FREESIA

Here again South Africa has supplied the world with one of its favorite cut flowers. The small, funnel-shaped flowers of this winterblooming member of the lily family are both beautiful and extremely fragrant. Freesias have been widely hybridized; the original colors of yellow and white have been extended to blue, pink, purple, and orange.

While the growing of these delightful flowers is best accomplished in a greenhouse, they may be grown as house plants if handled properly. In late August plant the small corms i inch deep in Potting Mixture 3-12 corms to each 6-inch pot or pan. Keep the containers in a cool, shady, well ventilated place until the tops are several inches high. Water moderately. When more rapid growth is evident, increase the amount of water. Flower buds will form in about 3 months; at this time applications of weak manure water are helpful. After flowering gradually stop watering until the leaves turn yellow. The corms may then be de-potted and stored in a cool, dark place until they are ready to be brought into growth again. Ile species F. refracia, yellow, and its white form F. refracta alba are the most fragrant. There are numerous horticultural varieties. Among the best are the following~all of them are very inexpensive to acquire.

Amethyst		lavender-blue.
Carmencita		orange, salmon, and buff.
Illcna		lavender with orange blotch
Mrs. Marc Peters		rose, salmon, and orange.