AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED 



shade ; E. crocea alba is white ; E. crocea mandarin 

 has the inner side of the petals rich orange and 

 the outer portion bright scarlet ; E. crocea rosea, 

 intense carmine ; and E. crocea flor plena is semi- 

 double. E. Douglasii or E. maritima is a variety 

 bearing somewhat larger, pure yellow flowers, 

 and E. aurantiaca, rich orange. The Golden 

 West EscHscHOLTziA, as described by seedsmen, 

 offered nothing new in the way of color, but it 

 was stated that " the flowers of these new giants 

 measure from four to six inches in diameter T The 

 italics are not mine, but neither were the giants. 

 I paid a large price for a very small package of 

 seed, and had the pleasure of seeing the plants 

 produce just the same-sized blossoms I had 

 obtained from mixed seeds at twenty cents an 

 ounce. From the Bush Eschscholtzia I got 

 even less, for not a seed germinated. Except 

 when dealing with choice novelties, such as these, 

 the California Poppy is a very easy flower to 

 raise. The seeds should be sown broadcast on 

 the bed where they are to bloom, and then 

 gently settled into the earth. I plant my seed 

 invariably in the fall, sometimes as early as the 

 first of September, though they appear to do as 

 well if planted the latter part of the month. 



224 



