February 23, 1907 



HORTICULTURi: 



229 



AMERICAN CARNATIONS IN ENG- 

 LAND. 



Papers Read Before the Amei'ioan Carna- 

 tion Society at Toronto. 



AUTHOR, C' ENGELMANN. 



Winter flowering carnations were 

 grown for the English markets already 

 some thirty years ago. The first were 

 French varieties, and as the demand 

 for choice flowers increased, new kinds 

 were raised, some of which enjoyed 

 great popularity for a number of years, 

 and, though in size and length of 

 stems, they could not be compared 

 with the present day carnation, in col- 

 or, fragrance and productiveness, they 

 left little to be desired. 



The first carnations of American 

 origin were introduced into England 

 about fifteen years ago, and as I am 

 told by one of the first importers, 

 turned out to be rather a disappoint- 

 ment. Of later varieties Daybreak 

 was already grown in considerable 

 quantity. However, it was not until 

 the I^awson made its appearance that 

 the boom began. Even then there 

 were but few growers who understood 

 the cultivation of the "divine flbwer," 

 and I am afraid Mr. Fisher would not 

 have recognized his own child had he 

 seen it in some of the English green- 

 houses. There were a few though that 

 did the trick, and their produce made 

 handsome prices in Covent Garden 

 marivei. Tins, of course, was the best 

 means of popularizing the flower, for 

 the English florist is as much after 

 the L. S. D. as his American cousin is 

 after the dollar. There was money in 

 growing carnations and consequently 

 it was taken up by many new firms. 

 Every new variety that was boomed in 

 America was eagerly imported, grown 

 and very often thrown away the first 

 year, as many were quite unsuitable 

 for the English climate. 



Then came the glorious Enchantress 

 and with it the germs of the new dis- 

 ease, called the "carnation fever," 

 which attacks flower-growers and 

 flower-lovers. The germ has not been 

 discovered yet, but it is there right 

 enough, I have no doubt, and it spreads 

 fast, too, and makes the disease very 

 catching. I caught it a few years ago, 

 and am not likely to get rid of it again, 

 for it seems incurable. It is a comfort 

 that it is a painless disease, at least 

 as long as the market-prices for the 

 carnation blooms are good. However 

 this may be, there is no doubt that 

 Enchantress has helped to popularize 

 the American carnation more than any 

 other six varieties taken together. If 

 there is a new variety being intro- 

 duced the first question generally is: 

 "Is it as good as Enchantress?" But, 

 alas! I am sorry to say those that 

 have come since have not been as 

 good. But perhaps I should not say: 

 I am sorry; rather: I am glad they 

 have not been as good, for I think it 

 is really a blessing in disguise that 

 nothing up to the present in other 

 colors has come up to Enchantress, as 

 it shows the hybridiser a goal — well 

 worth obtaining — plainly before him, 

 and it is certainly easier to work to- 

 "wards something that we can clearly 

 see before us, than to try reaching an 

 ideal that only exists in our imagina- 

 tion. However, I am afraid I am get- 

 ting off my track, which you will kind- 

 ly excuse, tor it is one of the symp- 

 toms of the "carnation fever;" if you 

 start one of them that got the com- 

 plaint going on this kind of subject, 



\ New Orchid-Flowered Sweet Peas | 



These area distinct "break" in Sweet Peas, differing Irom ihe standard sorts by the extraordinaiy size V 

 of their flowers, usu.<lly measuring 2 inches across, and by the standards being crinkled and wavy, while 

 the wings arc large and spreading. Another splendid featuie is that a very la^ge peicei-tage bear four 

 blossoms 10 the stem, whicn are long and strong. To sum up, t-ey possess every chary cterislic that can 

 be desired in Sweet Peas, and will undoubtedly supersede stand.. rd sorts of same color as soon as they 

 become more plentiful 



Couatess Spencer. A lovely clear pink, shading darker at the edges. 10c peroz , 25c per ^ lb. 

 JB. /. Castle. Rich carmine-rose, shaded with salmon, very striking, especia.ly und- r anifical 

 li-ht. 17c per pkt., 5 pkls. 75c. 



pal< 



Frank D tlby The largest and finest 



lavender-blue. 17c per pkt , .^ pkts 75c. 



Gladys Unwin. Charming shade of pal- 



rose-pmk; exira long stems and very valuable loi 



cutting, 10c per oz., V5c per Ji lb. 



Helen Lewis. {Orange Countess ) Brdlian 



oran e-r. se 25c per oz. 



Helen Pierce. This is the new gloxii i.- 



flowered ^weet Pea, being marbledblue on a whin 



ground, with I le veins showing a little deeper ex 



actly like a mottled Gloxinia. 15c per oz., 5U 



per % lb. 



John In^man. Rich salmon-rose. 15c pt 



oz., fiOc per % Ih. 



Mrs. Alfred Watkia.^t. A superb pale pi' 1 



similar in shade to the old Princess Beatrice. 17 



per pkt., r> pkts, 75c, 



Norti Unwin. The finest white now in ex 



latence. 17c per pkt., 5 pkts. 75c. 



Phyllis Unwin. A veritable giant amon; 



Sweet Peas: color a deep rose-caimine. 15c pei 



oz., .^.Oc per % lb. 



DREER'S GARDEN BOOK* 

 and Florist's Catalogue 



now rendy and sent on appli- 

 cation to all florists. 



L Henry A. Dreer 



714 Chestnut Street 

 PHILADELPHIA 



PA. 



it will take a mighty effort to stop 

 him. 



The American carnation stands in 

 England today something like this: 

 There are, I should say, about one 

 million plants grown for the produc- 

 tion of cut-flowers alone. Ninety per 

 cent, of these at least are cultivated 

 in pots. Of the remaining, two-thirds 

 are planted on raised benches and 

 one-third on solid beds. The latter 

 two methods are gaining in favor, and 

 in ten years' time I should not be sur- 

 prised to see the state of things re- 

 versed. Besides these, there are a 

 large quantity grown in private estab- 

 lishments, and hardly any of the up- 

 to-date estates are now without their 

 special carnation house. The number 

 of the American kinds grown in this 

 way I should estimate at 100,000 to 

 200,000. Ninety-flve per cent, at least 

 are grown in pots. This number is 

 constantly increasing, and there is no 

 doubt that the modern winter-flower- 

 ing carnation is beginning a fight for 

 supremacy with the chrysanthemum, 

 which has hitherto been the unas- 

 sailed queen of the autumn and win- 

 ter. I calculate that in five years' 

 time there will be at least three times 

 the quantity grown in England. 



The continent of Europe is a little 

 behind England as regards the popu- 

 larity of the American carnation. 

 However, the "fever-germ" has crossed 

 the channel and the North Sea and 

 the "carnation fever" has caught on. 

 In Germany, a very limited number of 

 growers have cultivated the American 

 kinds for a few years, and managed 

 to keep the names secret for a time. 

 This game does not do for a long 

 time in the twentieth century. There 

 are too many trade papers about, and 

 if there is money in a thing it will 

 come out. This is as it should be; 

 then after all that is said and don© the 



policy of the open door is the only 

 progressive one and beats the sur- 

 rounding of places with a Chinese wall 

 always in the end. Now that the 

 secret is out the German trade is all 

 the more eager to obtain the wonders 

 from across the Atlantic, and conse- 

 quently a good trade is being done 

 with young plants. 



This is not only the case in Ger- 

 many, but also in France, Belgium, 

 Russia, Denmark, Austria; in short, 

 all the countries on the continent of 

 Europe are going in for the American 

 carnations, and I don't think I am 

 over estimating it if I say that within 

 five years there will be fifty times 

 more American carnations grown than 

 there are today. I know of one Ger- 

 man grower who only about two years 

 ago purchased some twenty-five hun- 

 dred dollars' worth of carnation stock 

 from the South of France, and after 

 giving the American varieties a trial 

 this season intends to discard all his 

 French varieties and grow the Ameri- 

 can ones in their place. 



Even beyond Europe the fame of 

 the "divine flower" has spread, for, 

 only a month or so ago, I sent a fairly 

 large consignment of young plants to 

 Egypt, which arrived well, and, I hope, 

 will do well. That they are going 

 ahead in Australia is well known. 

 About Asia I cannot say anything, as 

 I have sent no further than the Crimea 

 that way. Anyhow, in four continents 

 out of five, the American carnation is 

 known and grown, and the rapidity 

 with which it has found its way is 

 nothing less than phenomenal. This 

 may partly be due to "booming," but 

 vastly more because of its sterling 

 value. 



All this is well and good, but two 

 great dangers are looming ahead. One: 

 How long will it go on before the 

 supply is in excess of the demand? 



