54 
May, 1918 
Xb\)<i Slower (Brower 
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I3l)e Slower (Brower 
1 PUBLISHED MONTHLY ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH BY ! 
MADISON COOPER, CALCIUM, N.Y. j 
FOR BOTH AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL FLOWER GROWERS 
I Subscription Price : OUR MOTTO: Canadian and Foreign = 
I $1.00 per year, Special favors to none, and a Subscription Price 1 
§ 3 years for $2.00. square deal to all. $1.25 per year. I 
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Growers are invited to contribute articles or notes over their own 
signatures, but the Editor reserves the right to reject anything which 
in his judgment is not conducive to the general welfare of the business. 
Copyright J!)1S by Madison Cooper 
The contents of THE FLOWER GROWER, formerly "The Modern Gladiolus 
Grower" are covered by general copyright. Permission is given to editors to use not 
more than one-third of any article providing proper credit is given at the beginning or 
end of such quotation, as follows: “From THE FLO WER GRO WER, Calcium, N. Y." 
Special permission necessary for reprinting illustrations, long extracts or articles entire 
Entered as second-class matter March 31, 1914, at post office at 
Calcium, N.Y., under act of March 3, 1879. 
Vol. V May, 1918 No. 5 
“ He who sows the ground with care and diligence acquires a 
greater stock of religious merit than he could gain by the 
repetition of ten thousand prayers.’’— Zoroaster. 
The True Mission of Flowers. 
The real purpose served by flowers and flower growing 
is not, we believe, well understood. Many people think 
that flowers are for their decorative effect, and perhaps 
others, if they have a liking for display, may think that 
flowers are for show only. 
Read the quotation at the head of the editorial column 
by the celebrated Persian philosopher Zoroaster. Those who 
cultivate flowers certainly accumulate a quality which may 
be expressed as “ religious merit,” or by other words ; but 
it is an intangible quality, which while not well understood, 
it is there just the same. The refining influence of the 
presence of flowers is understood by all. 
Just now the world is occupied by the bloodiest and 
most righteous war that ever was waged, and there are 
those who predict that there will be a great spiritual 
awakening after this war is over. Such a movement is cer- 
tainly about due as the so-called civilized life which people 
have been pursuing during the past few decades has drawn 
them away from the higher and finer things and a renais- 
sance is certainly due to correct this unrighteous and de- 
moralizing tendency. 
Flowers are one of the better things of life, and one 
which cannot be neglected except to the detriment of the 
finer human qualities and, therefore, we should grow 
flowers and still more flowers even though this is war time. 
Flowers are not the thing to be given up, but rather those 
frivolous and unsubstantial things which have no educa- 
tional or spiritually uplifting qualities. 
Madison Cooper. 
Advertising Value of “The Flower Grower.” 
I desire to speak a good word for your advertisers. I 
bought Gladiolus corms this season all across the country 
from Natick, Mass., to San Gabriel County, California. Not 
only were all the orders promptly filled but in each instance 
good sound corms were sent. The prices were far more 
reasonable than those listed in the ordinary catalogues and 
the quality of bulbs just as good. Before seeing your pub- 
lication I used to buy from the General houses instead of 
purchasing from the specialists. While their bulbs were 
always what they were advertised to be the prices were 
higher. I have saved by buying through your columns 
many times the subscription price to The Flower Grower 
and have had in addition the very great pleasure and the 
vast information that its reading matter affords. 
T. Dabney Marshall. 
Vitality of Gladiolus Seed. 
So far as known to the Editor no exact information has 
up to the present time been published on the length of time 
that Gladiolus seed may be kept and retain its germinating 
qualities. We carried over seed from the fall of 1915 and 
planted some of it in the spring of 1916 with good results 
and then again in the spring of 1917 with good results. We 
were under the impression that it would lose vitality from 
year to year and had little confidence in it for the spring of 
1918. Mr. H. E. Meader, of Dover, N. H., who fortunately 
has a green-house, offered to make a germinating test and 
we supplied seed for this purpose and this is what he says : 
"The seed experiment was a success. January 4th I 
sowed one-half the quantity in a small flat, watered well 
and placed in a warm corner in rose-house. 
" The same day, the other half of the seeds were put in 
warm water and kept in soak at a luke-warm temperature 
for 24 hours, then sowed beside the unsoaked seed in same 
box. By Jan. 16, first five shoots were up, followed the next 
day by twenty more. They are still coming, and average 
as high in germination as fresh seed as far as I can see. 
" Strangely enough, the first to show up were the un- 
soaked seeds, those on the other side following suit one day 
later, so evidently soaking did not hasten germination at all. 
" This proves, evidently, that seed three years’ old fully 
retains its germinating qualities, perhaps still older seed 
might, in great part, hold its vitality.” 
It is our intention to carry over some of this same seed 
for another year or two and we hope to get Mr. Meader to 
make another test or two for us. Can anyone at this time 
throw further light on the subject ? 
There was an editorial in The Modern Gladiolus 
Grower many moons since entitled “ Cut Flowers Versus 
Bulbs.” It was based on the text : “ Wouldst thou both eat 
thy cake and have it ?” Perhaps Gladiolus growers have 
noticed the fact that when they cut a fine display of bloom, 
it sometimes happens that their bulb crop is proportion- 
ately short, and vice versa ; some years when bloom is 
scant the bulb crop is exceptionally good, and the bulbs 
large and well developed. We do not suggest that it neces- 
sarily follows that a good crop of cut bloom is followed by 
a poor bulb crop, but it is quite likely to be the case. This 
idea is offered out of the Editor’s experience and we will be 
glad to hear from others along this line. It is surely our 
experience that a big lot of flowers often is followed by an 
inferior crop of Gladiolus corms which is necessarily de- 
pended on for the bloom next year. The past year it was 
especially noted that several varieties giving inferior flower 
spikes produced a fine crop of plump and healthy corms. 
We learn that spikes of Gladiolus Myrtle from Cali- 
fornia received in Chicago during April are unusually 
large in size as compared with the spikes of this variety as 
grown in the East. We presume that this is owing to 
California conditions where it is much easier to get size. 
Under the tropical conditions of California luxuriant growth 
is readily obtainable. 
