The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-23
COLORS IN FLOWERS.
Florists Obtain Scarlet Dafodils by
Soaking Stems in Dye.

The desire to obtain flowers of colOrs
different from those given them by ma
ture has led to a curious correspond
ence in the papers. Some of the fash
vertised scarlet daffodils for sale. There
is no doubt that a scarlet dafOdil would
be q very beautiful object, and that its
propagation would be highly desirable
Apparently daffodil fanciers and grow
ers have for a long time been aware OF
this, but have never succeeded In get
ting a red blossom. They therefore took
the alleged discovery very seriously I'M
til one of the leading firms of daffodll
growers wrote to explain that these red
daffodils were obtained only after the
blossoms were cut by setting the stalks
in xermilion dyed water. The color then
passed up into the blossom, just as the
green tint did into the white carnations,
which in the dyed, or suffused state,
were a startling novelty in fiowershops
some years ago.
Every one viii Remember the quest
for the black tulip, and the hopelessness
of ever obtaining blue rose has long
been known. The cOnStancy of color i'll
some flowers, and its variation under
homestead ton in others. are very
marked. Thus primroses and cowslips,
which would appear to be quite as eS-
sentially and unchanged bly, yellow as
daffodils, are easily brought to assume
most shades of red except pure scarlet,
and in some cases are not SO very far
removed from that. Where oxlips. priEl-
roses and DOlyanthuS grow in quanti-
ties. Wild blossoms being mixed to-
gether. the bees. or some other cross
fertilizing agents, produce endless Va,
rieties of red, yellow, orange and purple.
Selection of the seeds then gradually
StereotyDes in particular flower the
brighter tints. The antagonism between
red and blue, which seems to forbid any
mutation of the colors in the rose. is no.
a constant one in our wild flowers.
though the tendency of blossoms be-
longing to certain families to keep to
the same line of color is rather marked
Thus of our wild geraniurns the ma
jority are red or pink
But the meadow cranesbill, the most
conspicuous of our wild geraniums, has
beautiful blue flower with Durpifsh
veins. Some very bright blue flowers
turn pink IS they are verging toward
decay This is seen especially in the
field forget me-rots. in which the
change from turquoise blue to pink
takes place very quickly. The bright
blue horage flowers do the same In
the woods of certain counties, especial
~ in Hampshire. purplish-blue flower
with bristly plant leaves of green spot
ted with white is very common 1t is
the lungwort In this the flowers are
often of a pinkish red and bright blu
ish-purple on the same plant. The
forget-me-no borage and alkanet all
belong to the same family in which the
brilliant Vipers buglOss is also inc1ud-
ed. A sapphire or turquoise blue is al
most as characteristic of many of this
family of flowers as IN the same COLOR
slightly deeper in the blue" butterflies
No one could mistake one of the latter
for a member of any other family of
English butterflies
The intense azure of the evergreen
slkanet is as brilliant as that of the
water forcet-me-not The viper's bug
loss. borage. forget-me-not and alkanet
all show it, while the tendency to turn
pink OF red when fading Is equally COM
mon. OF the lungworts one has pink
flowers and the other purple while the
wild confrey has flowers Of three varic-