The San Francisco call., 1910-08-28
pencil. 1t resembles more a young
bamboo than a carnation stalk.
NO PAMPERED DARLING

pencil. 1t resembles more young
bamboo than a carnation stalk.
NO PAMPERED DARLING
An interesting feature of the nam
moth pink is that it is not the PAM
pered darling Of a hothouse. but was
reared in the open air. under the in
1uence of the buffeting of wind and
fog. While Diener's pride is the flower
of more than five inches diameter, he
has produced many other carnations
at least four inches in diameter.
Luther Burbank's latest rival in flow
er culture has been experimenting with
flowers for the last 20 years at in
tervals of leisure from his regular
employment. His nursery is adjacent
to the Nine Mile house at Colma, San
Mateo county. Diener has experiment
ed with dalhias and geraniums as we'll
as with carnations. Diener, when it
was suggested that he was working
along the lines of Burbank. said:
While we are experimenting in
the direction of changing flowers
we each have a different system,
and my system is different from
his and from that of the expert
mentalistS in Germany, where I
first took UP this study. There
they make one change and produce
bigger flower and they are salts
fed, but l am not. Take, for in
stance, the geranium. l take the
single variety which in full bloom
has a maximum diameter of an inch
and a quarter. BY the first cross
ing it becomes a double one with
a diameter of from two and a
half to two and three-fourths
inches and a slight change in color.
By second crossing 1 produce a
still larger flower, then with
third, a fourth and a fifth crossing
to the end that l have a truss or
cluster of blossoms that measures
C1 N n iQf1 ar 1,A
number of individual flowers is in
creased from about % to 81, with
the color changed from pinkish
white to scarlet.
NAME OF CROSSINGS
No, have not given any special
name to the several CROSSINGS ex-
cept one, the second crossing prod
uct, which 1 have named DR.. Lin
coin Cothran, for the doctor of that
name who lives in San Jose who
has been of much assistance to me
in the development of my system.
No. this is not the result of an
accident or freak of nature, but
the same has been produced in a
hundred cases. 1t is no longer a
matter Of pure experiment. but it
is a fixed fact that the producing
a regularity of my system is that
If l reverse my process with the
same blossoms the product will
diminish in size and number of in
My pride is my five inch carna-
ton In this particular case I
watched it day by day, as a mother
watches the growth of her baby.
cared for it most tenderly, and I
tell you when it attained its full
growth I was happy. The only re-
gret / have is that / could not pre-
serve it intact But I had it photo
graphed, one showing it's height
and the other showing the compaF-
ative size with a blossom of the
mother plant before crossing.
How I manipulate the flowers in
the crossing is something that
while it might not be considered by
some persons. as great secret,
/ do not care to disclose at this
time, but l should like to have
scientific persons look into the mat
ter. ] think that they would feel
interested.
In the cultivation of the dahlia Die
ner is seeking not only to produce new
varieties but also freak flowers. Thus
far he has obtained 81 distinct vari-
cites and is continually adding to the
number. BY crossing he has produced
some strange formations of the cactus
variety and of many hues. What he
is now bending his efforts to is the
production of a blue dahlia. He has
succeeded in producing a rich royal
purple. which on the edges is dark
blue