DEPENDABLE GLADS 
17 
SHIPPING GLAD SPIKES 
Large quantities of Glad spikes are shipped to the flower markets. The demand 
for Glads is keen, and is becoming stronger every year. Enormous quantities of Glad 
blooms are consumed in the florist trade. Hundreds of acres are required to supply 
these markets alone. The best prices are obtained for early summer, or late fall 
blooms, and for greenhouse-grown spring blooms, as well as shipped-in Southern 
grown Glads- The mid-summer glut usually results in lower prices, although during 
the last few years of drouth irrigated Glads brought a premium. 
For shipping the spikes the common banana crate is commonly used. It provides 
plenty of ventilation and is a good protection for the spike tips. The spikes are cut 
with the first bud swelled enough to open the following day, although for longer 
shipping distances they may be cut somewhat “tighter”. They are tied together in 
bunches of twenty-five, with a cord a few inches from the lower ends of the spikes. 
Each bunch is rolled in a single sheet of a newspaper to protect the buds and tips 
from contact with the other bunches and the sides of the crate, and as many bunches 
placed vertically in the crate as will be contained snugly. Before packing the spikes 
should be placed in water at least a half hour. 
Smaller quantities of fully opened blooms are shipped in the ordinary florist 
boxes- Line the box with tissue paper, and pack the spikes snugly with the blossom 
ends together and in layers. A box may contain two or three layers if the bottom 
layers are protected from the weight of the upper layers by plenty of tissue paper, 
or by cleats. For complete protection from brushing against each other and the sides 
of the box while in transit, especially for the flower show, each spike may be tied to 
the bottom of the box by a muslin tape just below the lower flower. In this case it 
would be best not to have more than one layer of spikes for each box. Always be sure 
the spikes have had a long cool drink before packing. Also cut small holes in the top 
or sides of the box for ventilation. 
GLADS DROUTH RESISTANT 
The last four years of dry and hot weather conditions have afforded unusual op¬ 
portunities to note the drouth resistant qualities of Glads. The past season was the 
worst of the four for this locality. The field crop of course was slowed up somewhat, 
but the plants kept growing, the foliage green and fresh, seemingly as vigorous and 
healthy as usual, although there was not quite an inch of rainfall from May 12th until 
August 1st, with none that would much more than settle the dust. Wells went dry, 
late planted corn did not even sprout, the oats crop almost a complete failure, and 
even the tomato, a dry weather standby, almost a complete fizzle. Certainly a plea¬ 
sure to have a flower with the weather-worry removed. 
SUBSTANCE 
Substance refers to the ability of the open flower to resist the effects of the heat, 
dry air, air currents, rough handling, and so forth. The petals of some varieties are 
somewhat thin, like Phipps for example, while others are almost as heavy as leather, 
as in Purple Glory. However, the thickness of the petal has little to do with sub¬ 
stance. In these two examples Phipps far surpasses Purple Glory in ability to hold 
up under adverse conditions. The advantage of a thickness of petal lies in the fact 
that the floret is better able to mantain its form. 
A TOUGH CLIMATE WEEDS THEM OUT 
A rugged climate means heat and lots of it. where the thermometer has its tube 
well worn at the 100 degree mark, where the air gets dry as well as the ground, and 
humidity staying down towards the vanishing point, where hot winds from the south¬ 
west burn like a blast from an oven, where such conditions are common from June 
to September. When new varieties arrive in such a climate in scores and hundreds as 
they do. the mortality rate is very high indeed. 
I have seen beautiful blooms in the cool and damp Great Lakes region, and I 
wondered how such wonderful flowers could have escaped more general attention. 
But when they were bloomed here in Southern Iowa, they were miserable failures. 
Some of the signs of distress are smaller and rather pinched-looking blooms, a streak¬ 
ing of the lighter shades, especially the whites, and a shortening of the spike and 
bunching of the flowers Quite a few varieties are not affected in any of these ways, 
and it is worthy of note that such varieties are the ones that stand high in the gen¬ 
eral votes on favorites, and are making good everywhere. 
