26 Select Carnations, Picotees, and Pinks. 
V—BORDER CARNATIONS 
Desirable Properties. 
To be suitable for border cultivation a Carnation 
must possess many points of excellence and be 
eminently fitted for the conditions under which it is 
placed. Soil and climate in combination exercise a 
powerful influence on the welfare of all Carnations 
and, though practically hardy, a mere existence 
under adverse conditions would not justify their 
retention for border culture. They- should be of 
vigorous constitution, produce plenty of leafy shoots 
(popularly termed grass) for layering and bloom 
abundantly, an effective display being of primary 
importance. Varieties that habitually burst their 
calyx are worthless for this mode of culture and 
should be. discarded unless otherwise sufficiently 
meritorious for pot culture. Very large flowers with 
a super-abundance of petals are usually associated 
with a short, stumpy calyx, and no attempt should 
be made to cultivate them in borders. 
The petals should be smooth (not fringed), of good 
substance, the outer broadest and the_ rest 
gradually smaller towards the centre of the bloom. 
Decided colours should always be selected. The 
plants should also be of dwarf compact habit, say 
anything between 15in. and 2$ft. and the stems 
strong enough to hold the bloom erect and show 
the upper face only. Flowers that hang their heads 
tco much can never make an effective display, 
whether grown in beds or borders. For cut flower 
work they might prove serviceable, when cut with 
long stems and arranged in tall vases or other 
vessels a little above the level of the eve, so that the 
flowers look down on the beholder, and thus be seen 
to advantage. 
Carnations that require excessive staking to hold 
the blooms in proper position should not be planted 
in borders; nor such as require a deal of manipula- 
tion to preserve the form of the flower. Except for 
exhibition purposes: very little if any disbudding 
should be done. Number rather than size of bloom 
should be the object in border culture. The 
lateral buds being produced in succession serve to 
