CHAPTER XV 
SELECTION OF VARIETIES OF PERPETUAL- 
FLOWERING CARNATIONS 
I HAVE before me a long list of Perpetual-Flowering Car- 
nations I grew only six years ago; but so rapid has been 
the improvement on the varieties grown at that time, that 
they have been discarded with two or three exceptions. 
At the same time, this is not all due to the improvement 
in recent introductions. Varieties of most flowers—and the 
Carnation is no exception—deteriorate in course of time, 
and such sorts as the once popular Duchess of Devon- 
shire, Winter Cheer, and Madame Franco are now seldom 
to be seen. Yet these in their best days, although lacking 
in length of stem and size of flower, were admirable in 
every other respect, and true Perpetual-Flowering Car- 
nations. I append a select list of varieties, with their 
colours, the letters attached being the key to the time 
of the last stopping of those varieties which I have 
cultivated. A little allowance should be made for the 
state of the weather at the time of stopping. If it is 
wet, stop early; if very dry, let the stopping be done at 
a later date. 
