May 1, 1908 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
SI SSS CRS SAAS 
MARGARET CARNATION, 
| Deseripsign 
May be Sown during this Month. 
Carnations. 
The writer of the ‘Country House- 
‘wife’s Garden,” published over 300 years 
-ago, writes thus of the Carnation :—‘July 
‘flowers, commonly called Gilly flowers, 
because they flower in July, I may call 
‘them the king of flowers (except the 
rose), The best sorts of them are called 
‘Queen July Flowers—some of them are 
as big as roses. Their use is much in 
“ornament and coinforting the spirits by 
‘the sense of smelling” 
The estimate of this old writer is 
_ generally accepted at the present day. 
‘The rose is still the Queen of flowers, but 
‘Next to it we must place the Carnation. 
We do not seem to have gained much’ 
With regard to size of the flower, but to 
have gone back as regards fragrance. 
The Carnation has one advantage over 
‘the rose, in that it will flourish in posi- 
“tions where the rose would make # com- 
Plete failure. In smoky districts that 
‘Would be death to the Rose the Carnation 
Would be in its element. 
Usually divided into four classes, as 
‘follows, Selfs, Bizarres, flakes, and. 
Carnations are’ 
Picotees. Selfs are of one color only, 
without marks or shadings; Bizarres are 
those in which the white ground color is 
striped with two colors, one being darker 
than tke other ; Flakes are those in which 
the ground color of the petals is striped 
with only one color, purple, scarlet or 
rose. In the Picotee, the color is dis- 
tributed in curves round the edge, form- 
ing by a combination of the petals a 
circle more or less perfect, If the color 
be dense, it is styled heavy, and if a light 
edge medium, and if a very fine edge of 
color it is termed wire-edged. Its ground 
color shonld be white or yellow, pure and 
without blemish. Jn some instances the 
more delicate-edge 1 Picotees appear to be 
of less robust character than Carnations 
‘generally, and it is probable that a con- 
siderable amount of breeding in and in 
to secure the fine beaded edge may have 
induced constitutional weakness. It may 
be fittingly described as the feminine of 
the more muscular Carnation. The 
Picotees are divided into three sections, 
red edged, purple edged, and rose edged. 
Although the Pie tees are often classed 
geparate from warnations they both 
_ effectually than treading. 
il 
Yequire the same treatment, and both 
may be raised from one pod of seed. 
— Cultivation. — 
The Carnation is one of the easiest 
cultivated of plants, and will lend itself. 
to the various forms of garden ornamen- 
tation. It can be grown in the mixed 
borders, on single lines, or, better still, in 
beds by themselves The first considera- 
tion is the preparation of the beds, which 
for several reasons should be undertaken 
some time beforehand in order that the 
ground may have time to settle before 
the plants are put in, asa firm root run 
is one of the first principles of successful 
Carnation culture, ‘Time and a good 
soaking rain will bring this about more 
Stiff or clay 
soils do not require compressing as 
lighter formations, but in loose soil plants 
will not thrive to any extent or for any 
length of time. Planting may commence 
early in autumn, through the winter and 
early spring, but the best time is early 
autumn, and on no account should the 
plant be pot bound, A piece of ground 
in an open and sunny position, yet 
sheltered from strong winds, should be 
The ground should 
be deeply dug—a good double digging— 
that is two spits deep, if the ground is 
old garden soil, and a thick coat of well- 
rotted cow manure, well mixed with the 
soil, Do not fall into the error of making 
the ground too rich with manure. This 
would have a worse result than the other 
extreme of poverty. Extra nourishment™ 
can always he supplied later with the 
best by means of artificial 
manure, or mulching and liquid manure 
in dry times. 
Heavy soils will be greatly benefitted 
by the addition of sand or grit, sea sand 
is excellent, as it contains a small per- 
centage of salt. Burnt oil is also good, 
Carnations make quick and strong growth 
‘in charred earth. If the soil be a very 
light one it will be specially benefitted by 
‘a dressing of burned garden refuse | 
Carnations are also very fond of lime or 
old mortar, but it must not be overdone. 
Bonedust and superphosphate are the 
best fertilizers, dusted over the ground at 
the rate of three pounds per square -rod. 
x 
chosen if possible. 
results 
+ ge 
