introduction of a yellow iris: Fabulous Kate. | wonder what comment this will bring? 
After the Portland meeting last year my Utah friends came back with one 
suggestion: ''Tell, the only adverse criticism we heard about you was that you 
introduce too many iris.’ Some of my friends by correspondence have made the 
same remarks to me, and | appreciate these for | know they are well-meant, how- 
ever, | feel to agree with Sidney Mitchell who says, ‘'Let the hybridizers intro- 
duce all the iris they want—only the good ones will live very long.’ | have grown 
approximately ten thousand seedlings yearly—surely my average should not be 
worse than those who grow less, although, perhaps | am not so scientific in my 
work as some of our better known hybridizcrs. Surely any hybridizer should expect 
one good seedling out of a thousand. My average of named iris has been 
far below that, yet this year | am offering ten new iris of my own—several 
of which | am introducing simply because of their high breeding value, or the 
fact that garden visitors have wanted to own them, and as | wrote last year, | 
would rather sell them with a name than a number. | will continue to give both the 
good and bad qualities of the iris | introduce—knowing full well, surely, that no 
iris is pertect. We must remember, however, in judging new iris that we cannot 
judge a first year plant. For instance Pink Formal was grown outside last year 
tor the first time—varied reports came in—some indicating that the plant per- 
formed quite well—gave almost typical branching, size and color, while others 
indicated the branching to be poor—or the color dirty, etc. | have seen first 
year plants here that were devoid of branching and the color and form of the 
tlower was not in any way typical. The color plate of Pink Formal in this issue is 
not, either, typical except in branching—this was a stalk which | had injured with 
a hand-cultivator and had caused the stalk to bend, but normal stalks are heavy 
and straight. My cousin grew Pink Formal in a new soil hauled from Utah Lake 
shores and evidently the large amount of alkali caused the plant to grow with 
little chlorophyl in the foliage and the flower bloomed almost white. On a two 
year plant, however, the color was very deep, with a bit of lavender on the falls, 
so one can see from this that soil, water, etc. does affect the growth and color of 
varieties. Blue iris, | am told (and | have seen it here in several gardens) are much 
bluer in some sections. Helen McGregor, for example, in high altitudes where the 
blooming season is rather cool will retain its fresh blueness whereas in very hot 
climates the blue fades to white, but in any event it is still a beautiful iris. Any 
variety, however, should not be judged too severely until it is seen on an established 
two year plant. Some varieties are not at their best until their third year. I+ 
was pleasing to me to see that other growers and judges of iris have come to an 
appreciation of some varieties with less or rather narrow branching as seen by 
John Dolman, Jr.'s report in the A.I.S. bulletin No. 115, page 48. It is true varieties 
with fine branching—low and wide—make wondertul first year plants or excellent 
show specimens, but they may be unsightly in two and three year clumps where the 
flowers are often down in the foliage or the stalks twisted or intermingled with 
other stalks in the same clump, or sprawled on the ground (unless staked). | still 
feel the primary factor in any iris’ quality is color with substance very important 
as well. |'m sure all hybridizers are striving to produce iris with greater substance 
to withstand the rigors of nature—wind, rain and hail, to say nothing of extreme 
sunlight and heat. 
Again | hope you enjoy this catalogue, and again thanks for your good orders 
and your kind notes of appreciation for this catalogue and our service. 
Best wishes for a good iris season, glorious scedlings and exciting new 
crosses for all who pursue this wondrous game of hybridizing. 
Sincerely, 
TELL MUHLESTEIN 
pei) 
