AIS: Early Years and Current Assumptions

From: HIPSource@aol.com

In a message dated 3/14/99 11:59:59 AM Eastern Standard Time,
ruth@sonetcom.com writes:

<<  I feel the American Iris Society is an umbrella for all classes of iris.
It
 may have been founded as a tall bearded iris society. But it has now
 branched out to embrace ALL classes. And to say it is a tall bearded society
 is an insult to the other classes of iris. >>

I've been doing a lot of research on the gardens of the 'twenties and of the
early days of the AIS lately and I have noticed no sound indications that the
Society was founded to promote the Tall Bearded Iris as such. If I err, I'm
sure someone will kindly leap forth to correct me.

The AIS was founded, as I read it, to do for the iris what the American Peony
Society had done for the peony--that is encourage the wider study and
appreciation of the genus and straighten out the nomenclature. Indeed, it
could be said to have grown out of that organization since many of the
founders were peony fanciers. AIS Bullein 10 (1924) says "The American Iris
Society was organized January 29, 1920, to promote the culture and imrovement
of the Iris and to serve as a central authoratative bureau of information on
all phases of iris interest." 

The American literature on garden irises of the first third of the century,
and popular catalogs of the period, both specialist and generalist,
irrefutably demonstrate  promotion of and interest in an enormous range of
irises of all kinds, species and hybrids alike, and the Bulletins of the AIS
are no exception. They wanted to grow them all, even obscure exotics, and the
statistics of failure were in their infancy. I know less about the ins and
outs and decisions or demographics or adhoc-ery of the next half century, or
how the TB came to be a focus of attention, popular and official. 

I also could not be said to be well-informed about the finer points of the
current controversy about the intent of the founders of TBI , in fact I've
been making every effort to avoid it, but it seems patent to me that if AIS
could refrain from taking positions that sound like a TB-centered organization
under seige, and the TBI could stop acting like it is up to something, and if
the overall tone of the rhetoric could return to something seemly, then life
would be simpler and more enjoyable for all. 

And that is all that I, as one lone AIS member interested in a wide variety of
irises, and not in the least bit interested in bickering, have to say to
anyone involved.

Anner Whitehead
HIPSource@aol.com


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