234 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



AUGUST 4, 189S. 



planted in blocks of various colors. Di- 

 rectly against the conservatory is a 

 row of ricinus. in front of which is a 

 row of cannas and then follows a row 

 of Caladium esculentum. As will be 

 noted, agaves and palms are effective- 

 ly used in various positions. 



The geraniums Mr. Kanst is now 

 using are Ben Schrader, an excellent 

 single pink; Meteor, one of the best 

 single scarlets; the old single Gen. 

 Grant, still a good one; S. A. Nutt, 

 which is admired more than any other 

 (as shown by the inquiries as to its 

 name) and good for all purposes; Pres. 

 Leon Simon, which he can't afford to 

 discard yet; Bruant, an excellent bed- 

 der, though slow to bloom inside; 

 Beaute de Poitevine, very free bloom- 

 ing; Mrs. B. G. Hill, a stronger grower 

 than the preceding; Mme. Chevalier, 

 double white, a fine bedder, in favor 

 of which he has dropped Mrs. J. M. 

 Gaar, which made but little growth; 

 Alfred Tennyson, a good red; Mme. 

 Messinger, with excellent pink flowers, 

 though a trifle shy in blooming; Wad- 

 dington, a fine dwarf pink of clear col- 

 or and very free. In addition to Mrs. 

 Gaar he has dropped Dr. Jacoby, 



Ralph, Admiral, Atkinson, and a host 

 of still older ones. 



In cannas he considers Chicago one 

 of the best, and still holds Florence 

 Vaughan to be the best in its class. 

 Stella Kanst is a salmon flowered sort 

 that originated here and which should 

 be better known. It is a splendid bed- 

 der. Mr. Kanst is too modest regard- 

 ing this sort. He likes Ch'S'S. Hender- 

 son, though a little late in blooming. 

 Queen Charlotte is quite freely used 

 and Egandale stands at the head of 

 the dark foliaged sorts. Alphonse Bou- 

 vier is still fine, Columbia is still 

 grown, though rather uncertain, and 

 J. D. Cabos is still useftfl. Black 

 Venus and Black Beauty are used in a 

 limited way for foliage effect. Italia, 

 Austria, Burbank and Allemania are 

 interesting, but the flowers burn too 

 badly in the sun to make them useful 

 as bedders. Along one end of the con- 

 servatory is a bed of Egandale cannas 

 bordered with Nicotiana afBnis that 

 makes a superb effect at night under 

 the electric light. Of the newer can- 

 nas he has no less than 43 varieties on 

 trial. 



CARNATION NOTES. 



Origination of New Varieties. 



Time for growing the seed. Seed 

 can be grown at any time during the 

 season in the field as well as in the 

 house, and to the one who leaves ev- 

 erything to chance, it matters little as 

 to time. It is quite difi:erent with the 

 one who takes up this work with cal- 

 culating ideas. In the first place he 

 makes the selection of the parent flow- 

 ers when they are at their greatest 

 perfection, and aims to have them un- 

 der perfect control during the time of 

 crossing or fertilizing without the 

 presence of other factors, ab insects 

 and drafts of air carrying the pollen 

 from one plant to another. He wants 

 to be sure that the result is a true 

 crossing between the intended varie- 

 ties. Now, considering these two very 

 important features, the best opportu- 

 nities are offered during the winter 

 months. Again, considering the vital- 

 ity of the plants, the best time is after 

 the winter solstice, when the rising of 

 the all invigorating sun awakens new 

 life through all vegetation. We feel 

 this influence in the greenhouses, even 

 if all vegetation outside is yet bound 

 up in snow and ice, and why should 

 this not have an influence on the 



growing of the seed, in furthering our 

 calculating ideas as regards the selec- 

 tion of the parent varieties and blooms 

 and what we expect to effect by it? 



In my experience I have found Jan- 

 uary and February the mo.3t suitable 

 months. In the first place, for rea- 

 sons stated above and also from an 

 economical standpoint. Seed set in 

 these months will ripen by April, and 

 when sown at once will make plants to 

 put out in the field by May. These 

 young plants will, with some excep- 

 tions (which, by the way, I have al- 

 ways found worthless), bloom during 

 the late summer and fall months, show 

 what they are. and give the grower a 

 chance to select what he finds worthy 

 for future trial, thus bringing the 

 growing of the seed, the growing of 

 the plants in the field, and the selec- 

 tion of the valuable portion in one 

 season, thereby saving much labor in 

 handling and wintering the plant, and 

 much space in the houses that would 

 be filled up with much worthless stuff. 



I will repeat again that seed can be 

 grown at any time during the year. 

 On the contrary, there is a greater ten- 

 dency to fertilize and set seed in sum- 

 mer than in winter, but I believe we 

 miss the improving influences that 

 manifest themselves when present, and 

 who will not admit that cur flowers 

 are at their highest perfection during 

 the months mentioned for growing the 

 seed? 



Selection of Seed Parents. 



When we look back and see what 

 has been accomplished we cannot but 

 take our experience as a guidance for 

 the present and future. We have come 

 to understand much of nature's work 

 and have turned it to our advantage, 

 but we cannot yet grasp the mysteries 

 of plant life, where so many things 

 depend and are based on circumstances 

 — and circumstances alter rules. We 

 can only observe some rules, work on 

 common principles and then leave it 

 to nature — and good luck. 



The first requisite of a plant parent 

 is vitality and health, vigorous growth 

 and freedom in blooming. These qual- 

 ities, which are fundamental, should 

 not be overlooked, although they are 

 mostly the result of good culture. Next 

 is color to be considered. A new va- 

 riety perfect in every way but of a 

 dull, undesirable color is of no value. 

 Other defects may be overlooked or 

 improved by culture, but not so a bad 

 color. We should, therefore, take care 

 in the selection of seed plants, to 

 choose varieties with bright, brilliant 

 colors, when other conditions do not 

 have to be considered. 



I said in my introductory remarks 

 that patience and perseverance are 

 virtues in this business, and especially 

 so in regard to the exceptions 

 hinted at and which I will Irv to ex- 

 plain. A seedling that possesses 

 every good quality but a good color 

 should not be thrown away at once, 

 but either the seed plant or young 

 plants propagated from it for the next 

 season be used again as seed parents 

 and crossed with some bright shaded 

 variety of the same color. A good 

 constitution will predominate and the 

 color may be improved. And further, 

 what cannot be accomplished in one 

 season may be gained in two or three. 

 The same rule applies to the other 

 good qualities of a carnation, as size, 

 perfect calyx and strong stem. De- 

 fects in these properties can be great- 

 ly alleviated by good culture, in fact 

 are dependent on good culture, but 

 when these good properties are inborn 

 a good culture will be so much more 

 effective. Always select the best; you 

 may allow your fancy a wide range, 

 but never set aside the fundamental 

 principles, embracing vitality, health, 

 vigorous growth and freedom in 

 blooming. 



Ten years ago the pink, especially 

 the dark pink varieties, possessed the 

 strongest constitution, as did those 

 shading from pink into crimson, and 

 from these to purplish crimson and 

 scarlet crimson. A strong constitu- 

 tion seemed natural to the dark vari- 

 eties, but not so with the light colors. 

 The strong growing white varieties 

 show to this day in some faint stripes 

 or penciling from whence the vigorous 

 habit has come. 



I have had a fair illustration with 

 the yellow varieties. The first yellows 

 I had were of a very light shade, more 

 cream than yellow, and of a weak con- 

 stitution, with that light green foliage, 

 appearing yellow against the deep blu- 



