November, 1919 Z3l)<2. .flower (Brower 
A Visit to Kunderd’s Gladiolus Farm. 
By Rose Blair Marsh. 
[ Written expressly tor The Flower Getou fr. ] 
I T IS JUST as well perhaps, in this 
journey through life, that sooner or 
later the conceit is taken out of us 
and we are made to eat a course of 
humble pie. H and I (H stands 
for Hubby, you know) have been so 
proud of our garden of Glads — so 
haughty towards our neighbors with 
the unnamed common stock. We were 
the possessors of forty-six varieties and 
as we walked among them we knew 
each name and each budding blossom 
was like a cherished child. And we 
had planned before another season to 
purchase at least five new ones so that 
in future bragging we could say we 
had over fifty kinds and so many hun- 
dred bulbs. But a recent experience 
has humbled us and caused our pride 
to take a decided tumble. 
On the 3rd of August, accompanied by 
some dear friends, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. 
Knipp, of Indianapolis, we started on a 
motor trip to Goshen, Ind., the home 
of A. E. Kunderd. We left at 8 o’clock 
of a perfect summer morning, the car 
was running smoothly and we reached 
Warsaw in time for luncheon, then on 
to the famous farm, reaching there at 
half past two, just as Mr. Kunderd was 
settling down into an out-of-doorswing 
for a comfortable rest. Our welcome 
was a royal one, and almost immedi- 
ately he proposed a stroll through the 
grounds. He even provided sun hats 
for the ladies, and when a man takes 
an interest in millinery (aside from the 
bills) you may know he is of a kindly 
nature and to be trusted. 
How can I describe that walk? For 
hours we wandered through Elysian 
fields of glory. Such colors not even 
the rainbow rivaled. With something 
like five thousand varieties to gaze our 
fill upon, to feast to the soul’s content, 
and all the time our host pointing out 
the beauty in first one and then an- 
other. It all seems like a bit of fairy 
land to me now as I write. 
Then, too, his generosity. We came 
away so laden with blossoms we looked 
like debutantes at their coming out 
parties, at least resembling them as re- 
gards flowers. From Goshen we went 
down to lake Wawasee for the night 
and the Glads were carefully placed in 
water, as we were determined to bring 
them home and make our friends green 
with envy. There was also a better 
motive ; to try and educate others to 
the joy of Gladiolus culture— the most 
wonderful flower in all the world today. 
The next day was one of extreme 
heat ; a hot wave had come on during 
the night, and we decided to start for 
home, at least we would be more com- 
fortable in the moving car. For hours 
we carried those flowers, with an oc- 
casional remonstrance from the chauf- 
feur, who objected strenuously to the 
back of his neck being rubbed by them, 
and my small son also put up a vigor- 
ous protest when his view from both 
sides of the road was cut off. 
But as the miles grew longer and our 
arms more weary, we had to place the 
flowers across our laps and leave them 
to Fate, and it was a sorry-looking lot 
of Glads that I carried into the house 
at seven-thirty that night, after jost- 
ling over a trip of one hundred and 
eighty miles. 
As soon as we were freshened up a 
bit we went for our usual evening 
stroll. But surely there was some mis- 
take. Could this small patch be our 
vaunted garden ? After gazing for a 
few minutes H remarked, “ You 
know now what looking like thirty 
cents means.” Subdued and chastened, 
we returned to the house. The next 
morning a bunch of bewildering beauty 
met our eyes. New buds had opened 
during the night and there before us 
were the Goshen Glads, almost as fresh 
as when plucked the day before. What 
other flower could stand suclF treat- 
ment and then revive ? 
Women are curious creatures, un- 
solved enigmas like the men. You 
would think that after such treatment 
we would be satisfied, but not so. On 
115 
the way up we put our heads together 
and decided we would bravely ask Mr. 
Kunderd to name two of his choicest 
blooms for us. When we broached the 
subject he was not as enthusiastic as we 
could have wished— he was wary and 
not to be caught with chaff, and we 
came away guessing. But as I am a 
reader of human nature, I could see 
that he was open to suggestion, and 
any way, if there is anything in mental 
telepathy, when he lies down to dreams 
at night they are going to be disturbed, 
for running through them will be the 
cadence, “ Name one for me, name one 
for me,” until finally, in desperation, 
there will be put on the market some 
more wonderful flowers, bearing the 
names of two Indianapolis women. 
The Moccasin Flower. 
Most people who have roamed through 
the rocky hills of the Northern States dur- 
ing May or early June are familiar with the 
Pink Lady’s Slipper or Moccasin Flower. 
These strange looking plants are orchids, 
and this particular kind inhabits moss- cov- 
ered sand overlying rocks at considerable 
elevation above the surrounding country ; 
also it may be said that they keep away 
from civilization as far as possible. Hogs de- 
stroy them and mice will eat the roots, which 
together with picking by people, probably 
accounts for their aloofness. Ordinary soil 
would not do at all, and they seem in their 
way as exacting as the hothouse orchids. 
The Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) 
is the State flower of Minnesota, adopted 
back in 1893, and the first State flower of 
the first State to take such action. The 
flowers are borne singly on stalks 8 to 12 
inches high. The plant prefers partial shade, 
that of the pine usually. The flowers are 
pink and are striking in appearance, resem- 
bling a huge spider. The leaves are very 
distinct also and even without the flower are 
attractive and interesting.— w. E. D. in Rural 
New Yorker. 
Bound Volumes as 
a Reference Library. 
The four bound volumes of The Modern Gladi- 
olus Grower (1914 to 1917 inclusive) contain more 
useful information regarding the Gladiolus, its cul- 
ture, history and improvement than can be had from 
any other source. These four bound volumes also 
contain much useful information about other sum- 
mer-flowering plants, but the Gladiolus is especially 
well covered. These volumes contain the W. W. 
Wilmore, Jr., articles entitled, "The Gladiolus 
Manual." All information is quickly available by 
means of an index in each volume, and those who are 
interested in studying the subject cannot afford to be 
without these bound volumes. We are furnishing the 
four volumes, postage prepaid, for $6 00. Furnished 
separately at the same rate, $1.50 each. Those who 
are interested in studying the practical and scientific 
features in connection with growing Gladioli should 
surely have a complete file. 
The first bound volume of The Flower Grower, 
No. 5. is ready, price $1.75 postage prepaid. It is 
bound in uniform style with The Modern Gladiolus 
Grower. 
Facts and information are what The Modern 
Gladiolus Grower and The Flower Grower 
specialize in. Literature covering the practical points 
of flower growing is not at all plentiful and the 
bound volumes are, therefore, especially valuable. 
We hope to be able in our next issue 
to tell something about what is neces- 
sary to conform with Plant Quaran- 
tine No. 37 in the importation of foreign 
grown stock. From a casual inspec- 
tion of the necessary blank, it does not 
seem that importation under this regu- 
lation will be extremely difficult for real 
novelties and flower stocks which are 
not easy of propagation in the United 
States. 
