This section is from the book "Indoor Gardening", by Eben E. Rexford. Also available from Amazon: Indoor Gardening.
This variety of Carnation is grown from seed each season. It is primarily intended for the decoration of the outdoor garden, but repeated trials of it in the window-garden have proved it to be an excellent winter-bloomer, and I would advise potting strong plants of it for that purpose each fall. While its flowers are not as large as those of the greenhouse varieties, many of them will be quite as rich in color, and as double, but few of them, however, having the fragrance of that class. For house-culture I find it preferable to the latter, as it has a much stronger constitution, and a more profuse flowering habit. Wait until your plants blossom before selecting any for the house. Some of them will give single flowers, and others will be poor in color, though quite up to the standard in other respects. It is not worth while to make use of inferior kinds, since there are sure to be good ones in all collections grown from seed. Wait to make sure which are the good ones before potting any.
Give the treatment advised for the greenhouse sorts. If possible keep them in rooms in which there is no fire heat.
 
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