Page:The Tales of a Traveller.djvu/51

Rh For in the Summer of that year Jimmie Hartshorn, the genial Jimmie, so much beloved and so well thought of by all his friends, died from the effect of an operation. Some of his closest friends claim that Fiancée was in a great measure a contributing cause of his illness and untimely demise.

There was a humorous side to the situation. There are very few situations in life, happily, that have not their humorous side. For months thereafter I was constantly receiving letters from my florist friends to the effect that a rival concern that had ordered Fiancée through another agent had received cuttings long ago, and that they were sorry they had not entrusted their orders with the other agent, a lesson well worth remembering. But meanwhile the other "agent" had similar letters regarding his unreliability, that orders entrusted to Skidelsky were delivered, that they were sorry, etc., etc. Furthermore, the grower who received his cuttings congratulated himself on his good fortune, while his seemingly less fortunate brother florist bewailed his ill-luck in not getting his. The following year the tables were turned; the man in possession of Fiancée wished he had never had them, while the other fellow jubilated that he had escaped.

I continued to handle Dorner's Carnations, and am doing so to this very day. My relations with Fred, Jr., and Theodore prior to and since their father's demise, have been of the friendliest nature. They follow in their father's footsteps in sturdy upright business principles, and it is a pleasure at all times to have dealings with them.

The demand for new and better varieties of Carnations became widespread. The most conservative growers, men who thought that the Lizzie McGowan and Scott were good enough for their purpose, began to realize that their patrons wanted flowers of a better grade. The demand had to be met.

Richard Witterstaetter Introduces Evelina, Estelle and Adonis

Richard Witterstaetter of Cincinnati was already known to a wide circle of growers as a careful and painstaking hybridizer. About 1896 he introduced Evelina, a white and most productive variety, one that promised well at the outset. Unfortunately, however, it did not fulfil its promise. A few years later, he introduced Estelle, a scarlet variety, which regardless of its minor faults, behaved splendidly in many sections.

Then came Adonis, one of the most beautiful scarlet varieties up to that date. When E. G. Hill and Robert Craig purchased the stock from Mr. Witterstaetter, the growers, so to speak, "sat up and took notice." It was the consensus of opinion that Adonis would replace the scarlet varieties that were growing at that time. But in this case, too, far from replacing such varieties as Estelle, Crane, and others, Adonis proved a failure. Some contended that the stock, after it left its original place, was overfed and overpropagated. At any rate, the life of Adonis was of short duration.

Cardinal Carnation

About 1904, the late William Murphy of Cincinnati, and the late J. Hartshorn, representing the Chicago Carnation Company, purchased the stock of Cardinal, a scarlet variety, from Richard Witterstaetter. The Cardinal was indeed one of the finest Carnations of that time; and in point of color there is nothing today to equal it. On Mr. Witterstaetter's place it was simply ideal. But Mr. Witterstaetter had a number of other seedlings on hand, and realizing the tremendous responsibility involved in the dissemination of a Carnation he thought it wise to sell the stock. The late Mr. Murphy, who had already embarked in the wholesale commission flower business, found it necessary to dispose of his share in order