PINK FAMILY 



to whom the flower was dedicated. The matter so rested until 

 recently, when an Enghsh writer suggested that as the plant came 

 into England from France, it brought its French name, (Eillet, 

 with it. In accordance' with the genius of the Anglo-Saxon race, 

 that name could soon degenerate into Willy, which might, in time, 

 be improved into William. The sweetness and beauty of the flower 

 would do the rest. This explanation is ingenious, illuminating, 

 and satisfactory, so far as Sweet WilUam is concerned, but it 

 does not seem to do anything for Sweet John, and he is part of 

 the problem. 



A flowering of Sweet Williams of the modem type is a ver}' gor- 

 geous affair. The color scheme ranges from purest white to dark- 

 est red, with infinite variety of tint and combination. The texture 

 of the darker petaisje velvety, and probably no tint or shade of red 

 is unattainuble' in the''corolla. Usually a bunch of blossoms is 

 homogeneous in color and markings, but sometimes one will con- 

 tain a number of flowers with varied markings and different colors. 

 Double forms occur, but as in the case of the double geranium 

 the result is simply a mass of color which might as well be made of 

 strings or ribbons; all the quaint beauty and individuality of the 

 blossoni is gone — ^there remains only a blur of color. The books 

 call the plant a perennial — amateur gardeners believe it to be 

 biennial — in any case it is inclined to commit suicide by chok- 

 ing out its own life. The tufts should be divided frequently 

 and seedlings should often be reset. 



As cut flowers Sweet Williams are manifestly impossible; they 

 adorn the garden but not the house. 



CHINA PINK. INDIAN PINK 



Didnthus chinSnsis. 



Perennial, but best treated as a biennial. Native to China and 

 Japan, and introduced into Europe by a French missionary eady 

 in the eighteenth century. Blooms from July to the end of the 

 season. 



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