with scarlet, crimson, or pink upon yellow 
grounds, as the yellow varieties are almost 
invariably marked with pink, scarlet, or 
some other tint; white variegated section 
comprises varieties of a light pink with 
scarlet or crimson markings. The blue 
section comprises varieties showing some 
tendency toward the blue in color. This 
latter section has not as yet produced any- 
thing that might be termed a blue, as 
invariably there is enough pink in the make 
up of the color to shade the tone into 
purple or mauve. The crimson, dark and 
light pink, scarlet and white sections have 
been fairly well fixed, but the yellow, 
white and pink variegated and blue sec- 
tions will be very difficult to fix, as they 
are essentially mosaics, and there 1s a con- 
stant tendency towards variation in all 
hybrids produced from them. 
The bulk of my profitable varieties can, 
practically be traced to the variety Gene- 
ral Maceo, which was the result of a cross 
between the English variety, Winter 
Cheer, and Mr. Dorner’s American variety, 
Meteor. The original plant of Maceo had 
a very peculiar habit, being almost a clim- 
ber, and was dug from the frozen ground 
after all supposed good sorts had been 
taken into the field, its only recommenda- 
- tion being an intensely colored. large bloom 
on a plant having a habit somewhat re- 
sembling a creeping grape vine in growth, 
but by) selection from bud variations, it 
was built into an immensely profitable 
commercial variety. 
In hybridising carnations we sometimes 
‘meet with what is termed seed. sports. — 
These have been invariably light pink 
varieties (more or lesj marked with crim- 
son edgings and. stripes), that have been 
produced by crossing crimson sorts which 
had comparatively pure crimson pedigrees 
for several generations. 
Aside from its commercial importance, 
there ig a sentimental side to carnation 
growing. The production of new hybrids, 
which are distinct improvements upon 
existing sorts, is always a pleasure, and 
serves to keep one thoroughly interested 
in the Divine Flower, and amply repays 
for the close application, necessary to pro- 
duce practical improvements. 
How I Commencep Carnation CULTURE. 
Some fourteen years ago while walking 
down. Broadway, in New York City, a 
Greek flower’ peddler pushed under my nose 
a bunch of clove-scented carnatior®. The 
delicious fragrance reminded me vividly of 
the old home garden with its little plots of 
Paisley pinks, and I became at once in-— 
terested in the blooms. Being at that time 
out of business I took up the growing of 
carnations, believing that if chrysanthe- 
mums, roses, and other flowers could be im- 
_ proved by hybridization and culture, the 
carnation ought to respond to similar 
methods; and in this view later experi- 
ence proved I was not at fault. 
CommerctaL IMPORTANCE OF THE — 
CARNATION. . 
‘At the present time the commercial 
jn a political sense, It was the McKinley 
THR AU-1RALIAN GARDENER. 
value of the carnation grown in this coun- 
try has risen so that the calling may he 
considered one of the substantial profes- 
siens. The annual value of the carnation 
product reaches five to six millions of dol- 
lars when we consider both the sales of 
plants and flowers, and the capital invest- 
ed possibly may amount to fifteen to twenty 
millions of dollars, taking into considera- 
tion the value of the real estate and build- — 
ings devoted to carnation culture. 
The improvement in the carnation which 
has resulted in giving us flowers three times 
the size that they ordinarily were, with 
stems four to five times ag long, has pro- 
duced a general advance in the price of the 
carnation, which seems to keep pace with 
the increased demand. When I first un- 
dertook the growing of the carnation fifty 
cents to one and two dollars per dozen 
was considered the retail price. At pre- 
sent two, three, six, sometimes eight, and, 
in rare instances, ten dollars per dozen. is 
secured. When I first entered the busi- 
ness fifty cents to one dollar up to four 
dollars per hundred as the maximum price 
were the wholesale rates. At present two, 
four, six, eight, ten to fifteen dollars are 
ruling prices, and at certain seasons as high — 
as twenty-five dollars per hundred are 
secured for the best and most perfect 
blooms. 
We have about two acres under glass 
devoted to carnation growing, the annual. 
sales from which run from 30,000 to 36,000 
dollars, netting a fair “annual profit of 
10,000 to 12,000 dollars. 
Much has been said and written about 
the value of a single variety of new carna- 
tion. So far, I am informed, at least five 
varieties have been sold on a basis of 8,000 
to 10,000 dollars per variety. One at least 
upon a basis of 20,000 dollars for the 
variety, this being the scarlet sort, Robert 
Craig, one of my own seedlings, a half- 
interest in which was sold last year for 
10,000 dollars, and the Mrs. Lawson, which 
netted as much as the Robert Craig. The 
Robert Craig variety will not be dissemina- 
ted until the season of 1906, and already 
orders have been entered for some 375,000 
plants, which will probably be increased 
to 400,000 plants before the season of dis- | 
semination is closed. 
Namine Carnations. 
The naming of a’ new carnation is quite 
‘a puzzle -to the originator, and he usually 
selects the name of some beautiful lady, 
some particular ifriend, some important 
personage, a bird, the names of planets, 
or something that will serve to de- 
scribe or produce an impression on 
the characteristics of his flower. In 
naming my own productions, I have 
honored the varieties with such names as 
Governor Roosevelt, The President, Mrs. 
Roosevelt, Viola Allen, J. H. Manley, Ro- 
bert Craig, and the Cuban patriots, Gene- 
ral Maceo and General Gomez. 
Tur CARNATION IN PoLtTics. 
The carnation has frequently been used 
emblem and the campaign flower during 
August 1, 1905 
the campaign which elected McKinley and 
Rocsevelt, and during that campaign the 
various carnation growers throughout the 
country donated many thousands of flowers 
to decorate the buttonholes of those march- 
ing the political parades. At the present ~ 
time the American Carnation Society de- 
corates the grave of the lamented Presi- 
dent McKinley with carnations each year 
on the 29th of January. 
The carnation is extensively used as a 
decorative flower. It lends itself to al- 
most every use in which flowers are suit- 
able. Its varied and delicate colorings, 
its magnificent pungent refreshing odor, 
and its long keeping qualities render it pro- 
bably the most ‘valuable of all florists’ 
flowers. 
Degeneration of the Carnation. 
This subject was discussed in a recent 
issue of “The Gardeners’ Chronicle,’ Lon- 
don, England, by James Douglas, a carna- 
tion grower of about fifty years’ experi- 
ence. Mr. Douglas advances the following 
causes tending to degeneration in. the 
divine flower: Over-propagation, over- 
feeding, which, he gays, is a fertile source 
of disease; it also induces for the time a 
strong, sappy, but unwholesome growth, 
which can only be maintained for a few 
years.  Over-flowering will also weaken 
carnations to a greater extent than many 
cultivators are aware. One large double 
carnation flower will reduce the vitality of 
the plant a greater extent than aj dozen or 
a score of single flowers. The single bloom 
is of a very fugacious character; it rapidly 
develops, and in two or three days the 
petals drop off; whereas the large double 
flowers develop slowly, and last in full 
beauty for ten, days or more, to the rapid 
exhaustion of the plant. The coloration 
of the foliage has a good deal to do with 
the vigor of the plant. The darker the 
green the greater is the vitality. 
Mr. Douglas then suggests the following 
as a remedy for degeneration in the carna- 
tion: Selection of vigorous, healthy varie- 
ties both as seed and ,pollen bearers. There 
should be no great hurry to get up a stock 
of plants, but they should be propagated 
in a (more or less) natural manner. Over- 
stimulating manures should be avoided ; 
the plants should be grown in good garden 
soil, using no stimiulants but decayed farm- 
yard manure, which should not be allowed 
to come in contact with the roots. Some: 
of the plants should have a year’s rest from 
flowering, and layers [he is referring to the 
English method of propagation] should be 
taken from the rested plants. Wild plants 
do not degenerate, and if more natural con- 
ditions were allowed to prevail, cultivated 
carnations would be free from it. 
We believe the views of Mr. Douglas, as 
expressed above, will find general endorse-. 
ment by American carnationists. It is 
generally conceded that our “high pressure” 
