Summer Mulching 27 



These hybrid delphiniums, or garden 

 larkspur, possess the blood of two or more 

 species and as a result are inclined to 

 " sport," producing flowers of various 

 forms and colors, entirely different from 

 those of the parents. The word " sport " 

 as used by gardeners is applied to any 

 plant that displays a marked contrast in 

 foliage, flower, form or habit of growth, 

 from the type or normal aspect of the 

 original species. The well-known golden 

 glow is a good example, being a double 

 form of the single-flowered Rudbeckia 

 lacimafa, a tall member of the Black-eyed 

 Susan family, and known as one of the 

 coneflowers. The flower head of the type 

 is composed of two parts the outer row 

 of yellow " ray florets," which is not a 

 part of the flower proper, except that it 

 might be likened to the fringe that borders 

 a curtain, and the dark brown cone in the 

 center, which is composed of numerous mi- 

 nute, individual flowers like the dandelion, 

 each perfect and capable of producing 



