﻿Multiplication 
  of 
  Extremes 
  761 
  

  

  multiplication, 
  previous 
  to 
  being 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   trade. 
  I 
  wondered, 
  and 
  asked, 
  why 
  no 
  pure 
  

   white 
  variety 
  was 
  present. 
  His 
  answer 
  was: 
  

   " 
  Because 
  no 
  white 
  species 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  up 
  

   to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  means 
  

   of 
  producing 
  white 
  varieties 
  than 
  by 
  crossing 
  

   the 
  existing 
  forms 
  with 
  a 
  new 
  white 
  type. 
  ' 
  

  

  Comparing 
  the 
  varieties 
  produced 
  in 
  succes- 
  

   sive 
  periods, 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  easy 
  to 
  appreciate 
  their 
  

   gradual 
  improvement. 
  On 
  most 
  points 
  this 
  is 
  

   not 
  readily 
  put 
  into 
  words, 
  but 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   petals 
  can 
  be 
  measured, 
  and 
  the 
  figures 
  may 
  

   convey 
  at 
  least 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  real 
  state 
  of 
  

   things. 
  Leaving 
  aside 
  the 
  types 
  with 
  small 
  

   flowers 
  and 
  cultivated 
  exclusively 
  for 
  their 
  

   foliage, 
  the 
  oldest 
  flowers 
  of 
  Canna 
  had 
  

   petals 
  of 
  45 
  mm. 
  length 
  and 
  13 
  mm. 
  breadth. 
  

   The 
  ordinary 
  types 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  visit 
  had 
  

   reached 
  61 
  by 
  21 
  mm., 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  Madame 
  

   Crozy 
  : 
  ' 
  showed 
  66 
  by 
  30 
  mm. 
  It 
  had 
  however, 
  

   already 
  been 
  surpassed 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  commercial 
  va- 
  

   rieties, 
  which 
  had 
  the 
  same 
  length 
  but 
  a 
  breadth 
  

   of 
  35 
  mm. 
  And 
  the 
  latest 
  production, 
  which 
  

   required 
  some 
  years 
  of 
  propagation 
  before 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  market, 
  measured 
  83 
  by 
  43 
  mm. 
  

   Thus 
  in 
  the 
  lapse 
  of 
  some 
  thirty 
  years 
  the 
  length 
  

   had 
  been 
  doubled 
  and 
  the 
  breadth 
  tripled, 
  giv- 
  

   ing 
  flowers 
  with 
  broad 
  corollas 
  and 
  with 
  petals 
  

  

  