Production of Double Flowers 493 



experiment was only a repetition of what pre- 

 sumably takes place often within the same 

 species. To attempt to produce a double 

 variety we may choose any species, and of 

 course should select one which as yet has not 

 been known to produce double flowers. By 

 doing so we will, if we succeed, produce some- 

 thing new. Of course, it does not matter 

 whether the new variety has an horticultural in- 

 terest or not, and it seems preferable to choose 

 a wild or little cultivated species, to be quite 

 sure that the variety in question is not already 

 in existence. Finally the prospect of success 

 seems to be enhanced if a species is chosen, the 

 nearest allies of which are known to have pro- 

 duced double flowers. 



For these reasons and others I chose for my 

 experiment the corn-marigold, or Chrysanthe- 

 mum segetum. It is also called the golden corn- 

 flower. In the wheat and rye fields of central 

 Europe it associates with the blue-bottle or blue 

 corn-flower. It is sometimes cultivated and the 

 seeds are offered for sale by many nursery- 

 men. It has a cultivated variety, called grandi- 

 florum, which is esteemed for its brilliancy and 

 long succession of golden bloom. This variety 

 has larger flower-heads, surrounded with a 

 fuller border of ray florets and belongs to a 

 genus many species of which are garden-plants 



