90 
Slower (Brower 
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WAYSIDE RAMBLINGS 
SOME GLAD TIDINGS. 
This year we had something like 
4,000 corms and a limited space in 
which to plant them, so they were 
placed about four inches apart in the 
rows and the rows eighteen inches 
apart. When they came up The Little 
Lady entered a protest because she 
said she couldn’t pass between the 
rows with her skirts without breaking 
the stalks. 
Well, she changed her mind and says 
we will plant in much the same man- 
ner next year, the reasons being that 
she finds it quite possible to pass be- 
tween the rows with safety to the 
plants and the Glads are paying for 
themselves this year. 
For a while a down town florist took 
all we could furnish at 8c. each. Then 
they began to bloom generally and he 
cut us off because we wouldn’t cut the 
stems long enough to suit him. We 
had a week in which we gave away 
several dozens of blooms. One very 
pretty bunch of two dozen Mrs. Frank 
Pendletons were taken to a local green- 
house to be arranged in a basket for a 
funeral. 
It was just about this time that the 
drought began to be severely felt. 
The florist asked were the Glads came 
from and then engaged the crop for 
the balance of the year. That same 
evening another florist showed up 
with an offer to take all we had. 
We find that quantities of one kind 
are necessary to reach the florist trade. 
They don’t care for mixed bunches. 
We had several hundred in Mrs. Francis 
King, Mrs. Frank Pendleton, America 
and Halley and it is from these that we 
have been selling. 
A number of varieties of which we 
had from ten to twenty corms each 
were planted about the middle of the 
patch, right opposite the opening in 
the hedge from the door yard into the 
garden. The blooms from these we 
rarely pick, saving them for our own 
pleasure. We were fortunate in the 
planting, in getting the colors well ar- 
ranged and The Little Lady says we 
will pay even more attention to this 
next year. For instance, Mrs. Dr. Nor- 
ton, Niagara, Canary Bird, Bluvista, 
Pink Perfection and Scarsdale are pretty 
closely associated in adjoining rows 
and the masses of colors make very 
pleasing contrasts and combinations. 
The darker varieties are also bunched 
to a certain extent, but we especially 
like the show made by the groups of 
more delicately tinted varieties. 
Several of the little one-year-old Hal- 
ley corms, not much larger than peas 
when planted, have made fairly decent 
bunches of blooms. They have grown 
well, also a lot of Niagaras, but most of 
the Schwaben corms planted at the 
same time and in the same rows have 
died. 
This year has convinced us that 
plenty of water is pretty nearly a 
necessity to insure a good bloom crop, 
and the water should be started early 
in the season, whenever the natural 
precipitation is below normal. Many 
of our blooms have been small because 
of the drought. 
Next year we are expecting to raise 
many blooms of five or six standard 
varieties for market, and quite a num- 
ber of varieties of which we have only 
a few corms for our personal delight. 
Harmon W. Marsh. 
GLADIOLUS-- THOMAS T. KENT. 
If all Gladiolus lovers were in con- 
vention and a nomination was to be 
made for the one most satisfactory 
Gladiolus, I would certainly like to 
present as my candidate, Thomas T. 
Kent, originated by Richard Diener, 
of Kentfield, Calif. Of course, in a 
matter in which the question of per- 
sonal taste enters so largely, as in the 
selection of the most beautiful Gladi- 
olus or the most beautiful woman, 
there would naturally be a wide di- 
vergence of opinion, but the Thomas 
T. Kent is surely a wonder. Appar- 
ently, it is a very much improved Mrs. 
Frank Pendleton, at least, it has very 
strong indications of close kinship 
but its blossom has many distinguish- 
ing features. If it is not the largest, 
it is one of the largest flowers I know ; 
seven or eight blooms open on a stalk 
at a time ; and in its height and sturdi- 
ness it is most impressive. It is a great 
multiplier, and I can most cordially 
commend it to anyone in search of a 
classic flower. If a friend would in- 
troduce me to another flower that was 
its equal I would surely appreciate the 
introduction. 
I enclose a photograph of a basket 
of Thomas T. Kent grown in my gar- 
den. The other flower shown in the 
picture is a fitting companion to the 
Thomas T. Kent. 
F. S. Kirkpatrick. 
September, 1919 
DATES OF AUGUST BLOOMING GLADIOLI. 
See August issue 
for 
the 
July bloom- 
ing varieties: 
1916 
1917 
1918 
D. 
M. 
D 
M. 
D. 
M. 
America . 
6 
8 
20 
8 
Albia 
8 
8 
6 
8 
Albion _ _ 
1 
8 
7 
8 
2 
8 
Afterglow _ 
8 
8 
16 
8 
Angola . _ 
1 
8 
1 
8 
31 
7 
Brooklands . 
7 
8 
15 
8 
Crown Jewel 
2 
8 
13 
8 
31 
7 
Canopus 
8 
8 
2 
8 
23 
7 
Capella _ _ 
5 
8 
5 
8 
2 
8 
Erwin Mayer . . 
5 
8 
21 
8 
Emile Gebhart... _ 
2 
8 
1 
8 
Golden Measure 
6 
8 
18 
8 
7 
8 
Gold Drop 
1 
8 
9 
8 
Golden Gate ... 
1 
8 
30 
7 
8 
8 
Glory of Noordwijk . 
1 
8 
6 
8 
6 
8 
Hohenstauffen _ 
4 
8 
1 
8 
Helen Goldman 
1 
8 
17 
8 
Herman Sielcken__ _ 
3 
8 
8 
8 
Jack Frost... 
2 
8 
9 
8 
Liebesfeuer _ 
8 
8 
5 
8 
9 
8 
Lady Frances Cecil 
9 
8 
9 
8 
Mrs. Francis King 
6 
8 
6 
8 
Mrs. J. M. Skittery.. 
3 
8 
12 
8 
Mrs. W. E. Fryer 
20 
8 
26 
8 
Murillo. _ _ _ __ _ 
4 
8 
6 
8 
Marie .. 
1 
8 
4 
8 
30 
7 
Mary Fennell. 
9 
8 
9 
8 
3 
8 
Negro Prince _ __ 
10 
8 
15 
8 
Oberammergau 
31 
8 
27 
8 
Panama 
6 
8 
14 
8 
Peace ... . _ 
11 
8 
21 
8 
Paris 
18 
8 
28 
8 
Pride of Hillegom 
2 
8 
1 
8 
Primunella 
7 
8 
7 
8 
8 
8 
Rigel . 
11 
8 
8 
8 
Schwaben . 
7 
8 
11 
8 
Sea Mouse 
6 
8 
22 
8 
8 
8 
Sirius ._ ... 
8 
8 
5 
8 
4 
8 
Spica 
4 
8 
2 
8 
28 
7 
Sil vis _ _ _ 
14 
8 
8 
8 
Vivid . _ 
9 
8 
2 
8 
29 
7 
Zeppelin ... _ 
7 
8 
16 
8 
Smilax (England.) 
TRANSPLANTING THE GERMAN IRIS. 
A short article on the above subject 
taken from Gardening Illustrated in the 
April issue of The Flower Grower, 
suggests that transplanting should be 
done immediately after the flowers 
have faded. 
For transplanting in one’s own gar- 
den, this is undoubtedly correct, but it 
is not usually practicable commercially, 
the best time commercially is earliest 
spring. All the planting necessary is 
to lay them down on the ground and 
set the foot on them. 
B. C. Auten. 
EXTREMELY EARLY GLADIOLUS BLOOM. 
My first variety to bloom in 1919 was i 
Primulinus Sunbeam, (Vaughan) a soft 
cadmium yellow, lower petals having 
narrow central line of scarlet with a 
small scarlet throat. Upper petals on 
outside lightly feathered salmon. 
Slightly hooded, and edges slightly 
ruffled. A long and narrow triangular 
shaped flower, two to three open at 
once, separated on spike which is 30 
inches tall. Stem slender but strong. 
Planted May 14 and bloomed July 11, 
requiring 58 days. 
Chas. E. F. Gersdorff. 
(District Columbia.) 
