198 
be sent to Frank H. Presby, 95 Upper Mt. 
Ave., Montclair, N. J., by January 1, 1921. 
Suggestions for the Bulletin to be issued 
in January or February should be sent in 
promptly and remember that we need notes 
for The Flower Grower. 
Copy for advertisements to be inserted in 
the forthcoming Bulletin should be sent to 
the Secretary at once. The rate is $5 per inch. 
Registration. Firmanent. Intermediate, a larger, 
richer Fritjof. H. W. Groschner. 
P. S.— Re. Iris Caterina. An Iris that has been the 
first of its type, a fine parent and so widely cited as to 
be of interest even though it does not prove altogether 
easy to grow under some conditions. In my well-drained 
garden it has made a lovely clump for over ten years 
with absolutely no trouble, and on the Pacific coast I 
understand that it has more than proved itself. That 
it is subject to rot and winter-killing under some con- 
ditions cannot be gainsaid. As a matter of fact I did 
not highly recommend this variety but merely used it 
to typify what we might expect from seedlings of 
cypriana or its close relative Ricardi (mesopotamica), 
many of which are our finest representatives of the Iris 
family. R. S. Sturtevant. Sec'y. 
THE IRIS. 
The Twelve Best Irises. 
By John C. Wister. 
[ Written expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
I was glad to see in the October issue, 
Mr. Wm. S. Johnson’s note on “The 
Twelve Best Irises,” not because other 
Iris growers will agree with Mr. John- 
son’s opinions in all cases, but because 
it is an excellent list, and as such it 
will provoke discussion, induce other 
growers to send in similar lists, and 
give us in time, what we most need, 
namely, a consensus of opinion in va- 
riety valuation. 
Of the varieties Mr. Johnson men- 
tions, Pallida Dalmatica, Rhein Nixe, 
Iris King, and Loreley, would certainly 
appear among the first dozen chosen 
by most Iris growers. There would 
be more difference of opinion about 
the remaining eight. Some would say 
that Isoline with all its beauty was 
sometimes a shy bloomer and there- 
fore should not be rated among the 
first twelve ; I, personally, should in- 
clude it, but on Monday, Wednesday 
and Friday I should probably prefer 
Dr. Bernice, Arnols, or Jacquesiana, to 
Prosper Langier, while on the other 
days I might agree with Mr. Johnson. 
Much as I like Eldorado, I should sub- 
stitute Quaker Lady for it, and I would 
substitute Ma Mie for Jeanne d’ Arc, 
and Othello for Archeveque, although 
these two latter varieties are not really 
comparable. 
The last three would be still harder 
to choose. I would want a yellow self 
such as Flavescens or Aurea to be in- 
cluded rather than a squalens like 
Queen Alexandria (though I admire it 
very much) when we already have 
Isoline and Quaker Lady, and many 
people would feel that Lohengrin was 
too much of Pallida Dalmatica type to 
be included and would suggest Juniata 
or even the early Brionense. This 
would be a fair criticism but I think I 
would vote with Mr. Johnson on this 
point. Most people would agree that 
Monsignor is worthy of a place in the 
first twelve ; I personally do not care 
enough for it, and would rather choose 
from a wide range of color and add 
Petit Victory, Parc de Neuilly, Mithras, 
Slower (Brower 
Gajus, Mrs. H. Darwin, Montezuma, 
Mary Garden, or a number of others. 
From the above notes, my choice of 
the Best Twelve might be: Pallida 
Dalmatica, Rhein Nixe, Iris King, Lore- 
ley, Isoline, Arnols, Quaker Lady, Ma 
Mie, Othello, Flavescens, Lohengrin, 
Gajus. I hope other readers of The 
Flower Grower will criticize this list, 
as well as Mr. Johnson’s and that we 
may have during the winter months a 
lively discussion on this question, 
somewhat on the same manner, if not 
as acrimonious, as the discussion con- 
cerning the best apple varieties which 
has been going on in the columns of an 
English paper these past two years. I 
hope also that the Iris Society will con- 
duct a symposium on Iris varieties as 
soon as possible. 
It should be borne in mind that the 
above list excludes entirely the early 
flowering sorts, otherwise Fritjof, Flor- 
entina, and Kochii would certainly ap- 
pear, and excludes also novelties, other- 
wise Lord of June, Lent A. Williamson, 
and others would have to be squeezed 
in somehow. Merely to start a dis- 
cussion let me suggest that the best 
early varieties are: Azurea, Chatnae- 
iris, Socrates, Statellae, Stewart, Fritjof, 
Helge, Ingeborg, Prince Victor, Royal. 
Florentina, Kochii; and that among the 
older and newer novelties which are 
obtainable in American nurseries, the 
following dozen are good : Oriflamme, 
Opera, Dejazet, Crusader, Lord of June, 
Dawn, Lent A. Williamson, Afterglow, 
B. Y. Morrison, Queen Caterina, Reverie, 
Shekinah. 
“ Best Ten ” Irises. 
The Secretary of our Iris Society, 
who writes so delightfully for us in 
The Flower Grower and in the Bul- 
letin, asks for our co-operation with 
notes from our experience, yet how 
often and often we put off our good 
intentions of doing so. 
In Sept, in The Flower Grower, we 
were asked for personal likings “ say a 
list of ten or so.” This sounded easy, 
but it is not so simple a problem. In a 
picture garden for example, meaning a 
garden in which one plans certain 
effects of color, grouping and so forth, 
for different seasons, many an Iris (we 
confine ourselves in this list to pogon- 
iris) would prove a disappointment 
after its blooms were over, if its sheaf 
of good green leaves disappeared also, 
yet many would thus fail, and a gap 
be left in one’s background. Such ones 
as Minnehaha, Isoline, and all those 
having the habit of (almost) vanishing 
foliage. Their bare rhizomes need the 
full sun to ripen, and though over- 
crowding annuals would soon close the 
empty space, the Iris would miss their 
needed midsummer baking, and give 
sparse bloom the season following. 
Again for a “ picture garden ” one 
wants to know their habits, low or high 
growth, quick increase of rhizome, 
quantity or meagreness of bloom. All 
of this has been touched on before, 
yet it influences the personal liking of 
this list, and must perforce be men- 
tioned once more. 
My ten will not include many of the 
December, 1920 
much heralded novelties, or even any, 
though mine are still new to most 
people only excepting our inner circle 
of the A. I. S. As for the super-novel- 
ties, I am inclined always to see, before 
I believe, as a true doubter should. 
But I know about them, for like our 
secretary, I have an over-cultivated 
taste in catalogues and peruse them 
all. The list names more than ten, 
the intermediate Dorothea being so far 
and away the best of that class, also 
two seedlings that may someday take 
their place in the Iris world, in memory 
of Frank Thomas, the lad who hybri- 
dized them, and who gave his life in 
the War. 
Afterglow, Rhein Nixe, Archeveque, 
Muee d’ Orage, Prosper Laugier, Lohen- 
grin, Peacock’s Eye, Dorothea (int) the 
indispensable Flavescens, Florentina, 
Mad. Chereau, and the seedlings, one 
large white, faintly flushed pale blue, 
the other with yellow, both as beauti- 
ful as any of the above. 
F. E. McL 
Siberian Iris. 
I believe I have tested about all of 
the standard varieties, and have dis- 
carded all of them but Lady Godiva, 
Snow Queen and Superba. Lady Godiva 
is a blush white, and the earliest of all. 
It blooms with the first tall bearded 
Iris. Snow Queen is a large ivory- 
white with yellow at the base of falls. 
Superba is a large violet-blue, and has 
handsome foliage reaching nearly to 
the flowers. This is by far the best 
of the standard varieties of its color. 
It has a good root system, and will 
bloom freely without being trans- 
planted longer than any other variety. 
Orientalis has a very good flower, 
but is a shy bloomer, and the flower 
stalks are too short. 
I have seen two articles in the last 
few months in Eastern periodicals 
about the Siberica Blue, but by the de- 
scription it was nothing else but the 
Orientalis. 
I have two rows of this, one 20 rods 
long, and the other 30 rods, and they 
are a solid matted row two feet or 
more in width. At least I did have 
two rows, but we had a great time in 
plowing up one of them this season, 
and will do the same with the other 
row next season. 
The Siberica Alba and Blue are not 
worthy of being grown, and why grow 
such poor varieties when there are 
others far superior to them ? 
Blue King does not bloom freely 
with me, and the flower stalks are 
short. 
Willis E. Fryer. 
The discussion of varieties is always 
helpful, and even though it might not 
be possible to fix exactly on the best 
ten or the best twelve varieties as indi- 
cated by the above articles, yet there 
are always a few standards which are 
included in every list. In other words, 
there are a few varieties of outstanding 
merit which are recognized by all. This 
applies not only to the Iris, but to 
Peonies, Gladioli, Roses, Dahlias and 
all other flowers as well. 
