Copyright 1949, Armstrong Nurseries, 
Racearen Brings You Better Roses 
Fine new roses result from thorough research, carefully planned breeding, the latest and best hybridizing techniques, followed 
by years of painstaking observ. ition and selection among thousands of seedlings. Every day in the year these efforts go on in 
the laboratory, in the greenhouses, and in the fields at Armstrong Nurseries. It is interesting work, but like most other worth- 
while projects, it takes much thought, planning, labor, and money. We stint none of these things in the Armstrong Research 
Department, 
Aims & Objectives 
Our over-all objective in breeding new roses is to produce 
more beautiful roses for your garden, better in some way 
than anything now being grown. If we can make it pos- 
sible for you to get more enjoyment from the roses in your 
garden, we feel that we have succeeded. 
Ww hat do you want in a new rose? More brilliant and 
unusual colors? Colors which do not fade? More perfectly 
formed buds? More continuous bloom? Flowers which 
open well in all weathers? Or do you want all of these 
things plus an appealing fragrance? 























And probably most of you want a plant which is sturdy 
and vigorous in your particular climate. You may want a 
plant which has a neat attractive habit, with plenty of 
luxuriant glossy disease-resistant foliage and long straight 
stems under each bloom. 
‘These are just a few of the many features which we try 
to combine and incorporate in new roses. ‘Then there are 
special objectives to consider—climbing roses which bloom 
from early spring until late summer instead of just in the 
spring. And new hybrid Polyanthus or Floribunda varie- 
ties with their masses of colorful bloom for hedge and 
garden display. We are doing our best to get all of these 
for you, and we think we are succeeding. 
Crosses are Planned 
Once objectives are selected, a program of specific crosses is laid out 
which we hope will reach those objectives. There is where much re- 
search work is needed. All rose varieties do not make satisfactory seed 
parents; others are not satisfactory as pollen parents. Usually crossing 
one set of parents will take us only part way toward the desired ob- 
jective and additional crosses must be made. Often the chromosome 
numbers of the various varieties must be determined in the laboratory. 
Above is shown Mr. H. C. Swim, Director of Research at Armstrong 
Nurseries, at work in our laboratory. At the right is “Mac’’ McIntosh, 
doing some pollinating in one of our lath houses. 
Picking The Winners 
After the planning is done, the crosses are made, and the resulting seedlings are 
brought into bloom, the work is just then well started. For each of these seedlings 
must be ¢ carefully observed for a long period of time, and its characteristics indexed. 
At the left is shown Dale Kloppenburg of our Research Staff doing this all-important 
work. 
After several years of observation, a few are selected for further trial. And finally 
out of thousands of seedlings, a very small number will survive the tests and 
entered in the important national and international trial contests or are otherwise 
started on their way to your gardens. 
All of this procedure is not done overnight. Ten years is not an unusual length of 
time to elapse between the time a new rose seedling first blooms and the date on 
which it is first ready to plant in the gardens of America. 
Here at the Armstrong Nurseries we think we are quite successful in our rose breed- 
ing work. In the important All-America rose competitions, 7 Armstrong Roses have 
won All-America Awards and one, High Noon, has won a Regional All-America 
Award. No other breeder or introducer has equalled this record. Charlotte Arm- 
strong, Forty-niner, ‘Vallyho, ‘Taffeta, Nocturne, Pinkie, High Noon, Show Girl, 
Sweet Sixteen, Mirandy, Debonair—these roses speak for themselves. And now comes 
the fragrant bright-colored Sutter’s Gold, the brilliant Fandango, and the extraor- 
dinary Juno, offered in this Catalog for the first time. 
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