In the last number of the Revue Horticole, February 1st, a very remarkable article was published on the Perpetual Carnations in their present state. But the writer says: "Where and how was the culture of the perpetual carnations commenced? Who is the horticulturist who first did addict himself to it? We do not know".

I therefore think that it may interest American horticulturists and amateurs, to be informed, and I, in consequence, send a copy of their history I published ten years ago in the journal of our horticultural society, which had not a wide circulation.

According to several horticultural writers, the carnation was cultivated more than 2000 years ago; but we know nothing of what was practiced about those times - no more in horticulture than any other science; and as it is only since the beginning of this century that the facts of nature have been studied, we can only relate what has been observed lately.

The perpetual carnations have been created, - created, - at Lyon.

It was M. Dalmais, gardener of M. Lacene, a celebrated amateur and founder of the first horticultural society in Lyon, who obtained the first real constant-blooming carnation, about 46 years ago. He sent it out in 1844. under the name of Atim, the produce of artificial fecundation of a so-called species, known by the vulgar names of Oeillet de Mahon, or of St. Martin, because it was regularly blooming by the middle of November, fecundated by Oeillet Biohon.

This first gain was successively fecundated by the Flemish carnations, and about 1846, he obtained a great number of varieties of all colors.

Mr. Schmitt, horticulturist at Lyon, followed M. Dalmais and obtained several fine varieties like Arc en Ciel, and Etoile Polaire, which were cultivated for several years, but do no more exist, having been superseded by more fine varieties.

But in 1850, a disease having destroyed his collection, Mr. Schmitt abandoned that culture. Soon after, Alphonse Aligatiere, the well-known and zealous propagator, undertook the hybridization of carnations, and in a short time obtained a great success, and dotted that series with a great many varieties, all particularly dwarf, and obtained a great improvement by creating those with stiff flower stems, about 1866.

We can thus say that Aligatiere has created a new species.

He has also upset the old system of propagation - that of layering - and has proved that cuttings is the best and most reasonable method, and justified my saying, that layering is the infancy of horticultural art.

Nothing, he has proved, is easier than propagating carnations from cuttings.

The best time to strike them is January and February, and the best mode is to put them in fine sand on bottom heat at about 150 to 20° Cen-tigrades, or 6o° to 700 of stupid Fahrenheit, without bell glasses, in a double spanned roof house.

The cuttings must be syringed every day and the sand kept moist; they will be rooted in 3 or 5 weeks, and must be planted out in April or May, and will make fine plants to bloom in autumn; about September they can, those that have flower buds, be potted, for indoor decoration.

Monplaisir, Lyon, February, 1886.