planting date. The time and space required for home propagation and growing on can be put to use 
profitably on other crops, thus offsetting the costs of procuring cuttings. 
OBTAINING LATE CUTTINGS 
The advent of direct benching of rooted cuttings necessitates some obvious changes in propagation sched- 
ules, with a need for cuttings in late spring in addition to the customary midwinter supply. To assure 
availablity, growers should make arrangements as far in acyance as possible to procure cuttings. Some 
propagation specialists are preparing for this demand, and our representatives are informed as to the 
varietal availability through the late spring months. 
Prof. W. D. Holley, Colorado Agricultural Experiment Stations writes the following about direct benching 
of carnation cuttings: 
“Space that would be used for growing young plants is saved for flowering production. Considerably 
less labor is involved in producing the young plants. Probably less than one-fourth the labor is required 
for the actual benching operation. In benching directly from the propagating medium, the plants have 
less opportunity for a check in growth, less chance for disease infection, break more freely and grow 
faster. On the other side of the ledger, some production might be sacrificed but this is doubtful. We are 
certain that the production obtained can be timed more accurately. 
“A few early results of this direct benching practice will serve to illustrate its advantages. Crowley Pink 
Sim and White Sim carnation benched as rooted cuttings in sterilized soil May 18 and pinched high June 
15 have cut five blooms per plant in September and October. They have an average of 15-16 potential 
flowering breaks per plant which should flower from March through May 15. The spacing used is three 
plants to the square foot. 
“We have direct plantings made June 15, July 15, and August 15. Our losses have been negligible. In 
most cases we have had to pull out and discard the extra plants put in to replace planting losses. 
“The greatest place for direct benching of cuttings will probably be in mid-season planting, i.e., from 
May 15 to July 1. About one month is required before the plants are sufficiently established for pinch- 
ing. Possibly some varieties should have six weeks time. Cuttings benched July 1, would not be pinched 
until August 1, so the first crop would come in winter, but the second crop would be mostly in June. 
“At Colorado A&M we are looking forward to the time when we will be able to tell when each bench of 
carnations will cut its flowers. Only then will we be able to plan intelligently and fit our carnation 
production to our demand. The information we have so far is somewhat fragmentary. The following 
timing data has been obtained on healthy plants of William Sim and its White and Pink Sports: 
From a single pinch: 
April 15 — Flowers July 25 - August 20. 
May 15— Flowers August 15- September 15. 
June 15 — Flowers September 1 - October. 
December 7 — Flowers May 1 through June. 
From a second pinch made: 
July 1 — Peak crop around November 1. 
July 15 — Peak crop around December 1. 
August 1 — Peak crop around February 1. 
“Of course, all these figures are for Colorado conditions. The results given here must be modified to 
some extent for other sections.” 
