The suburban citizen., 1900-09-01
QUEER-TINTED FLOWERS
FLoRlcULTURlsTs CHANGE NATURES
coLoRs TO SUIT THEIR FANCY.

fodils, pink lllies-of- the-yalley and blue
tulips. SO startling are some Of these
new combinations of colors in old
standard flowers that nobody ever
thought of being glddy OF vain in their
dress that the mind Is temporarily puz-
zled. Horticulture is cerhinly making
tremendous strides every year, but one
is hardly prepared to accept the belief
that growers of flowers have it within
their power to change and alter the
natural colors of all blossoms to suit
their will, or passing whim 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
bor Heretofore it has required years
to raise strain of carnations or roses
that would produce a certain fashiona-
BILE shade, but now what required long
time and close application Of cultural
methods can be accomplished by the
florist in few weeks. But the secret
of the process should not be known If
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-colored 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 for
lists have been trying to concoct a dye
mixture that the flowers would take
acceptably, and not be injured by it,
but all efforts in this direction have
proved futile. Now it is discovered,
however, that nearly all Of our cult-
vated plants will absorb anillne solu-
tions through their stems, and under
certain favorable conditions the bios
SONS will receive and retain the artia-
cials colors communicated to them
through their stalks and branches.
This secret once out extensive ex-
periments were made by florists with
all sorts Of dye compounds and the re-
suit is apparent this season in an
abundance of artiflcially cOlored flow
ers Of all conceivable hues. Many Of
them are positively beautiful; others
are attractive only by their oddity,
and some are so incongruous as to Of
fend a 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 coloration is concerned.
The process Of coloring the flowers
artifcially is to dissolve anillne dyes in
water to light transparency, and then
place the stems Of the cut flowers in
the liquid. The coloration cannot be
accomplished by feeding the growing
potted plants with the dyes, although
when the roots are cut at the base
they will sometimes absorb enough Of
the coloring matter to tinge the bios
SONS. Thus Roman hyacinths can be
taken up from the ground, and by cut
ting q 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-
tions, 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
veiniQg Of plants. The coloring matter
is clearly visible through the micro
scope as it 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 a few hours. The water tubes
of the plants begin to absorb the liquid
as soon as the stems are placed in it,
and it spreads in all directions, show
ing minutely the various courses Of the
veins. AS the colorlng matter branches
out the veins grow smaller, until the
extreme ends are reached, where they
are very minute.
When the coloring matter reaches
the blossoms Of the plants It's action is
more important than when merely
passing up the stems or leaves. Ger
tain parts of the flowers absorb the
liquid more rapidly than others. Thus
the Eucharis amazonica has its style
dyed a deepred, while the flower shows
no signs of coloring In most flowers
the pistils absorb the coloring matter
first, and in the greatest quantity,
showing the deepest tint. The daf1O-
dis and narcissl have their tubes and
coronas colored more deeply than the
perlanth. The abutilon has the calyx
colored, but not the petals.
The difference in the general system
of yelning of plants is very noticeable
when plants standing in anlllne 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