Zantha—‘‘a great favorite here’’ Mrs. D. R. Dickinson, La. Page 31 
4 X 4 COLLECTION 
Four Groups of Unusual Iris. Select Four From Each Group. 16 for $12 
4 of these plus 4 of these * plus 4 of these plus 4 of these 
Cock Robin Dinah Shore Alastor Allumeuse 
Copper River Flamely Ann Newhard Brown Boy 
Daffy Golden Fleece Edna Hicks Buffawn 
Jasmine Harriet Thoreau Idanha Copper Crystal 
Kearsarge Oregon Trail Persian Prince Damerine 
Mt. Hermon Red Valor Sparkling Blue Deep Velvet 
Sharon Kay Russet Mantle Sunset’ Beam Elizabeth Ann 
Sonatine* Sharkskin Wm. A. Setchell Lady Naomi 
Add another $1 to your remittance toward digging, packing and mailing costs and 
we'll include the 1950 Dykes Medal Winner, Blue Rhythm. 
- WHAT CONSTITUTES A GOOD IRIS 
For the benefit of those who are newly interesting themselves in iris, we repeat 
the following brief commentary on the qualities considered desirable in these flowers. 
Color, altho the most important and most instantly appreciated quality, is not, 
by itself, the final measure of iris worth. Besides clarity or richness of color we want 
a bloom with good form and broad petals, the standards firm and held in closed 
position at the top, or nearly so, and in pleasing proportion to the falls, which may 
flare or droop, but which should not be strappy, narrow-waisied or pinched. 
The bloom should be large enough to match the length of stem, which for tall- 
bearded iris should be thirty inches or more: A small flower on a tall stem looks 
“leggy” and a huge flower on a short stem looks ‘‘dumpy.” 
There are some exceptions to the thirty inch minimum requirement. These are 
now termed “border irises.” 
Stems should be branched so that the flowers do not crowd, and they should be 
strong enough to resist drooping from the weight of the flowers or toppling because 
of wind or weather. The texture of the petals is important too, and the substance 
should be tough and durable enough to withstand sun and wind and remain fresh- 
looking for a reasonable length of time. Colors should not fade too easily in the sun, 
nor spot too readily from drops of moisture. 
The base or “haft’”’ of the fall should not be discordantly colored or covered with 
coarse and ugly veining. When smoothly colored it is sometimes called a ‘‘quiet” or 
a “clean” haft. 
Some irises are temperamental. To be generally acceptable an iris should per- 
form well in different sections of the country and be winter-hardy. Unfortunately, 
some of the loveliest sorts originating in California are not hardy in Northern win- 
ters and some of the most beautiful varieties of the Middle West and East are com- 
plete failures in California. Quite frequently rhizomes from regions of wide seasonal 
differences will require time to adjust themselves before blooming. 
Rhizomes which are well grown will be more likely to bloom the first year than 
those which are not well-grown because the bloom-stalk buds are formed during the 
previous growing season. 
EARLY BLOOMING INTERMEDIATE IRIS 
If you have been growing only the tall-bearded varieties of iris, the time will 
come when you will wish that you could stretch the season out longer. There IS a 
way to extend the iris season and the way to do it is—BACKWARD. 
To really begin at the beginning you should have some dwarf iris, which start to 
bloom a month or so before the tall-bearded. But our purpose, on this page, is to 
interest you in the early-blooming intermediates. 
The EARLY BLOOMING INTERMEDIATES are, generally speaking, the result 
of crossing dwarfs with tall beared varieties and such hybrids are between the two 
in size, height and blooming season. Their height is between 16 and 28 inches and 
they have an unusual vivid clearness of coloring, altho the color range is much more 
limited than among the later flowering tall-bearded varieties. 
