432 History and Culture of the Carnation. 



the centre should be well filled. All the petals should be regu- 

 larly disposed, and lie over each other in such a manner as 

 that their respective and united beauties should meet the eye 

 altogether ; they should be nearly flat, or with only a small 

 degree of inflection at the broad end ; their edges should be 

 perfectly entire, without notch, fringe, or indenture ; the 

 calyx should be at least an inch in length, sufficiently strong 

 at the top to keep the bases of the petals in a close and cir- 

 cular body. 



3. The middle of the flowers should not rise too high 

 above the other parts. 



4. The colours should be bright, and equally marked all over 

 the flower, perfectly distinct, the stripes regular, narrowing 

 gradually to the claw of the petal, and there ending in a fine 

 point. Almost one half of each petal should be of a clear 

 white, free from spots. 



5. The flower should be very full of petals, so as to render 

 it, when blown, very thick in the middle, and the outside 

 perfectly round. 



These flowers are propagated either by seed or by layers : 

 the first is the method for raising new flowers ; the other is 

 the way to preserve and multiply those of former years. 



To raise them from seed, that from the best double flowers 

 should be selected, which will produce the strongest plants, and 

 should be sown in April, in pots or boxes of fresh light earth 

 mixed with rotten cow manure, exposed to the morning sun, 

 and occasionally watered. In a month the plants will appear, 

 and in July should be transplanted into beds of the same 

 earth, in an open airy situation, at 6 in. distance, and there 

 left to flower. When in flower, the finest kinds should be 

 marked, and all the layers that can be, should, during the 

 time of flowering, be laid down from them ; these will have 

 taken root by the end of August, and are then to be taken off 

 and planted out in pots in pairs. 



[Carnations are grown remarkably well in the neighbour- 

 hood of London, more especially by Mr. Hogg at Padding- 

 ton, whose catalogue, in a folio sheet for being sent by post, 

 is worth having by all florists. They are still better grown 

 at a distance from the London smoke, even so near it as at 

 Hammersmith, by Mr. Weltjie. They attain still greater 

 beauty at Ipswich, with Mr. Woolard ; but more especially 

 at Northampton, with Mr. Cornfield, who is generally con- 

 sidered the first grower in England.] 



