FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
165 
breeding. Though the blood of H. vit- 
tatum has been avoided, it is still tracea¬ 
ble through H. Johnsoni, a hybrid of this 
species and H. Reginae. I have not been 
able to use H. aulicum, but its blood, 
nevertheless, flows in the veins of my 
strain, as I used H. Ackermanni pucher- 
rimum largely in my hybridization work, 
and this is a cross between H. aulicum 
and H. Johnsoni. 
Though I have cultivated and raised 
Amaryllis since 1879, I did not start 
cross-breeding on a large scale before the 
year 1890. In the year named, I added to 
my collection a few dozen of De Graaff’s 
best hybrids and many of Veitch’s new 
productions, such as Southey, Enchantress 
Madonna, Giant, Giantess, etc. Em¬ 
press of India, a magnificent kind with 
broad rounded segments, and of a glow¬ 
ing orange-scarlet color with broad white 
bands, was my starting-point. My aim 
was to produce a vigorous strain with 
short tubes and broad rounded segments, 
of symmetrical form and good substance. 
The first attempts were very encouraging 
and the resulting hybrids were far su¬ 
perior to their parents. But the seedlings 
were very much alike. In order to obtain 
new breaks of color, I used these hybrids 
as well as those obtained from Europe, 
in crossing them with the various species 
in my possession and vice versa. Finally 
many thousands of seedlings were grow¬ 
ing in my greenhouse in Milwaukee. The 
first began to flower at an age of three 
years. I watched their development with 
a restless anticipation. Most of these 
hybrids were inferior to one or both of 
their parents, but new colors were abun¬ 
dant. I only kept a few of the best, and 
all the rest were discarded. The most 
beautiful of all were the crosses between 
the best show Amaryllis and H. Leo- 
poldii. Hybrids between Empress of 
Iirdia and H. equestre exhibited fine or¬ 
ange and salmon-red tints. This cross¬ 
breeding and weeding out of all inferior 
kinds was continued for many years, un¬ 
til the colors were fixed. Since 1900, 
I have not made much use of the species 
any longer, only using now in cross¬ 
breeding the best of my own hybrids. I 
also employ frequently, as pollen plants, 
such English hybrids as have received a 
first-class certificate or an award of merit 
from the Royal Horticultural Society of 
London. 
All my hybrids at present combine a 
vigorous growth and brilliancy of color 
with a fine open symmetrical form and 
great substance. The usual size of the 
flowers of the true species is from five 
to six inches, in the new race of show 
hybrids it ranges from seven to eleven 
inches. They range in color from an 
almost pure white to a deep glowing crim¬ 
son, without a trace of any other color. 
There is rarely a poor flower in a batch 
of a thousand seedlings. The green star 
in the center of the tube, so prevailing in 
the species and the older hybrids, and 
so objectionable to the florist and ex¬ 
hibitor, no longer mars the beauty of the 
flowers. It has given place to a pure 
white or a yellowish tint. The variety of 
colors is really marvelous in these new 
hybrids. There are numerous kinds with 
a deep glowing crimson, a dazzling scar¬ 
let or vermilion, a bright orange red 
and a delicate salmon ground color. Then 
we have deep pink and deep rosy purple 
varieties. Most of the brilliant red colors 
sparkle in the sun as if overlaid with 
gold-dust. Many are crimson seifs. 
Others have broad pure white bands; 
others a white or lemon yellow star. 
Some of the red hybrids have segments 
