.lAM .\i;v _'7, I'.nit. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



25 



!(liiiit tliiit tlicy il(t not iilrciidy know all 

 licn^ is about it. 



'I'Ik! cariKitiou, or, to cxincss tlui iiaiiio 



II sti'ii-tl.v l)otanit-al terms. Diautluis 



aryopliyliiis, is. according to l>oii(lon, a 



.itivc of Hoiitlicrn Europe, and lias Ijccu 



lund growing naturally in Kngland. 



Tlu^ genoric name, diantlms, is coni- 



■ lundt'd of two (ireok words, meaning 

 ic llower of the gods, or the Deity, which 



IS led certain writers to cnil it the 

 i\ine llower. a name tlint might well be 

 -.rlianged for one more simph' and com- 

 rehensive. The s[»ecitic luime, (.'aryo- 

 hyllus, has refei'cnce tn llie ch)\e like 

 lagrance of tiie (lowers, wliilo the coni- 

 i(in name, carnation, lias for its base 

 If Latin word carnis, meaning llesli, in 



liision to the pink or tlesli color of the 



■ iwci's in their wild state. 



'I'lier*' iire many ditlermt sjx-cies in 

 'e genus dianthus, including the f;i- 

 ■:ili:ir Sweet William; hut the onti that 

 iiisl nearly resenddes the cai'nation in 

 '■|)earauce is the pink, with its several 

 .1 1 iet ies. 



Where it gr<i\\s naturally, the carna- 

 • MU has single llowers, nliout oik- inch 

 II dianmtei'. having but fi\i' petals, but 

 ' arintion, selection and cultixatiou have 

 > ilinuged its (diaracter that flowers four 

 nihes in diameter are now jiroduced, 

 a\iMi; a great luindier i>\' jietnls. 



Evolution of the Carnation. 



The ordinary garden carnation is a 

 II iidy perennial that blooms but once a 

 ;-ar, and the Ihnists' carnation of today 

 I- undoubtedly the resull ot' (diangi'S that 

 'ia\e taken place in its haliits through 

 ■i-lcctiug anil cultixating the most promis- 

 ill;; plants produced by natural \aiiation, 

 iiiilil now it may be had in bloom during 

 ilic entire year. In the e\ olut iouar.v 

 "|H'ratiou. however, it has lost a portion 

 I its hai'diness, probably because ot' the 

 iiiL;her temperature to which it has liccii 

 subjected for generations during the cohl 

 -i;isi)u of the yt^ar. although this loss 

 'Mild perha[)s be regained by reveising 

 ■lie process that brought about the 

 ' iiange, and gradually hardening the 

 I'i.iiil until it could withstniid the rigors 

 ■'I oiir severe w inters. 



This change from summer bloomiu'^ to 

 |"ipetu;d blooming is not conliiied to the 

 'H nation, but has lieen accomplislieil in 

 '!"• i-ase iif utiier pl.ants. < lirysaut he 

 "iiiiiis have been grown from seeil that 

 ^* I-- saved from the <ndinary seasiuial- 



' uning kinds that have ileveloped into 



''leties that have ln-en li;id in llower 



'■'i> UKuith in the year, and the rose is 



" • of the most famili:ir exam|iles of a 



I' int that has been changecl Ifom an an 



d to a continuous bloomer, thiough the 



atnient ;iccorded t'l it under modern 



' liods (it culture. 



' I"' cain.ition llower today, and cspc- 

 l\ in this i-ouulrv, is ijie most jiopular 

 '■r proiluced by the lloiist. Iniviiig 

 'aken .'ind p.asscl the nidtime favoi- 

 'he rose, in the race for ]iopulai' 

 I. and iliste;ii| nt' beill!' reteirecl to 

 ■ 'I'' div ine llower. il iiiiglil I nilli 



be called the | pie "s lloWer. 



Good Reasons for Popularity. 



beciune really pojiiilar. a llower 



I'ossess several i|ualilic;it iiuis. the 



"' vvhicli is be.auty. a somewhat in 



'ble ;iiid elusive (|iiality. In addi 



!' should have ;i pleasant odor. ,ind 



pable of being used in a. variet.v of 



and I'lir various purposes, its text 



■tioiild be su( h thill it will remain in 



^ ^odil ciindlt inn tor a reasonable 



'' "• time. ;ind its SIK-Cessllll clllli 



vation should be so simple that il can be 

 grown ami sold profitalily at such ii 

 jirice that the ordinary (lower user can 

 atford to buy it freely. 



-Ml these various recjuiremeiils are pos 

 sessed by the carnation, and, in a<ldili<m, 

 il may lie procured at ;iiiy time iluring 

 the entii'e year. 



Koses, violets, lilies of the valley, 

 chrvsantheniunis and many other Mowers 

 will continue to have their admirers, and 

 will always be in demand, when in sea 

 son, but some of them are dillicull to pro 

 du<-e with profit, and most of them are 

 more expensive, bulk tor bulk, than are 

 carnations. 



Several years ago. at one of llie con- 

 ventions of the S. A. I"., ail essayist 

 seemed to think that, in a few years, 

 orchids would bec(uiie as plentiful and 

 popular as roses, but the prediction has 

 not been verified and |)ridiably will not 

 be, for two leasons ; lirst, they are more 

 dillicull to cultivate and produce, and 

 second, because of this diiliciilty, tlu'ir 

 prices v\ill m'v er become |io|inlar. 



The develo|iinent ami improvement ot' 

 the carnation have taken place within a 

 conipai'at ivi'ly recent liiiie, both as I'e- 

 gards the size, ccdor and (|u;ility ot' its 

 llowers and the number of desirable va- 

 riet ios. 



Thirt.v or forty years ago the florist 

 was confined mainly to such kiinls as Ivl- 

 wardsii, |)egraw. La I'nrite. .Miss .bdifl'e 

 and Ast(uia. Hnttercup. one of the best 



I'avLireak, originated and disseminated 

 by Simmons, of (leiieva, ( ).. was one .it' 

 t h(; best and most prolitable carnations 

 of its day, which is now over, and v\as 

 probably (me of the |irogeiiitors ol' ihe 

 line variety. Ln(diant ress, and other kinds 

 having the Daybreak shacle of pink 

 William Scott was .■inolher easily gmwii 

 and iisi.'f'ul sort, but it. too, is now 

 eclipsed. 



Superiority of American Sorts. 



While tiie carnation is not a native 

 of this continent, certain writers speak 

 of the varieties now in cultivation here, 

 coll<'ctiv(dy, as the American carn.ation, 

 but a better term would be the American 

 varieties of carnations, ;is they nejiily all 

 originated here. 



At the royal show, held at Xcwi-astle- 

 on-Tvne, l']nglainl, in lU'i^. and |U'ac- 

 ti<-ally open to all e.\hibit(ns, many \ases 

 of Hritish carnations were shown, h.av- 

 ing. in the main, stitf stems ami lai-:^e 

 llowers, but the llowers were iii'aily all 

 of coarse texture and tue most of them 

 had split calyxes, and decid(,'dly the tin- 

 est carr.titicms in the great show were 

 those lit .\merican origin. 



t'arnation llowers may be appnipnaie- 

 ly used on many occasions and in a va 

 riety ot ways. I'rom a single llower mi a 



cnat l.Mpel to the most elaborate lliii;il 

 design or ether form ot' decor;it ion. 



They are wtdcomed in tin' sick louin 

 or till' liosjiilal ward, and are suitable t")- 



Jcseph H. Hill. 



Ill' the eai'lier yellows, allliongh. like ' the pLaci'ineiii s nr the i-eiil erpice tnr 'lie 



most of the l;iter kinds ot' tli.at coler. lie dinner lable. ' lii^iei'^ m- spiavs ,it' llie 



cidedly bi/arre. came later, .and was I'ld ilnweis. when arranged with lasie and 



lowed by (irace Wilder, Alberlini. .Mrs. skill, in cmiii'i iia I ion with :i s|iili,ient 



llradt, and a host of nlher slowlv im .ininiini el smialile eieeiierv. .-iie much 



pi'oving kinds, until the list ,il' aspir ,iskrd I'oi .-ind appreiiated t"r I'liiieral 



;ints I'lir a pl.ace mi the c-irnalimi siaee i ncc-isjnns. \.i llower c:in i le used to 



reached Well lip iiiIm the hiiin beds. ' I.eller a'|\aiila^;e in :i pli';isin_; ariaiii;'' 



