CHAPTER XI.

THE CARNATION, AND PICOTEE PINKS.

“Ye are the Scriptures of the earth, Sweet flowers, fair and frail; A sermon speaks in every bud, That woos the summer gale.”

The Carnation has been cultivated from time immemorial in Europe, and from Gerard, the herbalist of Queen Elizabeth’s time, we learn some of its quaint old English names, such as “Sops in Wine” (very expressive of the variegated red and white flower), “Pagaiants,” “Horseflesh,” “Blunkets,” etc.

The most common varieties of the Carnation sprung from the Clove Gilliflower, or Clove Pink, and in former days was much used to distil Clove Gilliflower Water, which was in great repute as a restorative. The florists divide them into three classes now--flakes, bizarres and picotees.

The flakes, on a pure yellow or white ground, have only one color, disposed in broad flashes or stripes, and extending the length of the petal.

The bizarres, on a pure white or yellow ground, have two or more colors in irregular stripes of pink, or scarlet and purple, sometimes running from the base to the margin of the petal, sometimes broken irregularly into spots.

The Picotee was formerly spotted with purple, red or scarlet spots, on a white or yellow ground; modern improvements have changed its character; it is no longer a spotted carnation, but one with the colorings confined to a bordering of each petal.

Each of these three classes are sub-denominated, according to their colors, as scarlet-flake, pink-flake, scarlet-bizarre, etc., etc.

The stripes or spots in Carnations are usually in shades of scarlet, pink and purple, on a white, pink, red or yellow ground.

The word “Carnation” is fully significant of the flesh-color which characterized the original and earlier cultivated varieties.

Of all the flowers that adorn the garden, whether they charm the eye by their beauty, or regale the sense of smelling by their fragrance, the Carnation may justly rank next to the Rose.

The Flemish weavers, who sought a refuge in England from the religious persecutions of Philip II, and the cruelty of the Duke of Alva, were renowned for their Carnations, Roses, and Gilliflowers, and they introduced many of the rarest varieties of these flowers, often superior to the specimens produced by professional gardeners. Mr. Hogg, a celebrated florist, and also a writer upon Floriculture, declares that “it is not every gardener who knows how to grow a Carnation, and there is not one in ten whose assistance I would claim on the most pressing occasion, and leave the operation of layering to them unlooked after; whereas I would implicitly trust it to any weaver, cobbler or barber who had had the least practice with his own flowers.”

There is hardly any plant grown by florists to which they consider a congenial soil is of so much importance. It should be composed of one-half rotten horse manure, not less than a year old; that which has been used in a hot-bed is just the article for composing the soil for Carnations. Add to it one-third fresh loam, and one-third coarse river sand. If these ingredients are mixed together in the Autumn, and allowed to freeze, and in the Spring are thoroughly mixed up, a good compost will be obtained. Those of our readers who live near a florist had better buy the compost for their plants. Large piles of it are always kept on hand, and sold cheaply. It is better to supply the soil for all pot plants in this way. Carnations are propagated by seed, layers and cuttings.

The seed should be sown in April or May, in pots filled with rich compost, and a little fine sand, barely sufficient to cover them, sprinkled over the seeds. As soon as the young plants are three inches high, they should be planted out into a bed of rich soil. They will not bloom until the following Summer, but the plants can be protected in cold climates by laying sods of grass over them, or by keeping the plants in the cellar in boxes.

The best time to layer is when the plant is in full bloom, which will be about the middle of July, or according to the season. The shoot to be layered may be four or five joints in length; all the lower leaves next to the root must be stripped off, leaving only those on the two or three upper joints. The surface of the soil should be stirred up to the depth of an inch; then take the shoot in the finger and thumb of the left hand, and bend it upwards, so that the knife can enter a quarter of an inch below the second or third joint from the top, and on the side of the shoot next the ground; cut upwards through the center of the joint, slantingly for about half an inch. Now cut off the tip of the portion underneath close to the joint. If it breaks off it is worthless as a layer, so handle it very carefully, and lay the shoot into the soil, pegging it down with a large hair pin. The root fibres are soonest formed when the joint is but lightly covered with earth, not more than a quarter of an inch. No more of the stem of the layer than just close to the joint, nor any of the leaves should be buried in the soil, for the dampness will cause them to decay, and the whole layer will then damp off or decay.

When the layer is pegged down, give it a gentle watering, taking care not to wash off the soil.

It is of no consequence if the layer does not stand straight at first. It will soon grow so.

If the plants are kept moist, and well shaded from the noonday heat, the layers will be rooted in three or four weeks. They should then be cut away from the plant, with about half an inch of the stem which connects them to it, and planted in five-inch pots.

Great care must be taken not to injure the tiny roots, nor break the part of the stem above the incision.

In raising Carnations from cuttings, good healthy shoots should be selected, and they should be treated as described for other cuttings.

Layering and raising from cuttings are the surest modes of propagating fine varieties. It is said that the chance of obtaining a good Carnation from seed is one to a hundred.

The culture of the Picotee, or Paisley Pink, is the same as that of the Carnation. The Picotee is the hardier of the two, and will endure the cold winters without covering, excepting at the extreme north.

When the flower stems are ten or more inches high, they should be supported with stakes, and when the flowers appear, if there is danger of their bursting the calyx, and thus spoiling their symmetry, it is well to tie a bit of colored worsted yarn about them; this gives support, and retains the leaves in place. Monthly Carnations are the most desirable of all kinds, as they bloom during the winter.

A select list of monthly varieties:--

Admirable, creamy white.

Astoria, yellow, flaked with scarlet.

Attraction, white, striped with maroon.

Betsey, brilliant scarlet.

Blondin, buff and rose.

D’Fontana, buff, striped with cherry.

Donadi’s Pride, white, edged with pink; fine.

Edwardsii, pure white; extra.

Grant, rich crimson, striped with slate color.

Grand Conde, white, blotched with rose.

La Purite, bright rosy pink.

Ma Gloire, sulphur yellow, striped scarlet.

Queen of Whites, purest white.

Radetzky, rose color with broad purple stripes.

Star, carmine, splashed with white.

Gen. Von Moltke, orange salmon, flaked with scarlet.

Rosaline, bright buff, blotched with crimson.

Vaillante, scarlet fringed, dwarf, profuse bloomer.

Welcome, brightest red, perfect shape.