THE CARNATION FOR EXHIBITION 31 



alone left that are perfect in the section to which they 

 belong. Once this has been effected the petals fall to be 

 arranged so as to produce a " bloom." The calyx if it 

 has not been already split halfway down must now be 

 manipulated, at the same time, with a pair of tweezers, 

 folding the split parts back. A large circular card is then 

 provided, and the stem of the flower thrust through a 

 hole sufficiently large not to press in the calyx, and under 

 this a smaller card having three half-inch cuts through its 

 centre is pressed tightly underneath it, the cut portions 

 fitting tightly and holding it in position. The operator, 

 then, with a pair of ivory tweezers arranges the outer row 

 of petals on the upper card, being careful, however, not 

 to overdo size, a second row follows, and so on till the 

 centre is reached, three or four neatly arranged petals 

 finishing off the bloom. " Dressing " is difficult, but 

 any one bearing in mind that every petal of which 

 the flower is composed should be so arranged as to 

 expose its particular beauties, the bloom, as a whole, being 

 a composition of neatly arranged petals, every one as 

 perfect as possible, he will be certain to improve the bloom. 

 Much care is, however, needed in handling the petals not 

 to rub or in any way to damage them. Equally difficult 

 with the dressing of the flower is its arrangement in the 

 show-board. To the experienced it is simplicity itself 

 to distribute the blooms effectively, yet perhaps in no 

 instance does the beginner place his blooms before the 

 judges to the best advantage. It occurs with all kinds of 

 flowers, and at the beginning of his career as an exhibitor, 

 instead of trusting to his own judgment, he ought to secure 

 the services of some one experienced in staging to set up 

 his blooms. The rule that long experience has proved 

 best is to arrange the largest blooms in the backmost, and 

 the smallest in the front row, the very finest specimens 

 always at the left-hand side of the board. Invariably 

 name the blooms. 



