PRODUCING A NEW COLOR 287 



from the progeny of these reselecting from 

 season to season. 



The flowers were chosen that showed the 

 lighter shades of scarlet, crimson, and pink, and 

 those that were altogether white. 



Attention was given also to the selection of 

 larger flowers, and in particular to those that had 

 the most delicate petals, and firmness of texture 

 and any suggestion of waviness was joyfully 

 welcomed. 



For many years this selection was continued, 

 raising large quantities of poppies, and having 

 the aid of four or five men in marking the se- 

 lected flowers in the field for an hour or two each 

 morning during the blooming time, that no 

 specimen showing favorable variation should be 

 overlooked, and that no plants showing rever- 

 sion be left. 



At first the progress was very slow. It was 

 easy to find specimens that were semidouble 

 and those that had the black spots. But there 

 was very slight tendency to crimping of the 

 petals. 



As usual in such cases, however, there came a 

 time when progress seemed much more rapid. 



Thenceforward the work was encouraging 

 and full of interest, and in a few years more a 

 most beautiful strain of poppies had been pro- 



