Show Carnations and Picotees. 43 
VI—SHOW CARNATIONS AND PICOTEES. 
Definitions of Fine Carnations. 
These terms are intended to refer only to Bizarre 
and Flake Carnations and white-ground Picotees, 
which were the favourite races with the florist when 
Hogg published his “ Treatise on the Carnation” in 
1820. Selfs were but lightly esteemed in those 
days, and seem only to have taken rank as first-class 
florist’s flowers, within the last two decades, since 
which time the history cf Carnation culture has 
become revolutionised owing to the fresh vigour 
which has been infused into the new race. Indeed, 
the streaked, pounced, spotted, and flaked flowers 
seem to have fascinated the imagination of the 
florist from the time of Gerard and Parkinson. The 
self-coloured Carnations are equally as well suited 
for pot culture and exhibition purposes as the so- 
called show Carnations and Picotees, but they are 
of much more vigorous and robust constitution and 
therefore better adapted for border culture, and are 
consequently dealt with in the chapter on “ Border 
Carnations.” 
In the time of Hogg Bizarre and Flake Carna- 
tions had reached a high state of perfection ; indeed 
they are scarcely more perfect or more highly refined 
at the present day, though represented by varieties 
of more recent origin. They are or seem to be less 
numerous. The white ground Picotee as we under- 
stand it to-day had then only begun to develop into 
the laced and refined form which alone takes the 
fancy of the modern florist. In spite of the growing 
favour of the edged flower amongst its devotees, 
Hogg declared that he could not be induced “to 
forego the pleasure of beholding the varied, the 
fanciful, and beautiful blossom of the Picotee, which 
presents itself in all the delicate and softer tints of 
the Carnation, not indeed disposed with that 
preciseness and regularity, but pencilled and marked 
by the inimitable hand of Nature in her more 
sportive mood ; at one time, on a snow white ground, 
a vast profusion of small, irregular spots appear 
red, black, or purple; at another a few straight lines 
or dashes of the pencil only are seen on some of the 
larger petals; then a fanciful mixture of both 
