Inly 19, 1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
47 
As has been often pointed out, the easiest method of raising 
a stock of healthy fiee-floweiing Carnations is by raising seedlings. 
There can be no doubt that for ordinary garden decoration pur¬ 
poses this is the easiest method, and the plants are very pleasing. 
Rut these are not so good for cut flower purposes as are those 
from well-grown plants of good sorts. Last season Carnations, 
Pinks, &c., seeded freely, and there was no difficulty in anyone 
raising a large stock of plants cheaply. If the seeds are sown in 
January and kept growung many flower the first season, and the 
next they are good bushes, with many flower stems. One is sure 
CARNATION NOTES. 
I imagine one of the least studied 
•points in the cultivation of Carnations 
^grown out of doors is that of propagation. 
As a rule the young shoots are layered 
when a spare space of time can conve¬ 
niently be had in which to overtake this 
■work, and the result very often is small 
not very well-rooted plants, either to stand 
the winter when layered or planted out too 
late to be established before winter. The 
.proper time to layer is directly the shoots 
■can be had strong enough, when they root 
very rapidly, and are ready for planting 
into beds or nursery lines in early autumn, 
with good roots and strong healthy shoots. 
The result in the ensuing summer is beds 
of plants each with many flowering stems, 
instead of the puny plants incapable of 
throwing more than one weakly flower 
istem, and which is more often to be met 
with in gardens than the kind I am re¬ 
commending. Early propagation is there¬ 
fore the point of all others which has the 
•strongest bearing for good in Carnation 
■culture. 
Where there are plenty of plants and 
fine flowers are desired it is a good plan to 
freely thin the buds, so those left become 
large. The difference in size is at least 
one-third, and the petals of the thinned 
flowers are much broader, giving the flowers 
;a fuller appearance, and adding greatly to 
their attractiveness. Just now we have 
Mrs. Sinkins Pink in quantity, some with 
unthinned flower stems, and others with 
only one bloom left to a stem, and the 
result is that no one would think of taking the former, so much finer 
are the latter. Souvenir de la Malmaison is another case in point. 
There is no difficulty in obtaining flowers throughout the summer 
■months fully G inches across if the stems are freely thinned of buds. 
Last winter we cut many 4 and 5 inches across ; indeed, the way to 
have this lovely flower fine is to layer a strong shoot in autumn— 
up to October will do ; keep it growing, shifting into a 5 or 6-inch 
pot when needed, and keep the flower stem thinned to one bud, 
and that bud will unfold a beautiful full bloom of the size noted. 
Those who have been contented with ordinary-sized flowers of this 
queenly variety would be surprised to find how much finer it is 
grown as j ust recommended. 
Fig. E.—OYPFilPEDIUM MEASURE."IANU,l. 
to procure some pretty single sorts from sveds, which though net 
worth propagating further are useful for furnishing vases.—B. 
Tom Thumb Savoy. —There are many varieties of little Savoys offered 
for sale, but we fear they are all closely related to the old Tom, and it- 
is a good one. AVhere size is wanted it need not be grown, but where 
fine little heads of excellent quality are required it will always find 
favour. It gains maturity in three months, and need not be planted 
until well into July. The plants are so dwarf and compact that they 
may be pi mfed 15 inches each way, and it will be found that the 
whole space will ultimately be covered with choice compact heads.—M. 
interesting collection of Orchids has been sold, and many valuable 
•varieties have passed into other hands.—G. W. 
CYPRIPEDIUM MEASURESIANTJM. 
Hybrid Cypripediums are now becoming very numerous, but 
•there seems to be no limit to their variability, and new forms are 
■constantly being raised and sent out, all with some claims upon the 
consideration of Orchid growers. Mr. R. H. Measures of Streatham 
has given special attention to the Cypripediums, with the result 
that his collection is now a remarkably rich one, including most of 
the named species, hybrids or varieties, 
'together with several seedlings that have 
not yet flowered. One of the recent 
hybrids as yet but little known is repre- 
•sented in the woodcut (fig. 5), kindly lent 
T>y Mr. B S. Williams, who is now dis¬ 
tributing the plant. This authority thus 
speaks of C. Measuresianum : —“It is the 
result of a cross between C. villosum and 
0. venustum, and has leaves 5 to 8 inches 
long by 1 to 14 broad, dark green on the 
upper surface, and marked with purple on 
The under side ; flower scapes purple, hairy 
as in C. venustum ; dorsal sepal ovate- 
lanceolate, yellow, margined with white, 
and veined with yellowish green ; petals 
•similar in shape to C. villosum, and having 
the same varnished appearance, light brown 
ipurple changing to bright orange, suffused 
on the upper half with purple ; lip large, 
•orange tinted, and veined with purple 
brown/’ 
