APR 2 3 1939 
SK ARE 
PREFACE. bw YORK 
OTANICAL 
eee PY sta] 
T is safe to say that the Carnation has been 
cultivated in this country for four hundred 
years, and during that period it has been 
continuously cared for by man, while during 
intermittent periods it has enjoyed a_ great 
wave of popularity; but at no stage of its 
history has it been more extensively cultivated 
in the four quarters of the globe than at present. 
Few flowers have undergone more extensive modifi- 
cation at the hands of the florist, and fewer have 
entered more deeply into the hearts of the people. 
During the past decade and a half its cultivation has 
extended by leaps and bounds, both in this country 
and in America. Indeed in these countries it is 
considered second only to the Rose in popular 
favour, and some enthusiasts are of opinion that it 
will presently be more popular even than that old 
time favourite. This seems but a repetition of the 
opinion of the father of floriculture, John Gerard, 
who in 1597 said of the Carnation that it “may be 
thought not inferior to the Rose in beauty, smell, 
and varietie.” 
Never were the sections, nor the varieties more 
numerous than at the present day. The sections 
which have come into marked prominence during 
the past decade and a half are border Carnations, 
yellow Carnations, and Picotees, American Carna- 
tions and Malmaisons, which are still in the full tide 
of ascendancy. Sweet scented varieties are most 
numerous amongst the first and two last of these 
sections, but many of the finest Carnations, speak- 
ing generally, have little or no scent at all, which 
is to be regretted, for the “ spicy, pungent, aromatic 
