66 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 21, 1881. 
a lecture on the Carnation was delivered by Mr. Shirley Hibberd. 
He said— 
The Carnation is the true Gilloflower, and one of the oldest of 
all flowers when regarded as a subject of the florist’s care. When 
we turn to the old books we find Gilloflowers and Violets in¬ 
numerable. The stock is a Violet, and so is the Lily of the Valley. 
Amongst the Gilloflowers we find the Wallflower, Stock, and 
Rocket, besides the Clove, the Pink, and the Sweet-William, 
which was often called Sweet John, and our flower of to-day, the 
Carnation. If you will turn to Parkinson’s “ Paradisus ” you 
will find at page 318 a chapter headed “ Carnations,” and therein 
is a list of nineteen named varieties, comprising The Gray Hulo, 
The Chrystall, The Stript Sauadge, The Cambersine, and The 
Great Lombard. At page 310 is a list of thirty “Gilloflowers,” 
comprising The Bristow Blew, The Red Douer, The Daintie, The 
Sad Pageant, The Stamell, The Tawny, and Master Taggie his 
Ro e. The arrangement of the flowers in two classes by Parkin¬ 
son has no scientific value, because it depends chiefly on the rela¬ 
tive sizes of the flowers : the largest, as a rule, were Carnations, 
and the smaller were Gilloflowers. But if we could hunt up the 
fifty or sixty sorts he was acquainted with we should probably 
class his Carnations as Cloves and his Gilloflowers as Carnations. 
It is a matter of some importance, however, to note that the Car¬ 
nation is the Gilloflower of the old poets and herbalists. Other 
Gilloflowers were described with a qualifying adjective, as “ Stock 
Gilloflowers,” “ Cuckow Gilloflowers,” and so forth ; but these 
are the true Gilloflowers, and the name takes us to the sunny 
lands of the Latin races, for it has a Latin root, and it gives us 
the suggestion that the Carnation is not in a proper sense of the 
term a native flower. We have a wild Pink, indeed, and a most 
lovely flower it is, but it does not appear to possess the elements 
needful for the formation of such rich and refined flowers as are 
brought under our notice to-day. In common with many other 
garden flowers which are undoubtedly represented by wildings of 
the woods and fields, the influence of a south European climate 
appears to be and to have been needed for their full development. 
Hence we may treat with respect the probable reference to the 
Carnation by Pliny in the eighth chapter of his twenty-fifth book 
as the Cantabrica, which he says was discovered in Spain in the 
days of Augustus Cicsar. It is amusing to note that Pliny ante¬ 
dates the “ Soppes in Wine” of the old English writers by de¬ 
scribing the Spaniards as employing this flower to give a spicy 
flavour to their beverages. In Philemon Holland’s grand trans¬ 
lation we read, “At this day in their great feasts where they meet 
to make merry Sans-nombre, they baue a certain wassell or 
Bragat, which goeth round about the table, made of honied wine 
or sweetmead, with a hundred distinct herbs in it; and they are 
persuaded that it is the most pleasant and wholesomest drinke 
that can be deuised ; yet there is not one amongst them all who 
knoweth precisely what speciall herbs there be in all that number. 
In this only they be all perfect, that there go a hundred several 
kinds thereto, according as the name doth import.” Thus in the 
endeavour to trace up the geographical history of the Carnation 
we are reminded of the wisdom of our forefathers, who preferred 
to employ Carnations, and Roses, and Borage, and Woodruff, and 
Tormentil to flavour their drinks, than to combine destructive 
alkalies with equally destructive ardent spirits, or to take re¬ 
venge on the blessed sunshine and the delightful thirst it engen¬ 
ders by swallowing frothy fluids with mysterious names and 
much more mysterious properties. To return to the flowers, it 
seems that the south of Europe gave us the first start in high- 
class Carnation culture, as it gave the first start and sustains the 
latest fashion in the selection and management of Daffodils. 
Thus we are prepared to open the pages of the renowned John 
Gerarde in a state of preparedness to believe that the Carnations 
he obtained from the worthy merchant, Master Nicholas Lete, 
were the first of their kind seen in this country. And the men¬ 
tion of its introduction by Master Lete from Poland affords me 
a proper excuse for declaring that the present Exhibition is the 
tercentenary of the Carnation ; for the work of Gerarde was pub¬ 
lished in 1597, and we may reasonably contend that it was in or 
about the year 1581, or say sixteen years before Gerarde’s book 
was completed, which carries back the history of the Carnation 
to a date exactly three hundred years from the present time. 
So far good : in these matters we must pay respect to authority. 
But we must not forget the scriptural precept to “prove all 
things.” On turning to “ Haydn’s Dictionary of Dates,” under 
the word Carnation, I find it stated, on the authority of Stow, 
that the flower was introduced from the Low Countries in the 
year 1567. It would not be difficult to harmonise this statement 
with the story of its introduction by Master Lete, for this we may 
be sure of, that it had been in the country some time before 
Gerarde’s “ Herball ” appeared. But I would suggest that the 
flower is really of greater antiquity than appears from these evi¬ 
dences. The “Carnations and Streaked Gilivors” that Perdita 
describes as the fairest flowers of the season, were probably as old 
as any flowers of the English garden ; for we cannot imagine 
Shakespeare, in such a scene and context, introducing any flowers 
that had but recently come into cultivation. The “ Winter’s Tale ” 
was written in the year 1601, or only three years after the publica¬ 
tion of Gerarde’s book ; and Perdita speaks of these flowers as deriv¬ 
ing their special qualities, or, as we should say, “ properties,” from 
the arts of the florist, and as therefore less worthy of her attention. 
They are such, she says, as “ some call Nature's bastards,” and she 
seems pleased to own that “of that kind our rustic garden’s 
barren.” This goes at least to show that there were many varieties 
of the flower known in the year 1601, and that they were so far 
common that the humblest lovers of the garden could afford to 
reject them if they were stigmatised as “Nature’s bastards.” 
Finally, to make an end of this part of the subject, it may be 
proper to state that we learn from Chaucer that the Clove Gilli- 
flower was cultivated in this country in the reign of Edward III., 
and was commonly used to give a spicy flavour to ale and wine. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK/oihi-ieWEEK, 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
The forward Apricots and Peaches will now require attention to 
give the fruit the benefit of sun and air, turning the leaves aside, but 
avoiding as far as possible the too common practice of removing those 
that shade the fruit. Fruit trees generally have not made so much 
wood as usual, but they should be examined frequently, nailing or 
tying-in leading shoot6, and pinching those required to form spurs. 
Lay in the young wood of Peaches, Nectarines, and Morello Cherries, 
allowing sufficient space between each for the admission of light and 
air, so as to secure well-matured wood. Complete as soon as possible 
the removal or shortening of the breastwood and stopping the side 
growths, laying in wood where necessary to fill vacant spaces, and 
secure the extensions of Pears, Plums, Cherries, and Apples, also 
attending to the requirements of bush, pyramidal, and espalier fruit 
trees as advised in former calendars. Let fruit trees against w r alls 
be syringed occasionally in hot weather, and those swelling off their 
crops be assisted with liquid manure, unless the trees are vigorous 
and carrying but light crops of fruit. Apricots ripening will need 
protecting from birds and ants. Guano strewed in the runs of the 
latter and over their nests will mostly cause them to change their 
quarters, or pouring nicotine soap at a strength of 6 ozs. to a gallon of 
water at 100° over their nests will destroy them. They may also be 
trapped by placing a number of jars at the base of the wall contain¬ 
ing about an inch depth of treacle and water. Earwigs are trouble¬ 
some, and may be trapped in pieces of beanstalk cut into lengths 
of about 6 inches inserted among the branches. Examine them 
every morning, blowing any concealed inside into a bucket of water. 
Woodlice may be trapped in small pots baited with a boiled Potato 
covered loosely with a little hay. Continue to pot runners of Straw¬ 
berries as they can be procured for the purpose of forming new plan¬ 
tations or for forcing. Budding must now be followed up generally 
with fruit trees; and where it is requisite to fill up vacancies in 
established trees or to change the variety, buds may be inserted with 
every prospect of success in wood of one or more years’ growth, pro¬ 
viding the bark is not too rough and hard, in which case it is better 
to head down early in spring and work upon the young wood when 
sufficiently matured in summer. 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Peaches and Nectarines .—The earliest trees from which the fruit 
was gathered some time since will still require attention in watering 
the borders and in syringing the foliage, so as to maintain it healthy 
and secure plump flower buds for next year. This will be more 
particularly necessary where the roof lights cannot be removed, and 
in that case the lights must be open to the fullest extent day and 
