242 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 26, 1878. 
shows.” as they are called, held in England in 1821. There 
are particulars of thirty-seven exhibitions of Carnations alone, 
containing the names of 189 winning varieties of Carnations 
and fifty-two of Picotees. The flowers were dressed at that 
date, and hard, too, it used to be then—two tiers of petals and 
a crown; now the flowers are dressed more naturally. 
Having proved the antiquity of dressing let us see its effects 
as practised now. The Carnations we exhibit are grown gene- 
rally in pots, and the plants in most cases are disbudded to 
some two or three buds in order to obtain size of flower. 
Some growers bloom them on a card, dressing or laying down 
the petals as they expand. When done this way the dresser 
can make little, if any, improvement in a flower. 
Another advantage of this mode is that it prevents the back 
petals of a flower from curling under, which when they do in 
an old flower are almost impossible to be straightened. 
Some say to me, “ Why grow flowers given to curling?” I 
should be glad to discard them, only we have nothing as good 
in other respects to grow in their place, and, what is more, do 
not expect we shall have fora number of years, good seedlings 
being produced so rarely. 
The calyx needs attending to in some varieties, being so stiff 
that if the flower is not assisted by slitting down the segments 
probably it will never expand, but burst out on one side and 
form what is called a ‘split pod.’ Also in the stiff calyces 
the points of the calyx interfere with the laying-down of the 
petals, standing up as they do amongst them. In this case the 
dresser, using a pair of strong steel tweezers, turns round the 
points of the calyx, which leaves room for the petals to expand 
and show themselves to advantage. 
The Carnation being a sportive flower, its flowers frequently 
show more colour in the petals on one side than another, and 
then the dresser assists in distributing the petals. 
Originally a single flower containing four petals, now per- 
haps a score, these have to grow through the calyx, the outer 
portions of the petals being so much larger than the footstalks 
enlarge the calyx, so much so that in some situations the petals 
are all open together, and if dressing is not to be allowed I 
for one should be unable to exhibit. As to blooming them on 
a card, that is out of the question, as there is no doubt but 
that both flower and card would be wrenched off by the wind. 
“WYLD SAVAGE” complains that the rabbits are trouble- 
some, eating the plants. The florist has to prevent them so 
doing. This is very easily effected. A stage 3 feet high to 
stand the pots on, or a little wire fencing to form a fence 
around the stage 13 yards by 4, will give ample room for 
three hundred pots or six hundred plants. After layering and 
when taken off they have the protection of a frame (which 
ean easily be made rabbit-proof) during the winter months, 
a two-light frame 6 feet square being sufliciently large to winter 
that quantity. 
If the soil in “ WYLD SAVAGE’S”’ garden is so poor as he 
says, I think he cannot do better than substitute the growth of 
Carnations for Roses, as they do not require a couple of barrow- 
loads of soil and manure each as the Rose does. He would 
find that two loads of good turfy loam with a mixture of 
decayed dung and leaf soil would be ample to grow four or 
five hundred pots of Carnations. The soil after being used 
for Carnations would grow Roses another year. I remember 
growing a few Roses in pots some twenty years ago. At the 
end of the season when I had emptied the soil out of my 
Carnation pots I also emptied upon it my liquid manure tub, 
which contained sheep dung. In thisI planted my Roses, and 
Inever remember to have had a finer bloom than I had the 
spring following. 
When I was a young grower the growing of Auriculas, Car- 
nations, &c., used to be mystified, but, thanks to Mr. Dodwell 
and a few others, there is now no secrecy about it. If a be- 
ginner wants to learn to dress flowers he bas nothing to do 
but attend an exhibition, and nearly any florist there will 
show him. 
I would recommend at an exhibition a prize to™be given for 
the best dressed flower, to be dressed at the place of exhibition, 
limiting the time of dressing to ten minutes. This would give 
all beginners a chance of seeing how it is done. 
Doing away with dressing is out of the question. As I have 
before stated, growers in windy situations would have no 
chance. And again, there would always be found exhibitors 
who would dress a little, consequently it is best to let all do 
their best. But after all, ‘ WyLp SAVAGE” may depend on 
one thing, and that is the best flower will win. I shall be well 
repaid if my few remarks induce but one “wyld sayage’’ to 
become a Carnation grower, and nothing would give me greater 
pleasure than to forward him a few plants with the best wishes 
of—A GILLYFLOWER. 
Your correspondent, “ D., Deal,” has returned to the subject 
of dressing Carnations, and has introduced a string of com- 
ments from contemporary journals to prove that he is right. 
Some of the illustrations are unworthy of notice, and some of 
the statements made by your correspondent are not correct. 
The Carnation is not throttled by a “ papercollar.” A circular 
card with a hole in the centre is placed to show the flower to 
the best advantage ; the hole in no instance presses the calyx. 
Does “ D., Deal,’”” really wish your readers to believe that all 
the delicate beauty of the petal is “destroyed, flattened, or 
pushed out”’ “by a series of instruments like a dentist’s col- 
lection?” Does he believe it himself? 
We next come to the assertion about mutilating the flowers. 
If “ D., Deal,” wished to show the weakness of his own position 
he could not have chosen a better quotation than the follow- 
ing :—“ Mutilating the flowers with pincers and other instru- 
ments are a disgrace to lovers of flowers, and are a means of 
deceiving the public who are ignorant of such maltreatment ; 
and it is no more right to take from or add to their flowers 
than it is for exhibitors of animals to take from or add to their 
tails.” I have exhibited all sorts of flowers and have seen 
others exhibited. I love the flowers that I grow and give others 
credit for the same. If there is a bad flower on a Hyacinth 
spike the exhibitor cuts it off. If there are too many the ex- 
hibitor cuts a few out to allow those that remain to grow to 
their full size. He would do it if he did not intend to exhibit 
them because he likes to see well-developed pips, and he does 
not think he is doing wrong any more than when he uses the 
same scissors to thin-out the berries from his bunches of Grapes 
for the same reason. 
An exhibitor of Orchids, Pelargoniums, Roses, &c., will cut 
imperfectly developed trusses or flowers from a plant they are 
exhibiting, and they will cut “run” flowers from a truss either 
on the home stage or for exhibition. Why? Because they 
love their flowers and like to see them perfect. This is not 
mutilating them. The judges at a Carnation show would dis- 
qualify mutilated flowers ; even cutting off the top of a calyx 
disqualifies ; a split pod disqualifies. No exhibitor ever took 
half the petals from a Picotee as stated. Petals are very 
seldom removed, but a self petal in a Carnation would dis- 
qualify, and an exhibitor wisely removes it. 
Does this bear any relation to mutilating an animal? ‘D., 
Deal,” wishes to exhibit a donkey, let us say, and the judges 
go in for certain points, even to the colour; but a hair or two 
is wrong on the animal’s-coat, and if left in would disqualify. 
I fancy he would pull them out. He would do it to hidea 
blemish, not to make one. But suppose its ears are too long 
and he trims them, or he cuts off half the tail to bring it down 
to the regulation standard, what then? The judges would dis- 
qualify, and the Society. for the Prevention of Cruelty to 
Animals would also have something to say. You may brush 
and dress your donkey, but you must not mutilate him. 
Your correspondent admits that it is right to arrange the 
petals of the flower. In most cases this is all that is done. 
No exhibitor adds to a flower, and only a tyro would extract 
petals in the wholesale manner suggested, or he would not 
have a place on the prize list—J. DOUGLAS. 
P.S.—An exhibitor brought a collection of Hyacinths to 
Kensington once. The spikes were not dressed, and if they 
had been exhibited as they were would have found no place 
on the prize list. I dressed them for him in the usual way, 
and the exhibitor gained the first prize. Who ought to have 
received it? Idid not. He did not say it was wrong to dress 
them, and he retained the prize money. Those who live in 
glass houses should not throw stones.—J. D. 
THE FRUITERERS’ COMPANY.—In pursuance of an agreeable 
annual custom the Wardens and Court waited upon the Lord 
Mayor and the Lady Mayoress on the 17th inst. at the Mansion 
House and presented them with a splendid assortment of the 
fruits in season. The gift, which was tastefully laid out in the 
saloon, included Pine Apples, Strawberries, Grapes, Peaches, 
Melons, Apples, Pears, all of the first quality. The presenta- 
tion was made by Mr. Alderman Knight, the acting Master, 
who spoke of the custom as an act of respect to the Chief 
Magistrate as the head of the Corporation with which the City 
Companies were so intimately connected, and who wished that 
