The sun., 1905-09-10
A NEBRASKA FLOWER WIZARD
C. s. HARRISON'S EXPERIMENTS
WITH PLANTS.
New Peoaies, Lilacs and Phloxes He Has
Produced-The Garden ~ . Field
Of Observation-Disclosures ~ Farm.
ing Along scienfilsc Llnes Revealed.

Ycsx. Neb, Sept. s.-The results OBJ
tanned by {. s. Harrison Of this city in his
experiments with plants are compared by
his friends with the achievements Of Luther
Burbank, the California wizard. He has
done much In the way Of improving plants
and shrubs, producing new varieties and
giving old ones greater hardness longer
season Of bloom and increased beauty.
Largely because the olinAte Of Nebraska
is most favorable to its growth Mr.. Harrison
has devoted much Of hts labor to the
peony. His flowers are grown In separate
gardens, some distance apart instead OF
all ON one piece of land By this means
he ID able to prevent Cross fertilization
between immature or unsuitable plants
and to control the intercrossing. In the
blccming season these great gardens OF
peonies, fifty feet in width and hundred
and twenty-five long, are dazzlin gly beauti-
full In speaking Of what he has been
doing Mr.. Harrison said:
1T n true I have entered a delightful
field Of discovery, and l have met with
some success. Among peonies We have
depended too much on Europe. Our own
investigators have done but little, and
yet their efforts have been richly rewarded
by the origination here Of some OF the
finest varieties In the world.
Il have been impressed with the idea
that . have never planted heavily enough,
and 80 l have broken the worlds record
by planting fifty pounds Of seed. These
gave from $1,000 to 100000 plants, and
among all these no two arc exactly alike.
Some are are crosses Of the finest from
England, japan, Holland and France.
Among these vast numbers there will
not be . poor flower. It will be hard to
discard many OF them, but there will prob
ably be about one IN a thousand worthy
Of naming and trust some OF them will
equal, II not surpass. anything We now
have. The only trouble is that these in
vestigatiors take time. 1t will be five or
ak years before I can tell the result Of
this experiment.
From the old fashioned peony have
produced varieties that have the fragrance
Of the rose and often surpass It In form
the odor Of the pond lily. others tho psr-
cinnamon scented.
They are both patrician and plebeian
in character. They will grow and bloom
az we'll in the gardens of the poor as on the
costly estates Of the rich.
Fifty years ago there we're only twenty
five varieties. Now there are moro than 1000
named, besides thousands Of others IN the
background.
Their culture is the best paying one
I know. From an investment Of $50 few
years ago, one man that know Of has
been able to sell q, 900 worth every year.
'There are three harvests q year. spring,
summer and fall. from seeds, blossoms
and roots. This delightful and profitable
employment, together with the fascination
Of raising from seeds, viii give 1est and
joy to living that cannot be. found In any
other outdoor employment.
"The flower ia addicted to freakish habits.
When you plant from seed there IA no cer-
tainty what you will get. Some will bloom
single for years and then start blooming
doutle.
-Peony culture requires no expensive
greenhouse. From few roots in ten
years you will have thousand. In twenty
years YOU win have a thousand thousand.
Thev are as hardy as paving stones and a.
tough as scotch thistles."
Mr.. Harrison Ii working with many other
plants. For instance. he has forty vsrie-
The old varieties bloom in May, when
rains generally. spoil them In . day or
two. BY grating, throwing away the
imperfect ones and saving only the best.
he has produced q lilac that blooms In the
early part Of June, and ono that flowers
In the first Of July.
He mas produced hlacs that are white. !
yellowish white and deep purp:e, as we'll
as the usual light purple Of the old time
garden.
Il am almost amazed with the results Of
my researches In .phloxes.' he said. .in
this field 1t requires immense numbers
with which to operate. ] raised 10 ,OO0 last 4
year and hope to make 1t so 900 this year.
Improvement comes through selection.
The wild phlox has flowers the sine Of q
dino. They have been improved from
the dimensions Of quarter up TO q half.
a silver dollar. Out Of all that planted last (,
year secured but twenty very choice kinds. |
some Of them with flowers larger than q
dollar.
'Eow I am pushing along this line, seour-
ng the largest and finest regardless Of COST.
planting them among others and raising |
hem BY the tens Of Thousands. OF these ] |
seleot the best and continue tie sxpaei- |
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