Re: REF: Vallette, east vs west
- Subject: Re: REF: Vallette, east vs west
- From: "nmogens" n*@charter.net
- Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2002 14:47:10 -0000
--- In iris-talk@y..., Linda Mann <lmann@v...> wrote:
"More tidbits rom Vallette, Iris Culture and Hybridizing for
Everyone, 1961. --This book is a compilation of information from
Robins...."
Linda, I'm glad you added this tidbit. It is important to remember
that the book is compiled from years of Robin and other
correspondence, and is predominantly anecdotal in origin. Much of
the work also is speculative--and worth its weight in gold as such.
As to the material in your post just above the one to which I'm
replying, Purissima derivitives, shell (or pink bud) pinks and such--
these lines no longer exist in such pure form as they did in the
fifties and sixties. Pedigree charts reveal criss-crossing of lines
to such a degree the generalization she makes has little validity any
more. A more current remark worthy of note comes from Keith Keppel
who notes that plicatas, in his experience, germinate more readily
and faster than any other type cross.
The amoenas to which Wilma refers are, as you suggested, indeed the
Wabash recessive type. Few germinate from crosses. Work with the
type was notoriously difficult. A lot of people tried, the most
successful of whom was probably Geddes Douglas in the Nashville
area. If I remember rightly, many years ago he wrote an article for
the AIS Bulletin about his program and the frustrations involved in
trying simply to germinate seeds. Often no more than one or two
would germinate from a good sized pod.
Tell Muhlestein bred and introduced STEP UP which was a charming
white over light blue recessive amoena. My crosses from it showed
the same problems Douglas had with his line, derived in part from
Paul Cook's work with the classic (recessive) amoenas with which he
worked in the days before the PROGENITOR-derived dominant types.
Wilma Vallette's correspondence was a delight. As I recall, she
typed edge to edge, often on thin light blue paper. Typos were dealt
with by forward slash strikeovers. Nearly all of those letters that
came my way contained material incorporated verbatin into the book.
I learned much from her. I wish I could have saved those
letters....but I did get a copy of the book hot off the press and
read, reread it and treasured it. Currently it is on loan to one of
my daughters for her edification.
Neil Mogensen z 6b/7a near Asheville and Hendersonville, NC
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