July  1896. 
JdtiEh^AL  OF  HORTIOtTLTURE  AND  OOTTAGE  GARDENFk 
flowing  of  thingi  of  beauty,  utility,  and  cuiiotity,  that  they  would  j 
exhaust  my  limits.  i 
To  its  talented  Curator  I  can  only  express  my  thanks  for  the  kindness  j 
experienced — not  only  on  my  visit  to  the  College  Garden,  but  for  much  j 
more.  That  his  work  is  appreciated  by  the  College  is  evident,  and  the  | 
Fellows  are  to  be  congratulated  on  the  possession  of  these  fine  gardens,  ! 
which  one  can  see  must  be  of  great  interest  almost  every  day  in  the 
year. — S.  Aknott. 
(To  be  continued.) 
CARNATIONS. 
CAIINATIONS  BY  THE  ACRE. 
To  speak  of  Carnations  growing  by  the  acre  will  probably  strike 
many  readers  as  being  an  obvious  stretch  of  the  imagination,  and  yet  it 
is  absolutely  true.  In  the  garden  of  a  gentleman,  who  has  done  mo/e 
for  the  encouragement  of  Carnation  and  Picotee  culture  than  any  other. 
beds  60  feet  long  by  6  feet  wide,  and  containing  four  rows  each,  com¬ 
prising  thirty-eight  plants,  or  in  other  words  152  plants  to  a  bed.  A 
little  multiplication  now  proves  that  there  are  here  48G4  plants,  and  all 
of  them  are  in  perfect  health.  This  does  not  represent  the  whole  of  next 
year’s  stock  by  any  means,  for  there  are  scores  of  other  beds  and  borders 
all  adding  their  share  to  make  up  the  grand  total  of  16,000  plants,  which 
is  the  approximate  number.  If  there  is  that  quantity  for  flowering 
next  year  someone  may  say,  How  many  plants  are  there  at  the  Warren 
now  7  And  the  answer  will  be,  in  round  numbers  40,000.  Such  is 
Mr.  Blick’s  computation,  and  he  regards  it  as  well  within  the  mark. 
The  soil  in  the  different  portions  of  the  estate  varies  from  a  mode¬ 
rately  good  loam  to  a  very  gravelly  one,  but  in  every  position  the  plants 
simply  luxuriate.  Remarkable  growths  are  made,  and  some  of  the 
plants  now  in  bloom  are  simply  of  immense  size.  The  healthy  stock 
from  which  the  seeds  are  saved  will  account  for  this  to  a  material 
extent,  though  not  wholly,  and  the  load  and  a  half  of  thoroughly 
decomposed  cow  manure  with  which  the  grower  treats  each  bed  of  the 
size  mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph  no  doubt  exercises  a 
*  f 
Fig.  14— GUNNERAS  and  THE  GUNNER  IN  TRINITY  COLLEGE  GARDENS. 
there  are  now  more  than  2  acres  of  Carnation  plants,  all  of  which  are  in 
the  best  of  health.  There  one  may  see  thousands  of  plants  in  various 
stages,  and  their  home  is  The  Warren,  Hayes,  Kent,  and  their  proprietor, 
Martin  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  who  may  well  be  termed  the  Schroder  of  the 
Carnation  world.  Much  has  he  done  by  the  free  distribution  of  seeds 
saved  from  the  best  plants  to  the  members  of  the  National  Carnation 
and  Picotee  Society  to  raise  the  tone — the  quality — of  the  Carnation 
throughout  the  British  Isles,  and  nothing  but  thanks  can  be  accorded 
for  the  manner  in  which  this  disinterested  work  has  been  carried  out. 
In  these  labours  of  love  Mr.  Charles  Blick,  the  gardener,  has  been 
assiduous,  indefatigable  in  the  furtherance  of  the  wishes  of  his  generous 
employer. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  charming  sight  than  that  produced 
by  the  hundreds  of  plants  smothered  with  flowers,  and  combining  with 
these  a  delicious  fragrance.  All  of  them  are  seedlings  from  seeds  raised 
on  the  place,  and  it  is  remarkable  that  all  display  a  strong  free  growth, 
large  smooth-petalled  shapely  flowers  borne  on  stout  stalks.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  these  are  the  objects  aimed  in  making  the  many  crosses.  Then 
every  single  variety  has  to  undergo  two  very  strict  examinations,  and  no 
plant,  save  those  which  reach  the  Hayes’  standard,  is  allowed  to  remain. 
Each  must  be  as  nearly  perfect  as  it  is  possible  to  have  it  ere  it  is 
named  and  passed  by  the  adjudicators. 
Let  ns  look  for  a  moment  at  the  beds  that  have  been  stocked  with 
plants  for  next  season’s  flowering.  In  one  plot  there  are  thirty-two  j 
tremendous  effect.  It  will  be  interesting  to  note  that  the  plants  are 
I  15  inehes  apart  every  way,  and  when  they  have  made  their  full  growth 
j  it  is  well  nigh  impossible  to  see  the  soil  between  them.  So  much  for  the 
Carnations  out  of  doors,  now  we  will  turn  to  those  under  glass. 
“  How  many  plants  do  you  grow  in  pots  7  ”  was  the  very  natural 
question,  promptly  propounded  ;  the  reply  being,  “0000,  in  3000  pots.’’ 
By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  three  plants  find  a  place  in  each  pot,  which 
are  generally  10  or  12  inches  in  diameter.  The  same  robustness  of 
constitution  are  plainly  apparent  here  as  are  observable  out  of  doors, 
only  these  in  pots  have  been  rather  more  severely  disbudded,  so  that 
size  and  substance  in  the  blooms  are  here  developed  to  even  a  more 
marked  degree.  As  the  plants  were  practically  at  their  best  when  this 
visit  was  paid ,  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Blick  were  going  over  each  one, 
naming  those  to  be  retained  and  deciding  which  should  be  dispensed 
witb.  The  pots  are  arranged  on  central  and  side  stages  in  the  span- 
roofed  structures  devoted  to  them,  and  all  possible  precautions  are  taken, 
while  admitting  abundance  of  fresh  air  to  the  plants  through  open  doors 
and  ventilators,  to  prevent  the  ingress  of  bees  and  other  insects  that 
would  fertilise  the  flowers  naturally. 
So  far  attention  appears  to  have  been  mainly  directed  to  the  improve¬ 
ment  of  Self,  Fancy,  and  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison  Carnations,  yellow 
ground  Picotees,  and  the  march  of  progress  has  been  rapid  and  incessant, 
Every  year  sees  advancement  in  one  or  all  sections— in  fact,  one  could 
hardly  expect  otherwise,  considering  the  energy  and  persistence  with 
