w 



The Weekly Florists^ Re view# 



Dbcbmbeb 19, 1907. 



savage, to pick out and develop good 

 variations, it is evident that the earliest 

 as well as later aborigines were observers 

 of nature to a practical degree. 



This primitive pod corn produces a 

 small ear, with grains around the cob in 

 even and uneven rows as in any other 

 corn, but each separate grain enclosed in 

 a small husk similar to a grain of rice. 

 Variations in the earliest pod corn and 

 subsequent variations for the better in 

 the selection of those variations through- 

 the centuries, eliminating entirely the 

 husk around each grain, brought the pod 

 corn to be fixed or nearly fixed before 

 America was settled, as the early settlers 

 in this country were very enthusiastic 

 over the maize in the possession of and 

 cultivated by the Indians. 



The aborigines cultivated it on a large 

 scale. For example, the brother of Colum- 

 bus, on a voyage of discovery in 1496, 

 reported in his journal that when ashore 

 he had traveled through eighteen miles of 

 corn on the Isthmus of Panama. 



Yet, with all this progress in early 

 times, still greater variations have been 

 made in the later days, particularly in 

 the last fifty or sixty years ; for instance, 

 there was the introduction of sugar corn, 

 a form which was not publicly known 

 before 1840. And what a great variety 

 there is in quality of both field and 

 sweet corn, from the gigantic grain of 

 the Chilian corn, with stalks twelve feet 

 high, to the small-grained shoepeg corn 

 or small pop corn! Or what a difference 

 there is between the many sorts of sugar 

 corn, in degrees of size, maturity, rooting 

 habits and contents of saccharine! 



Melons. 



What a source of regret that the thou- 

 sands of sports or variations in all fami- 

 lies of plants have not been seized upon 

 and perpetuated, as it cannot be doubted 

 that better things have been lost than 

 have ever been captured, lost because 

 overlooked by unobservant eyes! 



Take the melons, either water or canta- 

 loupe; what variations they offer, and 

 will ever continue to offer! Livingstone, 

 the African explorer, reported having 

 seen whole districts, miles in extent, 

 literally covered with wild watermelons. 

 The practice of the natives, in the ripen- 

 ing season, was to break the melons with 

 clubs to discover those fruits which were 

 sweet. But the melon is not alone of 

 African origin, as it is on record as an 

 edible fruit from early days in many 

 parts of Asia. But neither Asiatics nor 

 Africans are to be given much credit for 

 its early improvement, they having left 

 that to the more intelligent peoples along 

 the shores of the Mediterranean sea. And 

 what an almost endless variety of melons 

 now exists! There are variations in every 

 form and quality, some from cross- 

 breeding, but in ninety cases in a hun- 

 dred the result of natural variation. And 

 these same reflections can be made as to 

 the whole list of garden vegetables, all 

 of which have been derived from wild, 

 uninviting forms, so far remote from the 

 present development as to be almost be- 

 yond belief as to derivation. 



The Tomato. 



A still more recent and recognized evo- 

 lution or improvement in form appears 

 in the tomato. Seed merchants cata- 

 logued up to 1840 only half a dozen 

 varieties of what at this present day 

 would be looked upon a.s almost worthless 

 forms. This evolution of the tomato is 

 the one subject which people of nearly 

 %11 ages can recall as occurring to some 



Surplus Bulbs- Dahlias- Cannas 



BXHGLK HTACXHTH8. Named varietlea. Grandeur A. MerveiUe, Ida, Norma, Relne dea 

 Jaclnthes. Robert Steiger, King of the Blues, Ozar Peter, Baron Van Thayll, Blue, $3.75 per 100. 



SmOLK VABXSTIX8. AU colors, mixed, 92.00 per 100. 



DOUBLK NAMKD HTACINTBI. Goethe. Lord Ragrlan, Pure d'Or, La Tonr d'Auvergrne, 

 Bouquet Royal, La VirKlnite, Bloksberg, 94.00 per 100. 



CROCUS. Sir Walter Scott, David Rizzio, 60c per 100; 94.00 per 1000. 



MIXED TSLLOW CROCUS. Mixed purple and Blue, 40c per 100; 93.00 per 1000. 



NARCISSUS. Paper White Grandiflora. $1.00 per 100; 98.75 per 1000. 



DAHLIAS. 25 leadingr varieties, all imder name, guaranteed true. Inclading such sorts as A. D. 

 UvoDi, Admiral Dewey, Oatharine Duer, 20th Century, Maid of Kent, Ollflord W. Bruton, Orange 

 King and many others, 95.00 and $6.00 per 100; 945.00 and 950.00 per lOOO. Send for a complete list. 



CAHNAS. AU leading varieties, including Louisiana, King Humbert, Mrs. Kate Gray, Maiden's 

 Blush, etc., $10.00 per 1100 and upwards. Write for list and prices. 



RKX BKGK>inAS. A fine assortment of best varieties of this splendid decorative plant. 25 kinds, 

 including President Oamot, Silver Queen, Helen Upton, Mile. Kaurell, etc., 2}i inch, 95.00 per 100; 

 $45.00 per 1000. 



THE DINGEE A CONARD CO., West Grove, Pa. 



Roa* Groirara. 



BatabUsbad 1850. 



Mention The Bevlew when yoa write. 



70 Or««nlioua«s. 



A8TBB LADY ROOSEVELT, btiag of Chrysanthemum type variety, stands by itself: bloom brilliant, 

 dark rose-pink color. *ii in. in diameter, b«me on stiff stems 86 in. in lencth. The plants in the field averaged 

 iVi feet in height The cut flowers marketed this past season at 91.00 per dot. net at wholesale, being more than 

 double an Aster was ever before marketed at, and the demand from a dozen or more large cities was tar in excess 

 of our ability to supply. Our illustrated folder gives price of seed and much other interesting information. 

 Address Box '6U, Elmhurst, 111. The Scientific Special Crops, Intense Culture Ranch, Pheasants and Brook 

 Trout Culbire being added. CHAS. A. KIBBE, Elmhur.t, 111. 

 Mention llje Review when yon write. 



SOME- 



Dutch Hyacinths, 

 Tulips, Narcissus 

 au Roman Hyacinths 



STILL UNSOLD 



■•• Bpeolal ofter, pagra 33 of laana 

 of Daoambar 6. 



Stumpp & Walter Co., 



60 BaroUy St., VBW TOBK. 

 Mention The Review when yon write. 



COLD STORAGE 



VALLEY PIPS 



REST QUALITY 



*^ Case of 2000 at 928.00. 



o satisfactory on arrival retuni at my ex- 

 pense. A trial will convince you that 

 the quality is all right. 



GOV. HKRRICK. Single Vloleta. fleld-grown. 

 from frames, 96.00 per 100. 



AIGIST JURGENS, 



184*144 HerndoB St., ChicAgo, 111. 



Surplus Bulbs 



state quantities wanted. Prices low. 



NARCISSUS— EmpresB, Poetlcus, Paper White. 



Trumpet Major and Double Von Slon. 

 lilLIUM Longlflorum Multl., 6x8 and 7x9. 

 ROHAN HYACINTHS. 

 Fresh Tobacco Sterne, bales of 300 lbs., 91.fiO. 

 W. C. BBCKKRT. • Alleghe ny, P». 



degree during their own experiences. On 

 the other hand, it is estimated that the 

 evolution from original to present de- 

 velopment of the sweet potato, maize, or 

 tobacco, took quite 2,000 years. 



Of course, to induce either savage or 

 civilized man to improve a plant, there 

 must be shown to him in the plant some 

 valuable qualities, even in its wild state, 

 and successive generations of men must 

 continue to improve successive genera- 

 tions of plants. 



But while continuous selection and 

 breeding of these and many other plants 



The FINEST VALLEY 



Western Headquarters for 



Early-Forcing Pips 



912.00 per lOOO; 91.50 per 100 

 Xztra Selected Plpa, 914.00 per 1000; 

 91.75 per 100 

 NOW RBADT. 

 This is the very best stock for early forc- 

 ing. They have been selected with the great- 

 est care and there is potbing better coming 

 to this country. Order at once, as this stock 

 is limited. Return at our expense If not sat- 

 isfactory on arrival. We ship all over the 

 U. S. and supply all the year around. 

 Flneat Cold Stoimce Pipa. 916.00 per 



1000; 92.00 per 100 



Write for quotations on large quantities 



FANCY CUT VALLEY 



FOR CHRISTHAS 



H. N. BRUNS 



1409-11 West Madison Street 



CHICAGO 



Itong Dlatanoa Fhona, Kadaia 1106 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



SEEDS, NEW CROP 



Trade pkt. Peroz. 

 Begonia, Vernon t0.50 12.00 



.60 



Krfordll 



Candytuft, Empress 



Carnation, Marguerite, mixed... 



Centaurea Gymnocarpa 



Cyclamen aiganteum, in colore. 



per 1000 seeds S4.00 



Mlirnonette, New York Market. . 



Myosotts Victoria 10 



Lobelia, Crystal Palace Comp. . . .25 



Salvia Splendens Orandi 25 



" Bonfire 50 



Stock, Boston Market 60 



Verbena, Manfmoth, mixed 26 



Vlnca, Rosea and Alba 10 



.25 

 .10 



.50 



.16 



1.00 



.26 



5.00 

 .50 

 1.25 

 1.00 

 2.60 

 4.00 

 1.00 

 .40 



W. E. MARSHALL A CO. 



146 West S3rd St. NEW TORkI 



,000 DAHLIAS 



Premiom stock, guaranteed true to name. 



500,000 large Flowering Qladloli, 



hundreds of colors and variations mixed. 

 Wholesale prices on application. Order now 

 for spring delivery. Catalogue free. 



J. L. MOORE, Northboro, M«««. 



have taken possibly 1,000 years, there are 

 other well known vegetables besides the 

 tomato which in less than 200 years, and 

 sometimes only 100 years, have been do- 



