The following paper was read by C. \V. Ward, and accompanied by lantern slide 

 illustrations. 



THE IMPROVEMENT OF CARNATIONS 



By C. "W. Ward, Queens, N. Y. 



I feel somewhat delicate about describing my experiments in breeding 

 carnations, inasmuch as what has been said upon this floor during the past 

 two days has convinced me that the bulk of my work has been done purely 

 in an experimental way, groping, as it were, in the dark, with but little 

 knowledge of the subject. 



Until yesterday I knew^ nothing of Mendel's theory and laws; in fact, did 

 not know that such a man as Mendel existed, much less that he had discovered 

 anything germane to the interesting subject of hybridization. However, after 

 listening to the most interesting descriptions that have taken place here, it 

 would seem to me that to some extent I have been dimly following Mendel's 

 theory during the past six years. I commenced the breeding of carnations 

 twelve years since. The first six years were spent in indiscriminate crossing. 

 always avoiding interbreeding because of the conclusion formed that it tended 

 to weaken the stock. I must confess that during these six years very little 

 progressive advancement was made, although a number of good commercial 

 carnations were produced. Six years ago I determined to work according to 

 a definite system, and to breed from definite shades of color and upon 

 defined habits, using plants that produced perfect calyxes. After securing 

 desired habit and color, my plan was to afterward get as large blooms as 

 possible. In this I am at present apparently succeeding, and for the past four 

 years the results seem to be progressively improving. 



I have divided the subjects for my work into nine classes, or sections, as 

 follows : 



The Crimson Section, comprising the varieties General Maceo, General 

 Gomez, Harry Fenn, Governor and President Roosevelt, which section now 

 seems to some extent fixed, the greater percentage of the seedlings producing 

 crimson blooms of fairly well defined characteristics. 



The Dark Pink Section is also fairly well established, as also are the 

 Scarlet and White Sections ; while the Light Pink Section is beginning to 

 show signs of reproducing its kind. 



The Yellow and White Variegated Sections, as well as the Fancy Section. 

 are not as well fixed, and I believe they will be very difficult to fix, as they 

 are hybrids in the true sense of the word, being made up of characteristics 

 coinmon to several different types, and we must always expect in them a con- 

 siderable variation. 



