﻿Production 
  of 
  Double 
  Flowers 
  493 
  

  

  experiment 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  repetition 
  of 
  what 
  pre- 
  

   sumably 
  takes 
  place 
  often 
  within 
  the 
  same 
  

   species. 
  To 
  attempt 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  double 
  

   variety 
  we 
  may 
  choose 
  any 
  species, 
  and 
  of 
  

   course 
  should 
  select 
  one 
  which 
  as 
  yet 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  known 
  to 
  produce 
  double 
  flowers. 
  By 
  

   doing 
  so 
  we 
  will, 
  if 
  we 
  succeed, 
  produce 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  new. 
  Of 
  course, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  matter 
  

   whether 
  the 
  new 
  variety 
  has 
  an 
  horticultural 
  in- 
  

   terest 
  or 
  not, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  preferable 
  to 
  choose 
  

   a 
  wild 
  or 
  little 
  cultivated 
  species, 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  

   sure 
  that 
  the 
  variety 
  in 
  question 
  is 
  not 
  already 
  

   in 
  existence. 
  Finally 
  the 
  prospect 
  of 
  success 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  enhanced 
  if 
  a 
  species 
  is 
  chosen, 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  allies 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  double 
  flowers. 
  

  

  For 
  these 
  reasons 
  and 
  others 
  I 
  chose 
  for 
  my 
  

   experiment 
  the 
  corn-marigold, 
  or 
  Chrysanthe- 
  

   mum 
  segetum. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  called 
  the 
  golden 
  corn- 
  

   flower. 
  In 
  the 
  wheat 
  and 
  rye 
  fields 
  of 
  central 
  

   Europe 
  it 
  associates 
  with 
  the 
  blue-bottle 
  or 
  blue 
  

   corn-flower. 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  cultivated 
  and 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  are 
  offered 
  for 
  sale 
  by 
  many 
  nursery- 
  

   men. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  cultivated 
  variety, 
  called 
  grandi- 
  

   florum, 
  which 
  is 
  esteemed 
  for 
  its 
  brilliancy 
  and 
  

   long 
  succession 
  of 
  golden 
  bloom. 
  This 
  variety 
  

   has 
  larger 
  flower-heads, 
  surrounded 
  with 
  a 
  

   fuller 
  border 
  of 
  ray-florets 
  the 
  species 
  belongs 
  

   to 
  a 
  genus 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  pro- 
  

  

  