278 



The Weekly Florists' Review ♦ 



A.UGUST 17, ISM. 



Approaching the hall one passed 

 through a large arch bearing the let- 

 ters "S. A. F.," in electric bulbs and 

 with a beautiful group of decorative 

 plants at each base. It was a fitting 

 approach to the convention hall of a 

 body of florists. Evidently special 

 decorations of a similar character had 

 been arranged for the occasion in va- 

 rious open places near the convention 

 hall. The Detroit florists certainly de- 

 serve much credit for their work in 

 this direction. 



Mr. Rackham proved to be an un- 

 usually efficient superintendent, and 

 much of the usual friction was elimi- 

 nated by his able management. 



J. G. & A. Esler, Saddle River, N. J., 

 displayed samples of their special 

 greenhouse hose. 



THURSDAY MORNING. 



Mr. Wood read his paper. The elec- 

 tion of officers resulted as foreshad- 

 owed by the nominations, the elections 

 being by unanimous votes with but 

 one exception. After his election 

 President-elect Wood responded to re- 

 peated calls, and in a short address 

 thanked the members heartily for tho 

 honor conferred upon him and prom- 

 ised the society his very best thought 

 and effort as its chief executive offi- 

 cer. 



The question box was opened and 

 the first question was, "Can roses be 

 grafted on roots of manetti with dor- 

 mant wood, as is done in apple graft- 

 ing?" Mr. E. G. Hill replied that in 

 his early experience in the trade much 

 of this sort of grafting was success- 

 fully done, but success had not attend- 

 ed later efforts. Robert George said 

 this sort of grafting was being very 

 successfully done in the South, but he 

 had never practiced it extensively, and 

 he noted that with the dark colored 

 hybrid perpetuals there was apt to be 

 canker at union. Mr. C. W. Ward 

 read his paper. 



HYBRIDIZING AND THE INTRO- 

 DUCTION OF NEW 

 CARNATIONS. 



By C. W. Ward. 



The improvement in the carnation 

 which has taken place during the past 

 six years has brought it so prominent- 

 ly before the general public, and has 

 increased its use to such an extent, 

 that probably no flower occupies a 

 more prominent position among flor- 

 ists' flowers than does the carnation 

 today. This increasing interest in the 

 divine flower naturally attracts the ef- 

 forts of many florists towards its im- 

 provement. 



There exist two leading elements 

 that bid fair to encourage florists to 

 continue their efforts for the improve- 

 ment of the carnatien for many years 

 to come. Lovers as well as users of 

 flowers are constantly seeking that 

 which is novel and rare. The progres- 

 sive florist is ever on the alert to 

 gratify such desires on the part of the 

 flower-loving public, consequently the 

 call for new and improved carnations 



will be to some extent perpetuated by 

 these conditions, and it may be well 

 said that no florist who hopes to keep 

 abreast of the times can afford to ig- 

 nore this improvement in the carna- 

 tion, and must of necessity keep in 

 close touch with the newer varieties 

 as they are introduced and keep his 

 stock fully up to date by the purchase 

 of those better sorts which bid fair to 

 succeed under the conditions which he 

 grows carnations. 



Again, say what we may, it is a well 

 known fact that the average variety of 

 carnation remains in profitable culti- 

 vation but a few years, and must be 

 constantly replaced by the newer and 

 improved and more vigorous varieties 

 grown from seed. In other words, car- 

 nations are continually running out. 

 Therefore, the market for new and im- 

 proved varieties would seem to be a 

 permanent one, consequently these ele- 

 ments will tend to keep a broad field 

 open to the hybridizer, who may rest 

 assured that if he produces a really 

 improved carnation, he will find a 

 profitable sale for his production. 



The operation of hybridization has 

 been so frequently and so fully de- 

 scribed by various writers that there 

 is little need of repeating it in this pa- 

 per, and perhaps more good may be 

 accomplished by devoting our time to 

 discussing the selection of parents, 

 pedigree, keeping of records, selection 

 of propagating wood, and various other 

 minutiae upon which the production of 

 a meritorious seedling carnation de- 

 pends. 



The foundation of successful hybrid- 

 izing rests upon the selection of par- 

 ents in the first instance and gradually 

 building up with and in proportion to 

 the care exercised by the hybridizer in 

 keeping proper watch upon the pedi- 

 grees of the various strains he is seek- 

 ing to improve. 



This can best be accomplished by 

 means of accurate records of the work 

 done, as well as notes upon the results 

 obtained, which notes must necessarily 

 extend through the life history of the 

 plant and be fully brought down to 

 date and properly compiled so as to be 

 accessible to the mind of the hybridizer 

 with the least mental effort to him- 

 self. 



This, of course, means application 

 and labor to such an extent that per- 

 haps comparatively few of those who 

 engage in raising new carnations will 

 carry out the necessary details a suffi- 

 cient length of time to accomplish 

 material results. The bare raising and 

 selling a double seedling carnation, 

 even though netting some profit to its 

 grower, cannot be considered as suc- 

 cessful improvement of the carnation. 

 An accidental variety of merit may 

 now and then come to the grower who 

 miscellaneously mixes pollen of dif- 

 ferent flowers and plants the seed re- 

 sulting therefrom, but the continued 

 production of the best of the improved 

 varieties will scarcely result from such 

 work. 



If the reader of this paper expects 

 that hard and fast rules for producing 



an army of new seedlings to perplex 

 the seeker of that which is best and 

 most profitable to grow will be herein 

 laid down, he is laboring under a mis- 

 taken idea. 



The ground over which a hybridizer 

 is working becomes peculiarly his own 

 territory, practically an unknown re- 

 gion, which he alone is exploring, and 

 he must not only get his knowledge as 

 he works over his field, but he must 

 also have the wit to take advantage of 

 and use what knowledge it may be his 

 fortune to garner; consequently he 

 cannot make rules even for his own 

 guidance, much less for the guidance 

 of others laboring in entirely different, 

 though analogous, fields. 



In the selection of parents, choose 

 the best you have at hand. You will 

 not find all the desirable attributes in 

 any one plant, nor in any six plants; 

 possibly not in any 100 plants; and 

 after producing several thousand seed- 

 ling plants, and finally reducing them 

 by the process of selection to a half 

 dozen worthy of a third year's trial, 

 the hybridizer will wonder and be dis- 

 couraged by the amount of dross he 

 has to handle in order to get a little 

 gold. 



In the selection of seedlings, color 

 stands pre-eminently above all other 

 considerations. Size, form, fragrance, 

 substance, strength of stem, stand on a 

 fairly even basis of value. When these 

 have been secured, get as much free- 

 dom and continuity of bloom as is 

 possible and maintain your cardinal 

 features. Don't overlook fragrance. Its 

 place is so close to color and size (the 

 changes in the Carnation Society's 

 scale of points to the contrary not- 

 withstanding) that it was the cardinal 

 virtue that won the divine flower into 

 favor long before she had much of 

 either color or size to boast of. Hav- 

 ing suited your own taste in selecting 

 your seedling, you must investigate its 

 selling qualities. 



Florists should appreciate that the 

 discriminating buyer usually decides 

 what he or she wishes to buy. The 

 retail florist being in close touch with 

 the consuming purchaser, quickly dis- 

 cerns what is most pleasing to the 

 greatest number. Therefore it follows 

 that the producer of new carnations 

 should keep in touch with the retailer 

 and should avail himself of the retail- 

 er's knowledge whenever possible. 

 Choose pure tones of color, those pos- 

 sessing the greatest element of fixed- 

 ness. Avoid dull, fading, or washy 

 colors, and above all those peculiar 

 combinations of discordant tints that 

 shock the optic nerve. 



Every flower coming with long, stiff 

 stems, large double flowers, good form 

 and calyx, and free bloomer, will not 

 prove commercially valuable; but a 

 combination of size, pure tone of col- 

 or, good stem, form, fragrance and 

 calyx, with freedom of bloom, and 

 above all not forgetting selling quali- 

 ties, is what constitutes a first class 

 commercial carnation, and the hybrid- 

 izer who produces such a one deserves 

 the plaudits of his fellow growers. 



