CARNATION CONFERENCE. 



4G3 



belong to the latter category, and the result is much disappoint- 

 ment and discouragement to the amateur. Indeed, I know 

 several of my own friends who have "given up Carnations " on 

 these grounds. 



My own experience is, I am sorry to say, all in the same 

 direction. I was only looking a few days since at some choice 

 varieties I had this spring put into my borders, and if their 

 aspect had not been indescribably ludicrous I could have cried 

 over them ! 



And now what is to be done — what steps can we take 

 towards a better result ? I have to-day made a proposal to the 

 Carnation Society, which I have reason to believe that they will 

 accept, and which I hope may be productive of satisfactory 

 results — and that is the establishment of a class at their 

 exhibitions for flowers cut from plants wintered without pro- 

 tection and bloomed in the open border. The details I have of 

 course left to them, but I have proposed to give twenty guineas 

 a year for the next five years towards this purpose. 



I know that several leading growers have given much attention 

 to this matter, and have met with considerable success. Indeed 

 we shall shortly hear a paper read upon this very subject by Mr. 

 Dean, to which I shall listen with the greatest interest ; but it 

 is impossible to deny that it is useless to compete with blooms 

 cut from the open border with those brought out under glass. 

 The conditions are too unequal— and the public, gazing 

 admiringly at the lovely flowers they see staged at our ex- 

 hibitions, are unable to appreciate the humbler excellence of 

 border-grown Carnations. 



I believe and maintain that it is possible to raise a class 

 of Carnations absolutely hardy which shall at the same time 

 possess all the grace and beauty of Carnations grown under 

 glass ; but to do this it is abundantly clear that there must be 

 no " coddling," and that the parent plants should be selected 

 not only on account of their beauty, but mainly with reference 

 to their hardiness of constitution. And, as a great means to tin 

 end, I would say emphatically to amateurs, raise your own seed. 



You must buy your parent plants, for you can get ready to 

 your hand what you might probably never succeed in raising for 

 yourselves. 



Select your parent plants from those which flourish best in 



