GUT FLOWERS. 129 



CAEXATIOX. 



The flowers of the Carnation are much admired for their 

 beauty, perfume, and general usefulness in decorative work, 

 and when well grown make a beautiful stand for exhibition. 

 A few of the best for competition are Admiral Curzon, Flo- 

 rence Nightingale, Germania, Henry Cannell, James Douglas, 

 Matador, Mr. Frederick William Bacon, Robert Halgrave, Rob 

 Ro}', Sarah Payne, Sybil, and William Skirving. For pot cul- 

 ture the plants should be potted in five-inch pots in October in 

 sandy loam and leaf-mould, placed in a cold frame, and kept 

 close and shaded till the new roots have started to grow. Air 

 should then be gradually given, until the light can be with- 

 drawn altogether, except during heavy rain and frost. During 

 February they should be shifted into ten-inch pots for bloom- 

 ing, giving plenty of drainage, and using the same soil, with 

 the addition of some old manure well rubbed down, replacing 

 them in the cold frame, where they should remain until May. 

 As the flower-stems shoot upwards they should be loosely tied 

 to stakes, and as soon as the buds can be detected the best 

 should be carefully preserved, and three only left on a plant. 

 Weak liquid manure, made from soot and sheep-droppings, 

 should now be given twice a week, which will cause the buds 

 to swell and give a dark healthy hue to the foliage. As the 

 flowers expand they should be slightly shaded, in order to pre- 

 serve them ; but this should not be overdone, else the colours 

 will not be so bright. Carnations are also successfully culti- 

 vated in beds, but so much depends on external circumstances 

 that this system cannot always be relied upon ; and to ensure 

 fine blooms, at least in northern parts, a number must be 

 grown in pots. The points of merit are : (1.) Size and form ; 

 (2.) distinctness in the markings and colour; and (3.) sub- 

 stance of the petals and regularity in their disposition. 



