16 



The Florists^ Review 



May 22, 1913. 



FOR A HOUSTON CARNIVAL. 



The dozen shower bouquets shown on 

 ipage 17 were not used for a wedding, 

 l)ut for an entirely different occasion, a 

 fact that indicates the wide adapta- 

 bility of this form of bouquet. The 

 picture was prepared from a photo- 

 graph sent to The Review by H. H. 

 Kuhlmann, of Houston, Tex. The bou- 

 quets were made by Mr. Kuhlmann for 

 the carnival ball held during the No- 

 Tsu-Oh carnival in Houston, and were 

 carried by the carnival queen and her 

 eleven maids. Mr. Kuhlmann states, 

 with no more than a fair degree of the 

 honest pride which every expert crafts- 

 man ought to feel with reference to 

 his work, that the bouquets were "the 

 finest lot and largest number ever made 

 in Houston for any one occasion." 



The queen's bouquet, shown in the 

 center of the upper row, was made of 

 large white and small yellow orchids, 

 valley and Adiantum Farleyense, with 

 a frill of gold lace and a shower of val- 

 ley and small yellow orchids. The 

 maids' bouquets were made of large 

 lavender orchids and valley, with valley 

 showers. 



CBOSS BREEDING OF PANSIES. 



I shall be obliged if you will answer 

 the following questions: 1. How far 

 apart or how far isolated should pansiea 

 be planted, so that the seed may be 

 fcept from mixing! 2. Do pansies mix 

 while in bloom? 3, What is the pro- 

 -cedure to produce new varieties of 

 ipansies by cross fertilization? 



W. F. T. 



There seems to be little or no cross 

 fertilization of pansies caused by the 

 wind carrying the pollen, as far as we 

 •can judge from a number of experi- 

 •ments, but the pollen is often carried 

 from flower to flower by bumble bees, 

 (butterflies and some other insects. The 

 ■common honey bee does not work on the 

 pansy. The complete prevention of 

 cross fertilization would hardly be prac- 

 tical if a large number of varieties are 

 grown, but the chances of the insects 

 crossing the flowers would be greatly 

 reduced by planting rows of asters or 

 other taller growing plants between 

 colors or varieties of the pansy. Bumble 

 bees do a lot of the crossing, but I 

 notice that they will confine themselves 

 to a number of nearby flowers in pref- 

 erence to flying over a barrier of asters. 

 This refers, of course, to fall-grown 

 seed. If grown in the spring, some 

 other plant or device would have to be 

 ■used to separate the colors. 



The second question seems a little 

 ambiguous, but, as I understand it, 

 the correspondent wishes to know 

 whether the planting together of two 

 Afferent colors of pansies will cause 

 the flowers of one or the other of them, 

 not referring to seedlings of these 

 jilants, to change color. The answer to 

 this is most positively no. Pansies vary 

 :a great deal according to weather condi- 

 tions, being lighter in color in hot 

 weather and changing to a much darker 

 -color when the weather is cooler. Pan- 

 sies that are perfectly white during the 

 summer may often take on a purple or 

 lilac color over part or even all of the 

 flower when much cooler weather pre- 

 -vails, and sometimes one-half of a plant 

 will vary while the other half does not. 

 This adds quite a complication in trying 

 to keep pansies true to name and color. 

 Different colors will cross and mix to 

 a certain extent if planted side by side. 



As to the third question, it is not so 

 hard to produce a new variety of pansy 

 of real merit as it is to fix the variety 

 so it will reproduce itself from seed. 

 The pansy is the result of complex hy- 

 bridization and, even with the best of 

 care, there are a great many variations 

 that will naturally occur, but only a 

 few of these can be preserved as dis- 

 tinct varieties even with the best of 

 care in isolating and selecting. 



If a definite cross is desired, it will 

 be found rather easier to take the 

 plants that it is desired to cross into 

 the greenhouse in the fall and do the 

 work in the greenhouse, as the condi- 

 tions are more easily controlled in that 

 way. If kept at a violet or carnation 

 temperature, there will be an abun- 

 dance of flowers to work on from Feb- 

 ruary on. The stamens of the pansy 

 lie close to the ovary of the flower and 

 are somewhat flatteiiid in shape. When 

 the variety that is to be used as the 

 female parent has a flower bud nearly 

 ready to open, the petals may be 

 stripped down and the stalnens removed 

 with a small forceps or the point of a 

 toothpick. This should then be covered 

 with a small bag of muslin or oil paper. 

 When the time has elapsed which would 

 naturally have brought this bud into 

 full flower, it will be ready to cross. The 

 pollen from the plant that is to be the 

 male parent may be applied with a fine 

 brush, or, if there are sufficient flowers 

 for the purpose, the lower petal of the 

 flower that is to be the male parent 



may be carefully removed and enough 

 pollen for fertilization will be founj 

 deposited on the tiny hairs at the base 

 of the honey guide. This may be easily 

 rubbed off onto the stigma of the 

 flower to be crossed. The flower should 

 be again covered, to protect it from 

 other accidental fertilization, and the 

 stem marked with a tag, as it may 

 otherwise be overlooked before the seed 

 is ripe. Some of these crosses may be 

 fixed after continued selection if they 

 prove of value, but others seem almost 

 incapable of being fixed sufficiently to 

 be offered as new varieties. 



It is not hard to cross the different 

 species of violas of the group to which 

 the pansy belongs, such as V. cornutg, 

 etc., but we have never been able to 

 cross any of the species of this group 

 with'\)ur native varieties. 



It is only the most patient care in the 

 matter of selection and weeding out of 

 everything inferior to a high standard 

 that will produce a superior strain, or 

 a desirable new variety of pansy. 



W. A. Toole. 



WHO KILLED COCK ROBIN? 



There seems to be a peculiar fascina- 

 tion about tariff tinkering and a pro- 

 pensity among those who had a hand 

 in the job to let everybody know it; 

 it is a habit with congressmen. The 

 amendments thus far made in the pend- 

 ing bill most certainly were proposed 

 l)y McHutchison & Co., New York. 



IIAMDOi.FH 4TOa 



•oatm **i>K I IT 



TaUFHOHca 



■VAMSTON •«• 



KlrtlLWOMTM. WINMSTRA. •LINCOV. 

 WtLMtTTB «•• 



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H. WiTTBOLD 



FLOWERS. PALMS ano DECORATIONS 



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S« lAST HANOOLPH •TNCCT. CHICAOO 



NUttSIHT *MB DISPLAY •NCUNOS 



CCNTKAL AND NANZIC STS.. N. EVANSTON 



Chicago, May e, 1913. 



Mrs. Brlde'a MoUiar 

 H»ppy*Hom« Bouleyard 

 Chicago 



Otar Madam: 



Vt have been informed that your daughter 

 Uias Louise, is to be marrl«d in June. 



Vr would suggest that you will find aatls- 

 factlon io arranging the floral decoratlona with the 

 help of experta. 



When giving thla Inportant matter conaidera- 

 tlon will you not talk It over with ua? 



One of our decorative artiete will call at 

 revr hona at your convenience. Tou may telepnone or 

 writ* ua at any or the above addresdca and an appoint- 

 ■cnt will be arranged. 



Truatlng that we nay be of service to you on 

 thia happy occasion, we remain 



Very truly your*. 

 B. Vlttbold 



'-«->n 



Reproduction of Three Column Ad Used in a Sunday Paper. 



