128 JUNE. 



PINKS. 



" I am the very pink of courtesy." 



The Pink is, unquestionably, a very lady-like 

 flower, blossoming in this month. The Paisley 

 florists have brought it to the highest degree of per- 

 fection ; they exhibit seventy or eighty choice va- 

 rieties, some of them almost equal to the Carnation, 

 and have more than three hundred kinds altogether. 

 The criterion of a fine pink may be thus given : 



A fine Pink should have the stem erect, and from 

 ten to fourteen inches high, or more, according to 

 the vigor and habit of the plant, and of sufficient 

 strength to support the blossoms erect. The calyx, 

 or flower-cup, should be of a long rather than round 

 form, and strong enough to support the petals with- 

 out bursting, which is a capital defect, though the 

 flowers be perfect in other respects. The petals 

 should either be very finely fringed or perfectly rose- 

 leaved, and absolutely free from coarse deep inden- 

 tations. The outer or guard leaves should have 

 sufficient firmness of texture to maintain themselves 

 horizontally, and support the interior petals, which 

 ought not to be too crowded, but arranged with regu- 

 larity and symmetry. The coloring of a laced Pink 

 should extend from the base, round the edge of each 

 petal, in a clear, well-defined manner, and whatever 

 be the hue, present a lively and rich appearance. If 

 the flower be without the lace, or ornamental bor- 

 dering, the eye or centre must be rich and distinctly 

 marked, and finely contrasted with the snowy white- 

 ness of the outer portion of the petals. The large 

 flowers are more valued, but are also more apt to 

 burst their flower-cups, (and in consequence to lose 

 their symmetry of form,) than the small ; but the 



