close-gilliflower, carnation, pink, sweet-william, &c.; a genus of the digynia order, belonging to the decandria clas of plants.—There are a great number of species; but not more than four that have any considerable beauty as garden-flowers, each of which furnishes some beautiful varieties. 1. The Caryophyllus, or clove-gilliflower, including all the varieties of carnation. It rises with many short trailing shoots from the root, garnished with long, very narrow, evergreen leaves; and amidst them upright slender flower-stalks, from one to three feet high, emitting many side-shoots; all of which, as well as the main stalk, are terminated by large solitary flowers, having short oval scales to the calyx, and crenated petals. The varieties of this are very numerous, and unlimited in the diversity of flowers. 2. The deltoides, or common pink, rises with numerous short leafy shoots crowning the root, in a tufted head close to the ground, closely garnished with small narrow leaves; and from the ends of the shoots, many erect flower-stalks from about 6 to 15 inches high, terminated by solitary flowers of different colours, single and double, and sometimes finely variegated. This species is perennial, as all the varieties of it, commonly cultivated, also are. 3. The Chinenis, Chinese, or Indian pink, is an annual plant with upright firm flower-stalks, branching erect on every side, a foot or 15 inches high, having all the branches terminated by solitary flowers of different colours and variegations, appearing from July to November. 4. The barbatus, or bearded dianthus, commonly called sweet-william. This rises with many thick leafy shoots, crowning the root in a clump close to the ground; garnished with spear-shaped evergreen leaves, from half an inch to two inches broad. The stems are upright and firm, branching erect two or three feet high, having all the branches and main stem crowned by numerous flowers in aggregate clusters of different colours and variegations.

Culture. Though the carnations grow freely in almost any garden earth, and in it produce beautiful flowers, yet they are generally superior in that of a light loamy nature; and of this kind of soil the florists generally prepare a kind of compost in the following manner, especially for those fine varieties which they keep in pots. A quantity of loamy earth must be provided, of a light sandy temperature, from an upland or dry pasture-field or common, taking the top spit turf and all, which must be laid in a heap for a year, and turned over frequently. It must then be mixed with about one third of rotten dung of old hotbeds, or rotten neats dung, and a little sea-sand, forming the whole into a heap again, to lie three, four, or six months, at which time it will be excellent for use; and if one parcel or heap was mixed with one of these kinds of dungs, and another parcel with the other, it will make a change, and may be found very beneficial in promoting the size of the flowers. This compost, or any other made use of for the purpose, should not be fitted, but only well broken with the spade and hands.—When great quantities of carnations are required, either to furnish large grounds, or for market, or when it is intended to raise new varieties, it is easily effected by sowing some seed annually in spring, in common earth, from which the plants will rise abundantly. Several good varieties may also be expected from the plants of each sowing; and possibly not one exactly like those from which the seed was saved. The single flowers are always more numerous than the double ones; but it is from the latter only that we are to select our varieties. The season for sowing the seed, is any time from the 20th of March to the 15th of April.—The plants generally come up in a month after sowing; they must be occasionally weeded and watered till July, when they will be fit for transplanting into the nursery beds. These beds must be made about three feet wide, in an open situation; and taking advantage of moist weather, prick the plants therein four inches asunder, and finish with a gentle watering, which repeat occasionally till the plants have taken good root. Here they must remain till September, when they will be so well advanced in growth as to require more room; and should then have their final transplantation into other three feet wide beds of good earth, rows 9 inches asunder, where they are to be placed in the order of quincunx. Here they are to remain all winter, until they flower, and have obtained an increase of the approved varieties of doubles by layers; and until this period, all the culture they require is, that if the winter should prove very severe, an occasional shelter of mats will be of advantage. In spring, the ground must be loosened with a hoe; they must be kept clear from weeds; and when the flower-stalks advance, they are to be tied up to sticks, especially all those that promise by their large flower-pods to be doubles.

The only certain method of propagating the double varieties is by layers. The proper parts for layers are those leafy shoots arising near the crown of the root, which, when about five, six, or eight inches long, are of a proper degree of growth for layers. The general season for this work is June, July, and the beginning of August, as then the shoots will be arrived at a proper growth for that operation; and the sooner it is done after the shoots are ready, the better, that they may have sufficient time to acquire strength before winter: those laid in June and July will be fit to take off in August and September, so will form fine plants in the month of October. The method of performing the work is as follows.—First provide a quantity of small hooked sticks for pegs. They must be three or four inches long, and their use is to peg the layers down to the ground. Get ready also in a barrow a quantity of light, rich mould, to raise the earth, if necessary, round each plant, and provide also a sharp penknife. The work is begun by stripping off all the leaves from the body of the shoots, and shortening those at top an inch or two evenly. Then choosing a strong joint on the middle of the shoot or thereabouts, and on the back or under side thereof, cut with the penknife the joint half-way through, directing your knife upward so as to fit the joint up the middle, almost to the next joint above, by which you form a kind of tongue on the back of the shoot; observing that the swelling skinny part of the joint remaining at the bottom of the tongue must be trimmed off, that nothing may obstruct the issuing of the fibres; for the layers always form their roots at that part. This done, loosen the earth about the plant; and, if necessary, add some fresh mould, to raise it for the more ready reception of the layers; then with your finger make a hollow or drill in the earth to receive the layer; which, bend horizontally into the opening, raising the top upright, so as to keep the girth or slit part of the layer open; and, with one of the hooked sticks, peg down the body of the layer, to secure it in its proper place and position, still preserving the top erect, and the slit open, and draw the earth over it an inch or two, bringing it close about the erect part of the shoot; and when all the shoots of each plant are thus laid, give directly some water to settle the earth close, and the work is finished. In dry weather the waterings must be often repeated, and in five or six weeks the layers will have formed good roots. They must then be separated with a knife from the old plant, gently raised out of the earth with the point of a knife or trowel in order to preserve the fibrous roots of the layers as entire as possible; and when thus taken up, cut off the naked sticky part at bottom close to the root, and trim the tops of the leaves a little. They are then ready for planting either into beds or pots. In November the fine varieties in pots should be moved to a sunny, sheltered situation for the winter; and if placed in a frame, to have occasional protection from hard frost, it will be of much advantage. In the latter end of February, or some time in March, the layers in the small pots, or such as are in beds, should be transplanted with balls into the large pots, where they are to remain for flower. To have as large flowers as possible, curious florists clear off all side-shoots from the flower-stem, suffering only the main or top buds to remain for flowering. When the flowers begin to open, attendance should be given to assist the fine varieties, to promote their regular expansion, particularly the largest kinds called bursters, whose flowers are sometimes three or four inches diameter. Unless these are assisted by art, they are apt to burst open on one side, in which case the flower will become very irregular; therefore, attending every day at that period, observe, as soon as the calyx begins to break, to cut it a little open, at two other places in the indenting at top with narrow-pointed scissors, and hereby the more regular expansion of the petals will be promoted; observing, if one side of any flower comes out faster than another, to turn the pot about, that the other side of the flower may be next the sun, which will also greatly promote its regular expansion. When any fine flower is to be blown as large and spreading as possible, florists place spreading paper collars round the bottom of the flowers, on which they may spread their petals to the utmost expansion. These collars are made of stiff, white paper, cut circular, about three or four inches over, having a hole in the middle to receive the bottom of the flower, and one side cut open to admit it. This is to be placed round the bottom of the petals in the inside of the calyx, the leaves of which are made to spread flat for its support; the petals must then be drawn out and spread upon the collar to their full width and extent; the longest ones undermost, and the next longest upon these; and so on; observing that the collar must nowhere appear wider than the flower; and thus a carnation may be rendered very large and handsome.

These directions will answer equally well for the propagation of the pinks and sweet-williams, though neither of these require such nicety in their culture as the carnations.