342 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



juones; summer is blest with roses, pinks and carnations; autumn 

 bas tbe National flower, beliotrope, verbenas, fuchsias, petunias, and 

 last, winter has the crysanthenium the forerunner of the "Merry 

 Christmas" season assigned to it. 



The common colors of flowers are yellow, orange, white, pink, scar- 

 let, red, blue and purple. These colors may become more brilliant 

 by cultivation, change of soil, and' climate. Change of soil is the best 

 means of increasing the beauty of flowers. Kindred flowers are often 

 advantageously improved by cross fertilization, i. e., taking the pol- 

 len of one flower and putting it on the other. Most beautiful flowers 

 have been cultivated in this way already. Flowers may be caused 

 to assume dilferent colors as, blue ones may be caused to become 

 white or red, but not vellow^ and vellow flowers mav become w'hite, or 

 red but never blue. It is a common thing to see pink roses and white 

 ones on the same stalk. Tlie hyacinths which are blue will often 

 produce almost any color of flowers excepting yellow. 



We may stop to talk a little about propagation of plants. This 

 takes place in different ways: by sowing seeds at the proper season, 

 by dividing the roots, b}- pipings, hj cuttings and bud grafting. 



Suckers are the young plants growing out of the ground near the 

 main stem of a plant and are carefully taken out of the ground with 

 some roots attached to them. They should not be removed till 

 spring after the plant has begun to grow. If they have buds, these 

 should be removed as their removal increases the vigor of the plant. 

 A large majority of the herbaceous perennials are propagated by di- 

 viding the roots which is the simplest way of propagation. 



In piping we take the top oft" of the young shoots close below a 

 joint. These pipings ought to be put in water for a week or so be- 

 fore i)lanting. We should not dibble a hole to plant them but thrust 

 each piping genth^ down half way into the soft earth ready to re- 

 ceive them. Water them often if the w'eather is dry, but only to keep 

 them moist. Shield them from the hot sun. 



A cutting is a strong shoot of last year's growth cut from the par- 

 ent stem and set in the ground. The cutting should be about six 

 inches long and cut off slantingly. Roses are the principal flowers 

 propagated in this way. Budding is a method employed in propagat- 

 ing fruit trees but may be used on rose bushes, too. 



The flowers are classed under two great heads, Phaneogams or 

 flowering plants and Cryptogams or flowerless plants. Under the 

 latter we have ferns, palms, mosses and certain sea weeds. Aged 

 people generally are very fond of ferns and pahns. 



It is sometimes very amusing to study flowers. Carnations are 

 said to mean disdain; roses truthfulness; lilies purity and sweet peas 

 departui-e, which I now beck to do. 



