154 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



commercial sorts seems now to have resolved itself into selecting the most 

 desirable variety in its class. 



At The Cottage Gardens we are working with a type of carnation dis- 

 tinctively of American origin, the only recent infusion of foreign blood being 

 Winter Cheer, which occurred about the year 1894. Some years since Mr. 

 Dorner and myself used to exchange varieties, but about four years ago Mr. 

 Dorner became of the opinion that little was to be gained by the exchange, and 

 desired to keep the results of his work, fearing that I might become too much 

 of a competitor if allowed to use his hybrids, and the exchanges were discon- 

 tinued, but the results which I have obtained since these exchanges were 

 stopped have been markedly better than before, and perhaps since that time I 

 have been unknowingly following iMendel's theory much closer. As stated 

 before, I have known nothing of Mendel's theory or law until the day before 

 yesterday ; but what I have heard here regarding Mendel has awakened an 

 increasing interest in the work of hybridizing, and I shall secure his books 

 and read them with the greatest interest, for if there is a fixed rule bv which 

 I can produce six inch carnations on four foot stems I certainly wish to learn 

 that rule. 



H. H. GrofF: I think the cause of Mr. V.ard's failure was that he did not know the 

 composition of the hybrid from the seed of Mr. Dorner, so that when Mr. Dorner sent 

 him a hght one he had no idea, of course, as, to what had produced it. In regard to 

 tlie matter of producing light tyies from dark species, my experience reminds 

 me of a point, probably the crucial point, of what might be called my system, for 

 the improvement of like types by crossing them with the blood of other types. By way 

 of example, let me say that I took loo plants, giving a crop of 500 flowers of a certain 

 kind, of European origin, which possessed satisfactory vitality; at the same time, the 

 quality of the flower was not up to my standard, and the idea occurred to me of produc- 

 ing better varieties of white — the demand being greater for that class of flowers than for 

 any other. I proceeded 10 revitalize that with selected types, oreferably of blue and yel- 

 low. The result of those crosses is some of the finest light color that I have ever seen, 

 satisfactory in every way, large, strong, vigorous and beautiful. Further, if I desire to 

 produce a certain line of types from any existing either classified or unclassified species, 

 my first work is to produce a satisfactory type from that snecies and to use that type as 

 the foundation for a new strain or family, as well as a revitalizer for e-xisting types. I\ow, 

 if that species happens to be a red one, and I am using a strong white Tjred from that, it 

 is quite natural that among my white crosses I get a great many reds. I expect that, and 

 many of these are reds of high color. ^\t the same time, the ehect of crosses of that kind 

 upon the light types is a great improvement in size, form, color, quality, disease resisting 

 qualities and so on, until this year I had the satisfaction of seeing my light hybrids grow 

 seven feet high from the ground. Of course, you have a great many discards, but at the 

 same time it is worth while. 



C. W. Ward: In reply to Mr. Groff, I might state that in seeking for habit I have 

 been following this system, my present system, for color only. The most valuable charac- 

 teristic that a carnation can have is color. If it has a pleasant color it will sell; size, 

 form, and everytuing else fades into insignificance beside color; color is the great thing. 

 Now, I made up my mind that if I could secure the proper shades of color, t!ie matter 

 of size and habit would come afterwards, and I found that to be true. Now I have gone 

 so far in the revitalizing of my strains as to go back and use single flowers, that is, tak- 

 ing the single flower for the seed-bearer. Of course, in hybridizing carnations we are 

 working for double flowers and large sized flowers. Mayor Grant, which was thrown upon 

 the screen, was a seedling from a single scarlet flower, which was a descendant from an 

 old variety named Portia, a small variety but a strong grower. We obtained the IMaceo 

 from the Mayor Grant, and that is the intermediate flower; that is, it is the flower from 

 which we get the Governor Roosevelt and the other crimsons. Now, you will find in 

 working carnations— at least I have found — I have done a little work in geraniums anil n 



