July, 1920 
109 
Z3l)e Slower (Brower 
The American Iris Society. 
niiiiiii 
Late May and early June has been 
the time of exhibitions and the success 
of our shows in Cincinnati, Washing- 
ton, Philadelphia and Boston is a pleas- 
ing presage of even greater success 
another year. In Nashville the Society 
has merely offered one prize at each 
meeting of the “Iris Fanciers” and the 
Minneapolis show on June 10th is too 
late for me to make a report this 
month. I have been fortunate in be- 
ing present at all three of the shows in 
the Eastern District and the enthusias- 
tic co-operation of so many amateurs 
has been particularly inspiring as it 
seems to confirm our belief that the 
Society should not hold One Annual 
Show but should foster as many Re- 
gional or even local shows as possible. 
Almost without exception the amateurs 
(even coming from a distance) staged 
fresher flowers in better condition than 
did the commercial growers. There 
are many comments as to schedules 
and procedure, but such discussion 
must await another issue. 
CALIFORNIA. 
Owing to the season Mr. Mitchell writes 
me that though a competitive show proved 
impractical he was able to stage an educa- 
tional exhibit of 100 varieties at the Alameda 
County Floral Society Exhibition on May 
16-18. The exhibit received most favorable 
comment in the San Francisco, Oakland and 
Berkeley papers. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell and 
Mr. John A. Imrie were present throughout 
the three days of the exhibit to answer ques- 
tions both about Irises and our Society which 
must have added greatly to its value to the 
interested public. Such a co-operative ex- 
hibit should prove of great value in other 
centers where Irises are not well known. 
Mr. William Mohr’s table of seedlings, some 
of them very fine, proved particularly attrac- 
tive to visitors. In his publicity work Mr. 
Mitchell has also talked before the Garden 
Club of Santa Barbara and plans similar 
work in Oakland and elsewhere. Before an- 
other year I hope that we may have litera- 
ture to distribute that will carry on such 
good work. 
TENNESSEE. 
Here also much of our work has been done 
informally, one of our members, Mrs. Kath- 
erine P. Wright, has been in direct charge of 
the “Iris Fanciers’’ in their almost weekly 
garden shows. I hope that another year an 
Exhibition with schedule will permit a fuller 
co-operation and an award to some of Mr. 
Brallior’s seedlings, one of which, a large 
delicate lavender, has been reported as ex- 
tremely charming. This year Mr. Brallior 
was most fortunate in having such a well- 
developed interest in Irises already at hand. 
Members in other localities should find Mrs. 
Wright’s report most suggestive of what can 
be done in their home town. 
The “Iris Fanciers,” fifty-five in number, 
many of them owners of beautiful gardens, 
have, at the suggestion of Mrs. Wright, who 
has been ably seconded by Mrs. Norman 
Kirkman, Mrs. W. W. Dillon, Miss Margaret 
McIntyre, Dr. and Mrs. L. C. Glenn, and Mr. 
Clarence Connell, the Park Commissioner, 
opened their gardens to the community when 
they are in best bloom. Daffodils, and Irises, 
Peonies, Gladioli, or Chrysanthemums each 
have their days, and there have been two 
exhibitions of Irises in Mrs. Wright’s garden 
and many have brought of their best. It has 
more than justified the expectations of the 
members in the stimulation, not alone of 
Iris planting, but of flowers in general, and it 
proves a great incentive to civic improve- 
ment. Already hundreds of Irises are being 
planted and the movement is extending to 
neighboring towns. 
At the first show Mrs. Wright took first 
prize with a finely developed stalk of Purple 
A 'ing, and at the second Dr. Glenn’s Alcazar 
won deserved honors and Mr. Connell’s ar- 
rangement of a fine collection was also given 
an award. 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
In Tacoma Park almost every dooryard has 
its touch of iris color. There are long banks 
of Irises in some of the parkings and the 
Annual Iris Show of the Horticultural Im- 
provement Society brings out a brisk compe- 
tition. Few of the exhibitors have many of 
the latest varieties but each year a greater 
number is shown and the seedlings exhibited 
by Mr. J. Marion Shull and Mr. Morrison 
are worth going far to see. Mr. Shull’s Vir- 
ginia Moore, which was awarded Honorable 
Mention, is a fine deep yellow and I expect 
to find it shortly among our newest intro- 
ductions. He also has some most attractive 
yellow seifs, one with a tinge of pink in the 
falls, another of the clearest warm buff and 
some other fine, large variegatas. As Mr. 
Morrison was on the judging committee, his 
seedlings received no awards but they were 
a fine batch of distinctive coloring, as large 
and even taller than Alcazar. Mr. Homer C. 
Skeels was a successful exhibitor in a num- 
ber of classes showing Queen Caterina. Pros- 
per Laugier , and others. Mrs. Daniel Miller, 
Dr. Shoemaker and many more did their 
share in the competition and the general in- 
terest, the proof of the community spirit 
makes a strong contrast with the common 
lack of participation in shows of a similar 
class of growers in the large cities. 
PHILADELPHIA. 
Due to the courtesy of the Hon. John 
Wanamaker, the exhibition was held in Uni- 
versity Hall, The Wanamaker Store and vis- 
itors found the setting of screens depicting 
Japanese Irises most effective. In many of 
the classes there was keen competition, in a 
few no entries, but there was a wonderful 
showing of the newest varieties side by side 
with old favorites. The Movilla Gardens of 
Haverford, Pa., and Mrs. Horatio Gates 
Lloyd also of Haverford, were the largest 
winners, the first receiving the A. I. S. Silver 
Medal for a collection of 50 varieties, the 
second the Amateur’s Cup offered by Mrs. 
Charles H. Stout of Short Hills, N. J., for a 
sweepstake. The cup offered by Mrs. Lloyd 
was not awarded. Mrs. Haldeman O’Connor, 
Miss Florence Beck, and Mrs. M. W. Jacobs 
brought flowers down from Harrisburg in 
prime condition and the latter’s seedlings 
made a fine showing, one a blended pink and 
yellow with blue reflections on the falls call- 
ing forth much attention. Mrs. John Love 
of Riderwood, Md., and Mrs. Ernest Dinning, 
President of the Hardy Garden Club of Rux- 
ton, Md., staged prize winning blooms. Per- 
sonally I was most agreeably surprised at the 
perfect condition shown by these entries 
from such a distance. The handicap of dis- 
tance was particularly noticeable in the ex- 
hibits of the Wyomissing Nurseries Co. and 
John Lewis Childs, who showed fine varieties, 
but in part in rather poor condition. The 
class for arrangement was attractively shown 
and though Miss Glenn and Mrs. Harris were 
the winners, Miss M. C. Bell, of Bayside, N.Y., 
entered an attractive basket. 
Two tables of seedlings were of great in- 
terest and A. I. S. Certificates of Honorable 
Mention were given three promising varieties. 
Mr. Farr showed at least fifty as fine or bet- 
ter than his previous introductions and Semi- 
nole. a rich red-purple with orange beard 
and flaring falls received an award. Others 
were in too poor condition as shown. Mr. 
Arthur H. Scott with a far smaller showing 
of flowers in good condition also won honors 
on Nos. 1 and 2; the first much on the lines 
of Quaker Lady but of much deeper tone, the 
other an open flower of a clear pink-purple, 
the straight-hanging falls a little deeper in 
color than the standards, and the flower 
large and of attractive form. The Twin 
Larches Nurseries among other entries 
showed some seedlings from the collection 
of the late Frank M. Thomas among which a 
Plicata was unusually charming. Mr. Frank 
H. Koehler also entered this class and I ex- 
pect in another year it will prove one of the 
most interesting ones of an Exhibition. 
Though Mr. Wister made no entries for 
competition, his showing of new varieties 
gave many of us our only opportunity of 
seeing some of the latest introductions and 
Tamar (Bliss) is very fine. Probably over 
250 varieties were represented in the show 
and it is difficult to mention only a few. 
Mrs. W. E. Fryer proves to be large fine 
flower of rich coloring, Syphax (Bliss) is even 
more unusual and Crusader (Foster) was 
about the largest of all, though Susiana as 
shown by Mr. Farr was the most noteworthy. 
Afterglow and Anne Leslie (Sturtevant) 
though not large were much noted and on 
Bora Longden (Bliss) there seems to be con- 
siderable difference of opinion. It is large 
and of good form but of curious coloring ; 
Lent A. Williamson is of the best and Opera 
and Ambigu (Vilmorin) are extremely rich. 
The great improvement shown by these latest 
introductions is very marked. 
The show deserves much further notice. 
The efficient co-operation of The Wanamaker 
management was invaluable and to the 
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society we owe 
much not only for the generous cash contri- 
bution for prizes but for the loan of equip- 
ment and a most hearty assistance in many 
respects. 
BOSTON. 
Both days of the exhibit were marked by 
heavy rain but the quality of the blooms 
staged was very good. For many growers 
the date seemed a little early but George N. 
Smith made an unusually fine showing and 
Mrs. Homer Gage (Allen Jenkins, gardener) 
brought a big lot down from Worcester. 
Mrs. C. W. Willis won the Rookwood vase 
offered by Mrs. Samuel H. Taft with an un- 
usually fine stalk of Lohengrin with Queen 
Caterina taking 2nd prize and Niebelungen, 
L.ent A. Williamson and Alcazai in close 
competition. The exhibit of the Glen Road 
Iris Gardens included a number of the newer 
things, Sweet Lavender , Mute, de Sevigne, 
Demi-deuil, Lent A. Williamson and a num- 
ber of numbered seedlings from R. W. Wal- 
lace & Co. of Colchester, England, and Mr. 
E. B. Williamson of Indiana. Lord of June 
shown by Mr. Smith received due attention 
and Mr. Williamson’s Cherokee Maid proved 
of interest. Mrs. Percy G. Browne and Miss 
A. J. Osgood were also among the winners 
and from the comments overheard it would 
seem that another year with a more favora- 
ble season and weather there would be even 
greater competition. From the amount of 
time spent by the judges in deciding upon the 
finest specimen stalk, such a class seems to 
demand particular attention. It proved of 
especial value to the small grower who might 
