THE LARKSPUR 217 



An Almost Endujss Variety 



The great family of composites presents an 

 almost endless variety of flowers, of which we 

 have seen some striking examples, most notable 

 among these being perhaps the daisies and the 

 dahlias. But now and again a new form makes 

 bid for popularity, and there is still an indefinite 

 amount of material among our wild plants 

 from which garden plants might be developed. 



Yet the old favorites are not necessarily sup- 

 planted. Indeed, there are some of them that 

 have perennial interest, holding their charm de- 

 spite all competition. 



One of these is the marigold, of which there 

 are various species that find favor not only be- 

 cause of the ease with which they may be culti- 

 vated, but also because of the length of time 

 during which they bloom, the abundance of 

 blossoms, and their good keeping qualities after 

 being picked. 



The marigolds most commonly cultivated fall 

 into two distinct groups, one spoken of as the 

 African marigold and the other as the French 

 marigold. In addition to these there are native 

 species, among others a very interesting one 

 sent me from Arizona, by Professor Lemon, 

 whose name it bears. This native form is a 



