I am quite prepared to agree with a sympathetic writer on flowers that, during summer, and far into the autumn months, the greatest beauty of our gardens is the varied tribe of Carnations, while their exquisite, subtle, yet potent aroma is not to be excelled, I think, or, at all events, is not far surpassed, in strength and sweetness, by the much-lauded rose. A carnation seems, to my humble taste, the very embodiment, as it were, of the favourite qualities so insisted upon by Mr Matthew Arnold, "sweetness and light." And even in winter, when its radiant petals have disappeared, there is something graceful to the eye in the long slender leaves of the pink, covered with their sea-green powdery bloom. The two species commonly grown in gardens are, the garden pink (_Dianthus hortensis_) and the carnation proper (_Dianthus caryophyllus_); both of which are generally referred to one original, the castle-pink, July-flower, or clove-gilliflower. The carnation, as a garden flower, was originally brought into England from Germany, where it has always been a favourite object of cultivation. There are several hundred varieties of it, which are arranged into three principal divisions: _flakes_, which are diversified by broad stripes of two colours only; _bizarres_, which are of several colours, and very irregularly streaked; and _picotees_ (from _piquetté_, spotted), whose flowers are besprinkled with different colours, and their petals fringed or serrated. In England, the _native_ species of pink are five in number, but they are mostly rare, or, when abundant, are found in very limited habitats. The commonest kind is the little _Deptford Pink_ (_Dianthus Armeria_), which sometimes grows in thick clusters among the meadow grass. In shape, its blossom resembles that of the garden pink; in size, it is about equal to that of the sweet william; and its flowers grow in a very similar manner. It is a scentless pink, however, with serrated or notched petals, and its rose-coloured petals curiously besprinkled with tiny spots of white. A very pretty species is the _Maiden Pink_ (_Dianthus deltoides_), which some botanists think to have been the original of our garden favourite; and a kind deserving notice for its large and fragrant flowers is the _Dianthus superbus_. The maiden pink, I should add, has delicate rose-coloured blossoms, daintily touched with silver, and a white eye encircled by a deep purple ring. It is not unworthy of its fanciful and highly suggestive name. A rare British variety is the _Clustered Pink_, or _Childing Pink_ (_Dianthus prolifer_), which produces its flowers in plentiful clusters, but is only allowed a season's sunshine. The _India_ or _China Pink_ (_Dianthus chinensis_) is a native of Eastern Asia, but has now become a frequent denizen in our English gardens.