I SIMPLIFY SEED SOWING 
Choose any good garden soil, sift it into open frames, flats, or flower pots. 
Use no organic matter, lime or fertilizer. Level off the soil, then shake a pinch 
of Semesan with the seeds until every seed is covered with the pinkish dust and 
sow directly on the surface of the soil; then by means of some flat object press 
the seeds flrnily into the soil. Cover with one eighth of an inch of sifted soil 
or sand and water gently but thoroughly. Set the pots or the flats thus pre¬ 
pared in a cool and sheltered part of the garden and cover them with one or two 
thicknesses of burlap. Never allow the surface soil to dry; it is fatal. On the 
other hand do not water excessively. Within ten or fifteen days the seedlings 
will be up. Remove the burlap but keep the seedlings protected with a couple 
of thicknesses of cheesecloth. Where summers are warm, the seedlings should 
be shaded until the cooler days of September. Harden to direct sunshine 
gradually. Shortly after the seedlings emerge water them with 0.25 percent 
solution of Semesan to prevent post emergence damping-off. Do not attempt 
to sterilize your soil with heat, chemicals, and other means; even experts often 
experience difficulties with these. 
AND NOW LET US UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER 
Of course you realize that you are buying hybrid seeds and that at best 
you are indulging in a gamble; a fascinating one to be sure, but a gamble just 
the same. I do my best to breed quality and dependability into my seeds, but 
for the life of me I cannot guarantee anything. You may not obtain any 
germination, even though my own tests show a perfect germination. After 
the seedlings come into bloom, not one of them may be worth keeping, although 
that would be a very strange performance in the face of the experiences of 
others. However, the possibility is there and I must disclaim all responsibility. 
You buy at your own risk and in case of failure you have no recourse whatever. 
If these conditions do not suit you, you may always go to the other fellow. 
AS OTHERS SEE THE LYONDELS 
I MAY EXTOL the virtues of my delphiniums until I am blue in the face, but 
the wise gardener is not going to fall for my gab. In the long run it is the 
customer who must decide upon the merit of the goods he purchases. He may 
fall for a glib tongue once, but he won’t a second time. It is for this reason 
that I do not depend upon my own efforts to sell my seeds. Every year I print 
excerpts from the letters of some of the friends of Lyondel. Some ask me not 
to print their letters; I respect their wishes. Others have no objection, but 
ALL OF THEM enthusiastically do my advertising for me. I am deeply grate¬ 
ful and endeavor to return the favor by redoubling my efforts to develop still 
better delphiniums. 
Westport, Conn., -Tune 14, 1939 
**Last year you sent me some ‘lilac^ seeds for trial. They are noio in bloom. 
It is amazing how many are exactly the .same color. The flowers are beautiful; some 
of them measure 3^/^ inches across.”—Ealph V. Sollitt. 
Waterbury, Conn., Oct. 6, 1939 
‘‘7 icon a first prize with your seedling delphiniums, and a special purple ribbon 
for the most outstanding entry in the perennial classification, five stalTcs of Lyondel; 
delphiniums. . . . When you say the florets attain 3 and 3^/^ inches you do not 
exaggerate.” —Lyall H. Hill. 
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