104 A GUIDE TO FLORICULTURE. 



mendation to command general notice. In some respects 

 this plant resembles the Sweet William, and at times I am 

 inclined to think it a cross from that flower, though the 

 flowering appears greatly different, as the one throws up a 

 corymb of flowers similar in appearance to the head of a 

 Cauliflower, when the Pink branches out with a single 

 flower. The China Pink is susceptible of much improve- 

 ment by hybridizing, and I recommend it to all lovers of 

 showy flowers. The first season will enable you to judge 

 the merit of the flower ; this, like most double flowers, will 

 also produce some single, and those generally remarkably 

 pretty ; that should be no consideration, throw them over 

 the fence, save none but what are double. The second 

 season, place some of your plants along side of the Sweet 

 William, by which means the Pink will cross without fur- 

 ther trouble ; this is styled natural crossing, as the pollen 

 will scatter without artificial means, and the seed of the 

 China Pink will produce a mule or hybrid ; the beauty of 

 the two combined makes one of the most magnificent 

 plants in cultivation ; but the misfortune is they flower so 

 luxuriantly, as to die at the close of the second season ; 

 still there is a consolation, the mule Pink is easily obtained, 

 this alleviates a portion of that regret we should otherwise 

 feel. It is surprising that gardeners have never taken this 

 flower under their care, for we see them cultivate flowers 

 of less merit, and some scarcely worth picking up in the 

 street. Does this not show a want of taste ? or can it arise 

 from the easy manner in which it is propagated ? The 

 seed of the mule Pink I could never get to germinate ; this 

 is frequently the case with hybrids that are double. To 

 propagate the China Pink, the seeds should be sown in 



