i;o 



For the flowers of the rather recently introduced species H. 

 aurantiaca there is a rich orange throat, outside of which there is 

 a delicate blending of orange and red with the red much more 

 subdued and delicate than in the H. fitlva. 



For each of the other species the flower color is of an almost 

 uniform shade of some grade of either yellow or orange. 



It is to be stated that few persons have thus far contributed in 

 any noteworthy extent to the horticultural improvement of the 

 day lilies. Mr. George Yeld, of England, deserves special men- 

 tion for the production of some dozen named hybrids involving 

 the species Hemerocallis flava, H. aurantiaca, H. Diunortierii, H. 

 Thunbergii, and //. minor. In Italy Mr. Carl Sprenger and his 

 nephew, Mr. Willy Muller, obtained seed of Hemerocallis from 

 China and grew seedlings which were related to but different 

 from the old cultivated form of fulva. One of these, designated 

 as H. fulva var. maculata, was successfully crossed with H. cit- 

 rina by Muller but these seedlings were apparently lost during the 

 recent war. Several of their hybrids between H. aurantiaca and 

 H. citrina, obtained at an earlier date, were distributed to the 

 trade in Europe. In a letter which the writer recently received 

 from Mr. Muller it is stated that a head gardener at the Botanical 

 Garden of the University in Strasbourg succeeded, about the year 

 191 1, in obtaining a few hybrids by crossing the lemon day lily 

 (H. flava) with pollen of H. fulva. This has been verified in a 

 later letter received from Dr. Killian, of the Universite de Stras- 

 bourg. It appears certain that the form of fulva involved in this 

 cross is the one in common cultivation. If so, it is the first record 

 of this cross having been accomplished during all the years that 

 these two have been grown in Europe and America! It is pos- 

 sible to make this cross, for it has been done in the breeding work 

 at The New York Botanical Garden and at present there is a 

 total of 524 plants which have II. fulva as one parent or grand- 

 parent. The firm of Lemoine, well-known nurserymen and hy- 

 bridizers in France, is credited with the production of two and 

 possibly three hybrids, Luther Burbank is credited with two 

 others, and several //. citrina hybrids have come from Mr. Ber- 

 trand II. Farr. Several other hybrids have appeared in the trade, 

 mostly of origin unknown. 



