THE MALMAISON CARNATION 45 



if it can be obtained. Green-fly is troublesome, but 

 this is easily destroyed by fumigating with XL All. 



Malmaison Carnations must be watered with the 

 greatest care, and should only be done by a man with 

 some experience. One who really understands and 

 loves his plants will make no mistake. When a plant 

 is very dry the soil springs from the sides of the pots 

 and watering then is useless, as the water runs down 

 through the open space. The only way under these 

 conditions is to soak the soil in a pail of water for 

 half-an-hour. It is easy to ascertain if a plant has 

 been over-watered, as the pot when rapped with the 

 knuckles or a stick has a dull sound, and when lifted 

 feels as heavy as lead. 



In Mr. Brotherston's excellent "The Book of the 

 Carnation," p. 35, is the following interesting reference 

 to the origin of the Malmaison Carnation : " There 

 long remained the utmost uncertainty accompanied 

 by the vaguest guesses as to where and when the 

 original Souverin de la Malmaison with its blush 

 coloured flower originated. It is now clear that it 

 is not nearly so old a plant as some have conceived, 

 it having been raised from seed by M. Laine, a 

 Frenchman, in 1857. Mr. David Thomson cultivated 

 the plant at Archerfield in 1864, having received the 

 stock from Mr. William Young, of Edinburgh. 1 

 have been at some trouble trying to secure trust- 

 worthy evidence as to the time when, and the place 

 where, and of the sports originated, and I think I 

 may safely aver that ' Lady Middleton ' appeared at 

 Luffness, in East Lothian, in the year 1870, and 



