116 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ Mat, 
attempting to produce a progeny tliat cannot fail, at all events, to have 
the characteristic of distinctness. It appears to he of evergreen habit, 
taking, in this respect, after Vallota purpurea, and of course must he 
treated accordingly. It possesses eminently a vigorous habit, and yields an 
abundance of fleshy roots, demanding nutriment. A good sandy loam, 
with a little leaf soil and a modicum of peat, answers well for root ramifi¬ 
cation. It is clearly a florist’s flower, from the perfection of its form, its 
substance, and its other points of general excellence, and any one in a 
position to grow it should look upon his collection, however limited or 
however choice, as being incomplete without it. A warm greenhouse tem¬ 
perature suits it admirably; stove heat will weaken its constitution, and 
even half destroy it. 
Meadowbank. J. Anderson. 
THE CULTIVATION OF THE CARNATION AND PICOTEE. 
» Y this time the plants treated as stated at p. 68, will have begun to 
throw up their stems for blooming, and for the next two months 
will require diligent care to ensure a fine bloom. Do not allow 
more than one spindle from the same plant. The laterals ought to 
be cut off as soon as they appear, and the main stem, as it rises, 
must be gently tied to the stick, till it has attained nearly its full height. 
Bast matting I consider the best material for tying. Most sorts, before the 
stem has attained its full height, begin to divide at the crown into smaller 
shoots for lateral buds, all of which but one besides the main crown bud, 
ought to be cut out, especially when the flowers are required for exhibiting. 
Where this is not the case, three or more buds may be left, in order to 
prolong the bloom, but to attempt to get more than two good full-sized 
flowers from one plant, will be useless. 
By the second week in July, in the southern parts of England, the buds 
will begin to show colour; in the northern parts they are generally a 
fortnight later. In either case, as soon as the buds open sufficiently to 
show, whether in true colour or run, the operation of layering or piping, or 
both, may be performed. The larger grass ought to be layered, but the 
small is best piped, especially in the case of Picotees, as it is a known fact, 
proved by myself and other growers, that the best and cleanest flowers 
are got from plants struck from pipings. The piping ought to be com¬ 
pleted by the middle of July, but whether piped or layered, all ought to be 
done by the end of July. A moderate quantity of fine sand mixed with 
the soil when layering, will be found to help the plants to strike. 
If the layering and piping are done in proper time, as stated above, the 
plants will be sufficiently rooted for taking off by the middle of September. 
When taken off, they ought to be planted in pairs in 30-sized pots, placed 
