110 
[ February 9, 1893. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
squeezed it nearly dry and spread it out. In another day it would 
recover its lovely green colour and be fresh, though, of course, it is best 
in moist dripping seasons. It lies close on the boards, allows one to 
FIG. 16. 
push a tube through, and to my mind is the A1 covering. It is a 
beautiful dark green when in condition. This I have afterwards laid on 
the tiles, and some of it has grown there. The moss on thatch is very 
different. It is very thick, sometimes inch, and does not lie evenly 
on the board. In some parts of Longleat Woods, at the roots of some of 
the trees, a beautiful kind of moss is found often ; also growing amongst 
the grass on some of the banks. It is more like fronds of Fern, some 
•of which are 4 inches long. I have seen this used often, but beautiful 
as the moss is by itself, it always appeared to me untidy as a covering ; 
moreover, the colour is a greenish yellow, and rarely all the same shade. 
Some years ago, when moss was discussed, it was said by some exhibitors 
that the dampness of moss dulled the colour of the Roses. If this is true 
it is a serious objection to moss, and a dry substitute would be welcomed. 
The moss I speak of as being found on the coping stones of walls, grows 
rapidly. For years I took off all I could find, with the exception of little 
stray pieces, yet in course of the winter the same spots would be covered 
again. It grows best where overshadowed by trees.—Y. B. A. Z. 
EAISING SEEDLING CARNATIONS. 
The raising of seedling Carnations is one of the most fascinating 
pastimes the experimenter can engage in. It is fraught with hopes, 
fears, and disappointments, and frequently, to the severely practical 
man, apparently unjustifiable elations. There is a number of practical 
florists, and some amateurs, engaged in the raising of seedling Carna¬ 
tions with a view to their improvement, and there are many others who 
■would take up this laudable undertaking if they knew just where to 
begin. It is for the latter class that this article is prepared. 
It is interesting to know the origin of meritorious varieties, not for 
‘the purpose of repeating the experiment, for it is ten thousand chances 
to one that the results would be the same, for there are rarely or never 
two varieties that might be pronounced identical even from the same 
•eed pod. But it is so much knowledge to our credit, and it may act 
-as a guide for future operations. Though he who thinks he will 
'lectrify the floricultural world by his achievements after he has 
■earned the pedigrees of the best sorts by heart may be disappointed, 
yet such is among the possibilities. A novice might effect a cross 
between two varieties without any idea as to what the effect would be, 
and the result might be greater than that of a person who has been 
experimenting with a definite object in view for years. This is where 
that element which is known as luck comes in. Yet there are very few, 
I venture to say, who have ever indulged in this mild form of excite¬ 
ment who would throw aside system, no matter how fortunate someone 
else may have been in a haphazard way, and depend entirely upon 
luck. I believe in pedign es, for by careful records, with close obser¬ 
vation, we may note the influence of varieties as breeders; some may 
be much more potent than others. 
In explanation of thi, illustrations, fig. 16 is a Carnation flower 
showing the pistils prominently, which may be called the pistillate, 
seed or female parent, all of which are synonymous terms. Fig. 17 is 
a flower which shows the stamens conspicuously; these furnish the 
pollen with which to fertilise the pistillate flower. Generally speaking, 
a Carnation flower may be made either the pollen or the seed parent, as 
the operator may determine, though there are exceptions to this rule. 
I found this out some years ago when hunting among some flowers of 
the variety Duke of Orange for pollen, but not a grain could I find. On 
the other hand, I have operated upon varieties which did not produce 
perfect seeds. 
In fig. 18 we find a representation of a flower ready to be operated 
upon. The petals have been carefully removed with the finger and 
thumb, part of the calyx has been cut away by a sharp pair of scissors, 
showing the ovary with the pistils standing out above. 
Fig. 19 gives the stamens and pistils. The stamens are the more 
apparent, and shows the pistils before they have developed far enough 
to be fertilised. 
Fig. 20 is similar to the last. On close examination it will be seen 
that some of the pollen cases have burst, thus freeing the meal-like 
pollen, which may be carried by a camel’s-hair brush, to which it readily 
adheres, and applied as seen at fig. 21, where the operator is in the act 
of applying the pollen. Camel’s-hair brushes may be obtained at a 
trifling cost. Where there is any choice it is best to select the darkest 
brushes, as the pollen grains are more readily seen on this material than 
when it is of a greyish colour, thus giving the practitioner a better idea 
what he is doing. In all our operations there is always a danger present 
and a possibility of self-fertilisation. To avert this it is better to 
remove all the petals and stamens at an early stage of the flower’s 
development, before the stamens have had time to ripen its fructifying 
grains, thus destroying a possibility of frustrating our plans. 
Fig. 22 gives an idea how the seed pod should look when it has 
advanced somewhat, although this cut is more to show the manner of 
keeping a record of the cross made. Some prefer to mark the tag 
only with a number and to keep in a note book the full particulars, 
but if the note book happens to get lost the numbers are very little 
value. A full record on the tag is best, I think ; then there is little or 
no danger of losing it. It is cheaper to buy the little tags than to 
make them. They are sold with strings already attached, which 
renders them easily adjusted, and gives the whole operation a neat and 
workmanlike appearance. In recording the cross, the name of the 
seed parent comes first. Whether it is correct to make a plus mark 
or a multiplication mark (x) I have not been able to determine. 
We may multiply varieties without adding to their quality. Each one 
may make the mark which suits him best.— Edwin Lonsdaxe (in “ The 
American Florist,'") 
NEW ZEALAND GARDENS AND CLIMATE AT 
CHRISTMAS. 
I HAVE recently received the enclosed newspaper cutting from a 
relative at Auckland, New Zealand, to whom I occasionally send your 
paper, which I take in regularly. I thought you might like to insert 
it as showing what a splendid climate our colonists there possess, and 
what a fine season they appear to have had this last summer of theirs, 
corresponding in time to our winter here. 
I may mention that my relative takes a great interest in his garden, 
and last year he sent me in March, which I received in May, a box of 
freshly gathered Northern Spy Apples of his own growing, which 
reached me in excellent condition, coming by steamer in one of the 
cool chambers. They were splendid specimens both in appearance and 
flavour, and averaged a weight of three-quarters of a pound each.— 
Chas. H. Page, Dulwich Douse, Cardiff. 
We insert with pleasure the extract from the New Zealand paper, 
dated December 23rd, 1892, as sent to us by Colonel Page ; it is as 
follows :— 
“ The splendid weather we are having has afforded ample opportunity 
for destroying weeds and placing the whole of the garden and grout ds 
