THE LAW OF COLOE IN FLOWERS. 129 



the business centers of our large cities, and hundreds of 

 our sharp business men glide smoothly into their nets. 

 The very men who will chuckle at the misfortunes of 

 a poor rustic when he falls into the hands of a mock 

 auctioneer, or a pocket-book dropper, will freely pay $10 

 for a rose plant of which a picture has been shown them 

 as having a blue flower ; the chance of its coming blue 

 being about equal to the chance that the watch of the 

 mock auctioneer will be gold. It has long been known 

 among the best observers of such matters, that in certain 

 families of plants, particular colors prevail, and that in 

 no single instance can we ever expect to see Wue, yellow, 

 and scarlet colors in varieties of the same species. If any 

 one at all conversant with plants will bring any family of 

 them to mind, it will at once be seen how undeviating 

 is this law. In the Dahlia we have scarlet and yellow, 

 but no approach to blue, so in the Eose, Hollyhock, etc. 

 Again in the Verbena, Salvia, etc., we have scarlet and 

 blue, but no yellow ! If we reflect it will be seen that 

 there is nothing out of the order of nature in this arrange* 

 ment. We never expect to see among our poultry with 

 their varied but somber plumage, any assume the azuro 

 hues of our spring Blue-bird, or the dazzling tints of the 

 Oriole ; why then should we expect nature to step out 

 of what seems her fixed laws, and give us a blue Eose, 

 a blue Dahlia, or a yellow Verbena ? 



