Dianthus bar-batus.

Varieties

Narrow-leaved kinds: Deep Red; Pale Red; Pale Red and Flesh-coloured; Purplish, white-eyed; Snow White; White and Flesh-coloured ; White and Purple ; White Spotted ; Red flowers and white borders, called Painted Lady Sweet-William, and many other intermediate shades of colours and variegations, and which frequently vary in the flowers of the same aggregate; there are also single and double flowers of each variety. Among the doubles of this class of narrow leaves, is that sort called the Mule, having a bright red double flower in smallish ag- gregates, said to have been accidentally produced from the seed of a Carnation impregnated by the Sweet-William.

Broad-leaved kinds: - Tall deep red; Tall flesh-coloured; Pure White; White dotted; Striped leaves and red flowers; Large double rose-coloured; Sweet scented; Large double deep purplish burster; Double variegated. All the varieties, about forty in number, are hardy herbaceous evergreen perennials, rising the first year with a large bushy tuft of leafy shoots, continuing green the year round, and the second year shooting up flower-stems, producing flowers in June and July, succeeded by abundance of seed in autumn. The plants, although usually of several years' duration, yet, after the first year ' of flowering, the shoots generally become long, straggling, and of dwindling growth, so that a supply should be raised every year from seed or layers.

Soil

The best is a moderately rich light loam on a dry subsoil. Leaf-mould and liquid manure the best additions.

Propagation

They are propagated by seed, layers, and slips.

By Seed

March and April is the season for sowing; sow it in a bed or border of light earth broadcast, and rake it in. In a fortnight the plants will come up. In June or July transplant into nursery beds of common earth, in rows six or eight inches distant, to remain until autumn or spring following, then to be taken up and planted in the places where they are to flower.

By Layers

June and July is the proper season, and the same method is to be observed in every respect as for the Carnation. This is the only method of propagation to continue the same double-flowered varieties. Being layered, give frequent waterings in dry weather, and they will be well rooted in six or seven weeks, then to be separated from the old plant, and removed to a bed of light soil; and in October some of them should be potted to move to occasional shelter from frost, for although the doubles are almost as hardy as the single, yet being more choice, it is necessary always to have some that may have protection in severe winters, the same as for choice Carnations.

By Slips - - July is the best month for 'slipping; observing, if it is to be performed upon the year-old plants, they must be slipped quite down to the roots, so as to have fibres to each slip ; plant them at once where they are to flower, but these never make such good 'plants as seedlings and layers, nor do they generally flower so strongly.

Saving Seed

"The flowers which have the most beautiful colours, should, when in full bloom, be marked from which to have seed; if any ordinary sorts grow near them, let them be removed to prevent hybridizing. Let the branches of seed be gathered in dry weather, and after lying a few days in the sun be beaten out and stored till spring." - Abercrombie.