An Explanation Concerning Dr. A. B. Stout’s 
HYBRID DAYLILIES 
M ore than twenty-five years ago Dr. A. B. Stout, of 
the New York Botanical Gardens, set out to collect 
the various species of Hemerocallis (Daylily), both 
wild and cultivated, for study, for hybridization, and for selec¬ 
tive breeding. 
In 1924, shortly before his death, Mr. Bertrand H. Farr 
visited Dr. Stout and inspected the various hybrids which had 
then been produced. As a result, the Farr Nursery Company 
has, since 1924, actively cooperated in the evaluation, the propa¬ 
gation, and the distribution of the best of the seedlings obtained 
at the New York Botanical Gardens. 
About 60,000 seedlings of various hybridizations and selective 
breeding have now been grown to maturity, and various dis¬ 
tinctly new horticultural types and classes have been developed. 
By special agreement with the New York Botanical Gardens, 
about 500 of the most distinct and outstanding of these have 
been selected and brought to Weiser Park for propagation 
during a period of further trial, comparison, and 
evaluation. 
Each year many of these selections are dis¬ 
carded by comparative elimination. Of the 
selections under trial in 1938, sixty-three were 
discarded and more are to follow next year, even 
though some of them have been propagated for 
as long as eight years and exist in thousand lots. 
Truckloads of Stout seedlings, better than many 
varieties now in commerce or similar to selections that have 
been named, have been dug and dumped, both at Weiser Park 
and at the New York Botanical Gardens. 
We know that many of these discarded Daylilies are excel¬ 
lent subjects for the garden. The aim, however, is to intro¬ 
duce those which are distinctly new or superior in character 
and which will rank highest for garden culture for years to 
come. Only the very finest and superior of the dwarfs, minia¬ 
tures, reds, pinks, buffs, bicolors, yellows, etc., will ever be 
named and introduced. They must definitely excel in such 
qualities as evening bloom habit, flower endurance, size, 
color and fragrance of blooms, stature and form of plant, and 
extreme hardiness. 
THE MIKADO 
DAYLILY 
Furthermore, no Stout seedling is to be sold until there 
are enough plants to supply the demand at a maximum price 
of $3. This unusually low introductory price has, in the past, 
resulted in a demand which quickly oversold the supply of 
selections first named and offered. We have been obliged to 
withdraw twelve varieties from our list and cannot now 
supply any plants of these to anyone, at any price, until 
there are enough plants for the existing retail demand. Fur¬ 
ther introductions will likewise not be made until there exists 
a sufficient number of strong plants. 
In the meantime there exists a trend towards over-enthusi¬ 
astic introduction of Hemerocallis seedlings, many of which 
are inferior. This will result in the same confusion and dis¬ 
illusion which exists in respect to the thousands of varieties 
of the Peony, the Iris, the Rose, and other groups of garden 
flowers. We wish to do our part in correcting and preventing 
these conditions. We, therefore, offer this explanation regard¬ 
ing the introduction of Dr. Stout’s Daylilies. 
A BOOK ON HEMEROCALLIS 
Dr. A. B. Stout, Director of the Laboratories of the New York 
Botanical Gardens, and Hemerocallis Hybridist, has published a 
very interesting and valuable book on Daylilies. He gives full 
descriptions of the various species, and practical points on their use 
and culture. The book contains a number of colored and half-tone 
plates. Something you will need for reference. 120 pages. 
Developed by Dr. A. B. Stout at 
the New York Botanical Gardens 
and first described in House and 
Garden for July, 1929. 
The foliage is medium coarse, 
somewhat evergreen, and stands at 
a level of about 2 feet. The scapes are ascending to about 3 feet 
or slightly above this height and loosely branched above. 
The flowers are at least 5 inches in spread, fairly full, with 
segments widely spreading-recurving. In the middle of each 
petal there is a large blotch of dark, almost purplish red of the 
shade called mahogany-red, which is bisected by a stripe of the 
same color as the blade. In the open flower these blotches com¬ 
bine to form an undulating zone of conspicuous dark red w’hich 
is in sharp contrast to the rich orange of the rest of the flower. 
The outstanding charm of Mikado is in the bold contrasts 
in the coloring of the flowers. There is also good size, form, and 
fullness of flower, and an excellent habit of growth. 
The season of bloom is during June and July, with a decided 
tendency to repeat bloom during late summer and early fall. 
The colored plate here shown is 
reproduced from Addisonia (15: 
plate 487) and also from the book 
“Daylilies” by Dr. A. B. Stout, 
page 60. 
S1 each, 
5 for $4 
Price $3, postpaid 
Send cash with order to The Macmillan Company, 
New York City 
Mikado has in its ancestry the fulvous Daylilies H. aurantiaca 
and the H. julva clone Europa, and it was obtained after three 
generations of selective breeding. Originally $3 each; Now $1 
each, 5 for $4. 
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