St. Cecelia is a five-inch, English type white cactus. Four seedlings of this 
variety produced: 1—An inferior dirty white miniature, decorative type; 2—a salmon- 
colored, slightly incurved, semi-cactus, and 3—the most fiery color, twelve inch dia- 
meter, incurved semi-cactus that resembles the famous European dahlia General 
Eisenhower. This is one of the finest dahlias I have ever produced and it is to be 
named for my grandson, Kenneth Gibson. The incurved yellow cactus seedling of 
Evelyn Chandler is to be named for my granddaughter, Susan Gibson. I prophesy 
that in three years from now these two dahlias will be winning prizes wherever grown. 
I flatter myself that I know dahlias. Several of my originations have made 
wonderful records. Varieties like Barbara Redfern, Bagdad, Angelo Rossi, Mandalay, 
Shekina, El] Rubio, Polaris, Vanity, Burgundy and Francescan are grown in America 
and Europe. I’ve judged shows in New York, Short Hills, New Jersey, Portland, 
Oregon, and California. This year I have travelled about three thousand miles, judging 
dahlia shows at California County Fairs, at Ferndale, San Francisco, Merced, and Los 
Angeles. Having a paralyzed left hand makes self-fertilization difficult at times, parti- 
cularly the English cactus varieties, but I persist and many of the cactus varieties 
that I have worked on this summer have produced seed. 
My garden book has two entries that I value very much. One was written by 
the well-known author and journalist, Edward A. MacManus, a personal friend of the 
late Peter Findley Dunn, author of Mr. Dooley, and a personal friend of the late 
Elbert Hubbard. Mr. MacManus wrote in my book: 
“I believe we have found the Elbert Hubbard of the dahlia world.” At the 
height of the flowering season, when the blooms were at their best, Mr. Warwick S. 
Carpenter, Western Manager of Harper's, visited the garden. I have known Mr. 
Carpenter for twenty-five years. He was formerly associated with the American Home 
magazine and collaborated with the late Darrell S. Hart in preparing the Annual 
thant of Honor. His comment in my garden book is the one word—“MAR- 
This year I grew more than one hundred varieties of the best dahlias I could 
obtain from France, Holland and the United States, including many of my own well- 
known varieties. The price is five dollars ($5.00) per hundred seed, packed in five 
20-seed pice of my own selection. Each packet has the seed parent’s name, 
date seed were harvested on each envelope, and are signed by myself. These are 
the finest dahlia seed ever produced and are, undoubtedly, worth much more than 
the price quoted. Next year I expect to be in a position to supply second-generation 
