20 
February, 1920 
Ofye Slower (Brower 
WAYSIDE RAMBLINGS 
OCTOBER BLOOMING GLADIOLI. 
The two latest varieties to open with 
me this year were London (Cowee), on 
October 9th, and Indian Summer 
(Kunderd), on October 11th. 
I was very much afraid that these 
two would not flower this year, they 
were so late in throwing up their bloom 
spikes. The former did not strike me 
as being the same flower I grew under 
the same name a few years ago. Al- 
though a pretty flower and a good 
spike, so far as shape goes, it does not 
agree with the grower’s description. 
The foliage was tall and narrow. In- 
dian Summer has very broad foliage. 
The spike is very fine and strong, and 
notwithstanding the early frosts, which 
cut down the Marrows and Dahlias, 
the flowers still continue to open. To- 
day (19th) the twelfth flower from the 
top is fully developed. 1 shall endeavor 
to give it a warmer position next year, 
so that the bloom may have a chance 
to show its beauty earlier. In my 
opinion the illustration of this variety 
in Mr. Kunderd’s catalogue does not 
do it justice. 
We have had quite an unusual spell 
of cold up to and including the 17th of 
October, nevertheless, I cut a nice 
bunch of spikes on the 18th. Most of 
these were cut from bulblets, treated 
in the same way as Sweet Pea seeds, 
sown singly in “ T. P. Seed Raisers” 
and transplanted when about six inches 
high. I was anxious to see how true 
the following statement I read in a 
grower’s catalogue could be : 
“The smallest bulblet will in five 
months produce a fine spike.” 
The results were far beyond my ex- 
pectations (the grower’s remark only 
applied to a particular variety). I have 
cut good spikes of Adoration, Purple 
Glory, Ulrica, Zenobia, and five or six 
others. 
Smilax. 
DOWNS AND UPS. 
No, I don’t mean “ups and downs.” 
When the prices of Gladiolus novelties 
go down it seems the natural thing 
but when Mr. Diener (or the “Co.”) re- 
duced the price of Anna Eberius from 
$5.00 per bulb in 1917 to 25c. in 1918 
and to 15c. in 1919, I thought they 
were making a mistake and not realiz- 
ing the “cumulative effect” of adver- 
tising. I did not show it until the 
Cedar Valley Fair, late in September, 
1918, but everybody wanted it. In 
1919, at the State Fair, orders for it 
came by the gross and I wondered how 
he had stock enough to supply the de- 
mand if it “took” as well elsewhere. 
Sure enough, he now announces that 
the price for Anna will be 25c. and that 
of Thos. T. Kent will be raised from 
10c. (altogether too low at the time) to 
50c. 
I believe in popular prices but I 
did not hesitate to tell people at the 
Fair that if it were mine I would not 
have reduced the price so much so 
soon. It appears that I was nearer the 
people than he and ascertained the 
popularity of these novelties sooner. 
This talk about one or two of Diener’s 
novelties might seem like free advertis- 
ing but, like America and the Ford car, 
they have got to the point where men- 
tioning ceases to be advertising. The 
Ford has become a common-place in 
fiction— and war history. 
Geo. S. Woodruff. 
DETERMINING FAIR PRICES FOR GLADIOLI. 
The article in your October issue 
under the above heading must have 
been read with great interest by both 
sellers and buyers, for even “bargain 
hunters” must agree that : “ Clean, 
home-grown bulbs of all commercial 
varieties, properly graded and true to 
name, should have a fixed value.” 
Consulting English Daffodil lists, this 
rule appears to be fairly carried out. 
In an English Gladiolus catalogue just 
received my eye caught the two follow- 
ing names : 
Maculalus — Orange yellow, dark- 
spot (new) each 5s. Od. 
Topaz— Orange yellow, shaded sal- 
mon (new) each 7s. 6. 
The names seemed familar, but the 
prices seemed rather high, which 
caused me to look up a French cata- 
logue of 1918-19 in which I found : 
Maculatus — Bright chrome yellow 
with large brown blotches, each 4d. 
And an American catalogue in which 
I found : 
Topaz— Finest salmon pink and buff, 
each 30c. 
There is a wide difference in price, 
if the same varieties are intended. 
The descriptions are not so different 
as to lead one to expect distinct flowers. 
Should, however, the varieties be en- 
tirely distinct, it would show the need 
of some system of name registration. 
There are also other varieties in the 
English catalogue, the prices of which 
would surprise some of your readers. 
The price in each case is per bulb : 
Halley, Is. 6d.; Niagara, 3s.; Panama, 
3s.; Peace, 2s. 
“Constant Reader.” 
GROWING CORMLETS. 
Soak them in tepid water some hours 
before planting. Sow them thickly 
and evenly in a well cultivated flat- 
bottomed trench, ten inches wide and 
three deep. Cover with two inches of 
soil, then add another inch of well 
rotted fine manure. There’s merit in 
this added layer. It facilitates the 
early weeding before the tender plants 
push their way through the lower cov- 
ering. It shades the ground, prevents 
baking after hard showers and insures 
plump because well nourished stock for 
next year’s planting. The shy germi- 
nating sorts respond well to this treat- 
ment. 
Henry Madtes. 
Why is it that we do not see Achi- 
menes used more generally for hanging 
baskets and porch boxes ? They are 
so well adapted for either purpose, and 
are absolutely the Queen of all plants 
for baskets. The blooming period ex- 
tends from July to October, if seeds 
are kept from forming. 
They unfortunately are one of the 
varieties of bulbs that come under the 
Federal Horticultural Board’s Quaran- 
tine Order No. 37. They can be grown 
so successfully in all parts of the 
States, I wonder why they should be 
imported at all. There is no bulb, bar- 
ring none, that gives greater returns in 
bloom for money invested than the 
Achimenes. Mine are the admiration 
of every passer-by, and I am constantly 
telling the name of the blue flower in 
the baskets. 
Such a wealth of blue blooms that 
come from such a small bulb is truly 
wonderful. The blue varieties, of 
which there are several, I find are the 
best. About seventeen or eighteen 
bulbs to a medium size basket is 
about right ; a loose soil, rich, of 
course, plenty of water and an Eastern 
or Northern exposure will give splendid 
results. 
I wonder if they are as little used for 
baskets in other sections as they are 
here ; they have always been expensive 
considering their size, but not expen- 
sive if you consider the amount of 
bloom you get from them. Very few 
florists list them. 
I do not understand why they should 
not be as well known as Tuberous Be- 
gonias and Gloxinias, being much easier 
to grow than either of the above, and 
being a blooming trailer makes them 
doubly valuable, for both porch boxes 
and baskets. 
Mrs. T. L. Teague, (Mississippi.) 
a girl’s acknowledgement of a box 
OF GLADIOLUS BLOOM. 
Oh ! What wonderful Glads you sent 
me. They are adorable in the box and 
more so when I unpack them and get 
acquainted; I found them Saturday noon 
at the post office and had all the after- 
noon to play with them, love them, 
dream over them and cry on them. 
How I love them. Guess I was mis- 
taken but when I opened the box a 
delicate lovely perfume hovered above 
them. Perhaps it was just their flower 
freshness and their wonderful coloring 
that made me fancy it, but I was wish- 
ing I might ask some one with a keen 
sense of smell whether they could get 
the perfume I did. They were placed 
so prettily and some of them looked 
just like orchids, and they were all 
seedlings. 
You are right, Prosperity, Loveliness, 
and Niagara make the finest seedling 
parents. I looked up the parentage of 
each one in the box and tried to decide 
which I favored but couldn’t. All I 
can say is that I like the delicate ones 
best. Those cream pinks and those 
lavenders and cream yellows are my 
favorites. 
How I love them ! Think of the nice 
shiny bulbs you will dig up. More 
