
developed against the original strain. For this reason, all Bodger wilt-resistant varieties are continually 
being conditioned in the Pest House, and each year's stock seed comes directly from a two-generation 
exposure to wilt of a virulence not found in ordinary planting soil. Your Bodger Aster seed is just one 
generation away from the Pest House, and it is highly resistant. Even a few generations of increase in 
non- or lightly-infected soil will produce seed of decidedly less resistance. 
Resistance is an hereditary characteristic, and so are plant and flower types. As may be seen above, 
Bodger wilt-resistant Asters were developed from non-resistant, Commercial varieties, quite true to type— 
not as a result of cross breeding between commercial types and inferior, if resistant, strains. Bodger 
wilt-resistant Asters are identical with the regular commercial varieties except that they contain the 
additional factor of wilt-resistance. Because we take pride in maintaining this accuracy of type, some 
varieties of Asters are not at present offered as ‘‘wilt-resistant.’’ At the present stage of development, 
these strains cannot be made resistant without sacrificing essential qualities of type, and it is not recom- 
mended that they be used where considerable wilt has been observed. Developing wilt-resistant Asters 
is relatively easy, whereas combining resistance with the characteristics of well-established types is not. 
There will always be a variation in the tendency to resistance according to similarity to the most resistant 
type, so that resistance is always expressed as a percentage, a high value of which is required before 
a type can be classified as ‘‘wilt-resistant.”’ 
The war against wilt is a continual one, complicated by the varying character of the wilt strain and 
bad weather breaks which sometimes wipe out a long chain of selection work. Among commercial 
growers, Bodger Seeds Ltd. is the pioneer in wilt research, and the only firm actively carrying on a 
continual wilt workshop. Trained personnel with many years’ experience are your assurance that your 
Bodger wilt-resistant Aster seed is of high quality, true to type, and as wilt-resistant as we can make it. 
An extensive development program is devoted to new and exceptional varieties, all of which will be 
thoroughly tested for wilt-resistance before release. Because of Bodger’s program of research work, wilt 
no longer poses a problem to the careful grower who makes sure he has resistant stock. Aster culture 
is again a practical thing even in land heavily infested with wilt, and the Aster once more can claim the 
title of Queen of Garden Flowers. 
