Take violet-blue, for instance, which is a lovely velvety color in its deeper 
shades, as seen in Iris, and tints up to the misty lavender blues, has been used to 
describe all flowers that could show a blue tone. If all suitable flowers were classed 
under this spectrum color that gave the effect of violet-blue as apart from true blue, 
we could afford to ignore all the various names that have sprung from “nowhere,” 
and only denote tints and shades of this tone after all, and thus simplify color work 
in planting, leaving the details to the student, who is necessarily exact as to tones 
and hues. 
Violet-red has suffered by ignorance, more than one could believe possible, 
for example, the word “purple.” If a student of catalogs read “Aster Novse 
Anglfe a bright purple,” they would pass it by with a shudder, condemned by the 
former misuse of the word purple, while a Colorist would create a beautiful Fall 
effect with all the hardy Asters that are found in the Spectrum Scale from “bright 
purple” to mallow pinks, and with the addition of Marigold, yellow or orange, 
make a most satisfactory planting for one who loves pure strong color. 
Violet-red is probably the largest class of all, as we are told it is Nature’s 
favorite, and most attractive to the busy little fertilizing animals that are such a 
necessity to the flower world. This class should be subdivided, as rose red to rose- 
pink are found in this Spectrum Scale, and flowers listed in both classes are not as 
effective together as they are when planted to the tone scale (deepest shade to 
palest tint), rose red being too red to tone effectively with the amethyst mallow- 
pinks, lilac and magenta of the “violet-red” class. But a general class of “violet 
pinks” is satisfactory as one sees with a planting of Gladioli America with Asters 
listed now under “deep rose,” “rose pink and deep crimson.” 
Our pure pinks come from pure red, and show no trace of blue or yellow' at 
all, and so the scarlet pinks such as shrimp, etc., are better classed as yellow- pinks, 
and show distinctly the nearness of yellow-, but free from any blue, while w-ith 
“yellow ” two broad classes would cover all flow-era, lemon yellow, showing a trace 
of green and orange, showing the trace of red. The following classification would 
be sufficient for any color-planting, provided one has an intelligent understanding 
of the spectrum, the co-operation of the seedsman and is the possessor of Dr. 
Ridgway’s color chart. 
Class No. 1, Pure Reds; Class No. 2, Scarlet; Class No. 3, Orange; Class 
No. 4, Lemon-Yellow-; Class No. 5, Blue; Class No. 6, Violet Blue; Class No. 7, 
Violet Red and Rose Red; Class No 8, Pure Pink; Class No. 9, Yellow or Scarlet 
Pinks; Class No. 10, Rose Pinks. 
CHARLOTTE COWDREY BROWN. 
