August, 1918 
Slower (Brower 
83 
MRS. AUSTIN’S TALKS 
§ [Written expressly .for The Flower (iroiuer. ] 
New Traits. 
S INCE the advent of 
Gladiolus America, the 
Seedling bee has buzzed 
almost continuously 
in the bonnets of Gladiolus 
growers, with the result that 
thousands of new varieties 
have been grown, and hun- 
dreds have been named and 
placed on the market, but 
few have surpassed in beauty or created 
the sensation that America did. It 
raised the standard, and every new va- 
riety worth naming must equal it in 
size and beauty or possess some un- 
usual trait so distinctive that it will at 
once attract the attention of the casual 
observer. As we look at the wonder- 
ful varieties now in existence we won- 
der how it will be possible to produce 
anything better than we already have, 
but nature is full of surprises and at 
times brings forth entirely new forms 
and colors or perhaps slight variations 
which are only tendencies, but as 
straws show which way the wind blows, 
so may the discerning eye note the 
tendency and the possibility of its guid- 
ance. 
It seems to me that in my feeble ef- 
forts in the improvement of the Gladi- 
olus that nature has "lent a hand” in a 
most surprising manner, and a few of 
the traits that have come to my atten- 
tion may be of interest to others. 
I had grown Gladioli from seed — 
a few each season — for a long time and 
with very good re- 
sults, when, one 
summer some over 
ten years ago I 
noticed among my 
seedlings one of 
large size and good 
substance, and 
growing near it was 
a much taller one 
with blooms of a 
different color. As 
I looked I thought 
how fine it would 
be if the large 
blooms were on the 
tall spike and not 
anticipating any 
marvelous results I 
pulled off an anther 
and rubbed the 
pollen on the stig- 
mas of two or 
three of the large 
flowers, saved and 
grew the seed and 
among those seed- 
lings was one 
which, literally, shot 
into the air. Im- 
proved form, color, 
and spike. Nature 
had given me the Gladiolus which I 
named Evelyn Kiriland and which I 
believe is one of the tallest, if not the 
tallest in existence. It is plain to be 
seen that Nature is constant in ef- 
forts for advancement and 
not content with giving 
this wonderful flower she 
hints at something still 
greater and more unusual 
by occasionally dividing 
the blooming spike and 
many times has this variety 
appeared in our fields show- 
ing a double spike with 
foui flowers all facing one 
way. A photo of one of 
these unusual forms recently appeared 
in The Flower Grower, but we have 
had some that were divided in such a 
way as to show the four flowers. The 
trait is there and the one who is able 
to permanently establish it will be in- 
deed fortunate, but it is as elusive as a 
will-o-the-wisp, for bulbs which have 
given a divided spike one season pro- 
duce ordinary ones the next. 
Another variety is of interest. The 
spike is tall and straight, flower wide 
open, color pale flesh with cerise mark- 
ing in throat. Its variation is of an 
entirely different character. The spike, 
while tall, is usually slightly waved, 
and the flowers — all of them on the 
spike— come in a beautiful silky 
crinkled or crepe like form with few 
throat markings. There are many 
flowers open at one time and sub- 
stance is good. Sometimes 50% come 
in the form of the variation, and it 
took two seasons of careful watching 
and selecting to convince me that bulbs 
were producing smooth petaled flow- 
ers one season and crinkled ones the 
next or vice versa. This was named 
White Crepe but being liable to produce 
blooms different from the description 
we are not listing it and it has gone 
into mixture. Perhaps some one will 
establish the type and there will be 
another on the market. The Variation 
does not produce seed. 
Walking along beside the row^of 
seedlings one day I saw a "new one” 
that attracted my attention. The foli- 
age, which was a very light green, was 
of drooping form and away from the 
spike which could be cut nearly to the 
ground without interfering or cutting 
the leaves. The flowers were of white 
with blue markings in the throat and 
an entire absence of red markings. It 
presented a beautiful porcelain effect, 
but where did the blue throat mark- 
ings come from for at that time we 
had never had a blue or purple variety 
in our field and it was grown from 
seed saved by myself? Have used it 
many times in an effort to secure a 
better blue, and last season was re- 
warded by finding one of its seedlings 
to be a much taller spike, larger and 
more desirable form of flower of purest 
glistening white with clear cut deep blue 
(not purple) throat. Entirely different 
from any other blue marked Gladioli. 
From seed saved from a well grown 
Gladiolus May, came a much ruffled 
seedling very similar to Mr. Kunderd’s 
beautiful originations. No ruffled va- 
rieties had been grown in our fields 
Sk< tell of Divided Flow- 
er Spike of Gladiolus 
Evelyn Kir Hand. The 
division of the spike is 
shown just above the 
open flowers. 
previously and the Gladiolus May from 
which the ruffled seedling came, was 
grown from stock that had been in our 
possession for a number of years. This 
ruffled one produced good seed, a large 
per cent of which came ruffled and the 
bulblets produced the same as the 
parent bulb. 
What grower has not, at some time, 
had a variegated foliage variety ap- 
pear among his seedlings. We have 
one from which a portion of the bulb- 
lets always produce the variegated 
form, but it is slow to increase and 
produces no seed. 
The two spikes in the center are the variety, Evelyn 
Kirtland. The one on the left and the taller one on 
the right are the parents of this variety. It will be 
noted that Evelyn Kirtland is taller than either of its 
parents. 
A tall seedling which appeared 
among ours has a form sometimes sim- 
lar to the Iris of France, (no German 
Iris in my garden) having the stand- 
ards and falls. 
I feel sure that sometime, some- 
where, under the right environment, 
that these traits and many others im- 
possible at present to even imagine 
will become established, for those fleet- 
ing glimpses are true promises of 
beauties yet in store for us. 
Mrs. A. H. Austin. 
