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June 1. 1905. 



ThcWcekly Florists' Review. 



79 



inc among ourselves, a sport, and in due 

 course this would be increased in num- 

 bers by grafting or budding or cuttings 

 and these would produce the flowers and 

 the fruits and the seeds and eventually 

 the seedings, and that, as it appears to 

 me is the only way the seedlings 

 would come. If this is what Mr. Har- 

 wood means, here is a case where a 

 p'um-tree has been induced to sport 

 through grafting. I read somewhere 

 sometime ago that the white form of 

 the H. R. rose Baroness Rothschild 

 called Mabel Morrison was the result of 

 the tea rose Niphetos being budded on 

 the Rothschild, causing it to break and 

 produce a shoot that bore white flowers; 

 lience a sport, or, as Darwin would say, 

 a bud variation. 



Another change Mr. Burbank has made 

 in flowers, but this was not mentioned 

 by Mr, Harwood in his articles, was in 

 the aquilegia, commonly called the colum- 

 bine. By repeated selection he has fixed 

 a type with the spurs eliminated. I must 

 own up that I have not seen any of the 

 flowers of these new types, but I con- 

 fess I am prejudiced against this new 

 innovation, because the long spurs ap- 

 peared to me always to add greatly to 

 the grace of the unique flowers of the 

 columbine. Let us hope that this is a 

 <!ase where they have to be seen to be 

 appreciated. It, however, goes to show 

 what may be accomplished by persist- 

 •ent, well directed effort, with a worthy 

 ideal to look up to and aim for. 



Many of the achievements with which 

 Mr. Burbank has been credited have been 

 done by others. This is not said to de- 

 tract from the wonderful work he has 

 •done, but to show how slow the people 

 have been in coming to a realization of 

 what has been going on among horti- 

 culturists, florists and gardeners in the 

 improvements in plant life. For in- 

 stance, when the Chinese primrose was 

 introduced, about the year 1820 I think, 

 the flowers were not larger than a nickel 

 and a poor, washed-out pink in color. 

 Now they are larger than a silver dollar, 

 and have been so for over twenty years, 

 both single and double flowers, and they 

 come in nearly all the colors of the 

 rainbow. Anyway, we can have them in 

 the national colors of red, white and 

 blue, with numerous intermediate shades. 



All here present know what has been 

 done with the carnation within the past 

 ten years, and with these important im- 

 provements in flowers so far Burbank 

 has had nothing to do. 



Mr. Burbank has greatly Increased the gera- 

 nium (zonal pelargonium Is meant, I believe) 

 In size, and at the same time has made It far 

 more brilliant In color. 



This statement is most interesting, or 

 at least as the late Horace Greeley would 

 say, "interesting if true." Illustration 

 of an old variety is given and the new 

 one enlarged in form illustrated for com- 

 parison, but it is questionable whether 

 Mr. Burbank 's zonals are any larger 

 than are those to be found in an up-to- 

 date florist's establishment, and if he 

 has any varieties more brilliant scarlet 

 in color than an old French variety 

 named Le Pilote and a Philadelphia va- 

 riety known as Dennison's Seedling, I 

 know most of us would not only like. to 

 see such a one but we would also like 

 to own one. 



But all honor to Burbank and all 

 honor to those who have eventually recog- 

 nized the good work he is doing and the 

 hope for his still greater achievements, 

 and all honor to the newspapers and 

 magazines which have spread broadcast 

 the knowledge of the possibilities of im- 



Spiraeas at E. Sutermdster's, Readville, Mass. 



provements in all vegetation, and here's 

 hoping the same may awaken some kin- 

 dred spirits and kindle an enthusiasm to 

 aid Burbank in the grand work now 

 going on. 



INOCULATION OF SOIL. 



The publication of the results ob- 

 iained with pure cultures in inoculat- 

 ing leguminous plants has resulted in 

 a very great demand being made upon 

 the Department of Agriculture for in- 

 oculating material, says Albert F. Woods 

 in a recent bulletin. The distribution 

 made during 1904 was for the purpose 

 oi obtaining a large number of tests 

 of the method under average farm con- 

 ditions, and it was impossible to an- 

 ticipate the demand which has arisen 

 this spring, the total quantity prepared 

 for spring distribution having been 

 promised early in February. It is ex- 

 pected, however, that this fall and next 

 spring a further distribution will be 

 made as far as limited facilities will 

 permit. Statements to the eff'ect that 

 the Department has stopped the dis- 

 tribution of these cultures are therefore 

 erroneous. Applications for future dis- 

 tributions should state what legume is 

 to be sown, time of sowing, and quan- 

 tity of seed to be treated. 



G>mmercial Production. 



The patent which the Department of 

 Agriculture holds upon the method of 

 growing and distributing these organ- 

 isms was taken out in such a way that 

 no one can maintain a monopoly of the 

 manufacture of such cultures. It is 

 held in the name of Dr. George T. 

 Moore, who developed and perfected the 

 method. Upon application the Depart- 

 ment furnishes without discrimination 

 all necessary information, and as far 

 as possible "starting" or foundation cul- 

 tures, to the bacteriologists representimr 

 experiment stations and commercial 

 concerns which claim to he properly 

 equipped, but it does not in any way 

 jTuarantee their product. It is not likely 

 that persons without expert knowledge 

 can succes.sfully multiply cultures of 

 these organisms for sale or distribution 



G)st of Cultures. 



The question of the proper price for 

 the commercial product is causing con- 

 siderable inquiry among prospective ex- 

 perimenters and is of importance. The 

 expenses which a commercial concern 

 must necessarily meet, such as rent, 

 heat, light, insurance, postage, adver- 

 tising, etc., aside from laboratory assist- 

 ance and clerical hire, make any com- 

 parison with the cost to the government 

 of similar cultures difficult. The state- 

 ment that the cultures cost but a few 

 cents an acre refers only to the raw 

 materials which make up the package. 

 It is more than probable that natural 

 competition will considerably reduce the 

 present valuation of tue commercial 

 product, and the wisdom of patenting 

 the Department's methods to prevent the 

 formation of a monopoly is already 

 demonstrated. 



Increasing Cultures. 



We are receiving numerous requests 

 from persons who have secured commer- 

 cial cultures, as well as those sent out 

 from the Department of Agriculture, 

 for information as to the methods em- 

 ployed in producing a large quantity 

 of liquid culture from the dry culture 

 secured as a starter; that is, how to 

 make an "acre culture" do for twenty- 

 five or 100 acres. Such methods will 

 give good results only when special pre- 

 cautions are taken, and on this ac- 

 count have not been generally recom- 

 mended. The contaminations, such as 

 yeasts, molds, etc., which are bound to 

 occur to a greater or less extent, are 

 apt to take possession of the culture 

 solution in which the bacteria are being 

 multiplied, and unless great care is 

 taken in thoroughly sterilizing all uten- 

 sils employed, the resulting culture will 

 have no beneficial eff'ect. The extra 

 time required to secure sufficient growth 

 of bacteria in ten gallons of solution 

 from a dry culture originally intended 

 to produce a one-gallon liquid culture 

 makes the risk from contamination 

 much greater than where the dry cul- 

 ture is proportioned in size to the larger ■ 

 amount of solution. If a growtji suffi- 



