PREFACE. 



The Committee of the National Carnation and 

 Picotee Society (Southern Section) feel that no 

 apology is needed for the issue of this little 

 ^lanual upon the cultivation of the Carnation, 

 the imj^rovement and development of which is 

 the sole piu-pose of their incorporation. 



They are aware that other Avorks of nuich 

 authority and literary value have been published 

 on the same subject, but they believe that in 

 none has the general information required b}' the 

 amateur been presented in so simple and useful a 

 form as in the present work. In it will be found 

 papers from some of the most successful groAvers 

 of the day, detailing the methods pursued by 

 them from the first impregnation of the seed-j^od 

 to the final staging of the flowers upon the 

 Exhibition tables. 



The Committee trust that the information 

 given will go far to remove the impression now 

 generally held that the cultivation of the Car- 

 nation presents unusual difficulties. It will be 

 seen that this is not the case, and that attention 



