In addition to their plant breeding businesses both Hans 
P. and Jacob Sass were scientifically trained and highly 
successful farmers. Both started their scientific training in 
Germany, Jacob along agricultural lines while Hans special- 
ized in botany and horticulture, studies which he has main- 
tained through the years. Both left the parent farm for 
farms of their own at the turn of the century. 
We, the members of the new firm of Sass Brothers, are 
in the order of our seniority Jacob J., Henry E., Arthur, 
Hans and William. During the failing health of our father, 
Jacob J., Arthur and William, who are more interested in 
agriculture than plant breeding, took over the farm manage- 
ment. They will continue in this function. 
Henry E., who has been in charge of hybridizing for 
several years, assisted by Hans, will be in charge of iris 
breeding and marketing. 
We thoroughly and gratefully realize that we are most 
fortunate to inherit a solidly founded going business based 
on the latest scientific knowledge of farming and plant 
breeding. Our first task is to bring our acres back into full 
production, especially the iris department which had to be 
neglected during the war years to give right of way to food 
crops and also because a serious shortage of manpower. 
Jacob J. and Hans served overseas during the war and were 
twice wounded, but are now in sound health. 
Despite war conditions our iris business increased so 
rapidly we were unable to keep up propagation to meet it 
and the production of new varieties was on a reduced scale. 
We shall remedy these conditions as far and as fast as nature 
will permit. 
In point of average ages we are, we suppose, the young- 
est firm of our kind in the field. However, we are old in ex- 
perience. With the exception of time spent in school and 
in the armed services of our country we have spent our lives 
here on the farm where we were born. We have lived with 
irises since we were born. They are second nature to us. 
We have seen on our home farm the origination of an 
entire race of intermediates, an entire race of autumn bloom- 
ing irises; and entire race of yellow grounded plicatas; and 
a start in the development of a series of oncocyclus and 
regeliocyclus hybrids in which our father was greatly inter- 
ested, and which we hope to continue. 
We have seen iris breeding records grow from a few 
sheets to a sizeable library, covering a period of 40 years. 
From these records have been deduced the breeding lines of 
Sass irises, dominant traits having been noted making it 
more feasible to work towards definite and desired results. 
We hope to follow up all these developments and plans have 
been formulated for several years ahead which, for the time 
being, we have only to follow to be assured of several sea- 
sons of fine new and greatly improved varieties ranking with 
the best in cultivation. It is our great ambition to maintain 
the Sass standards of excellence and originality which have 
already been established. 
Some of the early Sass originations provided potent 
breeding factors, perhaps the most notable of which is King 
Tut, remarkably prepotent in transmitting brilliant tones of 
red, brown, bronze, copper and yellow to its progeny. We 
believe that it has materially raised the intensity of the iris 
color range. Both the Maple Road and Midwest Gardens 
went into full production and introduced their first irises at 
about the same period, 1923. They had bloomed their first 
seedlings several years earlier, but gave them several seasons 
of testing before registering and introducing them. 
The first irises introduced by both Hans and Jacob Sass 
were plicatas which at once aroused general interest because 
they displayed new color patterns. There has always been a 
strong plicata influence in both breeding establishments. 
Their many plicata types culminated in Hans Sass’ develop- 
ment of yellow plicatas, Siegfried and Orloff being fore- 
runners of tall, large flowered irises of this type. Hans said 
that getting the yellow ground into the plicatas had proved 

