98 THE CARNATION MANUAL. 



changeful in his fancy for the flower. Even the 

 novice may do much (he can hardly help doing- 

 something) to improA^e his flowers, and present 

 them on the exhibition table in better form than 

 when cut from the plant. 



By the time the flowers are coming into bloom, 

 and the day of the exhibition is drawing near, the 

 stands required should be got ready, and two pairs 

 of tweezers be at hand. One pair, made of ivory, 

 will be needed for dressing; and one pair of steel 

 ones is wanted for turning back the segments of the 

 calyx or " pod " (which is a technical, but inaccurate 

 term), and also for pulling out defective petals. 



Defective petals are those in the centre of the 

 flower which are very narrow, curled, and 

 "strappy," often otherwise deformed and short 

 of colouring character. So also are all self- or 

 one-coloured petals in a Flake Carnation, or a flake 

 petal in a Bizarre Carnation. No petal is achnissible 

 that is devoid of white. Where the essential 

 white or ground-colour is wanting, the petal or 

 the whole flower is termed a " run " petal or flower. 

 In Picotees a petal with a " bar " or stripe, deeper 

 into the petal than can be allowed by the character 

 of its " edge " colour, is a w^eakness the greater in its 

 proportion accordmg as it strikes out of bounds 

 down the petal. "Run" petals that occur occa- 

 sionally in Picotees, and more frequently in Carna- 

 tions, must of course be removed. 



