42 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



January, 



A Universal Favorite— The 

 Carnation. 



Wherever flowers are cultivated, the im- 

 proved Carnation is a leading favorite. It 

 possesses the beauty of form, color, and 

 the sweetness, if not the hardiness of the 

 much esteemed Clove Pink (which is its pa- 

 rent), and then the great additional quality in 

 its improved sorts, of being a perpetual 

 liloomer. To such an extent is this last 

 named quality appreciated and made use 

 of, that now in every well-conducted florist 

 establishment, the supply of Carnation blooms 

 may be said to be con- 

 stant the year through. 



The Carnation as to 

 color is brought under 

 various divisions, the va- 

 riety afforded here cover- . 

 ing a remarkaljle range. 

 Before this favorite loom- 

 ed up so prominently as 

 a commercial flower, the 

 two main divisions were 

 consifiered to l.)c the Bi- 

 zarres and the Flakes, 

 with distinct classes un- 

 der these. Now, at least 

 in ccmimercial import- 

 ance, the Selfs^tliose in 

 which one or more colors 

 are distributed all o\er 

 the flower, receive the 

 most attention. The Pi- 

 cotees are a leading class 

 also and distinct in color; 

 it is a question wlietlier 

 they are a distinct species 

 of the Diiiiithiix genus or 

 liut a variety of D. Cdi-y- 

 </ji/ii/lhiK along with the 

 Carnation. 



To the average ama- 

 teur, the terms Bizarre, 

 Flakes, and other color 

 distinctions of this flow- 

 ers, are perhaps not veiy 

 clear. Let us so describe 

 these as to render the 

 matter of colors easily 

 understood. Bizarre is 

 from the French, imply- 

 ing something fantastic, 

 and in flowers signifies 

 variegation in irregular 

 spots and stripes, traversing the same wa.y 

 and of at least three colors, varying from 

 dark to light. 



Flakes have heavy stripes of two colors, 

 extending from center to outside of the pe- 

 tals. The prevailing colors are scarlet, pur- 

 ple and rose, hence we have Scarlet-flaked 

 Carnations, Purple-flaked Carnations, etc. 



" Fancies" include Flakes or Bizarres of 

 unusual colors or neutral tints, or such as 

 are pricked with little flakes and spots. 



Sclfs, also called CUoves or Self-cloves, are 

 flowers in which one color usually runs 

 evenly throughout the flower. The old 

 crimson Clove, referred to in the begining 

 above, can be met with in many gardens. 



Picotees have a white or light ground, 

 sometimes 3'ellow, with either red, rose or 

 purple color evenly penciled more or less 

 heavily round the edge of each petal. 



Witli the improvement in the Perpetiial 

 Carnation, there was added not only an in- 

 valuable feature to winter-blooming plants 

 in the greenhouse or conservatory, but also 

 a plant well adapted to pot culture in the 



window. For this purpo.se, only the free- 

 growing and liloomingsorts should be chosen. 

 The limits of the jiresent article does not 

 admit of entering upon the details of cultiva- 

 tion here. It may, however, be said that to 

 secure plants for next winters liloom, rooted 

 slips sliould lie procured within the next few 

 months, growing them over summer either 

 in pots or by bedding out. 



A good deal of attention has of late been 

 paid to raising dwarf forms of these plants; 

 the old idea of a "tree" Carnation not being 

 counted desiralile. The accompanying en- 



United States from abroad, would fill the 

 gardeners of past generations with great won- 

 der, could they behold it. And this interna- 

 tional trade is rapidly on the increase. 



Incidentally we call to mind a statement 

 from the trade circular of one American 

 firm, which shows a peculiar phase of this 

 trade, as well as serving to illustrate Ameri- 

 can enterprise. It is in the matter of Asiatic 

 Lily bulbs. This firm offers certain of these 

 bulbs at two prices, for what is really the same 

 quality, the difference in the cost being due, to 

 one lot of the same crop reaching America con- 

 siderably earlier than the 

 other. The quicker and 

 also more expensive 

 route is a western one, 

 the cargoes landing at 

 San Francisco. The 

 other is mainly by 

 steamer, from the east 

 and through the Suez 

 canal. Together the 

 h u 1 b s shipped by the 

 Japanese house, literally 

 girdle the globe. 



It may be said that all 

 foreign c o u n t r i e s in 

 which gardening has 

 made any considerable 

 progress, look upon our 

 great n a t i o n as a rich 

 market for the stock they 

 grow. And yet with all 

 our importations, in 

 many departments, there 

 never was a time when 

 such large quantities of 

 seeds, plants and nursery 

 stock in general, have 

 been raised at home, as 

 is being done in t h e 

 present day. 



The gist of the matter 

 is, that the gardening in- 

 terests of this country, 

 are progressing at an un- 

 paralleled rate. The day 

 is not very far off when 

 America must loom up 

 as conspicuously among 

 the nations of the earth, 

 for her improved gar- 



THE CARNATION-A DESIRABLE DWARF FORM OF THE PLANT. dening.in both U.SefuUnd 



ornamental branches, as 

 graving shows a type of the Carnation plant, 1 she to-day does in so many things Ijesides. 

 that is much sought after. Several sorts re- 



cently sent out, it is claimed are quite as 

 dwarf as the plant illustrated. 



Progress in Gardeningf. 



On the same day recently, catalogues of 

 bulbs and seeds reached our desk from 

 Japan, from Belgium and from Germany, 

 respectively. Could the mail receipts of 

 half a week have been brought into this 

 same day, the day's mail would have con- 

 tained trade announcements, from at least 

 half a dozen other countries of the globe. 



"We refer to this matter, to show how in 

 this age of railroads, rapid steamers, tele- 

 graphs, cheap printing, postage, and so on, 

 the spirit of the gardening trade is moved 

 to take advantage of all modern inventions, 

 in furthering gardening interests. The 

 quantity of seeds, bulbs and stocks that are 

 in this day sent to and fro, throughout the 

 earth, between countries near and far, but 

 particularly thai which is received by tlie 



A House Plant None Need Fail With. 



Reference is had to the Rose-colored Oxalis, 

 a plant that seems to occupy about the same 

 place among flowering house plants, that the 

 Ivy does among those not grown for the 

 bloom. And what a wonderful bloomer it is, 

 under the most common conditions! We re- 

 call the case of a plant owned Ti.v a friend 

 that l)loomed constantly for sixteen months. 

 Then it was given a rest of several months 

 when in it started again. Wliat this lady 

 succeeded in doing in the (ailture of the Oxa- 

 lis in her window anj' one else can do also. 

 It may be added that the genus Oralis em- 

 braces many .species and tiieir varieties, but 

 among them all none is better adapted to 

 house culture than the one named. 



Concerning culture and some other points 

 relating to this favorite, we were pleased 

 lately, to receive the following letter from a 

 subscriber, Mrs. A.J. Griswold, Cook Co. , III. , 

 to be published in Popri.AH Gahdening: 



