FOREWORD 



then, by cross breeding with the Malmaison Carnation, 

 even larger flowers than this have been developed, and 

 this characteristic has, moreover, been united with the 

 perpetual flowering trait of the American Carnation. 



It is not generally known just how varied are the 

 colors of this flower; our commercial Carnations are so 

 much confined to white, pink, scarlet, crimson and yellow, 

 that mauve, purple and the beautiful fancy combinations 

 that have arisen in the perpetuals in recent years are 

 almost overlooked by many of us. Even if only for the 

 sake of variety one would like to see more of these novel 

 shades. 



American cultivators have a very pure type or strain, 

 and happily, by the careful awards made by the judges 

 ■of the American Carnation Society, the merits of the 

 commercial Carnation are very carefully and rigidly pre- 

 served and safeguarded. The result of this has been and 

 is that the American Carnation has obtained pre-eminence 

 all over the world for its qualities of vigor, floriferousness, 

 and the brightness and general excellence of its flowers. It 

 has done this against some prejudice and even opposi- 

 tion, but "truth will out": there could be no check for 

 any length of time to the filling of its true position by a 

 subject of such sterling superiority. Even as a border or 

 bedding plant it is challenging the European Carnation in 

 its own field. 



Although the flower may have its dark periods, when 

 other favorites seem to crowd it a little and depreciate its 

 value in the public eye, these are only temporary, and a 

 flower so graceful, so bright, so fragrant and free can never 

 be submerged nor relegated to any inferior position. It 

 will in the future, as for so many lifetimes behind us, remain 

 one of the best beloved of all the flowers. 



