May 10, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



25 



Display in Phipps Conservatory, Schcniey Park, Pittsburgh, Pa., Which Affords a Suggestion to Window Trimmers. 



this is the method that is followed to 

 secure results, and by raising a mul- 

 titude of seedlings of any cross one is 

 likely sooner or later to secure the re- 

 sult he is striving for. 



Should one of these green-leaved 

 seedlings prove to be identical, or ap- 

 proximately so, with its white-flowered 

 mother, and were I to cross it on the 

 mother variety, the chance of produc- 

 ing offspring that would be pure white 

 and have green leaves would be greater 

 than the chance from raising seedlings 

 from either it or its mother, were they 

 allowed to fertilize themselves. 



The Third and Fourtli Generaltion. 



There is one other fact that is not 

 to be overlooked by those who are en- 

 gaged in plant breeding and crossing. 

 A certain per cent of the variations 

 that are obtained by hybridization do 

 not appear in the first generation. Most 

 of the variations appear in the second 

 generation, but a certain proportion, 

 and often the most valuable ones, do 

 not appear until the third generation, 

 while a few come even later than this. 



I believe that where it is desired to 

 transfer a required characteristic from 

 one variety of plant to another of wide- 

 ly different characteristics, while still 

 retaining the good qualities of the lat- 

 ter variety, it can be done more quickly 

 and more surely by crossing one or 

 both with one or more intermediate 

 varieties, varieties that are truly in- 

 termediate in character, and then cross- 

 ing the resultant progeny, than by mak- 

 ing the direct cross itself. 



The Price of Success. 



I have spent no time in this paper 

 discussing the mode of producing 

 hybrids, for I take it for granted that 

 all members of this society are fully 

 as well acquainted as I with this. Only 

 experienefe-'aui^^^nstaking ohiljtvation 

 will teach the operator when to trans- 

 fer the pollen from one flower to 

 another in order to make a successful 



cross in the more difficult varieties. 

 And no one can explain why the same 

 kind of pollen may be placed on the 

 same kind of pistil a hundred times 

 without being able to fertilize the ovule 

 and so get seed, while the next time 

 the operation is performed, under as 

 nearly the same conditions as human 

 skill can produce, the desired result 

 may be secured. Other varieties cross 

 so easily that it is diflQ.cult to fail. 



To be a successful hybridizer, one 

 must be willing to pay the price, will- 

 ing to grow hundreds of seedlings that 

 are of no value in order to get one that 

 is of value, and then, when the result 

 is obtained, more often than otherwise 

 he may see the results of his toil disap- 

 pear by some accident, or pass into the 

 hands of someone else who reaps all 



the financial profits of it. But the 

 pure fun of the work is worth the 

 effort, if no other reward is ever ob- 

 tained. 



La Fayette, Ind.— Prof. C. B, Sayre, 

 who has had charge of the floricultural 

 work at Purdue University, has been 

 called to the colors as first lieutenant of 

 field artillery in the officers' reserve 

 corps and has been assigned to Fort 

 Benjamin Harrison, Ind. 



Dryden, N. Y. — The business formerly 

 conducted by James E. Lormor has be- 

 come the property of Misses Lormor 

 and Pratt, who have been in the market 

 gardening and nursery field for several 

 years. Miss Lormor has taken special 

 studies at Cornell University to better 

 fit her for the florists' business. 



A Close-Up of the Phipps Conservatory Baseball Display. 



