JANCAUY 24, 1907. 



The Weekly Rorists' Review. 



699 



John Biraie. 



NOT TOO MANY NEW VARIETIES. 



[A paper by John Blrnie, West Hoboken, 

 N. J., read before the American Carnation Soci- 

 ety, at the Toronto Convention.] 



"Are there too many new carnations 

 introduced?" This is the question put 

 to me by the American Carnation Soci- 

 ety. I think it will be quite safe to give 

 a negative answer to the question. 

 Beautiful as the American carnation is 

 at the present time the summit of per- 

 fection has not yet been reached and 

 generations yet to come will find the 

 goal still in front of them. 



The Early Trials. 



There was a time, some fifteen or more 

 years ago, that carnation growers 

 throughout the country looked a little 

 askance at the ' ' new carnation, ' ' and 

 not without good reason. We had at 

 that time an avalanche of new carna- 

 tions, many of which were found to be 

 worthless, causing considerable loss and 

 disappointment to those who bought 

 them, and with those new carnations sev- 

 eral new diseases were introduced, which 

 created quite a commotion in carnation 

 growing circles. Strenuous efforts were 

 made to cure or overcome those diseases 

 by the use of quack nostrums, but in 

 many cases the cure was found to be 

 worse than the disease. 



It might be said here, however, that 

 those diseases never put experienced 

 growers to any great inconvenience; and 

 introducers gradually becoming aware 

 of the fact that carnations grown un- 

 der proper treatment and natural condi- 

 tions were immune, those diseases finally 

 disappeared, and today are never se«^ 

 in any properly handled establishment. 



The Sodet/s Certificate. 



Introducing a new carnation at the 



present time is, however, an altogether 

 different matter to what it was fifteen 

 years ago, or before the advent of the 

 American Carnation Society. This soci- 

 ety has surrounded the legitimate intro- 

 ducer with such restrictions as will make 



it absolutely impossible for him to in- 

 troduce a new carnation which has not 

 at least good qualities enough to make 

 it desirable in some branch of our busi- 

 ness. 



Under the resolution passed at Bos- 

 ton, the much coveted certificate of merit 

 will be harder to get than ever, seeing 

 that the carnation must score the re- 

 quired eighty-five points or more on the 

 exhibition table, and also be examined 

 at the introducer's establishment. This, 

 I think, is a step in the right direction, 

 and for the first time makes the certifi- 

 cate mean something to the intending 

 buyer. 



Hitherto the certificate of merit has 

 only been a sort of special prize for 

 specially selected flowers cut from plants 

 which have been specially treated so as 

 to produce blooms large enough to at- 

 tract special attention on the exhibition 

 table. This proves nothing, except that 

 the varieties exhibited can, by intensive 

 cultivation, he induced to produce large 

 fiower.'.. As to how many flowers can 

 he pro<luced per plant we are left to 

 jjuess ; neither have we any idea how 

 those vfirieties will act under ordinary 

 coinincrcial treatment. 



Expense of Examination. 



This new departure will, if it is ever 

 put in force, be of great help to the in- 

 tending purchaser of new carnations; in 

 fact, it appears to be altogether for his 

 benefit and protection. Such being the 

 case, all expenses incurred by the exam- 

 ining committee?, however appointed, 

 should be paid by the society, even if 

 this necessitates an increase in the an- 

 nual dues to do so. The introducers, or 

 promoters, could liardl/ be expected to 

 pay directly fcr what is so obviously 

 advantageous to the buyer, and might 

 not always he of equal advantage to 

 themselves. 



1 am also of opinion that the field 

 ought to be widened by reducing the 

 scale a little, as I believe many carna- 



Caroation Sarah A. Hill. 



