CARNATIONS, PICOTEES, AND PINKS 59 



and are principally used by wealthy flower-lovers, who 

 grow them in a house to themselves. The Tree, Ameri- 

 can, and Anglo-American Carnations are propagated 

 by cuttings of young wood inserted in sandy soil in 

 small pots in winter or spring. 



Pot culture. Exhibitors of Carnations grow the Biz- 

 arres, Flakes, Selfs, Picotees, and Fancies in pots. They 

 generally put two plants in a y-inch or 8-inch pot, using 

 a compost of fibrous loam, with a fourth of leaf mould, 

 dried cow manure, and mortar rubbish (or road grit) in 

 equal parts. They grow the plants, while quite young, in 

 frames, and later in light, airy houses. It is only 

 when the plants are thus grown that the exhibitor can 

 rely on flowers of the standard which judges look for. 



Flower gardeners need not regard so old a garden 

 favourite as the Carnation as an indoor plant, however. 

 It is delightful to see flowers in perfect form and texture, 

 but the flower-gardener need not deny himself a Car- 

 nation-bed in order to secure perfection of outline and 

 colour in a limited number of flowers on a show-board. 

 He will the more particularly refrain from making this 

 mistake when he sees that the exhibitor is never satisfied 

 with the native beauty of the flowers which he has pro- 

 duced at so much cost, but embellishes them by " dress- 

 ing" with tweezers, and staging in "collars" of white 

 papers. 



Flower-gardeners will sympathise with the main 

 work of the exhibitor, because they will recognise that 

 it makes for quality of bloom. They will gladly take 

 the beautiful varieties which his operations bring into 

 being, but they will judge the sorts by a different 

 standard a standard of vigorous growth, free blooming, 

 and clear, decided colours. 



The Selfs are undeniably the best garden Carnations. 



