ther arrives. A greater range for root development is provided. Don’t forget 
them tho. Rains are seldom sufficient thruout the summer. Before shifting, wa- 
ter well and allow excess to drain completely. Thus the lump off earth and roots 
may be removed entire and without breaking up which would set the bulb back. 
Seve all roots possible when repotting. 
Seedlings. We do not sell seed, We never have enough of the best and don’t 
like to sell anything else. You should grow your own seed, make your own cros- 
ses from the flowers you like best. Plant Breeding has reconstructed nature’s 
gifts and made them more beautiful or more appetizing, digestible and nourishing 
as food. Genius is not required and any one can make plant breeding an inter- 
esting and useful hobby. For Amaryllis, we suggest you start with a dozen, more 
or even less, of our Select Strains bulbs. Cross or self pollinate only the best. 
To do that, place the powdery yellow pollen from the bursting antlers on tip of 
stamens (there are 6) on the three pronged stigma in center of flower. This 
fertilizes the flower and a seed pod should result. 
Plant fresh seed on surface of good pctting soil, in pots or boxes and cover 
with %” soil. If soil is well moistened before planting one can cover pot with a 
pane of glass to preserve moisture and seed will usually come up with no fur- 
ther watering. Seedlings grow the year around until flowering which they often 
do when two years old. When seedlings become crowded, transplant to pots, in- 
dividually or in groups but always give them room to grow. They will grow fast- 
er outside in warm weather 30% shade, but require frequent irrigation. 
Quality of Amaryllis Flowers 
Tastes differ but it does not follow that because a few like a flower with a 
pronounced green throat that such a flower is ideal. We shall try to describe the 
ideal of Amaryllis experts. 
The petals should be broad and rounded with a short tube and wide open 
flower. This type is called the Leopoldi type because it contains the species Leo- 
poldi in its ancestry. 
There should be no twisting of the petals. They should be of firm texture, 
smooth, not ridged, and edges plain, not toothed or irregular. 
There should be little or no green in the throat or other part of the flower, 
The colors should be lively and pleasing in a great variety of tones which are 
never dull in effect. 
The nearest approach to the ideal can be found in our Select Strains. But 
because we describe an ideal, one must not expect every bulb to produce an ideal 
flower. Some of them are nearly perfect and such bulbs are really worth $5.00 
each and up. We have paid as high as $25.00 for especially fine bulbs. 
The Select Strains hybrid Amaryllis contains many bulbs really worth sev- 
eral times their price of 75c ea. You will find no such types in the dime or de- 
partment stores at a lower price. But we do not claim that other reputable firms 
do not also offer equally high class bulbs. We only claim that none are better 
in the same price range. 
PureWhite Amaryllis hybrids are very rare and the bulbs sell for high prices. 
They are more tender and difficult to maintain in good health and usually die in 
a few years. They can only be grown in pots, not in the field. It is better to be 
contented with ‘Near whites” or “White Backgrounds”. They are healthy, easy 
growers and give the effect of white flowers. The variety “Sibyl Houdyshel’” is 
a very nice near white, altho it costs more, (since it must be propagated by off- 
sets instead of by seed), one sometime gets an equally good flower, or even bet- 
ter, from the Ambiguum hybrids or the White Backgrounds. The White Back- 
grounds are the Leopoldi type. 
Pink Amartyllis. The color “pink” is as variously interpreted as an Egyptian 
tablet in hieroglyphics. “Pink” means any red color of low concentration and 
high brilliance. Ours include rose pink and almost every possible tone of pink. 
Don’t specify the shade or tone. Ours are mixed, every one different. 
The Diener hybrids sometimes disappoint customers who expect a Leopoldi 
type flower. They are an entirely different, the Equestre type, with long, narrow 
pointed petals. We do not agree with the claims made for an everblooming ha- 
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