XXVIII.] DO CARNATIONS RUN OUT? 445 



other words, do carnations run out ? This question 

 is full of perplexities, and there are the most opposed 

 opinions concerning it. At the outset, it is important 

 that we understand what is meant by running out. 

 (1) In one sense, it means a wearing out, a prede- 

 termined life of a variety at the expiration of which 

 time the type becomes weak and refuses to bear or 

 even to grow. The Buttercup is a variety which is 

 commonly thought to have worn out. (2) In another 

 sense, running out means the disappearance of the 

 variety by variation into other colors or other forms, 

 while the plant still retains its first vigor and pro- 

 ductiveness. An excellent example of this is found 

 in the so-called "running" of the striped varieties 

 in England, by which the flakes and bizarres often 

 become self-colored or lose their characteristic mark- 

 ings. (3) In still another sense, running out refers 

 to the crowding out of varieties by better kinds or by 

 changing fashions. These three subjects must be dis- 

 cussed separately. 



1. Do varieties wear out? Are they self -limited in 

 duration ? There is no evidence yet to show that any 

 variety of plants is pre -limited in period of existence. 

 So long as it receives good care it maintains its 

 pristine virility ; if it grows weaker with the years, 

 the fault must be laid to disease or to improper 

 handling or management. The Buttercup is an 

 admirable example of this fact. The most vigorous, 

 most productive and best carnation in our house this 

 year is the Buttercup, and this is evidence that it has 

 not lost its old-time vigor. Some of our Buttercups 

 were weak and would not flower, but careful exami- 

 nation has shown that they were suffering from an 



