_ We wish to call your attention to our large 
listing of Hemerocallis (daylily), several of 
which you will find featured in color to give you 
a better idea as to their beauty. The popularity 
of the daylily is increasing with each passing 
year, and we think justly so. We are fortunate in 
having the pleasure of introducing Mr. Lemoine 
J. Bechtold’s originations. You will find many of 
his varieties listed and three new ones introduced 
this year. To mention a few of his outstanding 
varieties: Desert Sunrise, Golden Wings, Goliath, 
Confucius, Favorite, Firefly, Flame Fagot, China 
Miss, Shadow and many others. These are all 



THE WILD FAMILY, Peony farm operators. From left: Shirley Gene, daugh- 
ter; Allen Wild, father; Mrs. Allen Wild, mother, and James, son. 
with the word picture given. We hope you will find this catalog 
equally as alluring as our previous issue. 
In our listing will be found some of the most noteworthy Peonies 
in commerce. Some of the most recent originations as well as some 
of the outstanding creations that have stood the test of time are 
presented for your consideration. We do want to call your special 
attention to the new varieties we offer in this catalog of the late 
E. F. Kelsey, as well as those of Colonel J. C. Nicholls. Both of 
these gentlemen rank very high as originators of unique Peonies. 
Three years ago we acquired half of the entire stock from Messrs. 
Kelsey and Nicholls. The plants have made substantial growth 
since their removal from New York State, and should give a good 
account of themselves during the next blooming season in May. In 
these collections will be found some of the finest Peonies yet pro- 
duced. In addition to this first purchase, we purchased, last year, 
all of the hand-crossed seedlings of Col J. C. Nicholls. This second 
purchase of Peonies consisted of 124 new varieties, and we now 
> 

* aa a® 
’ ee * 
PS <4 


OSS ae aides? 
COLD STORAGE Packing House and Office of the Ozark flower firm, 
. at Sarcoxie, Missouri. 
A RACK OF PEONIES in a cold storage vault of Gilbert 
H. Wild & Son. This plant has a capacity of 50,000 dozen 
flowers. Value of flowers seen here is $3,800. 
have them growing at Sarcoxie. There was only one good and quite popular. We have about ten new varieties 
clump of each variety, so it will be a few years before we 
can offer them. Many are outstanding, and you are in- 
vited to visit our grounds to see them in bloom. 
Our constant testing and studying of new introduc- 
tions, we hope, will enable us to evaluate them thorough- 
ly, and this material or information we have acquired is 
available to our customers. While we have been growing 
Peonies for sixty-four years, we do not know all there is 
to know about them. 
For the past twenty-four years we have been hybridiz- 
ing and have several nice varieties of our own. One of 
our new varieties, HARGROVE HUDSON, is being of- 
fered for the first time in this catalog, and is featured 
in color on page 11. While we cannot say it is the best 
Peony we have ever seen, it is a very good one and has 
created much favorable comment here. We feel certain 
you will like it as much as we. 
Jim Wild has been planting from 30,000 to 100,000 
seeds each fall for the past several years. Jim’s great 
aunt, Mrs. Gordan T. Nightingale, one of the first women 
plant pathologists in the U. 8. A., flew from Hawaii to 
Sarcoxie last May to aid him in his hybridizing. We hope 
for something outstanding in the future. 
of Mr. Bechtold growing. These will be offered as soon as 
stock permits. Among these is probably the largest day- 
lily in existence, Kindly Light. 
Nothing can give more lasting satisfaction in the gar- 
den than a liberal planting of Iris, Peonies, Daffodils and 
Hemerocallis—four hardy, dependable perennials that 
need no coddling. They become more valuable with the 
passing years. 
Your patronage is solicited and we will make every ef- 
fort to please you with quality stock and prompt handling 
at the proper shipping time. We welcome the privilege of 
serving you to the best of our ability. If you have flower- 
loving friends, supply us with their names and addresses, 
and we will gladly mail them a copy of this catalog. 
A cordial invitation is extended to visit our gardens 
and make your own selection and appraisal of our stock 
in the varieties that we have to offer. We are located in 
Sarcoxie, Mo., which is 165 miles south of Kansas City, 
Mo.; 287 miles southwest of St. Louis, Mo., and 22 miles 
east of Joplin, Mo. You are invited to visit us whenever 
you can. May is the month that Iris and Peonies bloom 
here. On Sunday, May 16, 1948, over 14,000 cars drove 
through our Peony fields. ALLEN J. WILD. 
eS ee 
