ON THE CULTURE OF THE PINK. 
Sir, —Having now arrived at the season of blooming, it may not 
be unacceptable to some of your readers to offer a few remarks 
on the culture and general management of that much esteemed 
florist’s flower. The best mode of increasing is by piping under 
a close hand-glass in a mixture of leaf-mould, decomposed 
manure, and silver sand, in proportions of one peck of the latter 
to three of each of the former, finely sifted, so that the piping 
may be inserted without the use of a dibble : the best time for 
performing this operation is about the last week in June. It is 
the practice of many growers to strike on a very moderate hot¬ 
bed, but I have always been successful without, and certainly 
the young plants are much stronger and more hardy. I should 
be very glad to find more attention devoted to raising new 
varieties from seed, as it is not only interesting but profitable. 
I collect the seed when ripe from the best rose-leaved flowers, 
and sow the following May on a gentle hot-bed ; when the pi¬ 
pings have been in three weeks, they will most likely require a 
little air administered by degrees, so that the hand-glass may be 
entirely removed about the fifth week, when they may shortly 
be taken from the striking bed, and transplanted at three inches 
apart, where they are to remain till the season for general 
planting, which is about the middle ot September; I then pre¬ 
pare my bed by introducing some fine old cow dung, dug in a 
foot below the surface, and il the ground is light, some strong 
loam will be very beneficial. Almost every grower has a different 
plan of planting, but I think there is no better way than plant¬ 
ing four plants, in a clump, say three inches apart, as you would 
a hole of cucumbers, so that a stick maybe placed in the centre 
to support the glass or shade, which will then cover the four 
flowers, of which the following are amongst the best : 
