RAISING NEW PLANTS. 



363 



moscheutos. When the seedlings came 

 up it was noted that there was quite a 

 diversity in form of foliage pointing 

 to a successful cross, and the flower- 

 ing" of them was looked forward to 

 with that interest that can only be 

 aroused by promise of success after 

 repeated failures. 



The first flower to open was a glori- 

 ous pink, a shade never before seen in 

 the swamp mallow. This was followed 

 by others of every shade of pink, white, 

 red and scarlet, some of the last being 

 much darker than the parent. 



The gratification felt can readily be 

 understood after so much patient work 

 upon the birth of a new race of garden 

 plants that bid fair to be among the 

 most popular in the garden. From 

 this period on every effort was used 

 to improve and fix this new race. All 

 poor forms are eliminated as soon as 

 they flowered, the seed for future sow- 

 ings being saved from only the best 

 plants. Thousands of flowers were ar- 

 tificially pollenized each year, the pol- 

 len from the very best forms only be- 

 ing used, so that there has been a 

 steady improvement each succeeding 

 year. 



Flowers are carefully watched to 

 note any tendency toward a double 

 flower or other desirable forms for the 

 garden, and efforts are being made to 

 fix those types that are especially wor- 

 thy. 



Nature, though a liberal pay mis- 

 tress, is an exacting employer and only 

 rewards intelligent and faithful ser- 

 vice. 



Meehans' Mallow Marvels, as this 

 new race of plants has been appropri- 

 ately named, have a very rugged con- 

 stitution. All the parents grow na- 

 turally in rather swampy or moist 

 ground. It is a curious fact, however, 

 that when brought into cultivation 

 they thrive better if planted where the 

 ground is fairly well drained, yet 

 where it is reasonably moist especially 

 during the growing season. Ground 

 that will grow good corn suits them to 

 perfection. They should have a posi- 





^<~ ■--■ 







HI . 



A MALLOW FLOWER. 



tion that is open and sunny and where 

 the ground is deep, rich and moist. 

 In such a position one plant will form 

 a bush 6 or 8 feet high and 5 or 6 feet 

 through in about three years. They 

 usually commence flowering about 

 August 1 and while the individual 

 flowers are not very lasting, being so 

 large and produced in such profusion, 

 they truly make a glorious sight for 

 many weeks, as they continue in flow- 

 er almost until frost. 



What makes them especially valu- 

 able for a garden plant is the fact that 

 they flower at a season when there is 

 a dearth of bloom among hardy peren- 

 nials. When "the frost strikes them, 

 of course, the stems are completely 

 killed. They may then be cut off with- 

 in four or five inches of the ground, just 

 sufficient left on to show where the 

 plants are so as not to be overlooked 

 when replanting the garden in early 

 spring. 



It is a curious fact that the mallow 

 is one of the last of the hardy peren- 

 nials to make its appearance above 

 ground in spring. Very often they are 

 considered to be dead because paeonies 

 and other plants growing alongside of 

 them will very likely have tops from 

 8 to 10 inches before the mallows have 

 begun to show any signs of life. When 

 they do commence to grow, however, 



