THE FLORIST'S JOl’KNAL, 
5$ 
many other plants of which the subvarieties are fewer. The 
anthers never stand above the level of the circle which surrounds 
the eye, and therefore the pollen masses cannot be removed without 
difficulty, and seldom without injury. The'pollen tubes, through 
which the energy of the pollen is transmitted to the ovary, or 
seed vessel, must also retain their principle of association for a 
comparatively short time ; and this, with the other circumstances, 
tends to defeat the process of cross impregnation. Hence, the 
breeder of these plants from seed, must chiefly depend on natural 
crosses for his subvarieties, and in order that he may have the 
greater chance of success, he must be very careful in the selection 
of his breeding plants. Even with all his care, he has difficulties 
to encounter; for the natural disposition to sport colour is so great, 
that the seedling has often very little resemblance to either 
parent. Still, he must do the best he can, which is to select 
healthy plants of choice sorts from which to procure seeds, and 
keep those plants as much out of harm’s way as possible, by 
removing them to a distance from all inferior ones. Young and 
healthy plants are the best from which to obtain seed, though the 
seed is not so abundant as in older ones. The colour of the 
floret during the whole time of its bloom, is also a point worthy 
of attention, in showing which flowers will maintain their colours 
through a cross, and which will not. If the plant remains 
steadily of the same tint of colour until the florets begin to fade, 
at which time the remains of them should be removed from the 
seeding florets, the plant is said, in the language of Florists, “to 
die well,” and if it does this, it will retain its colour through 
a cross impregnation ; but if, as the petals begin to fade, the 
colours also begin to change, the plant is said to “ die ill,” and the 
probability is that it will give way in the,cross impregnation. 
It is generally understood that flowers having the edge, or prin¬ 
cipal breadth of the floret, of a dark red purple “ die well,” while 
those that have it dark blue purple “ die ill.” This is not univer¬ 
sal ; and probably it depends on the energies of the other subva¬ 
rieties with which the cross impregnations take place ; but still, 
it is a maxim with the Florist that the dark blue purple is not to 
be confidently relied on. 
This would open up a very curious question in the rationale of 
the growth of flowers, and the changes effected in their colour, 
whether more artificial or natural: but this is a topic upon which 
