THE CARNATION. 77 



placed over them till it comes up, which will also 

 prevent the heavy rains from washing it out of the 

 ground. If the plants are in too forward a state, 

 and their growth too much accelerated by watering 

 during the summer, they are apt to spindle, that is, 

 every shoot nearly will run up to flower, scarcely 

 leaving one to propagate from. 



I do not wish to discourage the young florist in 

 his attempts to raise Seedling Carnations ; but 

 he will find the production cf fine flowers to be a 

 work of time, patience, and uncertainty. If I set 

 a ratio as one to one hundred, I fear the calculation 

 will be too extravagant, and that I shall not be 

 borne out in it by the fact ; but let him look upon 

 the whole as a lottery, and if fortune favours him, 

 he may perhaps win two capital prizes, or more. 

 The production of one superior flower it is folly 

 to keep an inferior one in the present highly im- 

 proved breed of Carnations will no doubt afford 

 him much pleasure and gratification ; but if he 

 should be fortunate enough to raise six during the 

 whole course of his life, he must consider his labours 



