152 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



114. Value of the process to the flower-grower. If all 

 plants could be reproduced by cuttings, it would be a far 

 simpler process than to resort to seeds. The production 

 of some species of plants from seeds is a slow process, and 

 plant-producers cannot use this method when many young 

 plants of this species are required. A large number of 

 cuttings can usually be rapidly made from an individual 

 parent, and the cuttings will reach maturity much more 

 quickly than will plantlets from seeds. Young plants 

 from cuttings are, as a rule, more floriferous than are those 

 from seeds. 



The flower-producer should, however, increase the vi- 

 tality of his plants from time to time. Constant repro- 

 duction of a variety by asexual methods and the abnormal 

 conditions under which the offsprings are grown tend 

 towards a deterioration of that variety. This is observed 

 in carnations and chrysanthemums. A constant effort 

 is necessary to preserve the standard of blooms, and this 

 is accomplished by the introduction of " new blood." If 

 care is taken to select the parents wisely, there will result 

 a more vigorous offspring. Therefore, seed production is 

 necessary for increasing the vitality of a species. 



In the second place, certain plants will not reproduce 

 by asexual methods ; in palms, for example, reproduction 

 by seeds is the only method the palm-grower can follow. 



Some annual plants, however, will reproduce offspring 

 from seeds more quickly than from cuttings, and these 

 have characters similar to the parent. The flower-grower 

 sows the seeds early in the season and has many flowering 

 plants of desired varieties for spring sales. Dwarf forms 

 of sweet alyssum and ageratum, Salvia splendens and many 

 other plants belong to this class. 



115. Season of the year for sowing seeds. Every 



