42 



CIRCULAR 2 7S, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The average freezing points of some flower petals, foliage, bulbs, 

 conns, etc., are given in the following tabulation : 



Temperature (°f .) 



29. 3 



lark- 



Foliage: Temperature CF.) 1 



Amaryllis 31. 



Asparagus fern 24. 2 



Aspidistra 24 9 



Caladium, spotted 30. 6 



Carnation 27. 4 



Chrysanthemum 29. 6 



Columbine 29.1 



Daisy, Shasta 30. 



Delphinium (hardv lark- 

 spur) 29.2 



Dracaena 28. 



Fern, dagger 23. 6 



Gladiolus 26.8 



Hemerocallis 30. 



Holly (Ilex opaca) 26. 3 



Iris: 



Dutch 29.0 



German 27. 6 



Japanese 28. 7 



Lily, Easter 29. 2 



Pandanus 30. 4 



Rubber, variegated 30. 3 



Violet, sweet 27. 4 



Vinca major 28. 6 



Petals: 



Anemone 28. 1 



Carnation 28.4 



Chrysanthemum 28. 4 



Columbine 31. 1 



i Many of these figures are based on previously published work by Wright (101) and are subject to revision 

 whenever further investigation makes this necessary. 



Petals — Continued. 



Daisy, Shasta 



Delphinium (hardy 



spur) 



Gardenia 



Gladiolus 



Heath 



Hemerocallis 



Hyacinth 



Iris, Japanese 



Lily, Easter 



Narcissus (daffodil).. 

 Orchid (Cattleya) _ _ . 



Peony, common 



Poinsettia 



Ranunculus 



Rose, hybrid tea 



Tulip.; 



Violet, sweet 



Bulbs, corms, etc.: 



Calla 



Dahlia 



Gladiolus 



Hyacinth 



Lily, Regal 



Narcissus: 



Daffodil 



Paperwhite 



Tulip 



26. 6 

 28. 3 

 28. 7 

 28. 7 

 30. 8 



28. 7 

 30. 5 



27. 5 

 30. 1 

 30. 8 



29. 



29. 2 



28. 6 



30. 

 28. 

 28. 5 



27. 5 



28. 3 



26. 8 

 28. 7 



27. 1 



26. 1 



28. 9 

 25. 4 



Cut Flowers 



Most cut flowers are benefited by a freshening period of a few hours 

 m water at about 50° F. immediately after being cut. Cold-storage 

 rooms for the holding of cut flowers for short periods are operated 

 mainly by wholesale florists in the large cities. The temperatures 

 given in this section are recommended to insure a reasonably long life 

 for flowers after their removal from storage. 



Cut flowers in storage should usually be kept with the stems in 

 water, but experiments in which French marigolds and carnations 

 have been stored out of water for comparatively long periods have 

 been reported (50, 51). They should not be crowded in the contain- 

 ers because of the danger of mechanical injury and the decay that may 

 result because of iiisumcient ventilation. In most cases care should be 

 taken not to spill water on the blooms as these usually discolor rather 

 readily. 



Damage to several kinds of cut flowers when stored in the same 

 room or even in the same building with apples, oranges, pears, and 

 other fruits should be emphasized. Such damage is evidenced by 

 premature withering or the rapid aging of the blooms and is known 

 to be caused by the ethylene gas given off by the ripening fruit. Koses, 

 carnations, snapdragons, stocks, and daffodils have been shown to 

 be affected in this way by the emanations from ripening fruit (40. 48). 



Man}- kinds of pigmented flowers fade, discolor, or develop an off- 



