Chrysanthemums of 1896. 301 



aim to present a true composite picture of what the variety is 

 when grown under good and fair conditions. If the station ex- 

 hibits, its province seems to lie in the same direction. At all 

 events, the writer will never consent to make an exhibit of 

 varieties from the station unless he can show everything, good 

 and bad alike. This is not saying that he disparages the display 

 of exhibition blooms by a station, but in such cases the exhibi- 

 tion is to show cultural methods, not to show varieties. If a 

 station desires to test the varieties of any plant, it exceeds its aim 

 when it endeavors to see how much it can improve those vari- 

 eties by forceful culture ; for the purpose is to find out what the 

 varieties are, not what they may be compelled to be. And even 

 if the experimenter were to desire to force every variety to the 

 exhibition standard, he could not do so with several hundred 

 varieties ; and to force one and not another would be anything 

 but truthfulness. These remarks seem to be necessary in order 

 to place the subject of variety -testing in its true light, and 

 to let florists see why it is that our descriptions of varieties are 

 sometimes so unlike the descriptions in catalogues. 



Another feature of the subject needs also to be touched upon. 

 We said upon a former occasion that we do not always 

 receive the best stock which dealers have. By this we mean 

 that we believe that the ordinary run of commercial stock is 

 commonly received, whilst the exhibition blooms at the flower 

 shows are preferably grown from extra-good stock, which, in 

 many cases, is not for sale. It is no doubt better that an experi- 

 ment station should receive this commercial stock, for it thereby ar- 

 rives at a more truthful conclusion as to the actual merits of the 

 variety. In some cases we have received plants which are so poor 

 that no fair and true idea of the variety can be obtained from 

 them ; and from such stock, and from that which may have re- 

 ceived inadequate attention on our own part, we intend never 

 to publish results. These remarks are made for the sole purpose 

 of emphasizing the fact that the quality of the stock, — as respects 

 vigor, healthfulness, early propagation, and the like, — is of the 

 utmost importance in the growing of any plant, and particularly 

 of florists' flowers. To bring the subject home, we have inserted 

 a picture (Fig. 82, page 308) showing the variation with which 



