THE DIANTHUS IN CALIFORNIA. 121 



The normal belt of the forcing carnation leaves all of Cali- 

 fornia to the south, but this marvelous spot of earth has a com- 

 posite climate of all the zones, with its snow-capped mountains 

 bathed in blue, its foot-hills in perfumed Junes, and the languorous 

 air of its sea-levels kissed and cooled by the ocean's waves, gives 

 it a flora mixed and marvelous. 



The essential nature of a carnation can never be modified by 

 cuttings. This is done when bi -sexual cells meet in the socket of 

 the ovule. California carnations are a divergence by generations 

 of life begetments, modified in the act by the sorcery of climate. 

 Mons. Dalmias' "Atim" of L,yons, was the Adam of all the car- 

 nations in America, the chemistry of their plasm has been re- 

 composited in the alembic of life by the thaumaturgy of environ- 

 ments. They have conformed to nature's resistless law of the 

 survival of the fittest to live, to meet diverse conditions. 



There have been ninety named kinds of carnations introduced 

 from California into the forcing belt; most of them in 1892-3-4 

 and a fevv of them catalogued the second season. They all doubt- 

 less possessed the latent qualities of being forced, and of perpetual 

 bloom, but required the climate jugglery of fecundation to de- 

 velop them. Eighty named carnations have been introduced 

 from Europe since the puritan L,a Puritie landed from its 

 Mayflower. Bouton de' Or was the last imported by Ziengerbel. 

 It was grown in this country privately for years, then put on the 

 market by the Dailledouze Bros, and discarded. 



E. Sievers & Co. are growing carnations under glass in Cali- 

 fornia which may tend to redevelop the qualities desired in 

 the carnation belt proper. They have introduced Ethel Crocker 

 with much success and this year California Gold appears. Miss 

 Louise Faber and Purity are named as introductions from the 

 same state. 



