DIA 
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garcl to the general vigour of the young 
plants; the cuttings should be taken off, 
and the lower leaves removed with a 
sharp knife, leaving those on the three 
upper joints untouched; the base of the 
cutting should then be formed by pass¬ 
ing the knife directly through the stem, 
immediately below a joint, and, as each 
kind is done, let the cuttings be planted 
into a prepared bed with a southern 
aspect, and, directly after receiving a 
gentle watering to settle the soil about 
them, be covered with a hand-glass; a 
slight shade from powerful sunshine will 
be necessary until they have become 
rooted, when it is far best to remove 
them to the bed or pots in which they 
are to bloom, as those which are trans¬ 
planted in spring do not bloom so finely, 
being generally deficient of “lacing.” 
The soil in which they delight is a mix¬ 
ture of two parts turfy loam, one part 
leaf-mould, and the remainder made up 
of rotten manure and sharp sand; some 
care is required through the winter to pre¬ 
vent worms drawing the plants out of their 
places when they are grown in beds; but 
by occasionally pressing the soil about 
them, all will be right. In spring the 
beds should have a top dressing of de¬ 
cayed manure, adding a portion of sand, 
and, as the weather becomes warm, a 
liberal supply of water will become ne¬ 
cessary, together with an occasional ap¬ 
plication of liquid manure. Just before 
the flowers expand, the buds should be 
thinned, and the pods or calyx tied round 
with a slip of bast mat, to prevent them 
splitting, and when open, circular cords 
should be fitted to preserve the petals in 
their places, taking the ordinary precau¬ 
tions to guard from wind, sunshine, and 
rain. 
Carnations are propagated by layers 
or cuttings (termed pipings), the first is 
by far the most certain method; it is best 
done immediately the flowers begin to 
decline, the surface-soil about the plants 
should be removed to a depth of between 
two and three inches, and the space filled 
up with rich sandy soil; the lower leaves 
of the side shoots are then trimmed away, 
leaving about three joints at the top un¬ 
touched ; then, with a sharp knife having 
a narrow r blade, an incision is made in 
the underside of the layer where it will 
most conveniently bend to meet the soil, 
by entering the knife a little below a 
joint, for about the half of the thickness 
of the stem, and passing it upwards 
through the joint, making the cut from 
half to three parts of an inch in length; 
this is called the tongue; the portion of 
stem below the joint on the tongue is 
then removed, and the layer is fastened 
into the soil by a peg; pipings are taken 
off and prepared in the manner of pinks, 
but they require a gentle bottom heat to 
induce them to root; either pipings or 
layers usually take a month before they 
are fit for removal, when they should be 
potted, placing a pair in a sixty-sized 
pot, or three in a forty-eight; the soil 
for this purpose should be pure sandy 
loam without mixture of anv kind, and 
a place where the plants are shaded from 
the sun, but receive plenty of air, should 
be selected for their reestablishment. 
In October frames should be prepared, 
choosing a south aspect for them to pass 
the winter in; the bottom must be ele¬ 
vated on a brick at each corner, to allow 
a current of air beneath, and the floor 
must be perfectly dry, and so managed 
as to allow superfluous water to pass 
away; a thick layer of ashes makes a 
very good one, or boards placed on stout 
cross-pieces, or any other contrivance 
likely to effect the object in view of keep¬ 
ing them well drained and dry; here the 
plants remain till the following March, 
requiring all the air it is possible to 
admit with regard to sheltering them 
from heavy rains and severe frost. At 
the time mentioned they are removed to 
their blooming stations, whether it be 
in pots,, which are most usual, or into 
beds; the soil in either case should have 
been previously prepared, at least a month 
or two before, by throwing together a 
mixture of two parts fresh turfy loam, 
one part well-rotten manure, and one 
part pure sharp sand. These should be 
thoroughly incorporated, and carefully 
freed from insects and their larvae; in 
potting, each plant should be gently 
separated from another, and the roots 
carefully spread out near to the surface; 
