SOME PLAIN TALK 
‘T HE FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY must have spent all of his life sleeping 
if we are to believe the innumerable markers along the highway proclaiming 
to the world that “George Washington slept here.” Every two-by-four del- 
phinium grower who ever rubbed pollen on a stigma must be a glorified Wat- 
kin Samuel if we are to believe his hypertrophied exuberance concerning the 
superb quality of his “creations.” If someone were to erect a shrine along 
one of our national highways to proclaim to the world that “GEORGE WASH- 
INGTON DID NOT SLEEP HERE” and if he charged a modest admission, he 
would soon be financially independent. However it was not with the intention 
of catching the sort of sap who immortalized Barnum that I have maintained 
right along that the Lyondel Hybrids are not the world’s best; nor was I 
exercising any super-salesmanship, although I have been accused of it. I sin- 
cerely believe that there is no such thing as world’s best delphinium, or juto- 
mobile, or mouse trap. Perfection is a dreadful thing because it arrests pro- 
gress. Nor is any strain of delphinium perfect; the breeder who claims such 
a thing has already died but is too dumb to lie down. 
Having tested every major strain of delphinium available, and also being 
a fair-minded person, I have repeatedly disagreed with some of my more en- 
thusiastic customers who maintain that the Lyondels are far ahead of all 
other strains. Now these customers challenge me either to point out the strain 
that is as least as good as mine, or stop talking nonsense and let them pur- 
chase their Lyondels in peace. I accept the challenge and name the hand- 
pollinated seeds of Pacific Hybrids developed by Frank Reinelt. Having been 
privileged to test on a large scale not only the regular lines but also the seeds 
and plants of many pre-introduction varieties, I am in better position than 
most to evaluate and to recommend to my customers this youngest strain of 
delphinium that is now sweeping the country. I realize that it is not the ortho- 
dox thing to give favorable publicity to one’s business rival, especially during 
a sales talk, but I wonder if all of us would not be much better off in business 
as well as in politics if we were to cut out adverse criticism and mud slinging 
and were, instead, to point out the better qualities of our business and political 
rivals. Running them and their products down, mud slinging, frothing at the 
mouth and arousing bitter passions indicate a hidden realization that the other 
fellow has the goods and that he may beat us in a fair race. I doubt if adverse 
criticism, mud slinging, or passionate oratory have ever gained a substantial 
number of intelligent customers or voters. The public is beginning to realize 
that the quality of goods or of candidates cannot be determined by words but 
by actual performance only. As I believe in the quality of Lyondels, I have no 
fear of any rivals. I can praise my nearest rival without fear of losing cus- 
tomers. I can assure all those who have grown nothing by Lyondels that they 
will find many pleasant surprises in the hand pollinated seeds of the Pacific 
Hybrids, just as I assure those who have never grown Lyondels that they will 
find many pleasant surprises in my strain. Experienced gardeners know that 
the breeder weaves something of his own personality into his strain, and that 
since no two persons are alike, no two strains of delphinium can be identical; 
consequently they shop about in search of something different. I realize that 
sooner or later everyone of my customers will try other strains of delphinium, 
just as the customers of other breeders will, sooner or later, try the Lyondels. 
If I do not have something to hold their attention, they will drift away and fail 
to return. Therefore if I am wideawake, I will see to it that the Lyondels will 
always have something that the others lack, just as I hope that the others will 
develop features that the Lyondels lack. Such a thing is vital to me as ina 
way my rivals help me to better my own strain by developing qualities that 
my strain lacks, But no one breeder, no matter how well equipped or how much 
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