GLADIOLUS STUDIES — III 



VARIETIES OF THE GARDEN GLADIOLUS 



Alfred C. Hottes 



After nearly five years of testing varieties, the writer now ventures 

 to publish descriptions of most of the varieties received for trial on the 

 grounds of the Department of Floriculture in cooperation -u-ith the 

 American Gladiolus Society. 



The Modern Gladiolus Grou-er for November, 191 5, editorially expresses 

 the ^Titer's attitude exactly in regard to the time necessar}- for testing 

 varieties. It says: 



The tendency of some growers, both amateur and professional, to condemn varie- 

 ties of gladioli on one year's trial only is certainly wrong. In conversation recently 

 with one of the most experienced commercial growers he stated that a variety could 

 not be properly judged until it had been grown for three successive seasons, and this 

 suggestion should be carefully remembered by those who are inclined to condemn vrith- 

 out sufficient trial. Unfavorable climatic or local cultural conditions might account 

 for failure to perform properly the first year a variety was tested. On the other hand, 

 conditions for growing may be more favorable the first year and after growing for 

 two or three years the results might be quite different. Don't be in too much of a 

 hurr>' to accept or reject any particular variety as one of your standards until you 

 have time to judge it. 



The -uTiter is especially concerned with synon}Tns. ]Much confusion 

 in nomenclature has been caused by a diiTerence in the standards or the 

 tastes of hybridists. Groff, Coblentz. Kunderd, and many others, in 

 the early years of their work, produced an excellent lot of seedHngs which 

 have been disseminated unnamed about the whole cotuitn.-. Other growers 

 have recognized enough merits in them to justify naming. The result 

 has been that two or more growers have named the same seedhng. In 

 many cases growers have mixed these miscellaneous bulbs with their own 

 seedlings and felt that they had originated them. Adjustment can usually 

 be made if it can be properly determined who first christened the variety. 

 The confusion is becoming somewhat cleared up by the Nomenclature 

 Committee of the American Gladiolus Society, whose business it is to 

 register each new variety requested and establish a standard description 

 of that variety. 



Unfortimately it is impossible to settle all questions of this kind. One of 

 the most puzzling has been the question of the proper name for Coblentz 

 No. 312, or William Mason. Air. Coblentz is sure that he originated 

 No. 312, and that he sold it to Mr. Huntington and Vaughan's Seed 

 Store. Mr. Huntington named it Grenadier, and Mr. Vaughan Velvet 



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