ANNUALS 



cuLus, or Carnation-flowered. The flowers 

 usually grow to a diameter of three and one-half 

 or four inches, and under favorable circumstances 

 will exceed five inches. The single forms are in- 

 variably the larger, the double rarely exceeding a 

 diameter of three and one-half inches. The best- 

 known variety of this species is the Shirley, and 

 no garden flower I know of can rival it in the 

 beauty of its coloring and the delicacy of its out- 

 lines. The colors range from a pure white to a 

 carmine, with every conceivable shade between 

 the two. As with other forms, the Shirley, 

 under certain conditions, shows a tendency to 

 become partially double. Nothing could be more 

 beautiful than the Shirley Poppy as a decoration 

 for the table, though the very delicacy that chal- 

 lenges our admiration makes its life but a brief 

 one after cutting. The best time to gather them, 

 or indeed any variety of Poppy, is in the early 

 morning, before the dew is off the petals, and 

 even then you should select the blooms that arie 

 but just opening to the sunshine. 



I have tried for a couple of years past a variety 

 advertised in admiring terms under the name of 

 Majestic, but have finally abandoned planting it, 

 as it appears to be only a strain of the Shirley 



I9S 



