14 Select Carnations, Picotees, and Pinks. 
should be one inch long or nearly, cylindrical, strong 
and parting at the apex into teeth of equal length. 
A short, swollen and stumpy calyx is almost certain 
to burst on one side from base to apex, thus letting 
the petals fall down on one side with the expansion 
of the bloom. Such flowers also contain more petals 
as a rule than can be disposed in a symmetrical 
bloom. As a border Carnation it would be perfectly 
useless and equally worthless for cutting. ‘True, the 
fault could be partly corrected by not disbudding, 
but the terminal, and what should be the best bloom, 
will always be faulty. A sufficient number of petals 
to build up a good bloom—neither too few nor too 
numerous—should be the aim of the raiser. 
Show Carnations are most often grown in pots, 
and that, while keeping the flowers more directly 
under the eye and giving an opportunity of remedy- 
ing defects as they arise, serves in a measure to check 
the tendency of the calyx to burst irregularly. 
Nevertheless even here the raiser of new varieties 
must be equally exacting, both in the selection of 
intended parents and the retention of their offspring 
possessing decided merit. Scarlet Bizarres are the 
height of the florist’s ambition, being considered the 
most highly developed of their class. Trying to 
improve upon them is like gilding refined gold, but 
attempts may be made to get different arrangements 
of colour and plants of more vigorous constitution, 
which would be a boon to less experienced growers. 
Both parents should be scarlet Bizarres, but an 
endeavour should be made to procure plants as dis- 
tantly related as possible in pedigree so as to avoid 
inbreeding and get increased vigour in the progeny. 
Success in this direction might be attained by using 
a variety deficient in the number of petals, though 
possessed of bright and well defined colours, as the 
pollen bearer. Similar ideas should be kept in view 
by those who enter the field of experiment in any 
given section of the Carnations. The main idea in 
selecting the parents, should be to consider what 
advantage is to be gained by a combination of their 
respective characteristics. 
The operation of effecting a cross amongst Carna- 
tions is a very simple one provided the beginner is 
acquainted with the essential organs of the flower. 
In a fully developed flower two long thread-like 
bodies, finely downy on the upper or convex side 
may be observed. These belong to the seed-bear- 
