458 THE SURVIVAL OP THE UNLIKE. [xXVIII. 



across, and added that it was not the " most perfect 

 flower of the kind, either in form or size." If horti- 

 cultural literature were searched, we should no doubt 

 be able to find several records of carnations as much 

 as four inches in diameter, but the references I have 

 made will show that such size is possible. 



But Mr. Thorpe's flower must possess other virtues 

 than mere diameter of bloom. The most important 

 secondary consideration is the length of flower stem. 

 The carnation grower, familiar with the long stems 

 of recent varieties, will agree that Mr. Thorpe's 

 eighteen -inch stem is among the possibilities : but 

 you will the more readily agree if I show you the 

 character of a good carnation plant of the early days. 

 I have here a photograph of the best plant figured by 

 Bessler in 1613. You will observe that the stems 

 are short and very slender ; and the same may be 

 observed in the three and one -half inch carnations 

 from the same author, of which I spoke a few mo- 

 ments ago. The lengthening of the stem is largely 

 a modern character, and the progress in this 

 direction augurs well for the future. 



There are evidently two directions in which we 

 are to look for the production of the four -inch flower. 

 We may increase the mass of the flower, or we may 

 increase the length of the outer petals. For myself, 

 I look for better results from the latter method, for 

 by that means we shall probablj' avoid some of the 

 tendency towards bursting of the calyx, and we shall 

 be likely to obtain a more shapely flower, and one 

 which will not need Mr. Thorpe's pencil-stem for its 

 support. The feature in Mr. Thorpe's flower least 

 likely to be attained, it seems to me, is the two -inch 



