36 THE BOOK OF THE FLOWER SHOW 



being in no sense regular. Considerable progress has 

 been made in recent years with Fancy Carnations, and the 

 flowers are classified as Yellow Grounds, and Other 

 than Yellow Grounds. 



(See also PICOTEES, p. 50.) 



Merits. Purity of the ground colour ; broad, smooth- 

 edged, flat petals ; petals overlapping each other with 

 the utmost regularity ; petals of similar size in each 

 ring or row ; firm texture, freshness, purity, and 

 brilliance of colour in the Selfs ; an unsplit calyx. 



Faults. Irregularity ; rough or fringed margin ; burst 

 calyx; indistinct or badly defined colour margin in 

 picotees ; small, misshapen petals ; weather marks, or 

 marks caused by thrips or other insect pests. 



Hints. The most successful carnation and picotee ex- 

 hibitors grow their plants under grass, in cool houses, 

 where the flowers can be protected from untoward climatic 

 conditions. When grown out of doors Carnations should 

 be planted in narrow beds, with a light framework of 

 wood placed over them. Tiffany or canvas stretched 

 over the framework protects the flowers from rain and 

 sun. 



" Dressing " has reached a fine art among carnation 

 growers. It consists in so manipulating a flower that 

 it appears larger than when cut, and has its petals 

 arranged with the utmost regularity. The stem of the 

 flower is first passed through the central hole of a 

 circular card, and the latter is pushed up over the calyx. 

 The tips of the calyx divisions are then reflexed with 

 the assistance of a pair of tweezers, and the card is 

 brought back a little so as to rest on these turned-back 

 tips. Turning the flower upward, and holding it in the 

 left hand, the operator proceeds to lay out the outer row 

 of petals to make them cover as large a circle as possible. 

 Misshapen petals, or those in which the bizarre or flake 

 markings have " run," or any that are marked when they 



