FOREWORD . 
T might be said that we are experiencing a new 
era in irises and that the change has not been one 
. of evolution but of revolution, for it has been 
sudden and complete — in most cases. Th ere was 
very little to bridge the gap between Caterina, we 
will say, and Sierra Blue and its associates, or be¬ 
tween the old whites, and such beautiful creations 
as Easter Morn and Purissima. 1 he distance between 
Virginia Moore and Lady Paramount is the distance 
from East to West, and it was taken in one stride, 
almost. Neither was there a gradual approach to 
the giant plicatas or to the giant variegatas, Good 
Cheer and V iew-Halloo. Among the blends we 
had such irises as Quaker Lady and suddenly there 
appeared Brown Betty and Fiesta, which com¬ 
pletely eclipsed the older types. 
It seems to be more difficu It for the pinks and 
the bi-colors to make the grade, but they will 
come — from all quarters they will spring up as 
the yellows have done and we will have huge, 
but exquisite, pinks, with the grace of Early Mass, the 
stems of Shining Waters and the firm, shining tex¬ 
ture of Mount Cloud ! Whatever is holding them 
back will break loose, the bicolors will compare 
in size and beauty with Easter Morn, Pale Moon¬ 
light and Chosen ! We may not see them next year, 
but they are bound to appear sooner or later. 
Think of the pounds of pollen that are being trans¬ 
ferred with that end in view ! It is expectation, 
not gratification that keeps our interest in breeding 
irises alive. Already we are looking beyond the 
present horizon to wonder what sort of irises we 
will be growing ten years from now. One glance 
only can be spared for the irises of yesterday, to 
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question if any of the gems among them should be 
salvaged. It is amazing how they seem to have 
shrunk in size, for they are scarcely seen when 
surrounded by the giants of today. 
The irises of today have been exceptionally fine 
this season. After our cold winter the Eastern 
originations felt quite at home. Good Cheer burst 
into a blaze of clear, brilliant color,- every one 
asked the name of Coralie, which has bloomed 
before unseen,- the Black Douglas bloomed freely,- 
Burning Bronze and Cheerio gained in favor, and 
the dignified Depute Nomblot condescended to 
show a great number of its handsome flowers. 
Joycette proved to have unusually fine form, 
together with good stem and clear color. What 
matters if it is not as red in tint as some others? 
Eros is a rare and lovely shade of pink, a clump in 
bloom is a beautiful sight. Red Dominion has a 
certain charming style of its own besides having 
most velvety falls of an exquisite shade of red. 
Alice Harding was a pleasant surprise, for it is a 
soft yellow of good form, size and height. The 
most outstanding deep yellow in the garden was 
Chosen, with Lady Paramount taking the honors in 
a lighter shade. The new blue irises, Sierra Blue, 
Shining Waters, Pale Moonlight, Early Mass and 
Fair Enough are unexcelled. It is unusual for a pink 
iris to have such smooth, firm petals as has China 
Maid. The I arge, shining, copper-toned iris, Fiesta, 
attracted much attention. Mount Cloud has a sheen 
and an air of distinction that is lacking in many 
white irises. The huge new plicata, Always, is a 
notable iris. These are some of the highlights noted 
in our garden during the 1937 blooming season. 
MILLIKEN IRIS GARDENS 
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 
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