—and the only drawbacks are that not all seeds germinate the first year and there is considerably 
more close hand-weeding to be done. Cold-frame planting is very satisfactory, and seeds should 
not be planted deeper than one inch, and one-half inch is probably better, either in open field or in 
frames, but most important item is plenty of moisture in early spring when seeds are due to germinate, 
and the beds should be moist at time of planting and should not be allowed to become bone-dry at 
any time. Pot planting of seed may be alright for rare hybrid seed, yet pots have a tendency to 
dry and germination may not be good—but rare seed may be watched closely and there is a 
possibility some seeds may not germinate for a period of from 3 to 17 years (can you wait?). I have 
found Wm. Mohr seed has a strong tendency (if viable at all) to germinate the second year; the 
same is true of pure Oncocyclus seeds. Cold frames should be left open to the cold until February 
or March then closed, kept weeded and watered, and the seeds will germinate early—and it will 
be wise to transplant these out while they are very small—possibly the leaves will only by 2 or 3 
inches tall and you will have these lined out where ihey remain to bloom (being sure to give them 
plenty of room and good sunny locations) and all this you will have accomplished (often wishful 
thinking) before the tall bearded have opened their first blooms. If transplanted in the heat of the 
summer they just sit and sulk. It is very important to have the ground moist when they are planted 
and to give them an immediate watering after they are transplanted. In the, event some are spindly 
it might be wise to cover them a few days with strawberry boxes or other shields. The plants that 
grow large enough to show some increase will likely bloom the following spring. Occasionally 
seedlings will bloom without increase (these are often superb specimens) and are surely “lost chords" 
if they do not, later, send up increase. If the crown is high above the ground it might be well to 
build up the soil around them and to water regularly with Vitamin B 1 solution or liquid manure to 
encourage growth. I have found it wise to set pods on such fine seedlings and to use their pollen 
(if they have any) so that in event they do not send up increase they have not lived in vain. My 
49-11 C pink is from such a lost-chord parent and the quality of its seedlings is rewarding. 
When seedlings bloom the selecting will go on (and the hybridizing) and if an especially fine 
seedling is found it should be given special care and where there are two or more increase it should 
be divided carefully and lined out early in the summer, or as soon as its pods are gathered. In event 
of a rare seedling all or part may be sent to a more “friendly” climate to winter it until stock is more 
plentiful. It is a pity when a superb seedling dies the first winter after it has shown its bloom. 
BREEDING FOR QUALITY 
Like begets like! How often we hear this. It is true, but true, also, is the ability of some plant, 
or animal, to breed better than itself. The skill and thoughtfulness of the hybridizer also comes into 
play in the production of better iris, and new color forms. Once in a while some color-break appears 
and fortunate is the breeder who recognizes and uses it to advantage in his work. Sea Shell was 
such a break and David Hall's 39-62 (while not a pink with tangerine beard) was a break as a 
breeder and produced all or most of the 1942 pink seedlings that all popped” at once in Hall's garden. 
Sometimes these breaks are not significant in themselves and it often takes two or three generations 
to bring forth real quality. Therein lies the challenge—the use of the right parents. Think of size, 
form, substance, stalk, vigor, and all'the other good qualities you'd like to see in one plant. You 
may have to sacrifice some of these to attain color, but in the pedigree you should have the other 
qualities bred in and some of the seedlings may come with enough of these qualities scattered about 
that they may eventually all be combined in one fine variety, and once you get “‘it’’ in one seedling 
it will, through careful line breeding, come more often in future generations. Following are a few 
examples of what one might use. For sturdy stalks: Midwest Gem, Chantilly and Snow Flurry. For 
branching: Great Lakes, Golden Eagle and San Francisco. For vigor: Snow Flurry, Golden Eagle, 
Chantilly, Sousun and Coritica. For ruffling: Midwest Gem, Chantilly, Gold Ruffles, Party Dress, 
Chivalry and Snow Flurry. For substance: Chantilly, New Snow, Gold Ruffles, Pink Formal and 
Tobacco Road. Color is so complex we will cover this subject in the various color classes later. 
The hybridizer, however, must plan his crosses carefully to insure success, and as mentioned before, 
this may be a long-range project covering several generations. For instance, depth of color in the 
pinks was lacking. Where might this come from? The rich blends or tans carrying variegata or 
strong yellow bloodlines would be useful, however, first generation seedlings using them with 
these delicate shell pinks would yield few, if any, pinks so the hybridizer must use pinks again 
with some of these seedlings and we would suggest the yellows, light blends or tans with good 
form, width and substance. We might mention two sister seedlings that have been employed in 
hybridizing for better and stronger pinks: Matula and Midwest Gem. Matula has such strong color 
of its own, none of its seedlings ever came pink, whereas Midwest Gem will produce them when 
crossed to pinks, and its pink children make very fine parents as attested by my own Salmon Shell, 
which is not a strong color, yet produces depth of color in its offspring. Another example, from my 
own experience, Apricot Glory that boasts Golden Eagle blood twice and is a grandchild of Nylon 
(not a strong color) and rather amazing things are coming through the line—due, no doubt to the 
double blood of Prairie Sunset and the same blood also found in Nylon—all this coupled with the 
tangerine-beard factor that comes from the blood of Morocco Rose, and possibly W. R. Dykes, to 
be found -in the pedigree a goodly number of times. What wonders the “melting pot’’ can do for 
our modern iris—and yet the surface has just been scratched! 
Now let us consider the various colors and some of the known good parents, and let us explore 
the possibilities of others whose bloodlines might indicate their value for breeding. 
32 
Notes geal 
