122 
THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
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PROTECTING FRAME FOR CARNATIONS. 
If the amateur grows any but the commonest sorts, the 
saving and sowing of seed will be an interesting and im¬ 
portant business. The finest varieties of carnation and 
picotee will yield but little seed; indeed, we have found it a 
hard task to obtain 
a score of good 
pods from a hun¬ 
dred plants; and 
when we had se¬ 
cured them, we 
would not have 
sold them for a 
guinea a grain. But 
how to obtain it, 
“ There’s the rub.” 
The very common¬ 
est kinds will,for the 
most part, produce 
plenty of seed with¬ 
out any special care. 
But those highly bred must have particular attention. In the first 
place, look to the semi-double flowers for the best supply. When 
you perceive that a seed-pod is swelling, pluck the petals one 
by one out of the calyx or cup, taking care at the same time 
not to injure the two horns (styles) in the centre. As the 
seed-vessel fills up, you may, with a pair of scissors, cut off 
the ends of the cup (calyx) all round, and make a slight 
incision down it, to prevent lodgment of wet. Towards the end 
of September the seed will be ripe, when it must be gathered 
and stored away. It will be well to cut off the pods first and 
place them in bell-glasses in a sunny greenhouse, to ripen 
and shell out, as advised at page 99. To raise seedling plants 
sow in pans in April, in good sandy soil, and cover the seed 
half an inch deep. Keep only moderately moist, and have 
patience. Above all things, do not push the seed forward in 
heat; a cold frame is the proper place for the seed-pans. 
Grow the young plants on in beds of light soil, in a sheltered 
sunny spot, and plant them in the borders in August, or in a 
reserve bed in rows nine inches apart. In planting, press the 
soil firmly to their roots, and finish with a good watering. 
In places where hares and rabbits destroy carnations and 
pinks, they may be effectually protected by means of small 
