PROPAGATION BY SEED 71 



pollen that falls upon its surface. The part the would-be 

 raiser of seedling Carnations has to play is to watch for 

 this condition, and the development of the anthers, ten of 

 which will be found, hidden not infrequently by the petals. 

 When ripe the anther-cases burst and set free the pollen, 

 which in the Carnation is in the form of a fine dust. It 

 attaches itself to anything by which it is touched, a fine 

 camel-hair pencil being usually employed to convey it 

 from the anthers to the styles of the flower selected to 

 bear seed. But the filaments carrying their anthers may 

 be wholly removed and the pollen distributed without 

 employing any intermediary agent. The pollen, it may 

 be added, retains its potency for some time after removal, 

 and may be preserved dry to apply to the flowers of any 

 variety not yet expanded when the pollen selected for 

 cross-fertilization is ready. Some varieties are more 

 fertile than others, and occasionally sorts are discovered 

 that refuse to be fertilized. But in every case experience 

 shows that the Carnation must be treated with much 

 consideration in order to induce the production of perfect 

 seeds. The plants, as a primary means, must be placed 

 in a dry, airy position in a glass structure. It will 

 be advantageous also to remove a few petals of those 

 flowers in which the anthers are debarred from air and 

 light, the old florists making a practice of selecting for 

 seeding purposes those flowers only that had few petals. 

 Once fertilization is completed the petals shortly wither, 

 and when this does not occur it is advisable to repeat 

 the process, thereafter removing all the petals. It has, 

 too, been long the custom to slice away a portion of the 

 calyx as a precaution against moisture lodging round the 

 base of the seed-capsule and causing it to rot. The 

 greatest care in the cultivation of the plants must con- 

 stantly be exercised till the seeds attain maturity, this 

 being indicated by the splitting of the apex of the capsule 

 when they are ready for removal, drying them thoroughly, 



