The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-08
BLACK ROSES AT LAST.

Discovery by a Russian Amateur-The
 Mystery of the Colors of Flowers
 Discussed
 A black rose has hitherto been es-
 teemed almost as impossible as a swan
 of that color was to the ancient Ro-
 mans. But the horticulturist will not
 accept a denial even from Nature her
 self. According to The Gardiner's
 Chronicle the honors of producing the
 long sought variety of rose has been
 won by M Fetisoff, an amateur
 grower of Voronezh, In Russia. How
 he has brought about the result we are
 not informed, and the details of his
 process, if authenticated, will, no
 doubt, be interesting. The coors of
 flowers seem to depend on more than
 one cause. If we put aside those
 which are parti- -colored, we find that
 some plants are not by any means con-
 stant- in their tints. That is true of
 some species of roses. We do not re-
 fer to albinism, or the occurrence of
 white flowers on a plant belonging to
 a species in which they are usually
 colored, but to variations in the tint of blossoms on different individuals
 The celebration is due to the more or less fluid material contained in super
 ficial cells on the external part. The exact nature of that material is not easily determined, and it is, no doubt,
 of highly complex character-possi- ply a hydrocarbon of some form, with minute traces of mineral substances, The great variety in tints arises, to a
 great extent, from blending-or, in
 other words, Natures color box could
 we see it. would be found to contain but few paints.
 Dr. Clifton Sorby, some years ago,
 examined the coloring matter of a
 number of chrysanthemums blossom ing in the public gardens at Sheffield,
 with the result, we believe, that all their various tints were attributed to | the diverse blending of two elemen- tary coloring substances. In some
 kinds oe plants certain colors are either natural or are very easily ob- tained; in others they are almost hope
 less. Indeed, some botanists have ar-
 ranged flowers in two series-yellow series such as the tulip, the dahlia, and the rose blue is either most ab-
 normal or unknown; while the change in the oposite direction is equally diff | ficult. Occasionally, however, Nature | fiouts this classification, as when yell low and blue occur in the same blos- som, or single genus-like the gentian-includes both blue and yellow Towering species. That the coloring matter is easily affected by some ex- | ternal impressions is obvious from the changes which result from any bruis- | ing of the petals. But more than this, sunlight produces an effect in certain cases. According to the late Professor Balfour, the flowers of the common ! pink phlox early in the morning have lightish blue color, which alters as the sun advances and becomes bright | pink. A species of evening primrose has white flowers, which change to red.
 Hibiscus variabilis has flowers. white in the morning, pink at noon, and bright red at sunset.
 tuner pldntS nave d ullLerenC COlOr in the bud before it expands from what it assumes in the open flower. In oth- CTS, again, the color of the blossom is changed as the plant becomes a year older. But effects may be produced by external agencies other than light
 Mimicry, possibly protective, has been sometimes detected. Dr. A. R. Wal lace tells us that spurges growing in deserts often closely resemble cacti,
 and that seaside plants and high Al pine plants of different orders are of ten curiously alike. Two cases, how ever, are still more remarkable. Dr. Burchell found a mesembryanthemum in South Africa colored like the peb-
 bles among which it grew, and MT. | Mansel Weale observed another plant
 in the same country which exhibited a similar power of imitation. In some cases, also, the color of the flowers is affected by the character of the. soil. The ordinary hydrangea may be changed from pink and rose -coIored to | a rather leaden blue by being planted | in certain kinds of loam and peaty | earth. It is popularly asserted that a | mixture of sOot in the soil will suffice to produce the effect. Alum, according