210 EXHIBITING AND JUDGING 



of some neutral or dark color in plush or velvet, or even 

 green baize for lack of anything better, should be em- 

 ployed, as the Carnation is too " thin " a flower to look well 

 without this support or foiL The American Carnation 

 Society adopted a dark bottle green color for its vases at 

 its annual meeting at Cleveland in 1914. These vases, as 

 is well known, are about 8 in. wide at the mouth and 16 in. 

 high to hold 100 blooms, and proportionately less for half 

 that number. 



It used to be the custom and is still, though to a less 

 extent, at the English shows when fancy blooms of the 

 Border type were exhibited, to show these on boards or 

 boxes, which were 30 in. by 18 in., 4 in. deep in front and 9 

 in. deep at the back. One of these boxes containing the 

 flowers is here illustrated. The flowers are shown with 

 a circular white card or collar beneath them, with the 

 idea of throwing up the color, and at the same time sup- 

 porting the bloom. These are made of white cardboard 

 with a circular hole just the size of the calyx. Through 

 this the bloom is taken, the cardboard being adjusted just 

 beneath the petals. The outer petals are flattened upon 

 this cardboard, while the central ones are arranged in regular 

 order more or less flat, successively, in true symmetrical 

 form. The idea is to get a smooth, faultless, round flower. 

 Any superfluous petals, or any indeed the least malformed 

 or small, are taken out by means of tweezers. Such blooms 

 when " dressed " are then supposed to be ideal for the 

 judges. Fringed flowers are never allowed in exhibits of 

 these Border varieties. 



During the last eight or ten years, however, there has 

 been a distinct and increasing tendency to exhibit the 

 blooms naturally, without any dressing, and in vases. 



