Page 4 
THE GLADIOLUS FANCIER’S GUIDEBOOK FOR 1934 
sNRA, Does the N R A affect you as a 
bulb buyer? Read and see. Per- 
haps you have signed the N R A 
consumer’s pledge or by signing 
wt do our part ^hie ^ for y Gur Q wn industry 
either tacitly or otherwise pledged yourself 
to buy from those supporting it. 
We have signed the blanket code because 
the Gladiolus Industry is momentarily 
pushed aside to make way for the creation of 
more important codes affecting bare necessi¬ 
ties of life. Already about 80% of the 
nation’s industries are operating under 
codes containing rules for fair competition 
and making their non-observance a crime, 
punishable under federal law. 
The very ease of propagation of the gladio¬ 
lus has defeated the Gladiolus Industry in 
its attempt to sell bulbs above cost of pro¬ 
duction. You amateur buyers make no 
attempt to buy baby narcissus or baby tulip 
bulbs. But, because the gladiolus usually 
gives some bloom from small sized bulbs and 
not infrequently even from bulblets and be¬ 
cause, years ago, some depression caused 
American growers to offer planting stock at 
retail. This industrial ailment has not 
extended beyond Canada. 
We have helped organize (1933) the 
National Commercial Gladiolus Growers 
Association, which, we believe, will become 
that body of representative employers which 
will draft the tentative code of fair competi¬ 
tion for the industry. It is entirely possible 
that, when the matter is finally reached, the 
sale of small bulbs and bulblets may be con¬ 
fined strictly to bona fide, accredited com¬ 
mercial gladiolus growers. It is also pos¬ 
sible that extra count, which runs the net 
price of a variety below a given minimum 
retail price, may be ruled out, affecting 
particularly the cheaper sorts. If the 
Gladiolus Code is made an appendage to the 
Nurserymen’s Code, it may easily come into 
enforcement long before this short selling 
season is over. 
FOREIGN ORIGINATIONS 
Foreign originations must be withheld 
from sale by our growers who import them, 
for a period of at least two years, under the 
regulations of the federal Bureau of Plant 
Quarantine which makes actual inspection 
of the stock twice a year to make sure no 
disease has appeared before permitting the 
bulbs to be disseminated. 
This is the reason the new, foreign sorts, 
among them a few winning the coveted 
Awards of Merit and First Class Certifi¬ 
cates, are slower than American sorts in ar¬ 
riving at the U. S. shows. Some growers 
import most all the new ones to make sure 
of including the best and offer the whole lot 
for sale soon as released. Of course, many 
of these are no better than our best American 
sorts. On the other hand, many of our 
largest florets come from Europe. Scotland 
has given us Queen Mary and a lot of long 
spikes carrying medium sized florets. Can¬ 
ada has given us Picardy and other good 
ones. Australia and New Zealand have 
given us Miss New Zealand, Marmora, 
Sunnyside and other fine, large sorts with a 
maximum number open. In fact, in Australia 
and New Zealand it is a waste of time to 
bring a spike to the shows bearing less than 
ten to twelve florets open and expect to win 
a first prize. 
OUR CUSTOMERS WIN 
In the greatest National Show in the his¬ 
tory of the American Gladiolus Society, held 
in the Cleveland Public Auditorium, 1931, 
in the Advanced Amateur Division, our 
customers won 118 points to 55 by all others, 
or 68% of them all, also the Achievement 
Award for the Division. 
Even in the National Show, at Pitts¬ 
burgh, Pa., 1932, our customers again won 
53% of all points awarded to the Advanced 
Amateurs and one of them won the Achieve¬ 
ment Award for the Division. 
In the same National Show at Pittsburgh 
our Junior customers won 8734% of all the 
points awarded in the Junior Division, win¬ 
ning also the Achievement Award covering 
both the Novice and Junior Divisions, dis¬ 
closing the fact that even the kids know 
Evans’ quality bulbs. 
The reasons we have pictured our own 
prize awards are: 
1. Practically all our prize winning blooms 
were from medium sized bulbs planted 
closely in the open field in process of growing 
into large young bulbs for you to buy now. 
2. Because not even the greatest seed and 
bulb houses in America, with their scores of 
acres of bloom, could duplicate or surpass so 
enviable a record. 
3. Because it is unquestionable evidence 
that our stock is healthy, free of insect pests 
and composed of First Prize winning quality 
varieties. 
4. All these awards are confined to those 
we won at the two National Shows, two 
Mahoning Society Shows, 1931 and 1932 and 
the Ohio Show of 1932. 
We have considered the excellent cartoon, 
drawn by one of our customers who knows his 
Magna Blancas, and the several spike illus¬ 
trations of more interest to you than further 
medals, ribbons and silver vases, won in 
1933, so just brief mention will be made here. 
