196 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  30,  1900. 
Seedling'S  and  Sports. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  studies  in  connection  with  horticulture 
is  the  raising  of  new  varieties  of  plants  and  flowers  from  seeds,  more 
especially  if  the  plants  dealt  with  happen  to  he  of  a  variable  character. 
In  the  latter  case  the  crossing  and  intercrossing  are  so  frequent  that 
there  is  practically  no  defined  laws  to  guide  one  as  regards  types, 
colours,  and  constitutions.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  get  one  or  more 
good  qualities,  but  we  must  stiive  to  get  all  good  qualities,  or,  at  least, 
sufficient  to  satisfy  the  enthusiast,  or  we  cannot  advance  in  the 
right  direction.  All  individual  fads  must  be  discarded,  unless  they 
are  of  such  a  character  that  co-workers  can  appreciate  them. 
Supposing  that  the  object  is  to  obtain  a  crimson.  You  naturally 
start  with  a  crimson  for  a  seed  parent;  and  supposing  that  you  also 
get  a  crimson  for  your  pollen  parent,  anyone  would  naturally  suppose 
that  the  result  of  the  cross  would  be  all  crimson.  But  it  is  not  so. 
The  crimsons  will  predominate,  but  there  will  be  others  you  did  not 
expect.  Perhaps  you  may  have  an  extraordinary  chance  variety,  that 
shows  no  trace  of  either  j  arent.  Take,  for  instance,  that  grand  old 
Japanese,  Edwin  Molyneux.  I  would  not  be  surprised  if  this  has  been 
I  he  parent  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  seedlings,  and  yet,  where  are 
the  crimsons  ?  I  have  myself  raised  considerably  over  2000  seedlings 
from  it,  and  have  not  yet  named  one  of  them.  Some  ten  years  ago  we 
used  to  see  it  set  up  at  the  shows  in  splendid  form,  and  al though  it  is 
still  extensively  grown  in  England,  we  seldom  see  it  here  now. 
Pride  of  Madford  was  also  a  distinct  break,  but,  like  its  predecessor,  it 
is  on  the  down  grade.  Some  few  years  ago  I  was  able  to  raise  good 
average  varieties  from  the  latter,  but  now  I  have  almost  discarded  it 
as  a  seed  parent.  From  a  number  of  seedlings  from  Pride  ot  Madford 
I  have  got  all  the  colours  that  are  known  in  Chrysanthemums. 
Madame  Carnot  must  have  been  used  very  extensively  as  a  seed 
parent ;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  we  have  not  seen  any  of  the  seedlings 
to  equal  the  parent.  1  might  mention  dozens  of  varieties  I  have 
used  for  both  seed  and  pollen  jiarents,  but  I  think  the  above  will 
explain  that  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  say  what  you  are  going  to 
get  from  any  variety.  If  it  is  the  raiser’s  desire  to  get  the  greatest 
number  of  variations  from  a  given  variety,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
get  those  with  two  distinct  colours,  such  as  Pride  of  Madford  or 
Edwin  Molyneux,  or  any  others  where  the  reflex  is  distinct  from 
the  face  colour.  Should  the  object  be  to  keep  as  much  as  possible  to 
the  distinctive  type  or  colours  of  the  parents,  then  you  must 
select  se  f  colours.  Any  variety  that  is  suitable  as  a  pollen  parent 
will  also  be  a  success  as  a  seed  parent.  The  secret  we  are  most 
anxious  to  know  is,  What  are  the  crosses  that  will  give  the  very  best 
varieties  ? 
In  raising  seedlings  there  is  one  thing  that  must  not  be  forgotten — 
viz.,  nearly  every  seedling  the  first  time  it  flowers  contains  not  only 
pollen,  but  is  able  to  produce  seed,  and  yet  the  same  variety  may  be 
grown  for  a  number  of  years  before  there  would  be  a  chance  of  getting 
either  seed  or  pollen  again.  Therefore,  if  you  get  good  varieties  the 
first  year,  it  is  wise  io  bear  in  mind  that  the  pollen  should  be  used 
with  a  view  to  getting  other  good  ones  the  following  season.  Bees 
and  flies  are  the  principal  natural  fertilising  agents;  and  perhaps  the 
simplest  way  to  fertilUe  artificially  is  with  the  camel-hair  brush,  and 
although  we  gel  a  larger  percentage  of  gcod  varieties  from  seeds 
treated  artificially,  we  cannot  with  any  certainty  say  when  we  are 
going  to  get  the  ideal  variety,  for  in  spite  of  crossing  two  varieties  the 
progeny  by  that  cross  will  not  contain  two  that  will  be  exactly  alike. 
Sports. 
A  great  number  of  new  varieties  is  obtained  by  sports,  and 
although  this  is  not  clearly  understood,  I  can  confidently  say  it  can 
be  traced  to  a  great  extent  to  the  parentage  of  previous  crosses.  This 
I  have  proved  by  obtaining  seeds  from  plants  that  were  self  fertilised, 
and  in  most  cases  the  colours  of  the  fixed  or  future  sports  will  stand 
prominently  among  them.  For  example,  seeds  obtained  from  Viviand 
Morel,  that  has  been  self  fertilised,  will  give  pink,  yellow,  white,  and 
bronze  ;i  Syringa  will  give  lilac,  white,  and  yellow ;  Madame  Carnot 
will  be  principally  yellow  and  white,  and  yet  all  these  colours  have 
also  been  obtained  by  sports  in  the  above  varieties.  We  are  now 
promised  a  crimson  spcrt  from  Madame  Carnot,  and  if  it  proves 
correct  in  every  other  particular  it  will  rather  upset  my  theory  in 
that  particular  variety,  for  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  get  a  crimson 
from  Madame  Carnot,  even  though  it  has  been  crossed  with  crimson. 
Soils  have  also  a  marked  influence  in  the  development  of  sports. 
Rarely  are  sports  obtained  on  very  light  soil,  and  further,  richly  led' 
plants  seldom  produce  them ;  but  it  is  on  soil  that  contains  more  of 
the  natural  properties  that  the  best  results  are  obtained.  A  free  loam.' 
resting  on  marly  clay,  or  soil  of  volcanic  origin,  is  favourable.  I  have 
obtained  sports  on  loose  sandy  soil,  but  I  think  they  were  fixed 
previous  to  their  removal  to  the  sandy  soil  for  flowering.  It  is  not  an 
uncommon  thing  to  get  a  seedling  to  sport  the  first  year.  This  season 
I  had  only  one.  The  first  flower  that  opened  was  half  white,  and  the 
other  half  was  yellow;  a  week  or  two  later,  when  the  lateral  buds 
flowered,  one  side  of  the  plant  had  white  flowers,  the  other  side  had 
yellow  flowers.  This  climate  is  peculiarly  adapted  for  the  successful 
raising  of  seedlings  and  the  development  of  sports.  The  former  is 
probably  due  to  the  variety  of  changes  in  the  weather,  which  tends  to 
cau-e  greater  excitement,  for  plants  can  adapt  themselves  to  stand 
more  tban  ordinary  conditions.  There  is  probably  a  reserve  force,  or 
surplus  energy,  that  is  occasionally  diiawn  upon  that  would  remain 
dormant  were  it  not  for  the  severe  changes. 
To  all  interested  in  horticulture,  whether  it  is  with  a  view  to 
earning  a  living  or  for  pleasure,  I  would  recommend  that  they  try  the 
raising  of  new  varieties  of  whatever  plants,  flowers,  fruit  or 
vegetables  they  are  interested  in,  and  I  think  it  would  cause  many 
things  to  be  raised  that  would  be  better  suited  to  our  climate,  and 
put  us  on  a  higher  level  in  the  horticultural  world  than  we  stand  at' 
present.  I  am  afraid  some  ot  the  raisers  in  other  lands  have  adopted 
too  much  in-breeding  m  trying  to  accommodate  certain  ideals;  so 
much  so  that  c  institutions  have  been  to  a  great  extent  sacrificed.  I 
would,  therefore,  recommend  as  much  out  breeding  as  possible,  so  that 
the  constitutions  of  plants  be  preserved,  and  the  more  these  things  are 
studied  the  greater  will  be  the  snccess  to  the  amateur,  the  gardener, 
and  the  horticultural  societies. — Thos.  Pockett,  Malvern,  Australia: 
Among  bulbs  adapted  for  giving  an  early  display  of  flowers  without 
strong  forcing  Freesias  take  a  leading  position.  They  must,  however, 
be  potted  early,  so  that  they  can  make  a  steady  advance  and  formi 
plenty  of  roots,  which  renders  bringing  them  into  bloom  soon  after 
Christmas  quite  an  easy  task.  There  are  few  varieties  of  Freesias, 
the  two  best  being  F.  refracta  alba  with  pure  white  and  very  fragrant 
flowers,  and  F.  Leichtlini  major,  pale  primrose  mottled  with  orange 
blooms.  The  latter  variety  has  usually  the  larger  bulbs,  and  the 
growth  is  slightly  more  robust,  though  in  some  cases  the  difference 
is  scarcely  perceptible.  In  addition  to  being  early  the  flowers  are,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  first  named,  delightfully  fragrant. 
It  is  advisable  to  pot  successional  stocks  of  bulbs  in  August  and 
September,  as  the  value  of  Freesias  lies  in  having  them  in  bloom' 
early  when  the  majority  of  spring-flowering  bulbs  are  not  ready  to 
produce  flowers.  The  best  bulbs  are  large,  firm,,  and  even  in  size.. 
Five-inch  pots  are  the  most  suitable  to  form  useful  specimens,  though 
of  course  larger  potfuls  may  be  used  if  desired.  Glean,  dry  pots, 
should  be  well  washed  and  crocked,  covering  the  drainage  with  damp 
moss  or  moist  flaky  leaves.  As  suitable  compost  prepare  a  mixture 
of  well-decayed  turfy  loam  and  leaf  soil,  decomposed  manure  and 
sand,  in  equal  parts,  adding  also  a  little  wood  ashes  or  crushed  char¬ 
coal.  Fill  the  compost  into  the  pots  firmly,  not,  however,  making  it 
hard,  and  place  the  bulbs  so  that  they  will  be  1  inch  deep  and  2  inches 
apart.  A  gentle  watering  may  be  afforded  the  soil  after  potting. 
Place  the  pots  close  together  in  a  cool,  shady  frame,  and,  if  possible, 
avoid  watering  until  growth  commences.  Covering  with  ashes  or 
cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  is  not  necessary,  as  when  the  bulbs  commence 
to  grow  they  would  rapidly  send  up  elongated  growth  through  the 
covering  material,  and  thus  frustrate  the  chief  object  sought  in 
the  cultivation  of  Freesias — namely,  to  maintain  them  stocky  and' 
dwarf. 
The  plants  must  be  kept  as  close  as  possible  to  the  glass,  affording  a 
little  air  immediately  growth  commences,  and  increasing  it  gradually. 
Strong  direct  sunshine  in  the  middle  of  the  day  should  only  be  screened 
off  during  the  early  part  of  growth,  when  it  dries  the  soil  too  rapidly. 
Afford  water  sparingly  and  carefully  at  first,  and  until  the  pots  are 
fairly  filled  with  roots,  when  more  copious  supplies  should  be  given. 
After  October  a  position  on  a  shelf  in  a  greenhouse,  which  is  just  kept 
safe  from  frost,  is  suitable.  Attention  should  be  incessant,  in  order  to 
maintain  the  soil  moist,  examining  the  pots  each  day,  only  watering 
those  that  require  it. 
The  growths  being  slender  are  not  well  adapted  for  supporting  them-- 
