New York, N. Y., Sept. 9, 1936 
In my opinion your self lavenders, deep lilac and plum seifs, and a certain deep 
brgiht lilac purple, as well as some exceptionally brilliant deep purples are the best 
for their color that I have seen. ... I am just finishing my discarding process and 
have thrown out about fifty thousand plants. 
Vladimir Simkhovitch 
Stockton, Calif., July 18, 1936 
This part of California has a climate hard on delphiniums; I hardly knoiv why 
I grow them for I never see those four foot spikes and three inch flowers, and one 
half of my plants succumb each year. However your seeds produce the best 
delphinums I have grown during my four years’ of experience. 
Cherokee Gardens 
Detroit, Mich., July 1, 1936 
I saw some delphiniums grown from your seeds in the garden of my sister-in- 
law, and although I won several prizes for my delphiniums and was one of the first 
people here in Michigan to raise Wrexham seeds, the comparison was so striking that 
I almost hung my head in shame. 
W. A. P. John 
My plants from your seeds have ivrung 
them when in bloom. 
I still think I like the Lyondels best. 
Winnetka, III., Febr. 14, 1937 
exclamations from all those who beheld 
No. St. Paul, Minn., April 10, 1937 
The Boody Gardens 
Patterson, N. J., July 13, 1936 
My results with your delphinium seed have been remarkable; spikes 6-8 feet 
high, and flower 2-3 inches across. I went to see the exhibit by Mr. Steichen in 
New York and came home feeling very proud of my display in a small garden of 
about a hundred plants for mine did not suffer badly in comparison. I have used 
seeds of many specialists and quite agree with Mrs. Arthur Knapp who announced 
at a meeting of the New York Horticultural Society that the best seeds of delphinium 
in this country come from Lyondel Gardens. 
Mrs. H. D. Thomas 
I CANNOT AGREE 
I cannot agree with those of my customers who claim that the Lyondel 
seeds are the best in this country or abroad. There are many strains as good 
or better. The Lyondels may have something which others may not have, just 
as other strains have characteristics which have not been sharply accentuated 
in the Lyondels. Undoubtedly other strains will give a far better performance 
in some localities than the Lyondels. This is particularly true where mildew 
is a factor. Grown in a climate which is not kind to the mildew the Lyondel 
delphiniums cannot be as rigidly selected for mildew resistance as those grown 
in more humid regions. On the other hand, warmer summers, less rainfall, and 
usually poor growing conditions for delphinium tend to endow the Lyondels 
with a more lasting quality. Nor can I agree with those who claim that the 
Lyondel strain produces nothing but ordinary delphinums. Plant breeders all 
over the world are wide-awake folks; they secure and test all promising strains 
and incorporate the best into theirs. Where the average gardener raises a few 
hundred seedlings purchased from different growers, the alert breeder grows 
them by the thousands. This year many such seedlings are grown in the 
Lyondel gardens. The better things are bred into the Lyondels and passed on 
to my customers. Just as I have made free use of other strains, other breeders 
have made a free use of mine. Only the self-sufficient and hide-bound breeders 
retain their isolation; sooner or later such breeders will find themselves losing 
ground. Decay begins with complete satisfaction. I for one, am not satisfied 
with the Lyondels; when that unfortunate day arrives, the Lyondels will pass 
out of the picture. 
9 
