October, 1918 
Slower (Brower 
103 
MRS. AUSTIN’S TALKS 
§ [ Written expressly for The blower Grower. ] 
The Gladiolus 
and Its Message. 
Buffalo 
14 
Keep it up 
Buffalo 
16 
Keep it up 
Buffalo 
18 
Keep it up 
Buffalo 
20 
Keep it up 
I was reading the signs 
guiding us into the city of 
Buffalo, but breathing the words : "O, 
what a pity,” and, "Why didn’t they 
grow at least a few,” for we had just 
passed the community gardens of the 
employees of the great Steel Co. Acres 
of gardens and in all those plantings 
not one flower to be seen. The gardens 
were in good growing condition, ap- 
parently well cared for, and perhaps I 
ought not to say there were no flowers 
because there may have been some, 
but in a searching look over the field I 
failed to discover any. A little farther 
on and nearer the Steel Works were 
(it seemed to me) almost endless rows 
of small tenement houses, much the 
appearance of this diagram. No neat 
A AAA A A A A 
yards, and very little grass, the ground 
being bare in places. Children were 
there and I wondered if they had ever 
seen a flower. Going on we were 
stopped at the Jack-knife Bridge which 
was open to allow the passing of a 
steamer, and while waiting were privi- 
leged to see the largest fresh-water 
boat in the world, from whose cavern- 
ous depths thousands of tons of ore 
were being unloaded. 
The Gladiolus Show was held in Hotel 
Iroquois, and at the entrance to the 
exhibit my first impression was one of 
the rich gorgeousness of color, possibly 
because my eyes first rested on that 
beautiful glowing scarlet, Chautauqua 
Red, which I recognized immediately 
having seen it in 1917 in the garden 
where it originated. Other richly col- 
ored ones were welcoming us, while 
more delicate beauties beckoned and 
drew us onward. 
Favorities, that have stood the test 
of time, America, Niagara, Panama, 
Schwaben, Europa, Lily Lehmann, Pink 
Perfection, Peace, War, Mrs. Frank Pen- 
dleton were in profusion where only a 
few years ago they were a rarity, and 
newer ones were on the judges plat- 
form. The grower of seedlings is 
never satisfied, always trying for some- 
thing new that is an improvement over 
the old. This was manifested in nearly 
every exhibit by blooms of rare shades, 
and large size or unusual forms. Beau- 
tiful seedlings were there that had not 
yet received names and were shown 
under number. Others there to be- 
come better acquainted with people 
who were sure to add them 
to their gardens when they 
had once seen their beauty. 
Among the most notice- 
able were Golden Measure, 
a solid yellow ; Muriel and 
Badenia, two good blues, a 
color so hard to find in 
Gladioli ; Violet, a pretty 
thing ; Sunrise, an extra 
early yellow ; Victoria Eliza- 
beth, a new belle in Flower- 
dom ; Evelyn Kirtland, to whom I 
slipped a word of approval for wearing 
(in one of the exhibits) her divided spike; 
Purple Glory, a glory indeed ; Mrs. 
Dr. Norton, Cardisun, Gretchen Zang 
and other comparatively recent origi- 
nations. All worthy productions, but 
with the knowledge gained from ex- 
perience, the hybridist has a brighter 
outlook for the further improvement 
of this wonderful flower. The grand- 
child of Golden Measure will be tinted 
a deeper gold. The new Badenia will 
possess the lovely coloring of the pres- 
ent Badenia but a stronger growth. 
The New Blues will be of large size 
and various shades. How small my 
prophecy ! For I am sure the Gladi- 
olus of the future will be far in advance 
of anything we can now imagine. 
We arose early the n'ext morning 
and although the flowers were still 
concealed, I drew the curtains softly 
apart, then forgetting that the opening 
hour had not arrived, that we were in 
a hurry, that the auto was waiting, I 
entered the room, and the same emo- 
tions swept over me that I had ex- 
perienced twenty, yes, thirty years 
ago, when in early morn I opened the 
wide door in the old home at Elm Hill 
Farm and beheld the beautiful blooms 
sparkling with dew in the morning 
sunlight. There had been no thought 
of commercialism then. I loved them 
for themselves and wished everyone 
could have a bit of the joy that comes 
from the study and cultivation of one 
of Nature’s gifts of beauty. A refresh- 
ment for the soul. 
As I stood among the flowers I 
thought of those children of the tene- 
ments and understood. The absence 
of flowers was not an indication that 
they did not care for them or had been 
especially deprived of them, but be- 
cause flowers had not been brought to 
their attention, had not become awak- 
ened to their need of betterment, for 
even the lowliest home may have the 
brightness of flowers. 
When attending a Gladiolus Show in 
Chicago several years ago, we stopped 
at the stand (a box) of a newsboy, and 
as the little fellow reached under for 
the paper we saw a small bunch of 
flowers. He craved something beauti- 
ful in contrast to the bleakness of the 
street. 
The following letter given me by the 
mother of a soldier bears a message to 
all Gladiolus growers : 
Dear Mother— 
The box of beautiful Gladioli received, and after 
traveling a distance of 400 miles or more, arrived 
the very best condition. You will never know ho 
much good they are doing as I have divided them wit 
the other boys in my ward (boys just returned from 
France) and some too sick to talk much but I can see 
them looking at them as if they were a relative from 
home. Little you thought when you planted the 
buibs (and I can remember that 1 helped dig the 
ground for the bed) what happiness they would 
bring. I heard one young man here say that there 
has been so much devastation in France that birds 
and flowers are seldom seen, and the soldiers all get 
hungry to see them, and to a sailor that sees nothing 
but water, water and sky, for so long they are like a 
letter from home. So you can see what that box of 
Gladioli has meant to me. 
Such instances show more clearly 
the duty of our American Gladiolus 
Society to make greater effort to teach 
the uplifting and comforting influence 
of flowers. 
“ On the eastern slope of Mount Val- 
erian the 280 graves of American sol- 
diers, who have died in Paris hospitals, 
are constantly decorated with flow- 
ers, and to each little cross there is 
pinned a card showing that some 
woman has vowed that the grave shall 
never be without its wreath or vase of 
flowers.” 
There are some things that can be 
said only with flowers. 
Mrs. A. H. Austin. 
Flowers Sold at 
Fair for Red Cross. 
One of our subscribers in Massa- 
chusetts writes that the management 
of their local fair decided against flow- 
ers at their recent show. Well, from 
what we know about the management 
of one Massachusetts local fair, we 
would just about expect that. Any 
management that is so shortsighted as 
to decide against flowers in war time 
is not worthy of consideration from 
flower growers. Our correspondent 
writes further that at the last moment 
trade exhibits were asked for and two 
people complied, one showing 18 to 20 
varieties and the other 63 named va- 
rieties, the total display amounting to 
about 700 spikes. 
The entire lot was presented to the 
Red Cross which sold them on the 
ground and in the grand-stand and 
totaled over $150 for same. A bride’s 
bouquet, shower effect, made of Gladi- 
olus Lily Lehmann was auctioned off 
and brought $50. 
Rev. C. S. Harrison, the celebrated 
horticultural writer and lecturer, and 
who has had the misfortune to be 
stricken blind, writes recently that the 
Peony Richard Carvel introduced by 
A. M. Brand, Faribault, Minn., was the 
last thing on which his vision rested. 
He describes this variety as a glowing 
radiant red and predicts for it a great 
future. 
One of our subscribers wants to know 
how to develop a trade both retail and 
wholesale. He has grown Gladioli for 
years for pleasure and now wants to 
combine pleasure with profit. We 
would be glad to have suggestions 
along this line. There is no reason 
why amateur growers should not sell 
their surplus stock, and suggestions as 
to how to do it, will be gratefully re- 
ceived by a good many interested peo- 
ple we are quite sure. 
