History of the Development of the Carnation 



The American carnation, which is known as the perpetual flowering, or 

 winter blooming carnation, is a distinct race, and differs materially from the 

 types of European origination now usually known among European gar- 

 deners. The American carnation is a descendant of, and is derived from, the 

 French race of carnations, which is known as remontant, or monthly, and 

 which was originated about the year 1840 by a French gardener, M. Dalmais, 

 of Lyons, France, who introduced the first real constant blooming carnation 

 about 1844. Dalmais is said to have secured this variety by artificially crossing 

 the carnation Demahon with the variety Biohon, and the result of this cross- 

 ing was again hybridized with the Flemish carnation, and the progeny was 

 repeatedly crossed until the type was fixed. In 1846, he obtained a great 

 number of varieties of this race, comprising many and varied colors. 



Another distinguished horticulturist, M. Schmidt, of Lyons, continued 

 the work of Dalmais, and obtained and introduced many, at that day, im- 

 proved varieties, which remained in cultivation for a number of years. The 

 work was again taken up by another enthusiastic French horticulturist, M. 

 Alphonse Alegatiere, also of Lyons, who followed up the development so 

 well that he obtained marked improvements in the way of varieties, with 

 strong, rigid stems. In 1866, the number of varieties of this race of car- 

 nations was largely increased, and the name of "tree carnation" was applied 

 to the race. 



The first of this race of carnations to be introduced into America was 

 imported about the year 1852 by Charles Marc, a French florist, then located 

 at Bloomingdale, New York, who cultivated a number of varieties which he 

 called remontant carnations, but the names of which he kept secret, possibly 

 for the purpose of preventing competing florists from importing the plants 

 from France. But between the years 1856 and 1866, the firm of Dailledouze, 

 Zeller & Gard, then located at Flatbush, Long Island, secured from a private 

 gardener of Lyons, France, carnation seed of the remontant, or monthly type ; 

 also some plants of the variety La Purite, which was described as of a beauti- 

 ful rose color; also Mont Blanc, white, and Manteaux Royal, a variegated 

 red and white. 



Mr. Chas. Zeller, the sole practicing survivor of the above firm, states 

 that in 1858 the firm obtained the first seedling from seed of their own rais- 

 ing. This was a pure white, fringed variety, with a free, vigorous habit. It 

 attracted the attention of all visitors to the firm's greenhouses, and was 



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