No business transaction is complete without both parties becoming satisfied. 
PART OF LETTER RECEIVED FROM THE WELL KNOWN MR. A. SWOBODA 
OF RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY 
92 Seventh Street, Ridgefield Park, N. J. 
November 26th, 1937 
Dear Mr. Parrella :— 
I have been wanting to write to you for the longest time and since you ask my opinion on 
some of the new introductions of last year I wish to say that some of your new ones have given 
me much pleasure and satisfaction in growing. 
There is first of all A. L. Alexander which you have now renamed Dr. Marshall Howe. It is 
certainly a great dahlia and worthy of a great name in the dahlia world. It may never win the 
prize at any Show for the largest bloom but when it comes to beauty, perfection and lasting 
qualities your new dahlia Dr. Marshall Howe has few equals. It may also interest you that Mrs. 
Swoboda showed three specimen blooms in the purple class at the Monmouth County Horticultural 
Society Show at Rumson, N. J. and that these three blooms won the blue ribbon over 3 Hunt’s 
Velvet Wonder and other purple entries. It is a dahlia without faults, a vigorous grower with 
beautiful dark foliage and excellent stems. The only shortcoming might be that it cannot be grown 
to a tremendous size. 
While speaking of the Rumson Show I might also mention that another dahlia of yours was 
greatly admired, viz. Phyllis Knight. We had two blooms only and were lacking one to show it in 
the three Pink class, but these two specimens together with Milton Cross, Amelia Earhart and one 
other bloom won easily the blue ribbon in the Five assorted bloom class. To win a blue ribbon at 
Red Bank is always an achievement, because the Monmouth County Horticultural Society Show is 
one of the finest in the East. 
Phyllis Knight is a wonderful pink and a dahlia with decidedly a future. I am not quite sure 
of its maximum qualities but it will be one dahlia I do not want to be without. Sincerely yours, 
A. SWOBODA 
Bernville, Penna. 
Dear Sir:— 
I am sending you a newspaper clipping about my seedling dahlias that I have grown from 
your seed. I had three of them at our Flower Show. They did not photograph them because vhere 
was no suitable background for them. Well, I was very proud of them anyway. I took First Prize 
for my dahlias again this year. I am also sending you a photograph of the first seedling that 
bloomed for me which was a pink and yellow cactus that closes at night. You will see by picture 
that it was not entirely open at time it was taken, the weather was somewhat cloudy and I took 
it at the first sign of sun. Also, I am not a good photographer as you can see, but anyway it will 
give you an idea as to type and size. The ones I had at the Show were a large yellow I. D. I would 
call it about 9 inches, and the other was sort of a combination of colors, very pretty but I don’t 
believe I can describe it for you. If we do not have frost too early I will have a bloom of each one 
of them, if it were possible I could send you the blooms if you would care to see them, and you would 
tell me how to treat them for mailing so they would arrive in good condition. I kept them in an 
Electric Refrigerator for two days before exhibiting them, and they were just fine. The last 
mentioned measured almost 11 inches. Some people came especially to see the Seedlings, they 
could hardly believe they were grown from seed sown in March. If I have enough space I am sure 
to send for more seed in the spring. I want to thank you for your kind information about spraying 
the flowers, I am sure if it had not been for that I would not have taken first honors at the Show. 
I am. Sincerely Yours, 
MRS. CHARLES WENGERT. 
HERE IS A PARTIAL REPORT RECEIVED FROM PROF. HUEY, OF EWING, KENTUCKY 
TOWER’S EMPIRE, good last season, was unusually fine this season. I think no variety in 
the garden gave more high class blooms, and they were rigidly held on good canes, even during 
the unfavorable weather. 
INCANDESCENT bloomed early and v/ell. It is an attractive flower of fine size and depth 
and held up well in the sun. The rosy tinge on the buff makes an unusual color combination. 
Plant was vigorous and of excellent growth. 
A. L. ALEXANDER very outstanding, the most promising new purple I have seen. Medium in 
plant height, of splendid growth habits, and gorgeous big blooms on perfectly rigid canes of good 
length. A purple with burgundy shadings that really stands out in its class. I wonder if thi-, is not 
the 1938 you are releasing under the name of the late DIRECTOR MARSHALL A. HOWE. If it 
is, it is a grand dahlia to offer tribute to a grand man. 
JULIA IRENE a pink of definite promise. Plant made vigorous growth, foliage was .good, 
canes stiff and of good length and the big pink bloom stands out. We were impressed with the 
marked vigor of this dahlia, although the plant does not become coarse in its proiiortions. 
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PARRELLA DAHLIA GARDENS 
