May  30,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER , 
457 
Malmaison  Carnations. 
Each  year  the  lovers  and  growers  of  these  popular  flowers  increase 
in  number,  and  many,  who  have  had  no  previous  experience  in  their 
culture,  find  that  by  following  the  directions  given  in  the  horticultural 
press  they  are  able  to  grow  Malmaisous  successfully.  When  failures 
do  occur  they  may  often  be  traced  to  over-anxiety  on  the  part  of  the 
cultivator,  which  leads  to  the  belief  that  it  is  necessary  to  be  ever 
ministering  to  the  wants  of  their  plants ;  such  cultivators  are  tempted 
to  overwater,  which  is  a  fruitful  cause  of  disaster.  The  time  has, 
however,  now  arrived  when  a  little  extra  attention  is  necessary  to 
maintain  Malmaison  Carnations  of  all  types  in  a  vigorous  condition. 
Early  batches  are  already  beginning  to  unfold  their  flowers, 
and  later  ones  are  showing  their  flower  buds.  Plants  which  have 
received  good  attention  are  usually  pretty  active  at  the  root  by  the 
time  the  flower  stems  are  visible,  and  I  find  that  is  a  suitable  stage  at 
to  watering,  the  oft-repeated  advice  of  testing  each  pot  by  rapping  is, 
as  a  rule,  the  only  safe  method  to  follow,  although  there  are  times 
during  very  bright  weather  when  the  experienced  cultivator  can  tell 
at  a  glance  whether  or  not  water  is  required.  When  the  soil  is 
permeated  witn  roots  the  plants  quickly  receive  a  check  if  the  soil  is 
allowed  to  become  too  dry;  on  the  other  hand,  when  water  is  too 
frequently  given,  the  roots  quickly  decay  and  the  plants  die  off  at 
the  collar.  In  the  case  of  weakly  plants  it  is  always  better  to  err  on 
the  side  of  giving  too  little  than  too  much  water.  During  bright 
weather  the  stages  and  floors  of  the  house  should  be  damped  several 
times  daily,  and  I  find  it  an  advantage  to  occasionally  syringe  the 
plants  also,  sometimes  using  clarified  soot  water  for  the  purpose. 
All  houses  in  which  Malmaisons  are  grown  should,  where  possible, 
be  provided  with  roller  blinds,  so  that  shading  may  be  practised  for  a 
few  hours  daily  when  bright  weather  prevails.  Failing  such  a 
convenience,  the  glass  ought  to  be  coated  with  some  kind  of  shading, 
as  the  flowers  never  develop  high  colour  when  exposed  to  full 
sunshine.  In  establishments  where  the  convenience  of  a  house  having 
A  GROUP  OF  CAPTAIN  HOLFORD’S  HIPPEASTRUMS. 
whichjto  begin  to  feed.  1  am  a  firm  believe  in  the  effectiveness  of 
weak  solutions  of  soot  water,  and  commence  by  using  it  at  each 
watering  for  a  few  days  until  the  whole  of  the  plants  have  received 
an  application,  then  it  is  withheld  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  and  its  use 
again  commenced. 
From  the  time  the  flower  buds  are  visible  till  the  flowers  are 
about  half  opened,  Clay’s  fertiliser  applied  once  a  fortnight  greatly 
benefits  the  plants.  The  leaves  assume  a  deep  green  colour,  and  the 
vigour  of  the  whole  plant  seems  to  increase  under  such  treatment, 
provided  it  is  not  applied  in  larger  quantities  than  those  given  in  the 
directions  enclosed  in  each  package.  In  applying  this  manure  care 
should  be  taken  not  to  let  it  come  in  contact  with  the  stems  of  the 
plants,  or  subsequently  some  of  them  may  die  in  a  mysterious  manner. 
I  find  it  an  excellent  p’an  to  use  Clay’s  as  a  top-dressing  after  the 
plants  have  been  watered,  but  as  they  do  not  often  all  require 
watering  at  the  same  time,  I  make  a  practice  of  damping  the 
surface  of  the  soil  with  a  syringe  in  the  case  of  those  plants  not 
recently  watered. 
Under  the  best  of  management  the  soil  sometimes  gets  close  and 
“slimy”  on  the  surface,  and  the  time-honoured  practice  of  stirring 
or  scraping  it  off  with  a  label  is  labour  well  spent,  as  plants  so  treated 
seem  at  once  to  assume  a  particularly  happy  appearance.  In  regard 
a1  north  aspect  exists,  if  the  plants  can  be  removed  to  it  when  the 
flowers  are  almost  half  opened,  the  position  will  be  found  an  ideal 
one  for  them,  from  that  stage  onward  till  the  blooms  have  been  cut. 
In  districts  where  the  plants  suffer  from  the  attacks  of  eelworms, 
burning  the  soil  used  for  potting  is  usually  an  effectual  remedy. 
When  the  soil  has  not  been  burned,  and  an  attack  is  noticed,  Little’s 
soluble  phenyle,  applied  at  the  rate  of  1  fluid  oz.  to  10  gallons  of 
water,  will  check  the  spread  of  the  pest,  and  in  some  cases  completely 
eradicate  it.  Rust  or  spot,  a  troublesome  fungoid  disease,  frequently 
disfigures  the  plants,  and  weakens  their  constitution  during  hot 
weather.  Syringing  the  foliage  with  Bordeaux  mixture,  in  the  early 
stages  of  the  attack,  and  repeating  the  application  a  week  later,  is 
generally  effectual. 
In  addition  to  the  above  cultural  practices,  that  of  giving 
abundance  of  air  at  this  season  is  of  vital  importance.  A  free  circu¬ 
lation  of  air  at  night  (except  when  sharp  (rests  are  likely  to  ocmir) 
helps  greatly  to  maintain  the  plants  in  vigorous  health,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  a  stuffy  atmosphere  is  detrimental  to  the  health  ot  all  kinds 
of  Carnations.  Green  flies  ought  not  to  give  much  trou  >le,  as  we  have 
now  such  splendid  methods  of  destroying  them  within  our  reach,  and 
our  motto  in  this  respect  shou'd  be  fumigite  when  the  first  trace  of 
insect  life  is  visible. — H.  D. 
