The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-08-30
OUEER-TINTED FLOWERS
FLoRlcULTURIsTs CHANGE NATURES
coLoRS TO SUIT THEIR FANCY.

Placed In the solution.
Florists are displaying some remark
able flowers in their show windows
blue and green carnations. scarlet daft
fodlls. pink lilies-of- -the-valley and blue
tulips. So startling are some of these
new combinations of colors In old
standard flowers that nobody ever
thought of being giddy or vain in their
dress that the mind is temporarily puz-
zled. Horticulture is certainly making
tremendous strides every year, but one
is hardly prepared to accept the belief
that growers of flowers have 1t within
their power to change and alter the
natural colors of all blossoms to suit
their will, or passing whlm OF fash
ion.
Yet this Is just what florists have sue.
ceeded In doing, and in the future flow
ers can be raised to suit the demands
OF fashion In colors without much la.
Dor. Heretofore 1t has required years
to raise strain of carnations or roses
that would produce Il certain fashiona-
bic shade, but now what required long
time and close application of cultural
methods can be accomplished by the
florist in a few weeks. But the secret
of the process should not be known IL
we would appreciate the new flowers
Of the season in all their gay colors,
for the illusion once broken robs them
of half their value.
The newly-colorcd flowers are not
exactly dyed. Immersed In dye solu-
tions the delicate blossoms refuse to
take the colors. Every solution yet
prepared for them has either blotched
the leaves and petals, or destroyed
them outright. For ten years now flor
lists have been trying to concoct dye
mixture that the flowers would take
acceptably, and not he injured by It,
but all efforts In this direction have
proved futile. Now 1t Is discovered.
however, that nearly all of our cult
waited plants will absorb aniline solu.
tlons through their stems. and under
certain favorable conditions the bios
SONS will receive and retain the artifi.
clals colors communicated to them
AhlOuSll AhNlt anu
This secreC once out extensive eX-
periments We're made by florists with
all sorts of dye compounds, and the re-
suit Is apparent this season in an
abundance of artiticlally colored flow
ers of all conceivable hues. Many of
are attractive only by their oddity.
and some are so incongruous as to of
fend sense of the beautiful in nature.
Nevertheless. the flowers thus colored
will have their day, and fashion will
decree that all blossoms must bend to
her dictatlons in the future so far as
the matter of coloratlon is concerned.
The process of coloring the flowers
artiticially is to dissolve anlline dyes in
water to II light transparency, and then
place the stems of the cut flowers in
the liquid. The coloration cannot be
potted plants with the dyes, although
when the roots are cut mt the base
they will sometimes absorb enough of
the coloring matter to tinge the bios
SONS. Thus Roman hyacnths can be
taken up from the ground, and by cut
ting n few of the smaller roots they
can be made to change the colors of
their blossoms slowly. Where the
roots and stalks are unbroken. the sys-
TEN of little veins or vessels of the
plants cannot reach the colored sOlu-
tlons, and consequently they undergo
no apparent change. The present fash
ion is thus of necessity confined chiefly
to cut flowers, and not TO potted plants
Under microscope the action of the
dye solution Is interesting, and also
instructive in showing the different
veining of plants. The colorlng matter
is clearly visible through the micro
scope as 1t passes up the stem and
through the leaves, petals and other
parts of the flowers The action in
some cut flowers is very rapid. White
tulips placed in the aniline solutions
can be tinted pink, blue, green, or pur-
pie in few hours. The water tubes
of the plants begin TO absorb the liquid
as soon as the stems are placed in it,
and il spreads in all directions, show
ing minutely the various courses of the
veins. AS the colorng matter branches
out the veins grow smaller, until the
extreme ends are reached, where they
are very minute.
When the cOlorlng matter reaches
the blossoms of the plants its action is
more important than when merely
passing uD the stems or leaves. Ger
tain parts of the flowers absorb the
liquid more rapidly than others. Thus
the Eucharis amazonlca has its style
dyed deepred, while the flower shows
no signs of coloring In most flowers
the pistils absorb the coloring matter
first, ana in the greatest quantity,
showing the deepest tint. The dutfo-
dis and narcissi have their tubes and
coronas colored more deeply than the
perianth. The abutIlon has the calyx
colored but not the petals,
The difference in the general system
of veining of plants Is very noticeable
when plants standing In anlline solu-
tions are studied under the microscope.
The snOwdrops, for instance, show
eight large veins or tubes at the base,
and these after crossing the petal In
parallel lines branch out fan-like at the
tips, giving the rich pink margins that
are so attractive. The veinlng OF the
Christmas roses Is very different.
Straight tubes cross and recross the
METALS until "A perfect network of lines