Cultivation of the Carnation and Picotee. 365 



most beautifully blended ; sometimes the edges or extremity 

 only of the flower-leaves will be tinged and laced all round, 

 or the whole covered with a netted and motley mixture of 

 shining colors. More than ordinary pleasure is afforded, after 

 gazing on the more dazzling beauties of the carnation, by an 

 examination of the admirably soft and delicate graces of the 

 picotee. They are distinguished and classed as heavy and 

 light red, purple, and rose edges, being sprinkled with these 

 and other colors on a clear white or yellow ground. The 

 yellow picotee is a very tender plant, and preserved with 

 great difficulty in our damp climate. Its extraordinary beau- 

 ty renders it a universal favorite. Although it is customary 

 to speak of the picotee as though it were distinct from the 

 carnation, it is nevertheless but one of the principal divisions 

 into which that splendid flower is classed ; hence we have 

 Scarlett bizarres, crimson bizarres, pink and purple bizarres — 

 purple flakes, rose flakes, scarlet flakes, &c. The value of a 

 carnation is estimated by the brightness of its various tints 

 and hues, and by the formation and construction of the petals. 

 The color, whether in bizarre, flake, or picotee, should be 

 clear, rich, intense, brilliant, and distinct, and the ground a 

 pure white, of which each petal should have its due propor- 

 tion (say nearly one-half) without a speck, blotch, or tinge 

 of any sort ; but plain or self-colored leaves are accounted a 

 great defect. The distribution of color in stripes should be 

 nearly equal, and proportionate in every petal, commencing 

 at the extreme edge, gradually and evenly diminishing in 

 breadth as they approach the base or just enter the calyx, 

 where they should terminate in a fine point. A flake should 

 not have less than three divisions or stripes on each petal, a 

 bizarre not less than five ; but too many in either do not add 

 to their beauty or perfection, broad petals with broad stripes 

 having much the finest appearance. A flake is distinguished 

 by having one color in stripes upon a white ground — as scar- 

 let, purple, rose, or pink ; a bizarre, by having two colors in 

 stripes upon a white ground, and whichever color predomi- 

 nates it gives the name of the class to the flower — as scarlet, 

 crimson, pink. A perfect picotee is distinguished by the 



