still far from the goal. Always there is something lacking, and the 
effort to breed it into a given strain is heart-breakingly slow in produc¬ 
ing results. This statement may cost us a lot of customers; but those 
who must feed their imagination on glowing descriptions and empty 
promises, are requested to look elsewhere for the “world’s best del¬ 
phinium. ’ ’ On the other hand, those who realize how remote perfection 
is; who are happy to obtain one outstanding seedling from a bunch of 
one hundred; who appreciate the difficulties of the breeder and under¬ 
stand that delphiniums, despite all the rapturous descriptions by the 
originator himself, or by the growers, have many defects which cannot 
be corrected by just a few crossings and selections, and those who, for 
the sake of the rare and exceptional quality that may crop out any 
time, are willing to take a chance and will be able to “take it” in case 
disappointments follow, may find fascinating surprises in the seeds of 
Lyondel Hybrids. But we make no promises, no guarantee whatever, 
nor do we care to have the patronage of chronic kickers and squawkers. 
Only good sports and good gardeners are welcome; good sports, because 
the growing of delphinium from seed is not a sure thing and one must 
be able to take both failures and successes with the same degree of grace; 
good gardeners, because the poor and inexperienced sorts are not as 
likely to see and appreciate the true quality when such a thing crops 
out in their garden. We are convinced that the Lyondel method of seed 
production offers a better opportunity for obtaining comparatively rare 
things in delphinium. When any hybrid flower is allowed to self itself 
or to be pollinated by chance agencies, the quality tends to segregate 
in the resulting progenies and consequently the seedlings from seeds 
thus produced are usually mediocre or poor things, rarely if ever ap¬ 
proaching the parental splendor. But when two exceptionally good 
parents are crossed together by hand, there is an aggregation of fine 
qualities and consequently fewer scrubs, a larger number of good things, 
and even things superior to either parent. Thus Are Better Varieties 
Produced, and Thus Are The Lyondel Seeds Produced. Every Seed 
We Sell is the Immediate Result of Crossing Together Seed and 
Pollen Parents of Exceptional Value. No Open Pollinated Seeds 
Are Sold to Our Customers or Used by Us. But this is not all. Once 
Some Seedlings Superior to Their Parents Have Been Obtained, 
the Parents Are Discarded Regardless of Ti-ieir Beauty. It is be¬ 
cause of this that our customers are so enthusiastic about the Lyondel 
Hybrids; it is for this reason that we say 
“After You Have Tried Them All, Then Treat Yourself To 
the Magic of Seeds Cross Pollinated by Hand at the Lyondel 
Gardens. ’ ’ 
And it is because of the same reason that last summer, one month 
after our assorted crosses were placed on the market, they were sold to 
the last seed! 
But there is still another reason: We are Breeding Delphiniums 
Under Great Handicaps. The environmental conditions of Morgan¬ 
town, W. Va. where our crosses are made, are everything that delphin- 
4 
