History of the Development of the Carnation 



bases of the petals, in a close and circular body. Whatever colors the flowers may be 

 possessed of, they should be perfectly distinct, and disposed in long, regular stripes, 

 broadest at the edge of the lamina, and gradually becoming narrower as they approach 

 the unguis, or base of the petal, there terminating in a fine point. Each petal should 

 have a due proportion of white; i. e., one-half or nearly so, which should be perfectly 

 clear and free from spots." 



It will be noticed that the EngHsh grower strictly barred all carnations 

 with fringed petals. This is in direct contradiction to the American idea of 

 a fine carnation, for here the fringed petal is rather preferred. My own 

 experience with American-bred carnations is that those varieties with fringed 

 petals are more easily grown under our conditions, and the blooms are 

 also better keepers than the shell-petaled varieties. 



The noted English horticulturist, Thomas Hogg, in his treatise on carna- 

 tion culture, published in 1839, emphasizes the cardinal points of a fine 

 carnation as follows : 



"The excellence of a carnation is judged and estimated by the brightness and dis- 

 tinctness of its various tints and hues, and by the formation or construction of the 

 flower leaves or petals; the ground color should be of a clear white, and the flakes or 

 stripes must run longitudinally through the leaves, not breaking off abruptly. In a 

 perfect flower, or one that approaches nearest to perfection, every leaf should be striped 

 according to its class, whether flake or bizarre: plain or self-colored leaves are accounted 

 a great defect. The calyx, or cup, after the petals are unfolded, must remain entire 

 or unburst, and the large external petals, or guard leaves, must be without crack or 

 blemish, and the diameter of a show flower should never be less than three inches. It 

 is also considered a great defect when the corolla is overcharged w^ith petals, for the 

 blossom in expanding generally bursts the cup ; and it is no less so, when it contains 

 too few, though possessing the most brilliant and distinct colors. 



"The flower must be sufficiently double to form a kind of crown in the center, the 

 petals rising one above another in regular order; the guard leaves in particular should 

 be broad and long, and of a stout texture to support the rest, the edges of which must 

 not be indented or fringed ; but plain and circular, like the leaves of a Provence rose. 

 A flower whose corolla, or pod, is long, generally shoots forth the finest flower, and 

 occasions the least trouble in attending to it. The stem, or foot stalk, must be straight 

 and elastic, to support the blossoms firmly and gracefully, notwithstanding the stick 

 which is applied to sustain it; the height of the stalk varies from 2 feet 6 inches to 4 

 feet 6 inches, according to the habit of their growth. 



"The value of a flower is also greatly enhanced when it exhales a sweet and fra- 

 grant perfume. All carnations possess this quality, but in very different degrees ; in 

 some it is scarcely perceptible, while in others it is strikingly powerful. Odour seems 

 to prevail most strongly in bizarred scarlets where there is a frequent recurrence of the 

 clove stripe in the petals. 



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