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JuLy 1, tgo2. 
reds, although we notice that a yellow was 
introduced many years ago from Switzerland. 
SCABIOSA is another good border plant 
in white, purple, blue, brown, pink, red, 
flesh, and yellow colours. A good list of hues 
from which to choose. The name is the worst 
. feature of the flower. It is suggestive of dis- 
order, and is named after scabies, known as 
itch, for the reason that it is supposed to cure 
the malady. It is also used as a cure for 
leprosy. 
STATICE—Sea Lavender, is commonly 
grown as a perennial, and the flowers are 
prized for their keeping quality. In fact 
their colours keep so well after cutting that 
they are regarded as everlasting. The two 
best known as perennials are the blue 
Arborea and the pink or rose Dicksoni. The 
annuals show a good variety and some of the 
spikes of Warezerickii are handsome. 
SUNFLOWER—The Helianthus (from 
helios, the sun, and anthos, ‘a _ flower) 
is an old time favourite in every 
garden, all yellows, and as bright and 
cheerful as a flower can well be. The single 
and double varieties are equally popular. 
The giants and the dwarfs have each their 
fitting places, and it is not an uncommon, 
though inartistic, idea to plant the giants of 
eight or ten feet growth in small fron} 
gardens. ‘They are not in’ keeping. with the 
general fitness of things, but many people 
seem to have gorgeous notions about plants, 
and their effects. The dwarf variety, called 
the miniature, is most suitable for general 
work in planting a flower garden, and they 
will show a brightness in the garden when 
most other flowers have succumbed to the 
heat of summer. ‘The perennial Sunflower 
should be planted out this month from roots. 
If the old plants are allowed to grow right 
through the year the blooms will be poor. 
They should, therefore, be treated like Chry- 
santhemums, and the little amount of trouble 
will give abundant satisfaction and pleasure. 
Carnation (rowing 
IN AMERICA.’ 
10% 
O extensively is the Carnation grown in 
the United States, and to such a state 
of perfection has its cultivation developed, 
that a few remarks on the system there 
practised may be of interest—perhaps of 
service—to growers of that beautiful flower. 
The American Carnation varieties, are, of 
course descended from plants imported from 
Europe, though they have developed into a 
perfect American type. The cultivation 
there does not date far back, for only during 
the last twenty years has it been really 
pushed. Judging from the accounts older 
growers give of the quality of blooms pro- 
duced fifteen years ago, one marvels at the 
rapidity with which improvements haye 
been effected. The main feature in the 
*An essay read before the Kew. Gardeners’ 
Society by A. E. Casse, and published by Zye 
Garden. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
culture is the planting out on elevated 
stages. These stages are so constructed as 
to hold 4 inches to 4% inches of soil, and 
are of a width and elevation which allow 
the work to be performed comfortably. The 
houses are of a light and cheap construction, 
with plenty of top and, where circumstances 
allow, side ventilation. The system of 
heating is by means of hot water or steam, 
the pipes being as far as possible laid under 
the stages. 
There is only one method practised for 
the propagation of the stock, and that is by 
cuttings ; layering is never resorted to in 
America. Propagation commences in 
January, and the cuttings are taken from the 
flowering plants. At the base of each 
flower stem there are generally to be found 
plenty of side shoots.. At intervals the 
houses are gone over and some of these 
shoots are removed, only a few being taken 
from each plant lest it suffer. The cuttings 
are broken out sideways so as not to break 
the flattened base of the shoot. The length 
of the cutting when takén varies from 2 
inches to 4 inches ; nothing is cut off unless 
the leaves be very long, when they are shor-’ * 
tened. The small leaves at the base’ are not 
interfered with. It will thus be seen that 
the preparation of cuttings is a very simple 
process. The cuttings are struck in sharp, 
clean sand, on a stage similar to those on 
which the plants are growing, but placed 
closer to the glass. No bottom-heat is 
afforded, and the same temperature is main- 
tained as for the flowering plants, perhaps 
rather higher (55° to 60° by day, and 50° to 
‘55° at night). They are kept on the dry 
side, and shaded from the sun with news- 
papers, and in this way root in about four 
weeks. : 
When ready the cuttings are planted out 
in the houses somewhat closely together for 
which purpose one of the flowering stages 
is cleared off. In a large nursery there will 
by this time always be found one or several 
stages which for some reason do not pay 
well. Such a stage is chosen; all the old 
soil is cleared out and fresh brought in; a. 
depth of 2 inches being ample. Any light 
rich soil may be used; if necessary, it is 
fertilised with artificial manure. A tempe- 
rature of 50° by day and 45° at night is 
generally recommended. ‘The beds are kept 
rather dry. It is, of course, impossible to 
water without. wetting the leaves, and as 
this is an evil, water must be given seldom 
and thoroughly. Too much water is likely 
to produce certain diseases. ? c 
The next stage in its cultivation is the . aise matoaase ro 
* vantage worth mentioning is that the plants 
planting out in the field. Of late years a 
tendency has shown itself to do away with 
the field culture altogether ; in fact, in many 
of the best nurseries the plants never leave 
the houses. ; 
The field in which the Carnations are 
grown in summer has been richly manured 
the year before. A rich loam with plenty 
of natural drainage is best, this being a 
warin soil, and, therefore, accessible early in 
the spring, and not likely to become’too wet 
if the summer be .rainy. It cannot be too 
strongly pointed out that too much water 
is the greatest evil in Carnation culture. 
The soil may be as dry as powder several 
inches down, but this does not kill the 
plants; it only stops the growth; whilst 
5. 
superfluous water produces diseases which 
cannot be cured. 
The planting out near New York com- 
mences about the 10th of April, as slight 
frost does not harm the Carnations in the 
least. The work is extremely simple; the 
ground is ploughed, harrowed, and roughly 
levelled with a rake. The plants, which are 
lifted in the houses with as little disturbance , 
to the roots as possible, are then placed 10 
inches to 12 inches apart both ways. No 
more land is prepared at one time than can 
be planted the same day, the idea being to 
keep the natural moisture in the ground ; 
no watering after planting is then necessary. 
After planting, the field does not take 
much working other than general cleaning. 
The topping of the plants is most important. 
Three toppings are generally required, of 
which the first is often done in the houses, 
The aim is to form a short, sturdy plant 
with many branches near the base. All 
flower shoots are, of course, removed, 
Watering is seldom resorted to in the field, 
as special arrangements would have to be 
made, or it would prove too expensive. 
Much speculation has been devoted to this 
question, and different systems of irrigation 
have been proposed but as far as I know 
none haye proved satisfactory in practice. 
The summer is often very hot and dry, the 
night temperature near New York being 
sometimes for a week together not below 
75°. The Carnations under such conditions 
make no growth, not so much from lack’ of 
Water as from excess of heat, and if one 
waters the plants during such a hot period, 
little benefit accrues. In August and Sep- 
tember the nights are cooler, and the plants 
benefit from a rich dew and progress rapidly 
even when the days are equally hot and dry. 
When indoor culture is adopted, the 
plants, instead of being placed in the field 
in spring, are replanted directly in the houses 
where they are to flower. This system has 
many advantages : firstly, the perfect control 
of the water supply which is possible; and 
secondly, the saving of the autumn. shifting, 
which costs much labour and must neces- 
sarily check the plants. One disadvantage 
is that the old stock must be cleared out of 
the houses early so as to have them ready 
for the young plants in May or June, which 
means the loss of the summer crop. ‘The 
plants “which have been flowering all the 
Winter are by no means exhausted, and 
when carefully attended to they may flower 
profusely all the summer, and at times fetch 
very good prices, as first-class flowers are 
not produced in theopen. Another disad- 
by this system will have to remain all the 
winter in the same soil in which they have 
been growing during the summer, thus re- 
quiring more feeding. 
a (To be Continued, ) 
A Cheap Shade House 
can be made where ti-tree is not available, by 
using the bamboo vegetable baskets. _ These 
need to be soaked in water for a day or two 
to make them flexible, and when being nailed 
on to the posts and cross pieces, the nails 
should be driveti through laths which will 
prevent serious splitting, and also prevent the 
bamboo from coming loose. 
