin by supposing the reader desirous of having a fair 
show of all four classes of flowers, and our first advice is 
that the purchase of plants should be made in the month of 
September, and that 
the whole of the 
stock should be at 
once planted out. 
They may, indeed, 
be planted in Octo¬ 
ber and November, 
and again in March 
and April, but Sep¬ 
tember is the best 
time. In a well-pre¬ 
pared soil and in an 
ordinary good sea¬ 
son they will require 
but little attention 
beyond being neatly 
staked as the flower 
stems rise; but on 
a hot dry soil, or in 
an exceptionably dry 
season it may be ad¬ 
visable to give them 
a good soaking of 
soft water, or weak 
liquid manure, once 
a week, from the middle of May to the end ot August. It is 
advisable, however, not to give water at all, if circumstances 
favour their well-doing without it. 
In keeping up the stock the two principal methods are by 
layering and piping. Layering is performed from the middle 
of July to the middle of August. One or two days before 
commencing to layer give the plants a good soaking, unless 
the weather happens to be showery. The operation of layer¬ 
ing is performed as follows:—First strip off* the lower leaves 
