394 beeck's new book of flowers. 



lilac, etc. The flower is handsome when it first com- 

 mences blooming ; the central, or disk part of it, which 

 contains the florets, as they begin to form seed, assumes a 

 conical shape, and a brown, husky appearance, which gives 

 the flower a coarse, unsightly look. 



Double Zinnia. — Within a few years, the great novelty 

 of Double Zinnias has been disseminated. This, of all 

 other flowers, was considered one of the most unlikely 

 ever to become a pet, as the large central disk greatly 

 disfigures the flower ; but in the double flowers, this un- 

 sightly portion is transformed into regular petals, which, 

 when fully expanded, form a hemispherical shape, be- 

 come regularly imbricated, and the flower might be 

 taken for a well-formed Dahlia, as they are nearly as 

 large. Tlie colors are the same as in the single varieties. 

 The plants require considerable room to show off to ad- 

 vantage, and should not be planted less than two feet 

 apart; they produce an abundance of bloom through the 

 summer ; a plant in full bloom is very showy. It is well 

 to put out the plants within six inches of each other at 

 first, as many of them will show semi-double flowers, 

 which should be rejected; but the plants with full double 

 flowers, as soon as they appear, may be removed to the 

 bed prepared for them. With a little care, they will not 

 be much checked. 



