MARKET NURSERY WORK 



VOL. IV 



CARNATIONS AND PINKS 



CHAPTER I 

 THE PERPETUAL FLOWERING CARNATION 



WE dealt very briefly with the earlier stages of the perpetual 

 llowering carnation in Vol. I of this work, and now it will be necessary 

 for us to make a closer study of it its status, uses, and value. 

 For many long years we grew the old " tree " carnations, but there 

 is absolutely no comparison between those old stagers and the 

 splendid perpetual flowering carnation of to-day. 



Though not, strictly speaking, a twentieth century creation, the 

 greatest strides have been made since the year 1900, and it certainly 

 has become to all intents and purposes the flower of the century. 

 It is, therefore, only as yet in its infancy, and we may be fully 

 assured that the future will see further developments and great 

 improvements, such as we are hardly aware of. It has behind it 

 a small army of devoted enthusiasts experimenting, fostering, 

 improving, and studying it, and as it owes much to them in the 

 past, so it will be through their efforts that progress will be 

 maintained. 



But behind these enthusiasts lies another great forcing power, 

 and this is the intrinsic merits of the flower as a flower, its great 

 popularity, and its indispensability. " Carnations all the year 

 round in great quality and abundance " is now quite common- 

 place ; is, indeed, expected, and the market grower who, having the 

 facilities, takes it up in a fairly large way, has a satisfactory prospect 

 before him and assured returns practically the whole year round. 



This latter point may be questioned, but we have in mind the 

 fact that the perpetual flowering carnation is indeed " perpetual,'* 

 for it can be quite satisfactorily grown in beds in the open ground, 



