344 Bulletin 147. 



retain. One of these many efforts is Miss Agnes L. Dalskov (com- 

 monly called Fink Ivofy). It has been much praised elsewhere, but 

 with us it had no color at all in 1896, and even from our own stock, 

 showed barely a trace of it in 1897. 



But this is not all. The trouble is not confined to the pure pink 

 color. As a matter of fact, the pure pink of F. Schuyler Mathews' 

 color-chart has not yet been attained in chrysanthemums, but this is not 

 so serious in itself, for it means only one particular shade. There 

 seems to be an entire series of colors whose value is determined far 

 more by the skill o( the cultivator than by the variety. Here are some 

 of the grades in this " pink " series : amaranth, crimson, rosy pink, 

 crimson -pink, light pink and blush white. These are current trade 

 names, not artists' terms. It seems probable that any of these shades 

 may, in some cases, be obtained from a single variety. Not all 

 varieties, of course, are so highly variable as this, but frequently the 

 difference is enough to make the flowers unsalable. 



The control of color, therefore, becomes a problem of great practical 

 interest. It is doubtless a complicated problem. There seems to be 

 at least six factors concerned, any one of which may change a pink to 

 a white, (i) The choice of buds is said to be sufficient in some 

 cases. Thus, J. H. Woodjord^ one of Mr. Spaulding's novelties, is 

 advertised as shell-pink from terminal and pure white from crown 

 buds. (2) Over-propagation is generally believed to weaken colors. 



(3) Temperature and ventilation (the two factors can hardly be sep- 

 arated in greenhouse practice throughout the entire year) are advertised 

 to produce three distinct and desirable shades in Mrs. Col. Goodmafi* 



(4) Mere position (in pots, beds or benches) should not in itself make 

 a difference, but in practice it does. (5) The effect of shade is vari- 

 ously stated. (6) And, most complicated of all, the food factor is ; 

 known to influence color, but just how is a mystery. 



It was convenient to single out only two of the supposed factors 

 this year. We resolved to see v/hether shading the flower buds would 

 make the flowers a darker or lighter pink, and whether a liberal supply 

 of nitrogen would weaken or deepen the colors. 



The conditions of the experiments are briefly given. Sixty plants 



* High temperatures with close air teud to weaken colors. Conversely, cool 

 temperatures with plenty of air tend to deepen the colors. 



