CARNATION CONFERENCE. 



175 



term " saddle." The colours in this section should be pink, 

 purple, and white. Amongst the most prominent varieties are 

 William Skirving, James Taylor, Mrs. Barlow, Squire Llewellyn, 

 Sir G. Wolseley, and H. K. Mayor. 



We now come to the Flakes, which consist only of two 

 colours, viz. purple and white, scarlet and white, and rose and 

 white. 



Purple Flakes. 



The Purple Flakes are a very beautiful class, and add con- 

 siderable variety to a stand of flowers, one of the oldest in the 

 class being Millwood's Premier, which has been in cultivation 

 over fifty years. Another flower, called Sporting Lass, is a 

 sport from the Pink and Purple Bizarre called Sarah Payne. 

 The best now in cultivation are Dr. Foster, Florence Nightin- 

 gale, and James Douglas. 



Scarlet Flakes. 



This is a very attractive class, the scarlet stripes on the white 

 ground making the flower very conspicuous ; the best flowers of 

 the present day are Matador, Flirt, Sportsman — an old variety, 

 a sport from the old Scarlet Bizarre called Admiral Curzon. 

 The other well-known varieties are John Ball, Clipper, and Henry 

 Cannell. 



Rose Flakes. 



A very beautiful class, one of the best being Sybil, which, 

 when "run " into a rose-self, is a very beautiful flower. Amongst 

 the best are Thalia, John Keet, Jessica, and James Merryweather, 

 a flower raised twenty-five years since. 



Carnations Running. 



Carnations "running,' i.e. the flower running into a self- 

 colour, or the colours becoming suffused and having no white. 

 This running of the colours has puzzled the florist from the very 

 earliest days, and no solution of the problem has yet been found 

 to prevent colours from running, even if grown in poor, medium, 

 or rich soils ; but I would not advise any cultivator to propagate 

 from run plants, as it is seldom or ever the flower returns to its 

 normal state. Some flowers, however, are very beautiful in a 

 run state, such as Sybil, run into a self or into a fancy. 



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