FLOWERS 



405 



on account of its flesh-colored flowers, but the color of the 

 flower in its wild state has been broken up into a great 

 variety of colors in the cultivated races. It may be of 

 interest to know that the old English name for carnation 

 was " gillyflower," a name that appears often in English 

 literature. 



The older cultivated races of carnations have practically 

 disappeared, and have been replaced .by new ones that 

 flower more or less continuously and are 

 especially adapted for forcing, so that car- 

 nations can be obtained at any season of 

 the year. It is reported that about 500 

 varieties of carnation have been produced 

 in the United States, where the carnation 

 industry is better developed than in any 

 other country. 



Of course carnations can be grown from 

 the seed, but florists use this method only 

 when they are desirous of securing varia- 

 tions that may be useful. In general, they 

 are propagated by cuttings, which may 

 seem strange for an herb. Carnations are 

 not very suitable for ordinary garden cul- 

 tivation, but no one will regret the culti- 

 vation of a few " pinks " with their clove-like fragrance. 



113. Violet. It has been stated that violet culture is 

 third in commercial importance among cultivated flowers. 

 The numerous commercial violets are derived from the 

 European Viola odorata, and their successful cultivation re- 

 quires an amount of intelligent care that can be given only 

 by the specialist. 



If the violets of the florists are not suitable for home cul- 

 ture, another violet, the pansy, is always suitable, for it is 

 very easy to cultivate (Fig. 70). The pansies are derived 

 from another European species, Viola tricolor, the name re- 

 27 



FIG. 69. A carnation. 



