ON LILIES 



gards the character of the flower, which took on 

 so characteristic a form, and colors of such elusive 

 quality, as to merit the name of Orchid-flowered 

 Canna. It chanced that experimenters in Italy 

 produced simultaneously and quite independently 

 a race of canna having closely similar qualities. 



The best of my cannas of this type was intro- 

 duced under the name of The Burbank. 



This plant rather closely resembles a variety 

 known as the "Austria" which was introduced 

 about the same time from Europe. The Burbank, 

 however, is somewhat larger, and has thicker and 

 more rubber-like foliage; and its flower its slightly 

 less crimson in the throat. 



WORKING WITH THE CANNA 



The cross-fertilization of the canna should 

 seemingly present no particular difficulties to any- 

 one who studies the mechanism of the flower. 



The stamens have a petal-like appearance, and 

 the pollen-mass could not be transported by the 

 bee or any other small insect. Large moths may 

 carry it from one flower to another, but the usual 

 pollenizer of the canna, in this country, is the 

 humming-bird. 



The hand-pollenizer may readily enough 

 detach the pollen-mass, and transfer it to the 

 stigma of another flower. 



But it does not follow that hybridizing is easy. 



[239] 



