134 THE CARNATION MANUAL. 



Another variety of " Painted Lady " came from 

 the Peele Park at Manchester, and is a much 

 better grower, and flowers more freely also, than 

 the last, although the grass is not so robust- 

 looking, and the flowers very often sport into a 

 darker form. 



The origin of some of the garden forms of 

 Dianthus is possibly due to the ease with which 

 hybrids occur even in a state of nature, and there 

 is every reason to believe that the very first garden 

 hybrid ever recorded is that of a " Mule or Hybrid 

 Pink," raised by Fairchild, of Hoxton, some time 

 prior to the year 1719. This Mule Pink is men- 

 tioned by Herbert in his " Amaryllidace?e," pp. 

 355 and 356, and he was no doubt correct in 

 assuming it to have been a cross between a Pink, 

 or Carnation, and a Sweet WiUiani (? D. caryo- 

 phyllus X D. barbatus). As an instance of im- 

 provement in Pinks by crossing, or rather 

 hybridising D. plumarius with C. car3^o- 

 phyllus, we have the robust and semi-perpetual 

 race of which " Mrs. Sinkins," " Her Majesty," and 

 some of M. Alegatiere's seedlings may be named 

 as examples. " Mrs. Sinkins " was raised by the 

 lady whose name it bears, at Slough, as long ago 

 as 1868, though not sent out by Mr. C. Turner 

 until eight or ten years later, and is said to have 

 been the result of crossing the old white garden 

 Pink with a white Clove Carnation. It is robust 



