146 
August  17,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
COTTA GE  0 A RDENER. 
BORDER  CARNATIONS  AND  PICOTEES. 
DURING  the  last  few  weeks  the  horticultural  exhibitions  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  have  been  enriched  by  the  matchless  beauty  of 
these  popular  flowers.  The  tide  of  fashion  has  changed,  and  Carna¬ 
tions,  which  for  some  years  were  under  a  cloud,  are  now  the  special 
pets  of  thousands  of  cultivators,  who  each  year  increase  in  numbers. 
Those  who  intend  to  make  a  speciality  of  them  in  the  future  should 
make  a  serious  start  at  once. 
Layering  is  a  matter  which  demands  immediate  attention,  for, 
although  many  growers  have  already  completed  that  operation,  it  is 
not  too  late  to  do  it  now,  especially  in  the  midlands  and  north,  where 
the  flowers  are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  somewhat  later  than  in  the 
south.  Before  commencing  the  actual  work  of  layering,  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  soil  should  be  mixed  to  place  around  the  plants.  A 
mixture  of  loam  and  leaf  soil  in  equal  parts,  with  a  liberal  addition 
of  sharp  sand,  answers  the  purpose  admirably  after  the  whole  has 
been  passed  through  a  half-inch  sieve.  Place  a  thickness  of  2  inches 
of  this  compost  round  each  plant,  then  remove  a  few  of  the  leaves 
around  the  base  of  the  young  shoots,  and  make  a  slit  at  this  point 
with  a  sharp  knife  in  an  upward  direction,  passing  through  a  joint  so 
as  to  form  a  tonsue.  Peg  each  shoot  lirmly  to  the  prepared  soil 
with  a  wire  peg  (these  can  be  bought  very  cheaply),  and  take  care 
to  keep  the  “tongue”  open  by.  fixing  the  shoots  in  an  upright  posi¬ 
tion,  then  cover  and  add  another  inch  of  soil,  water  thoroughly,  and 
the  operation  is  completed.  The  layers  ought  to  be  examined  three 
or  four  times  weekly  during  bright  weather,  and  whenever  the  soil 
around  them  is  dry  water  through  a  rose.  Attention  in  this  matter 
is  of  vital  importance,  as  it  insures  a  strong  and  early  start,  and 
prevents  failure,  which  is  often  the  result  of  neglect  in  watering. 
Soil  and  Situation. 
Any  good  sweet  garden  soil,  not  too  light  on  the  one  hand,  or  very 
heavy  on  the  other,  will  suit  Carnations  well.  It  should  be  rich, 
without  the  addition  of  crude  manure  just  before  planting  time.  Soil 
which  has  been  thoroughly  manured  for  the  previous  crop  is  to  be 
preferred,  but  when  the  ground  is  dug  lime  and  soot  may  with  advan¬ 
tage  be  freely  incorporated  with  it  to  destroy  insect  pests,  as  well  as  to 
enrich  the  soil.  When  the  land  is  heavy  it  should  be  ridged  up  in 
October  or  November,  and  as  the  work  proceeds  mix  leaf  soil  and  old 
mortar  rubble  with  it;  lailing  these,  strawy  manure  only  partially 
decayed,  will  help  to  keep  the  soil  open,  and  the  frost,  air,  and  sun¬ 
shine  will  further  ameliorate  it.  Generally  speaking,  there  is  some 
part  of  nearly  all  gardens  where  Carnations  can  be  induced  to  thrive 
without  further  trouble  than  that  above  indicated  in  regard  to  soil 
preparation.  Still  there  are  exceptions,  and  when  one  has  to  deal 
with  a  very  heavy  soil  in  an  undrained  garden  some  form  of  drainage 
is  necessary. 
The  simplest  way  out  of  the  difficulty  is  to  thoroughly  prepare  a 
bed  for  the  Carnations.  Mark  out  a  space  4  feet  in  width,  remove  the 
soil  to  a  depth  of  a  foot,  break  up  the  subsoil,  and  place  upon  it  5-inch 
layer  of  clinkers,  broken  bricks,  or  old  mortar  rubble.  Cover  this  with 
straw,  then  return  the  soil,  leaving  it  in  ridge  form.  In  spring  this 
can  be  forked  over  a  few  times  when  dry  and  levelled  to  form  a  bed 
raised  about  6  inches  above  the  ground  line.  This  entails  much 
labour,  but  it  also  brings  satisfactory  results  in  those  exceptional  cases 
in  which  the  extra  trouble  is  needed.  The  situation  should,  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  be  an  open  feunny  one,  but  when  very  late  flowers 
are  required  a  few  plants  must  occupy  a  north  border ;  in  such  a 
position  I  have  sometimes  secured  fine  flowers. 
Planting. 
The  advice  usually  given  is,  plant  in  March;  but  in  warm  districts, 
where  the  soil  is  not  in  the  least  heavy,  I  pin  my  faith  on  October 
planting,  as  the  plants  often  make  roots  freely  during  mild  winters, 
and  withstand  the  drought  of  summer  better  than  those  planted  three 
months  later,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  varieties  they  are  not 
often  injured  by  winter  frosts  if  the  soil  is  coated  with  leaf  soil  or  short 
sweet  manure  after  planting,  in  cold  districts,  or  where  the  land  is 
heavy,  plantiug  should  always  be  deferred  till  March.  In  such  cases 
the  layers  when  well  rooted  (which  is  usually  about  the  end  of 
September  or  early  in  October)  must  be  placed  in  4  and  5-inch  pots, 
and  kept  throughout  the  winter  in  cold  frames,  giving  them  abundance 
of  air  consistent  with  keeping  out  frosts  or  heavy  fogs. 
Summer  Treatment. 
The  beds  should  be  kept  perfectly  free  from  weeds  by  frequently 
stirring  the  soil  with  a  Dutch  t  oe,  and  in  May  or  early  in  June  if  the 
weather  is  hot  I  find  it  an  excellent  plan  to  mulch  the  beds  with  a 
2-inch  layer  of  short  manure.  From  the  time  flower  buds  are  visible 
till  the  blooms  are  fully  expanded  frequent  supplies  of  liquid  manure 
or  top-dressings  of  chemical  fertiliser  watered  in  are  absolutely  necessary 
to  secure  fine  flowers  of  good  colour  and  substance.  During  bright 
weather,  while  the  blooms  are  expanding,  light  shade  should  be  given; 
tiffany  stretched  across  poles  answers  the  purpose  well.  Only  the 
central  bud  must  be  refained  on  each  flower  shoot. 
Diseases  and  Insects. 
Lust  is  perhaps  tbc  worst  disease  which  attacks  border  Carnations, 
but  if  the  plants  are  clean  to  start  with,  and  are  liberally  fed,  no 
grower  need  fear  this  greatly ;  as  with  so  many  forms  of  vegetation, 
it  is  the  “  Btarvelings”  which  fall  a  prey  to  disease.  If,  however,  any 
signs  of  rust  are  noticed  on  plants  in  frames  during  the  winter,  dust 
them  occasionally  with  dry  fostite,  and  during  the  summer  time 
syringe  with  Outranks  Carnation  antidote.  Wireworrns  often  give 
much  trouble,  especially  in  new  gardens,  or  where  turfy  soil  has  been 
added  to  the  beds.  In  cases  where  they  are  known  to  abound  gas 
lime  spread  upon  the  beds  in  autumn  will  kill  numbers  of  them. 
It  should  be  applied  at  the  rate  of  \  cwt.  to  a  square  rod,  and  be 
allowed  to  lay  upon  the  surface  a  few  weeks  before  being  dug  in.  In 
spring  and  summer  pieces  of  Potatoes  inserted  in  the  soil  form  a 
dainty  bait  «  hich  attracts  the  grub.  The  Potatoes  should  be  examined 
every  few  days,  and  the  wireworrns  feeding  upon  them  destroyed. 
Varieties. 
At  a  recent  show  I  singled  out  the  following  varieties  as  being 
particularly  good  :  Voltaire,  Monarch,  Brodrjck,  Britannia,  May  Queen, 
Eldorado,  Perseus,  Her  Grace,  Mrs.  Eric  Hambro,  Roseleigh  Gem, 
The  Gift,  May  Yohe,  Loveliness,  Endymion,  Regina,  a  fine  yellow; 
Mrs.  Colby  Sharpin,  rich  cinnamon  ;  Viscountess  Melville,  crushed 
strawberry;  Lamplighter,  light  scarlet;  and  Braw  Lass,  bright  rose. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  best  yellow  ground  Fancy  Picotees  : 
Ilis  Excellency,  light  red  margin;  Mrs.  TremayDe,  heavily  edged 
scarlet  ;  Miss  Violet,  edged  bright  rose ;  Badminton ;  Ladas,  clear 
yellow,  scarlet  edge  ;  Stanley  W rightson,  bold  flowers,  edged  scarlet ; 
Empress  Eugenie,  rich  yellow,  edged  rose ;  Mr.  Alfred  Tate,  edged 
and  barred  deep  red ;  Mogul,  line  yellow  ground,  heavily  marked  deep 
red;  Piimrose  League,  edged  and  splashed  with  red;  Sunset,  buff, 
edged  and  flaked  with  red,  a  novel  flower;  Golden  Eagle,  fine  yellow, 
marked  with  bright  red ;  May  Queen,  light  rose  edge ;  and  Florrie 
Ilenwood,  clear  yellow,  edged  with  rose. 
Those  who  intend  to  purchase  a  stock  of  plants  to  start  with  should 
order  early,  so  as  to  secure  good  samples,  as  the  nurserymen  conduct 
their  business  on  the  principle  of  first  come  best  served,  and  orders  can 
be  booked  for  delivery  during  autumn  or  spring  to  suit  the  purchaser. 
— Carnation  Grower. 
[As  supplementary  to  the  varieties  enumerated  by  our  experienced 
contributor,  we  are  giving  an  illustration  (fig.  32)  of  three  excellent 
new  varieties  of  this  season,  and  to  each  of  which  the  Floral  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  has  recommended  an  award  of  merit. 
The  self-coloured  variety  in  the  left  corner  is  Agnes  Sorrel,  a  clove 
scented  dark  crimson  flower,  shown  by  Mr.  C.  Turner ;  the  one  at  the 
top  is  Don  Carlos,  a  magnificent  yellow  ground,  with  bright  rose 
markings ;  and  the  one  at  the  bottom  on  the  right  is  Galileo,  a  pale 
yellow  ground,  which  colour  is  almost  obscured  by  ihe  deep  crimson 
markings.  This  was  shown  by  Mr.  Turner,  while  Don  Carlos  came 
from  Mr.  C.  Blick,  gardener  to  Martin  II.  Smith,  Esq.,  Hayes.] 
SHOWS. 
KING’S  NORTON.— August  7th. 
The  sixteenth  annual  show  took  place  in  The  Dell,  the  residence  of 
G.  E.  Beilis,  Esq.,  than  which  there  is  not  a  more  delightful  suburban 
domain  around  Birmingham.  The  hothouses  and  the  gardens  were 
thrown  open  to  visitors,  and  a  series  of  sports  and  other  entertainments 
also  formed  a  considerable  attraction. 
The  premier  prize  for  a  group  of  plants  arranged  for  effect  was  won 
by  Mr.  J.  Palmer,  gardener  to  J.  Earle,  Esq.,  for  a  most  effective  and 
artistic  arrangement,  the  second  prize  going  to  Mr.  Morgan,  gardener  to 
W.  II.  Wynn,  Esq.,  and  the  third  to  W.  Tallis,  Esq.  For  nine  stove  and 
greenhouse  plants,  Mr.  J.  Palmer  (who  is  a  well  known  old  Birmingham 
Orchid  grower  and  plantsman)  took  first  honours  with  several  fine 
specimens,  the  second  and  third  prizes  being  taken  by  Mr.  W.  II.  Wynn 
and  Mr.  W.  Tallis.  For  three  plants  the  same  order  was  maintained. 
The  last  named  was  the  only  exhibitor  of  F uchsias — viz.,  for  three  plants 
and  one  plant,  and  worthily  won  the  first  prize.  For  three  Zonal 
“Geraniums,”  Mr.  W.  Tallis  and  Mr.  E.  Baker  were  the  prizetakers. 
Ferns  were  well  shown  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Wynn,  and  Adiantums  by  Mr. 
W.  Kentish  and  Mr.  J.  B.  Mosely.  For  three  Palms,  Mr.  J.  Palmer  and 
Mr.  W.  Tallis  were  the  respective  winners.  Coleuses  came  from  Mr.  J. 
Palmer  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Wynn,  and  Caladiume  from  Messrs.  J,  Palmer 
and  W.  Tallis.  For  three  table  plants  Messrs.  J.  Palmer,  W.  II.  Wynn, 
and  W.  Tallis  were  the  chief  exhibitors.  For  six  Gloxinias, 
Mr.  E.  W.  Asbury  (fine),  and  Mr.  W.  Kentish  were  the  successful  expon«nts. 
Roses  were  fairly  well  shown  by  Mr.  H.  Duckworth  and  Mr. 
A.  J.  Hughes.  For  a  collection  of  Sweet  Peas  (the  prize  offered  by 
Mr.  Robert  Sydenham)  Mr.  M.  A.  Smithson,  Mr.  R.  Hunt,  and  Mr. 
F.  Impney  were  the  contestants,  as  in  order  named.  For  a  collection 
of  twelve  stove  and  greenhouse  flowers,  distinct,  Mr.  J.  Palmer  was 
