ON DAISIES 



It will be understood, also, that this quality Of 

 whiteness characterizes all the new races of Shas- 

 ;tas — except one that has been bred for yellowness. 

 The number of florets and their arrangement and 

 form and size have been modified indefinitely, but 

 these modifications do not in any way affect the 

 color, except in case of one that showed a ten- 

 dency toward yellow, and from this numerous 

 yellow varieties, single and double, were devel- 

 oped. This color, however, fades in sunlight, and 

 blanches in a few days. Aside from this, all Shasta 

 daisies are characterized by their snoWy whiteness. 

 The improved varieties rival the variously modi- 

 fied chrysanthemums in size and form and in flex- 

 ibility of florets; but they do not imitate the 

 chrysanthemums as to variety of color. 



Possibly some varieties of Shasta may be modi- 

 fied in other directions as to color. One already 

 shows pink on the outside of the ray flowers. One 

 was found last year (1913) that had a faint shade 

 of pink, and seed was saved. A pink Shasta daisy 

 is therefore in prospect. 



There are other varieties of daisies, however, 

 that show color variation. The whiteness of the 

 ox-eye daisies both of Europe and America, and 

 of the French marguerites, seems so typical that 

 at first thought it appears anomalous that any 

 daisy should depart from the traditional color. 



[151] 



