June, 1920 
T5t)<i .flower (Brower 
89 
MRS. AUSTIN’S TALKS 
E [ Written expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
Floral Wonders in Ven- 
tura-by-the-Sea. 
S O THIS IS VENTURA- 
by-the-Sea, and well 
named, for the wash 
of the waves of the 
shining bay could be heard 
to the long main street run- 
ning through the center of 
the town. We enjoyed the 
walk in from the little sta- 
tion, with broad expanse of ocean at our 
left and high bluffs on our right, seem- 
ingly so close that I wondered there 
could be room for a town, but there it 
was snuggled in between bluff and sea 
surely not more than a mile between. 
We stepped into a pretty tea room for 
refreshment and the first thing my 
eyes rested on was a Rose. A most 
wonderful Rose, the largest I had ever 
seen, beautiful in color and delicate of 
texture. Our table was not far from 
it and as I ate I looked and thought 
about the Rose. Ah ! I had been 
tricked, there were no real Roses of 
such size, and I scorned it, but curiosity 
led me to it, and as I touched its petals, 
the girl smilingly answered the ques- 
tion of my eyes. “ O, yes, it’s real, we 
have many of them.” Such are the 
Roses of Ventura. 
As we walked about the town that 
afternoon I had occasion to doubt the 
evidence of my senses many times. 
The Fuchsias were especially remark- 
able, growing in form and to the size 
of large bush-like shrubs. I noticed 
the size of one in particular, the main 
stalk of which measured just above the 
ground — thirty-six inches in circumfer- 
ence. Almost all Fuchsias were loaded 
with bloom although the season was 
mid-February. 
A pretty as well as quite common 
sight was the Palms with Ivy Geranium 
climbing over their trunks. While I 
was admiring one and getting a snap- 
shot of it, I visited with a woman and 
boy who were busily trimming a hedge 
of blooming Geraniums, and working 
among Calla Lilies — a large bed of them 
in full flower — getting ready for spring. 
I thought of Ohio under a blanket of 
snow, and sighing, wandered on. 
There were many tropical looking 
plants mostly unknown to me, but I 
recognized the “Bird of Paradise” and 
found it in bloom in three different 
yards. I had seen these quite unusual 
plants in hot house displays, but the 
ease with which they could be grown 
and brought into perfection of bloom 
in the open was only another evidence 
of this climate being the ideal home of 
flowers, and two women have made it 
the home of many new creations in 
! flowers. 
Mrs. Theodosia B. Shepherd, who de- 
voted thirty years to the cultivation of 
, flowers, produced many new and valu- 
able creations which became well 
known to flower lovers. Departing 
this life, her mantle of flower love and 
creative insight, fell upon her daughter, 
Mrs. Myrtle Shepherd Fran- 
cis, who having become in- 
terested in Petunias of her 
mother’s originations, 
Fringed Hybrids and Cali- 
fornia Giants, began de- 
voting special attention to 
this flower. She explained 
that the way ordinary 
Petunias are produced that 
the anthers of a single flower 
are removed before the pol- 
len sack has burst; the flower is then 
covered with a paper bag or other cover 
to prevent insects from fertilizing it 
and when the stigma is ready the pol- 
len of a double flower is dusted on the 
stigma by means of a camel’s hair 
brush. Double Petunias having no 
ovary could not produce seed. As she 
worked among them day after day an 
unconscious ideal of a seed producing 
double formed in her mind. She had 
Palm Tree in California with Ivy Geranium cov- 
ering the trunk. 
learned that a rudimentary pistil was 
not uncommon and eagerly watched 
all doubles with greatest care and one 
day her patience was rewarded by the 
sight of a tiny bit of green amidst the 
anthers. The long-looked-for stigma 
had appeared. Carefully stripping off 
the petals she cut the tube which bound 
the filaments together and there in the 
heart of the flower was a perfect ovary. 
Fertilizing it she fairly hung over it 
watching with bated breath to see if it 
really would develop, which it did, as 
well as another imperfectly formed 
ovary found later. Then she knew 
that the double Petunia would repro- 
duce itself if assisted. Those were 
what would now be considered as very 
inferior varieties but from them, by 
hand nursing and careful selection, 
have come the beautiful Peony flowered 
and others equally wonderful, their 
form, coloring and delicious perfume 
making it seem almost unbelievable 
that they could have originated from 
the little old-fashioned sticky, smelly, 
magenta Petunia. 
Mrs. Francis is a very pleasing wo- 
man to meet, gracious, enthusiastic 
and altogether delightful as she stood 
in the midst of a great bed of fragrant 
blooms, gathering and pulling the 
petals apart in explanation of her story 
of the double seeder Petunia. 
Mrs. A. H. Austin. 
I The St. Thomas Horti- 
cultural Society. ! 
St. Thomas’ fire rate is the lowest in 
the Province of Ontario. The Pro- 
vincial fire inspector on his regular 
tour of inspection during the first week 
in May stated that the greatest con- 
tributing factor to this excellent record 
was the work of the St. Thomas Horti- 
cultural Society. He found an entire 
absence of shacks, the gradual elimina- 
tion of back yard board fences, and in- 
stead of piles of debris usually noticed 
in spring time, beds of flowers and 
well kept lawns had displaced them. 
“ Mothers’ Day ” was fittingly ob- 
served by the St. Thomas Horticultural 
Society. Besides furnishing twenty 
baskets of beautiful spring flowers to 
several churches, each Mother in the 
local hospital and in the Home for the 
Aged was presented with a bouquet, 
the majority of the bloom coming from 
the municipal greenhouse. 
On account of the continued cold 
weather Tulip Sunday which is usually 
celebrated on Mothers’ Day had to be 
postponed for two weeks. The bloom 
will be very inferior due to unseason- 
able conditions. 
June 12 is to be a “ Red Letter Day ” 
in St. Thomas. It is proposed to hold 
a Loyalty Day, a “Boost St. Thomas” 
Day. Thousands of pictorial envel- 
opes on which are printed in colors 
views of “ The Flower City ” will be 
offered for sale at each corner of the 
business streets by young ladies. Each 
buyer will be tagged with a neat card 
reading “ I bought a bunch.” Mer- 
chants will decorate their windows for 
the occasion. The city will be in holi- 
day attire, the stores will hold open 
house, the parks with their magnificent 
collections of Peonies, Irises and Lilacs 
will be at their best. Addresses on 
civic patriotism will be given at the 
several schools on the preceding day. 
Invitations are being extended to all 
Horticultural Societies within motor- 
ing distance to attend. 
F. E. Bennett, President. 
