Saint Paul, Minn. 
“I have tested different strains of delphinium, including practically every 
American strain, and a number from England. With due regard to everything, 
your delphiniums, on actual performance, outrank every other that I have had the 
opportunity to observe and study. I am especially impressed by the uniform high 
quality of your stock. I found very few if any scrubs in yours; something that I 
cannot say about the others. Your seeds show a remarkable trueness to color. For 
instance, your orchid strain, a very exquisite and delicate shade, was pure. In your 
Connoisseurs’ Series you almost blasted me off my bearings with a very fine dark 
blue-violet double. Another series of dark blue purples, flowers three inches across, 
had a remarkable stand. People have gone wild over these in particular.” 
Eobert Schreiner 
Johnstown, N. Y. 
“I obtained fifty plants from a packet of your remarkable seeds. I am 
“very sorry” to say that ALL did not develop to become potential prize-winners. 
Fourteen of them developed rnost amazing splendor of bloom, as to brilliancy of 
color, well proportioned as to form, — and size, — from 2 7/8 to 3 3/8 inches. 
This was TEE STANDAED I adopted by which the others were judged. Eeserved 
judgment upon the next eighteen plants, some of which were undecided as to plac¬ 
ing in the “standard” class. The next eighteen showed indication that they would 
never meet the standard, but were saved for border plants, and worthy of a place 
in any flower garden, except that of a “crank.” Two plants I destroyed as the 
color did not “appeal” to me. All seedlings were robust; one plant had leaves 
16 1/2 inches in width. All the above plants may be possible winners when judged 
by another standard.” 
“From xx (names a leading English firm) I had forty plants, and only one 
was reserved as outstanding, and three others selected to keep it company; all 
others were discarded. Florets were small, some single, and ALL plants were of 
weak growth. Also I had seventeen plants from xxx (names another leading Eng¬ 
lish firm). Only one was reserved as meeting the standard. Four other “very 
pretty” plants were reserved to keep company, and the others discarded. Some 
would have been saved had I not had your plants to judge them.” 
Frank Bogaskie 
Cleveland, Ohio 
‘ ‘ This year for the first time I have tried ‘ the magic of seeds cross-pollinated 
by hand.’ And magic it sure turned out to be, for many of the spikes had pips 
3 inches in diameter with resultant beauty impossible to describe.” 
C. T. Boehmer 
In vol. 2, no. 1, of Bulletin of 
American Delphinium Society. 
Eockford, III. 
“The seedlings I bought of you last spring were highly satisfactory. I 
didn’t feel justified in discarding a single plant upon seeing them bloom.” 
Arthur A. Anderson. 
A FRANK TALK WITH OUR CUSTOMERS 
According to the foregoing excerpts, the Lyondel Hybrids mnst be 
top-notchers. But They Are Not! We know their shortcomings more 
than onr customers and we have to be more severely critical of our own 
product than others. We do not claim perfection, nor anything near 
perfection. It is very, very difficult to combine all good qualities in one 
plant, as the hereditary forces are too complex; therefore, despite a very 
rigid selection, cross breeding and more selections extending over many 
years, despite a constant testing of leading strains of delphinium from 
everywhere and incorporating the best with our own hjffirids, we are 
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