4 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 
the winter, often watered it with brine, and at the spring 
when I sowed them, they had been steeped for twelve 
hours in dissolved nitre, and mixed them with calcined 
tartar, yet the effect did not at all answer my expectation.” 
Full directions for culture were given, even to tying the 
calices of those that burst. He adds that he obtained but 
poor success, and did not advise the raising of Carnations 
by seed in England. He names 360 varieties, and nearly 
all of these had been imported. Some idea is given of 
the colours prevalent amongst these 360 varieties. ‘The 
more ordinary sorts are all of one colour, red, purple, scarlet 
or white, but the single colours are little esteemed. Those 
flowers are chiefly valued which are well flaked, striped, or 
powdered upon white or blush, with darker or lighter red, 
crimson, or Carnation, sadder or brighter purple, deeper 
or paler scarlet.” ‘The second impression corrected with 
many additions” (1676) gives a very good idea of the 
varieties of Carnations cultivated in England 233 years ago. 
During the next hundred years not much was done in 
England towards improving the Carnation. There is 
some description of Carnations in Hill’s Eden (1757), in 
Hanbury’s work (1770), and others published at about 
that time, but not much advance was made except in 
respect to the Bizarres and Flakes. 
When Curtis established the Botanical Magazine in 
1787 he intended to illustrate botanical objects and garden 
flowers of original species; but a few exceptions were 
made, and in the second volume an illustration was given 
of a scarlet Bizarre Carnation named Tartar, raised by an 
amateur cultivator residing in Lambeth. It is certainly a 
very good variety, well marked on a good white ground, 
and equal in merit to Admiral Curzon, which has been 
