XXVIII.] ENGLISH CARNATIONS. 441 



In the first place, it indicates that American carna- 

 tion cultivation is very one-sided. We have not yet 

 discovered the full merits of the species for decorative 

 purposes. It suggests that this Society should un- 

 dertake the popularization of the various hardy and 

 dwarf races of carnations, as well as of those par- 

 ticularly adapted to house cultivation. In the second 

 place, it suggests the fact that in England the forc- 

 ing carnations came into notice after the cultivation 

 of other types of the flower had been long estab- 

 lished. It shows, again, that carnation growing had 

 never gained a permanent foothold in this country 

 until these greenhouse kinds came into existence ; 

 and they have absorbed our whole attention, and 

 have probably attained a greater popularity than any- 

 where else in the world. The relative unimportance 

 of the forcing carnations in England is shown ly 

 the fact that of the seventeen chapters devoted to 

 special types of carnations in the new English Car- 

 nation Manual, only three are devoted to the per- 

 petual kinds. And Williamson, in his recent "Ex- 

 hibitor's Manual," gives the points of merit in a 

 show carnation to be : ( 1 ) Size and form of flower ; 

 (2) Distinctness of markings and colors; (3) Sub- 

 stance of petals and regularity of disposition. These 

 are certainly not the only chief points of excellence 

 in the judging of forcing carnations, in which length 

 of stem is quite as important as these features. This 

 schedule indicates that the forcing varieties have r^ 

 made little impression upon the English shows. I^^^si^^ 

 is evident, therefore, that if this Society fulfills j.t^p^ JtJ 

 complete measure of usefulness, it must speedily^ l$- ^ '^ ^ 



varietioaj 



large its efforts to comprise the outdoor varieties^ ^ /^? 



