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possibilties of such breeding are illustrated in the production of 

 a new race with mahogany-red or purplish-tinted flowers of which 

 the Theron Daylily is a selection. In this case, as in others, the 

 records of ancestry, together with the findings of the cytological 

 studies of the nuclear organization, are being used to analyze the 

 hereditary basis for such noteworthy changes in flower color. 



The first seedlings of promise for garden culture were obtained 

 about fifteen years ago and reported a few years later.* It was 

 decided then that The New York Botanical Garden could not and 

 should not undertake to propagate these plants either for sale or 

 general distribution. Various nurserymen in the vicinity of New 

 York City, some of whom had favored the Garden with contribu- 

 tions of plants, were approached but not one of them was inter- 

 ested in daylilies or willing to cooperate in any way in testing 

 and propagating the most promising seedlings. Letters were then 

 written to more remote nurserymen. The only response came 

 from Bertrand H. Farr, who had already accumulated a collection 

 of daylilies and had himself obtained hybrids with the Hemerocallis 

 citrina as one parent. Mr. Farr came to see the seedlings at The 

 New York Botanical Garden and offered to cooperate in testing 

 and selecting seedlings and to undertake the propagation and the 

 introduction of those which finally survived critical evaluation. 

 After due consideration by the authorities of The New York 

 Botanical Garden this plan of procedure was adopted on the basis 

 of exchanges for plants desired by the Garden. Mr. Farr's death 

 came soon thereafter but the cooperation was continued by Mr. 

 C. M. Boardman and Mr. H. G. Seyler, who had been associated 

 with Mr. Farr and who continued the nursery which he founded. 

 Accordingly the Farr Nursery Company has obtained more than 

 ioo of the first-selection seedlings of Hemerocallis and has propa- 

 gated these for comparison and evaluation. Some have been dis- 

 carded, even after considerable stock had been propagated, when 

 better seedlings in the same class were developed. No clone is 

 named or distributed except by consent of the writer. 



Recently popular interest in daylilies has greatly increased. 

 Many requests now come to The New York Botanical Garden 

 for plants. As far as is possible, divisions have been taken from 

 the plants growing in the display garden to supply educational 

 institutions with collections of species and named varieties and 

 the Farr Nursery Company has in various cases contributed for 

 such purposes plants of the newly named clones. A total of at 

 least 50 nurserymen, some from remote localities in the United 

 States have within the past few years requested plants of the 

 newly named clones and some have asked for the very best of 

 the latest and unnamed selections. Requests for plants have also 



* New Daylilies. Jour. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 26: 169-178. Aug. 1925. 



