No. 6. DEPAP.TxVlENT OP AGRICULTURE. 80a 



Carnations are easily raised from seed, but unfortunately out of 

 one or two thousand young plants there may be no two alike and 

 may be any other color than the variety which furnished the pollen 

 or that which produced the seed, and two-thirds of the llowers are 

 very likely to be single and of no practical value. But by seed is the 

 way which such celebrities as "Mrs. Thomas W. Lawson," "The 

 Roosevelt," "Prosperity," "Adonis," "Enchantress," and other meri- 

 torious varieties were brought forth; but to be absolutely sure that 

 we will get the same color, form and size of any special variety, we 

 must increase and multiply by cuttings. And what holds good in the 

 case of roses in the propagating bed will serve as a guide to the 

 management of Carnations, excepting that a cooler temperature is 

 lecommended for Carnations, from 52 to 55 degrees at night and not 

 higher than 60 degrees in day time when possible and practical, 

 with plenty of ventilation night and day, weather conditions permit- 

 ting. Some varieties of Carnations are inclined to sport, so that a 

 sharp lookout for a variation from the original is always in order. 



Among the many favorite flowering plants for the greenhouse that 

 may be raised annually from seed, are the Chinese Primrose {Primula 

 sinensis), Cine/ aria stellata or the so-called hybrids from C. cruenta 

 and Cyclamen^ all of which are deserving of a place in any and all 

 cool greenhouses where pot plants are grown. All the above delight 

 in an abundance of air on all favorable occasions, and a night tem- 

 perature of 45 degrees will suit them admirably. This brings us to 

 the subject of — 



ANNUALS FOK WINTER BLOOMING. 



Nearly all the annual flowering plants may be had in bloom in 

 the winter-time, provided the seed is sown at the proper time. The 

 Mignonette is an annual and is one of the most popular flowers for 

 winter blooming that we have, principally on account of its unique 

 and delicious fragrance. The size of the flower has been wonder- 

 fully increased during the past decade. This has been brought about 

 entirely by selection. One of the pioneers in the improvement of 

 the size of the flowers of the Mignonette states, that he secured seed 

 from every source likely to have something superior to what was gen- 

 erally grown, and when all the plants resulting therefrom came into 

 bloom, only one plant was set aside as approaching the ideal, and 

 from this one plant, seed was saved, and this rigid rejection was kept 

 up for years until a vastly improved strain has been secured. And 



