After growing Iris for more than 50 years in Southern Kansas, we have found that 
only strong, vigorous growing plants will give satisfactory anc abundant bloom and 
that slow growing sorts and so-called hardy northern varieties will not give bloom 
- often or abundantly enough to pay for long years of waiting. As an example, we 
had bloom this year on City of Lincoln for the first time on plants set five years ago; 
also the first bloom on Garden Flame and Golden Spike in four years; one stem on 
a 3 year old plant of the Red Douglas and no bloom on Garden Magic in several 
years, and no increase worth while on any of these sorts. Spun Gold blooms here 
on low stems and is sparing with blooms and makes better increase. We mention 
these sorts only to show that these slow growers are worthless in our harsh, dry and 
hot climate, but we have seen these same sorts blooming abundantly and in fine 
form in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Colorado gardens and know that they are 
fine sorts in more favorable soils and climate, but time has also shown us the futility 
of using these slow growers as parents, but by crossing on only vigorous growers 
that grow and bloom well in heat and through drouth we have developed strong 
growing sorts that give abundant increase in spite of our poor prairie soil and harsh 
climate. We know that these sorts are valuable for other gardners who live where 
the soil is thin and climate harsh. Some of these may not be up to the very high 
standard of excellence developed by breeders in more favorable climates, but where 
they give us abundant bloom year after year and grow and increase vigorously, we 
can more fully appreciate their values. We are now Selling Kansas Ingleside in 1,000 
lots and expect to supply several thousand a year. Melanie and Betty Campbell 
grow so very vigorously that we will soon be supplying them in thousand lots to 
one buyer and I ask other growers, can you duplicate this record? And again I 
ask what other sorts can duplicate this record? Our Dwarf Iris hybrids from 
Arenaria have also given such abundance of blooms and increased so fast that these 
will soon be ready in large lots and on unheard of wide spreading bloom. Un- 
fortunately these do not seem adapted to the extreme south and are more at home 
in the north and east as the Great Lakes area is the natural habitat of Arenaria. 
We make no claim on the top notchers or world beaters and are content to have 
seekers for these pass us up, but will continue to cross for vigor of plant growth 
and satisfaction in abundant bloom and a needed place for such plants in the hot 
and dry plains and prairie of our vast southwest. 
The Wm. Mohr hybrids develop their finest bloom and grow best with unlimited 
water and are not at home in hot, dry climates or on thin prairie soil, and will not 
increase to pay for propagation here. We have crossed more than four hundred 
blooms on Wm. Mohr in one season and after apparently getting many sets and good 
pods started have seen these fade away before first a blizzard from the north and 
in a few days followed by a hot blast from the south until not a single good seed 
was saved. So we will let others with more abundant water and less heat and 
drouth fight the good fight for improvement through the Mohr tribe, but glad to 
report a more hopeful result in pods on Brother to Omohr this season than any other 
of this Mohr tribe. We will turn rather to the new Sea Shell pinks with bright 
tangerine beards, as these grow well here and seem to require less moisture and 
increase fairly well. . 
Peonies generally stand our climate fairly well and grow and bloom well through 
heat and drouth, but here too we must discard poor, slow growers. Peonies have 
been selling below cost when long time care through years is figured, so we will 
have to raise some prices but will still try to furnish good clean roots at fair prices. 
Hemerocallis are coming to the front fast because they seem to grow well and bloom 
abundantly, but here too breeders have made the mistake of crossing on weak, 
poor growing sorts that we can’t grow successfully or at any profit and we can’t 
understand why these little weak reds and pinks are named and sold in large 
numbers, because they can never grow or bloom abundantly here, but our limited 
experience with crossing on the tall, vigorous and floriferous Sass hemerocallis 
convinces us more and better reds and pinks, that are vigorous and tall and well 
branched are on the way. So we say, hurrah for vigor that means abundant blooms. 
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