January, 1919 
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COLOR CLASS DETERMINATION AT 
FLOWER SHOWS. 
In the September number of The 
Flower Grower I noticed a report of 
the show of the Massachusetts Horti- 
cultural bociety held at Horticultural 
Hall, Boston, Mass., last August and 
sent in by Mr. Clark W. Brown. I do 
not understand some of the accom- 
panying comments by Mr. Brown. 
For instance, in the class calling for 
six vases of lavender or mauve, it is 
stated that three of these were dis- 
tinctly blue and should have been dis- 
qualified. 
I believe it is generally accepted that 
a Gladiolus of a distinct blue shade has 
not as yet appeared and at present 
there are no real blue Gladioli. 
Whether or not they should have 
been disqualified seems to me to have 
been a matter best left to the judges 
and not to any personal opinion. 
In the list of prize-winners at the 
Connecticut Fair printed in The Mod- 
ern Gladiolus Grower of September 
(1917), I note that in class of five spikes 
lilac, C. W. Brown won first with Scars- 
dale, and directly following, five spikes 
mauve, E. M. Smith won first, also 
with Scarsdale. 
Who should be disqualified here, or 
is Scarsdale both mauve and lilac? 
Mr. Cowee, the introducer, describes 
Scarsdale as pink-lavender shaded dark 
rose — which sounds like several differ- 
ent classes. 
Returning to the report of the Horti- 
cultural show, I read : “ Six spikes crim- 
son, H. E. Meader, first, with Purple 
Glory, which is certainly a long way 
from crimson ; Jelle Roos, second, also 
showing a variety which was anything 
but crimson. (See official color chart).” 
Evidently the author has ‘‘seen the 
light” but recently for at the Connecti- 
cut Fair, just referred to, he received 
first on five spikes crimson, showing 
Hazel Harvey which the American 
Glaoiolus Society describes as follows, 
as to color : 
“ Hazel Harvey — Stamen filaments 
reddish, anthers violet, color carmine- 
red, throat amber-white, pencilled car- 
mine-purple.” 
No crimson here, seemingly. 
There is endless matter for discussion 
and argument in this color question 
and I would submit that if Gladiolus 
growers should exchange the descrip- 
tions of the various varieties in their 
retail catalogues for the descriptions 
registered by the nomenclature com- 
mittee of the American Gladiolus So- 
ciety, the average person would be 
entirely confused as to really what 
color the flower was. 
For instance, perhaps the best known 
variety of the Gladiolus, America, is de- 
scribed as follows : 
“ Stamen filaments pink ; anthers 
lavender. Perianth lavender-pink a 
more rosy tint of mauve-rose, the color 
blending to almost white as it ap- 
proaches the throat : the throat marked 
with Tyrian rose.” 
And this is only moderately complex 
compared with some. 
Such terms as solferino red, cartha- 
min-red, Tyrian rose, French purple, 
Naples yellow, etc., would seem to be 
considerably out of reach of the great 
mass of Gladiolus buyers who have no 
access to French color-charts, etc. 
It seems to me that the question of 
deciding just whether a variety be- 
longs in a certain class or not should 
naturally be left entirely to the judges 
appointed. To avoid argument, their 
opinion should be accepted as final 
as they represent the society by whom 
they are appointed. 
H. E. Meader. 
LABELS FOR MARKING GLADIOLI. 
I notice several devices mentioned in 
The Flower Grower for marking 
out Gladioli in the field. For several 
years I have used copper wired wooden 
tree labels, painted on one side. These 
are not expensive, are easily attached 
and can be used several times. The 
first year I write on the unpainted side 
while it is fresh ; the next year, when 
this begins to be “weathered,” I use 
the other side. Pencil marks are easily 
erased with the rubber end of the pen- 
cil. The manila paper slip-noose tags 
are not, to my mind, so easily attached 
and do not stay on so well. By twist- 
ing the wire hard, allowance is made 
for the shrinking of the stems after 
pulling and the different sorts of mark- 
outs, put into a box together, may be 
sorted out at leisure. If a bulb is put 
into a separate bag when dug the bag 
need not be marked and all the cor- 
mels are kept separate but unless it is 
something very choice this is not neces- 
sary. 
Geo. S. Woodruff. 
TIME TO DIG DAHLIAS— 
SWEET POTATOES. 
I have been growing Dahlias more 
than sixty years. Many thousands of 
them some seasons, and for years h ive 
thought the best plan was as soon as 
the tops were killed by frost to cut the 
tops off close to the ground, and then 
cover the stubs an inch with soil and 
let the loots ripen as long as safe, 
perhaps two or three weeks, at least 
until there may be a crust of frost on 
the ground half an inch deep. I am 
convinced from long experience that 
the roots left undisturbed will ripen in 
the ground, and be heavier than if dug 
as soon as the tops are killed, and will 
keep through the winter better. 
Most farmers and gardeners in this 
locality grow sweet potatoes for home 
use as well as for market. The cus- 
tom has been as soon as the frost kills 
the vines, and these are nearly as ten- 
der as Coleus, to cut the vines from the 
plants and dig the potatoes at once. 
For several years past the more careful 
growers who use judgment as well as 
tradition, remove the vines at once, 
the morning after the frost kills the 
vines, and leave the tubers undisturbed 
for a few weeks, for the tubers to ripen 
in the ground. A person's experience 
sometimes coincides with tradition, 
but I have thought after digging a 
few hills of sweet potatoes soon after 
the first killing frost, and leaving the 
remainder a few weeks to ripen there 
was an increase in size as well as in 
firmness in those dug later. 
E. Y. T. (Ohio.) 
STORING DAHLIA TUBERS. 
In a recent number of The Flower 
Grower were directions for handling 
and storing Dahlia bulbs over winter. 
The writer cautioned against breaking 
the neck of the bulb or tuber when 
digging. My experience in digging or 
handling Dahlias is that it is impossible 
to do it and not break or twist them to 
some extent. This fall I have cut them 
apart so that every tuber is divided 
and they are cut so that a part of the 
stem is cut with the neck and packed 
in a little earth or sand. It may not 
be the right thing to divide them in 
the fall this way, but I am trying it 
anyway to see the result which I will 
report next spring. I have sometimes 
bought Dahlia tubers that never would 
grow because the neck was broken or 
twisted. 
Paul P. Klevann. 
PLANTING SPIREA VAN HOUTTEI. 
When planting a Spirea Van Houttei 
hedge it is best to cut them off at an 
even height before planting. I prefer 
to cut them so they will be about two 
feet high when plan ed. 
They should not be cut off the year 
after planting, but each year after 
that they should be cut back immedi- 
ately after the blosso ns fade. This 
does not want to be neglected for if 
they are not cut jack as directed they 
will not m ik • su.ficient growth for a 
good disp'ay of blooms another year. 
If treated this way the hedge wil al- 
ways be neat and green, but if left 
without any care it will become un- 
sight y in time. 
S ngle specimens can be trimmed in 
the same way with just as good re- 
sults. The height to cut them off 
varies with t ie s ze of the specimen. 
If it should be dry at the time they 
are cut off they should be well watered 
so th >y will immediately start new 
gr *wt i. 
Willis E. Fryer. 
AG 3 AND GLADIOLUS CORMS. 
I want to add my mite to the much 
discussed question of the age of Gladi- 
olus corms. There is no such thing as 
an old Gladiolus corm. The old corm 
dies each year and a new one grows. 
Hence, one bulb is no older than an- 
other whether it grows from a bulb or 
bulblet. Therefore, why all the dis- 
cussion on a topic which all know to 
be as stated above ? L. H. Read. 
