especially after the corners are crumpled and the edges bent. It can 
be bound; but it is heavy and two volumes are a continual nuisance 
if one must turn from one to the other. With the Repertoire, one is 
almost forced to do the work in a windless, table-furnished apart- 
ment, whether indoors or out. 
One concludes that if the Repertoire were fast, rehable color, if 
it were convenient to use, and if it were easily obtainable, it would be 
the best color chart to use — too many ifs. 
Ridgway's "Color Standards and Color Nomenclature," also, was 
made after long, careful experiments. All colors of the rainbow spec- 
trum and more are included in shades and tints from black to white. 
But this chart was not made for gardeners. It was made more espe- 
cially for naturalists. It would seem that naturahsts are concerned 
with subdued tones and neutral grays, and that they rarely need to 
distinguish the finer variations of color near white, as is necessary for 
students of flowers. At any rate, the Ridgway has sheet after sheet 
that we should never use and lacks many finer shades that would be 
necessary to us in the perfect chart. 
Dr. Ridgway, however, has made a useful working basis for match- 
ing flower color. The painter would not like certain variations oi 
color intensity as arranged in this chart. But his objections do not 
concern us except where they relate to the approach to yellow from 
either orange or green. While there is no space to go into scientific 
explanations, it is noteworthy that the most saturated or "yellowest" 
yellow and the most luminous or intense yellow are rather mixed 
up and, for us, imsatisfactory. We need better and more complete 
scales of yellow, yellow-orange and yellow-green. 
The Ridgway costs $10.00 minus 10 per cent, or 15 per cent to 
members of the Garden Club op America. There are several thou- 
sand copies still to be bought, I am told. In presentation it is supe- 
rior to the Repertoire. The colors have the advantage of absolute 
uniformity throughout, and are more permanent and accurate than 
those of the Repertoire. The chart is arranged as a hght book which 
can be comfortably carried about and the sheet wanted can be found 
without delay. In use it is about as convenient as well can be ex- 
pected. All in all, the Ridgway is much the more practicable of the 
two. 
Real advance in the description of flower color can be made with 
dihgent use of the Ridgway, yet perhaps a more important result 
would be a body of intelHgent criticism by which we could be guided 
in further progress along this line. For I do not beheve that we shall 
be satisfied to let the problem rest as it stands. The careful observer 
will miss a number of color tones, especially among the Hghter tints, 
in the various hues between red, orange and yellow. For it is a curious 
physiological fact that most of our eyes are able to distinguish the 
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