Wr- 



Dbcembbr 21, 1011. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



13 



Interior of the New Store of G. & J. W. Ludwig Floral 



attempt to suggest anything on that 

 subject. I will '^nly mention C. L, Allen 

 and his bulbs and tuberous-rooted plants, 

 and the excellent new book on the 

 gladiolus by that veteran authority, 

 Matthew Crawford, as two of the most 

 reliable and convenient sources of in- 

 formation on the gladiolus and its cul- 

 ture^ as well as other matters of infor- 

 mation regarding this flower. 



Great Future Possibilities. 



Although I am a lifelong breeder of 

 the gladiolus, it would take a much bet- 

 ter tongue and pen than mice to do 

 this subject justice. I have been so 

 busy admiring the gladiolus, and work- 

 ing with it, that I have never thought 

 much about its present or future. How 

 well the gladiolus has taken care of its 

 good reputation you are all aware, and 

 I feel certain it will do even better in 

 time to come. Of course, I am an en- 

 thusiast, as a breeder of this, one of the 

 most magnificent of all the many beau- 

 tiful flowers, and I have boundless con- 

 fidence in its still greater advancement 

 in the future, both commercially and 

 artistically. Commercially its useful- 

 ness is only beginning to be recognized, 

 and its future in the hands of the plant 

 breeder holds almost boundless possi- 

 bilities. 



Improvement in Foliage. 



Only within the last few days some 

 friends of* the gladiolus have reported 

 new beauties in foliage variation and I 

 believe much can be done to develop 

 this feature alone. In addition to the 

 reported foliage with white striping, 

 great improvement may be expected 

 with the normal color. For a number of 



years I have been selecting and breed- 

 ing with'lMs object in view, and And 

 the gladiolus as susceptible along this 

 line as in'tive improvapient of its flow- 

 ers. We should have tall, wide, rich 

 freen foliage; tall, slender and grace- 

 ul foliage, of forms best suited to 

 the usual straight-stemmed varieties, 

 and some beautiful, slender and droop- 

 ing foliage, best suited to blend with 

 what are known as bent or crooked- 

 stemmed varieties. That there is a fu- 



ture of usefulness for the last^-named 

 form of stem, I feel confident, if the 

 flower is specially attractive. .- [ 



Colors of the Stem. 



Another feature of promise is the col- 

 ors of the stem. Some of the stems are 

 almost white and others are fine cream 

 or yellow. This, no doubt, will become 

 a feature of usefulness in the gladiolus 

 of the future. 



Other features of form and tvpe will 



New Delivery Cu of Geors^e Waldbart, St. Louis. 



