428 REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE ON GENETICS. 
glance the pedigree of any variety when working upon it. My object has 
been to study-out some system whereby the colour tones might be puri- 
fied, and rendered more brilliant or delicate and more pleasing to the eye; 
and while I have paid some considerable attention to size of flower, 
freedom of bloom, integrity of calyx, length and strength of stem, and 
fragrance, the purity of the colour has been my first consideration. In 
order to develop more brilliant shades, I have, as a rule, confined my 
crosses to plants both bearing flowers of the colour which I desire to 
improve—that is to say, crimsons were crossed with crimsons, light pinks 
with light pinks, dark pinks with dark pinks, whites with whites, and so 
on; and the result seems to indicate the following hypothesis, viz. that the 
percentage of colour contained in the parentage for several generations 
back controls to a very large extent the colour of the progeny. I do not, 
of course, mean that by using parents on both sides that have practically 
a scarlet pedigree for several generations back all scarlets will be in- 
‘variably produced, but that where such parents are used, the chances of 
securing the improved scarlet colour desired are greatly increased. True, 
the progeny of such parentage frequently show many shades varying 
from the red or scarlet, such as pinks, maroons, purples, and even white 
and yellow grounds with more or less variegation of all of the colours 
mentioned. Again, a cross between a white variety, having practically a 
white pedigree for several generations back, with a scarlet variety, having a 
mixture of scarlet and white pedigree for several generations, frequently 
produces scarlet flowers ; but, as a rule, such scarlets are not as brilliant 
or persistent as those produced from plants having mainly searlet 
pedigrees. One of the best ways of proving this hypothesis is to take two 
scarlet parents the pedigrees of which are mainly white. By crossing 
these, very few scarlets will be produced—sometimes none at all—but a 
large percentage of the progeny will frequently be pure white, or white 
grounds marked with scarlet or various shades of pink. I have some- 
times thought that by taking a scarlet variety of comparatively pure 
scarlet pedigree and crossing it with a white variety, the pedigree of 
which is largely scarlet, more clear and persistent scarlet tones are pro- 
duced than where the pure scarlet pedigrees are used. For I have often 
found that with pure scarlet pedigrees there is a tendency for the colour, 
even though it be very brilliant, to blacken, or turn a slaty shade when 
exposed to bright sunshine. While I have not been able to prove to my 
satisfaction that this hypothesis is right, there still seems to be evidence 
enough to warrant the assertion that if you desire free-blooming early 
habits, use parents having early free-blooming pedigrees. The same 
should hold good if you desire to produce varieties with extra large 
blooms, or perfect calyx, or any other peculiarity in habit or form of 
flower; it also seems to hold good in regard to fragrance. Again, the 
early-blooming varieties usually have small to medium-sized blooms, and 
the very large flowering varieties are generally late and inclined to be shy 
bloomers. This can to some extent be overcome by crossing large-flower- 
ing late-blooming varieties with the early free-blooming ones which — 
have the largest blossoms. ‘This, if followed up, will in the end produce 
large-flowered early-blooming varieties. Working on these lines, I have 
already succeeded in producing ‘Alma Ward,’ which under our intensive 
