298 



HORTICULTURE. 



Flower 

 Garden. 



order to produce a degree of shade, or some large leaves 

 may be laid on them for a few days. These hand- 

 glasses are not removed till the new growth of the 

 pinks be distinctly perceived, which happens generally 

 in the course of a month or five weeks ; water is how- 

 ever occasionally applied around the covers. The 

 plants are afterwards transferred to a larger bed, or to 

 a garden border, in time to permit them to become 

 well rooted before winter. Slips of pinks, four or six 

 inches long, drawn from the sides of main shoots, and 

 planted any time in the spring, seldom fail to grow. 



New varieties are procured by raising plants from 

 seed: for this purpose the seed of the best sorts only 

 is saved ; it is produced sparingly in such flowers as 

 are not perfectly double ; it is procured more plentiful- 

 ly from semi-double flowers, and if these be of good 

 colours, the offspring is frequently very promising. It 

 is sown in the spring, and the plants are nursed up in 

 beds, and afterwards planted out. From a consider- 

 able bed, only a few can be expected worthy of being 

 preserved ; and these are likely to be found among the 

 weakest plants. 



506. Those flowers the petals of which are elegantly 

 laced with colours, while the edges are scarcely notch- 

 ed, or are as nearly as possible rose-leaved, are consi- 

 dered the finest. Being very double, and at the same 

 time opening fairly or without bursting, are qualities 

 highly prized. A clear white for the body of the 

 flower is always desirable. In the lacing, a rich black, 

 shaded toward the centre with red, is much esteemed. 

 Scarlet lacings are most rare, and much in request. A 

 purple lace is greatly admired, as in the variety known 

 by the name of Davy's Duchess of Devonshire, which 

 may be considered as the model of a perfect pink. 

 Pinks are carefully tended by the zealous florist. When 

 the flower-stalks rise, they are tied to a small stick to 

 keep them up ; and when the petals begin to appear in 

 the pod, those pods which seem apt to burst on one 

 side are restrained by a small piece of slit card-paper. 

 The finest flowers when expanded are covered with 

 pieces of tinned iron in shape of inverted funnels or 

 little umbrellas, equally to save them from rain and 

 from the sun's rays. 



Carnations. 



Qy_ t - 507. Formerly these were divided into Carnations, 



M *' often called Bursters, having very larjje leaves and 

 flowers, and into Gillyflowers (giro/tiers, F.), the leaves 

 and flowers of which are smaller. The former are now 

 called Tree-carnations ; the latter, Common carnations. 

 The florists of the present day distinguish carnations 

 into four classes. 1. Flakes, having one colour only, 

 on a white ground, the stripes large, and the colour 

 extending through the substance of the petal : when 

 the stripe is pink, and of high colour, the flower is 

 called a Rose flake. 2. Bizarres, flowers with two co- 

 lours, on a white ground : they are called scarlet, pur- 

 ple, or pink bizarres, as these colours happen to abound; 

 when deep purple and rich pink occur together, the 

 flower is accounted a crimson bizarre. 3. Piqucttees, 

 with a white, and sometimes a yellow ground, spotted 

 with scarlet, purple, or other colours, the edges of the 

 petals generally notched or serrated. *. Painted ladies, 

 with tile petals red or purple on the upper side, but 

 white below. This last class is often associated with 

 the pinks. 



508. According to florists, the following are the 

 chief properties of a good carnation. The stene should 



be strong and straight, nearly three feet high; the Howr 

 flower should expand freely and equally, and should Garden, 

 not be less than three inches in diameter; the out- V * P- "Y~ ' 

 er circle of petals, or the guard leaves, should be Carnat ' t>n ' 

 strong, so as to support the interior petals ; these should 

 be numerous, but not crowded ; they should regularly 

 decrease in size as they approach the centre ; the petals 

 should be rose- shaped, or the edges should be entire, 

 without notch or fringe ; the colours should be bright 

 and distinct, the stripes narrowing gradually to the 

 base of the petal ; and almost one hH' f '- r ~iui 

 should he f ~ <,loi niiiie. 



In the culture of carnations, the preparing of a pro- 

 per compost or soil is of some importance. For pro- 

 ducing strong flowers, Maddock recommends a com- 

 post consisting of one half well rotted stable dung, one- 

 third fresh sound loamy earth, and one sixth sea or ri- 

 ver sand ; the ingredients to be thoroughly mixed by 

 repeated turnings at intervals of several weeks. If, 

 however, it is wished to preserve entire and brilliant 

 the colours of the flowers, a compost containing much 

 less dung and more loam is greatly to be preferred. 



The finest carnations are planted in pots a foot wide 

 at top, and are placed on the shelves of a stage at the 

 time of flowering : they are hence often called Stage- 

 flowers. The potting is performed toward the end of 

 March. The plants are tliew plccil iu an open airy 

 part of the garden, under an arch of hoops, so that 

 they may be protected by a covering of mats in case 

 of need. Watering is carefully attended to ; the wa- 

 ter is not sprinkled over the whole plant, but is 

 applied only to the root. The stems are tied to stakes 

 as they advance. In this situation the plants con- 

 tinue till their stems become too tall for remaining 

 under the hoops. They are then placed on the stage 

 for flowering. Here slender stakes, four feet in length, 

 and sometimes painted, are employed, and the stems 

 are neatly tied to them at the distance of every six 

 inches. As the flower-buds advance, they who are 

 nice watch any appearance of irregular bursting, and 

 prevent it by slight ligatures, as already mentioned in 

 the case of fine pinks. Only three or four principal 

 flower-buds are allowed to come forward ; the smaller 

 lateral ones being cut off as they appear. When 

 the earliest flowers begin to expand, tinned iron or 

 common paper covers, such as those above described, 

 506, are placed over them. When the flowering be. 

 comes general, a canvas awning is resorted to. A 

 tulip-bed tramp answers perfectly well for covering 

 carnations; and tulip lnilt>s ai, , .xiooJ ,! stored, be- 

 fore carnations come into flower : every one therefore 

 who delights in tulips, should also cultivate carnations, 

 that his canvas frame may thus be occupied with vege- 

 table beauties twice in the year. 



Earwigs prove very injurious, sometimes almost de- 

 structive to carnations. They should be daily looked 

 for, hunted out, and destroyed. Numbers may be en- 

 trapped in dried hollow stalks of rhubarb, reeds, or similar 

 fistular plants. Some have been at the pains to insu- 

 late the raised stage, by setting its supporters in vessels 

 filled with water ; forgetting perhaps that earwigs oc- 

 casionally take wing. When the flowers are heavy 

 and apt to droop, bits of fine brass-wire are used as 

 supports. Zealous carnation florists sometimes dress the 

 flowers, by removing with a pair of pincers small or ill- 

 coloured petals, and arranging the rest so as to hide 

 the defect. 



50y. When the plants have passed the height of their 



