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[Arisaema Enthusiast Group (AEG) Discussion List (and other=]

hardy  Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL> Aroids)" <ARISAEMA-L at NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Sender: "Arisaema Enthusiast Group (AEG) Discussion List (and other=
From: "George R Stilwell, Jr." <grsjr at JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: list responces, hybridization, and stuff.

Adam,

No criticism intended. "Everyone to their own taste", said the old woman
as she kissed the cow.
It's just that the audience is smaller for hydridization, thus the
number and timing of answers ought to be smaller and slower. However, by
now
you have some replies.

Before I get lost in philosophy, Arum has a very different growing season
from Arisaema.
Arum is dormant from late spring until late fall and grows all winter.
It's spathe colors and shapes
are quite distinct from those of Arisaema. I recommend Peter Boyce book
on Arum as a place
to learn about this plant and Deni Bown's book on Aroids as a place to
learn about
the many aroids and how they differ. Back to philosophy .....

I am acquainted with some of the worlds best hybridizers, Joe Gable -
Azaleas/Rhododendron,
Elwin Orton - Ilex, Cornus, et. al. and admire their work. In studying
their methods one
thing stands out - you need a plan. There should be a target improvement
(hardiness, flower color,
etc.) for every cross and the parents should be chosen to improve the
probability of success.
Random crosses may be fun, but they're mostly a total waste of time and
effort.
For interspecific crosses, it helps if the chromosome counts are
compatable.

I guess I have trouble comprehending your curiosity. In deciding what
color to paint
my house, I don't see the wisdom of trying nearly every bucket of paint I
can find.
Nor do I see the wisdom of trying to make a house that flys by crossing
a house with an airplane. Crossing a house with a boat has a promising
set
of objectives. Maybe that's why it's already been done.

Better to have a plan that takes into account all the properties we seek
to achieve.
Random curiosity is just not interesting to me, but directed curiosity
IS. I
have been an inventor by trade and hold many patents.

I very much like Wilbert's idea of seeking to improve the hardiness of A.
cordatum.
I tried selecting seedlings and had some success, but not enough.

Ray
GRSJr at worldnet.att.net


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