Super Pansies 
One of our earliest interest in plant life 
was pansies and during a long series of years, 
we have personally grown numerous named 
varieties beloved by old time English florists 
which had to be propergated from cuttings, 
as well as dozens of strains, European and 
American raised from seed. 
It is questionable whether any strains of 
flower seeds show more divergent ideals of 
breeding and selection than Pansies. The 
fact that they require ruthless roguing to 
keep them at high pitch and that the most 
select types are shy seeders, partly explains 
why strains vary so much in quality, but a- 
side from this is the influence of personal 
leanings toward vigor and habit; and colors, 
size and form of blooms. Additional is the 
possibility that a certain strain built up in a 
particular region, may not retain all the points 
aimed at, in another district. 
The possibility of finding a strain that 
will fit one’s own ideas is therefore always re¬ 
mote, but C. W. Griffin of Jamesburg, N. J. 
recently brought to this office a box of field 
grown blooms from his stock plants that for 
size, form and coloring more nearly approach 
our own ideals than any we have seen outside 
of named kinds. Mr. Griffin has spent 20 
years working up his Giant Marvel strain, 
plants of which he has largely sold through 
the F. E. and H. T. W. 
His aspirations have been towards com¬ 
pact habit, perfectly circular blooms with 
broad overlapping petals more or less ruffled. 
Many of the flowers have large solid blotches, 
although to meet the desires of some buyers, 
light colored rayed flowers have been allowed 
to remain. In a word Air. Griffin, has appar¬ 
ently worked into his strain all the good 
points of the old time show and fancy Pansies 
and at the same time embodied his own ideals. 
Numerous letters of praise from various cus¬ 
tomers indicate that both North and South, 
Griffin’s Giant Marvel Pansies whether sup¬ 
plied as seed or plants, have given extreme 
satisfaction. (Florists’ Exchange and 
Horticultural Trade World, page 41, issue of 
June 5th, 1937.) 
Griffin’s Pansy Gardens : Jamesburg, N. J. 
