LUTHER BURBANK 



partially fixed, and other growers of gladioli have 

 observed the same fact. 



Already the white gladioli breed fairly true, 

 and further selections, with reference to the per- 

 fection and fixation of the type, will give us a race 

 of white gladioli that is sure to meet the approval 

 of the public. But here as elsewhere there is danger 

 that in selecting for one quality other qualities wUl 

 be neglected, so that the flowers are not kept up to 

 their best standard. 



Hitherto there has been no blue color in glad- 

 ioli, any more than in the poppy, except, perhaps, 

 submerged in combination with some of the 

 darker colors. And for this reason, it has been 

 found by all growers of the plants far more diffi- 

 cult to produce a blue flower than any other color, 

 and until quite recently nothing approaching the 

 really blue gladiolus had been produced. 



The first blue ones introduced were in reality 

 more purple than blue. Nearly all hybrid varieties 

 have shown lines of bluishness or smoky blue at 

 times. 



The first gladiolus that could really be called 

 blue was the one sent out from Europe under the 

 name of Hulot. This had a small flower, and in 

 other respects resembled the older gladioli — a dark 

 purplish blue in color. By crossing this with white 

 varieties of large size, pale blue with extra large 



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